Mini Restorations and Bodywork
We offer a full Mini restoration service, so if you need a new wing, sill, A-panel or any part of your car restoring we can help.
We always pay great attention to detail; look at examples of our work and see the detail. Look at the shut of the doors and the fit of panels, it is these items you will notice on your Mini when it is restored or repaired.
We can offer such attention to detail since all work is undertaken in our own workshops by our own staff. Beware of people who say they can restore your Mini shell for under two thousand pounds – they can not if it is done correctly. In the long run cutting cost on restoration always costs more in the end!
If you want to strip and rebuild your own car but want us to restore the shell, that’s fine; you strip the car to a rolling shell and we can collect the shell, restore it and then return it to you. Email for more details dean@deansminis.com
Examples of restorations carried out by Dean’s Minis
1993 British Open Classic
This is a finished sill fitted by Dean’s Minis.
Note it is a 4.5″ sill and not an over sill. Over sills (sometimes known as wide sills) are Mini killers and should not be sold let alone produced. If someone wants to sell you an over sill they are not a real Mini enthusiast!
This shows the damage an over sill can cause. The correct sill of a mini forms a box section with the inner sill and floor. This section should be able to have air flow through the outer sill slots. An over sill creates a box with no vents so moisture, dirt etc. cannot escape thus rotting out everything near it.
These two pictures show the amount of corroded metal we had to cut away to get back to good steel for welding.
It is not easy to see at first but one picture is the shell upside down on our rollover jig looking into the LH companion box, looking forwards. The next picture is offering up the new heritage floor/inner sill section.
This is a closeup of the LH companion box, Mini upside down. The oversills has been cut & folded up to show the amount of rot these oversills cause. The rear subframe mount will have to be renewed – all because of those MOT passing oversills!! In 34 years as Mini Specialist we have never fitted oversills.
Nice new genuine sill all fitted, along with floor & inner sill panel. Inside the box section be have also fitted new jacking point & both end sills strengthener brackets.
Corrosion to the front of the rear subframe mount RH side, Mini shell upside down.
Rear subframe mount replaced and sill fitted
1967 Cooper S front end Replacement
Left side front inner wing dissected away to leave original stengthener plates in place
New section of LH inner wing being welded in place
New panels all being test fitted for alignment – this can happen several times so don’t be concerned if yours do not align first time, just keep adjusting until they do. Although to be truthfully once you have done it on 100’s of Minis is does get a little easier!
