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This is how it all started, a crash damaged Mini City. The engine and
front sub frame had already been removed along with all the interior.
Anything else that wasn't required was sold and this paid for the shell.
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First job was to weld a bar across the back of the doors to keep the
shape and strengthen the shell. Then the roof was removed.
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Then the front of the car was cut off to make it more manageable.
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Next the rear seat back was removed to increase the load space. More
bracing welded in place for strengthening and and to support the
panelling.
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Bracing bars for the hinged lid were welded in place, trying to leave
as small an overhang as possible so we don't have to stretch to load
up.
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A 2" square bar was welded across the floor to stop it flexing. Then a
1" square bar was fixed from top to bottom to support the wheel
carrier on the front. The front panel was probably the hardest part to
do. On hindsight it would have been better to make it out of two
pieces to stop it from buckling.
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Next the panel work on the top could begin.
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Experimenting with the towing bar to get the correct position bearing
in mind that the trailer would be lower when loaded up. We tested this
by having two people stand in the back!!
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Finally with all the panel work complete, it was starting to look like
a proper trailer.
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The towing bar was attached to the front box section and to the back
of the sub frame. The bar was designed so that it could be removed to
save space in the garage. The sub frame had been lightened and all the
braking system removed. The only things that remain are the radius
arms and the hubs.
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After the spray job. It was only painted on the outside to save money,
also we carpeted the inside anyway.
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Adding the finishing touches was the easy part.
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Here it is just before the trimmers.
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The trimmer used the same material as used on cabriolets for the
cover. This provides waterproof protection that has so far not let any
water in.
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Here is the trailer attached to the car. It certainly turns plenty of
heads, more so than my 30 year old Cooper.
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The trailer was finished 2 days before our holiday to Switzerland. We
covered 2500 miles in 12 days without any problems. The car only
struggled on the mountain passes when we were over 2000 metres
altitude. On the motor way it cruises along nicely and still returns
good fuel consumption.
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