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By popular demand , well two requests , here is some info on my Mini One Beach Car project ! For starters here are a few photos of the original design by Austin back in the 60's. Only 16 cars were built so quite a rarity to see one these days !
The brown one in the video is local to me and I had a good look around it at the Tewkesbury classic car show last year. Having had a chat with the owner I suggested I might build one based around a new shape Mini . So earlier this year I found a suitable donor car close to home to have a play with. As usual other things have got in the way, work , home , holidays etc so progress has been slow ! However , the baulk of the metal work is done so if it all goes to plan I should be on the road later in the year !
Cutting and welding isn't my favourite pastime, I'm paranoid about things catching fire both in the car and around the garage ! So yes that aspect of the build was brave for me. There is a lot of extra steel gone in, much of which is hidden under the raised sill. I still have to make suitable seat belt mountings for the front seats upper mounting which would normally be on the B pillar. I'm reversing the front seat belts so the upper mount is in the centre of the car, coming off a substantial post bolted / welded to the tunnel.
Cutting and welding isn't my favourite pastime, I'm paranoid about things catching fire both in the car and around the garage ! So yes that aspect of the build was brave for me. There is a lot of extra steel gone in, much of which is hidden under the raised sill. I still have to make suitable seat belt mountings for the front seats upper mounting which would normally be on the B pillar. I'm reversing the front seat belts so the upper mount is in the centre of the car, coming off a substantial post bolted / welded to the tunnel.
I'm confident you are making a good job of it - but have you checked the need for IVA? How is it likely to be assessed sans B pillars?
The airflow dynamics of open cars and cars with a roof but no side doors/panels is very different.
I did once drive my Jago with the roof up but without the doors and the "sidewash" was very noticeable. That's why I don't bother with a roof now.
Also why I've never bothered getting weather equipment for my Fury- a tonneau suffices.
You're right Ian, I don't think this will be a car for driving at speeds above 50mph. I see it as something for the finer summer days driving around your beach resort in the south of France. Most of the originals were exported to such places, same as the Fiat Jollies etc which can still be seen in Italian resorts today.
Big fan of beach cars myself, especially the Mini Moke for its driving dynamics. I've got a picture of me with one I hired on holiday in Kos in the early 90's somewhere, I'll have to dig it out.
Also love the Fiat Jolly and Citroen Mehari, which you can buy the bodies and parts for from The 2CV Shop to build your own -
Zero movement when I cut the B pillar out. I didn't expect there to be any, the floor and sill structure in these Mini's is immense ! Lots of extra steel has gone into the sill area to further brace the bottom of the car. I'm toying with the idea to fit a roll bar structure running from front to back but I really don't think I need to. The remaining structure is as solid as a rock !
