I first tried to see this car in a garage full of wood, vauxhall spare parts and I don’t know what else. All that was visible was part of the bull bar and one front headlight. After excavating the car we found that the handbrake wasn’t seized but it was a non runner with no clutch, brakes in need of serious attention and about 20% of the paintwork fallen off. So one week later we turned up with a trailer. Easy.

First job- get engine running, second job- brakes. Despite assurance that drum brakes are ok with 13” wheels and high profile tires our first purchase was ‘new’ discbrake hubs and driveshafts. Then reconditioned calipers, new master cylinder, rear slave cylinders, brakepipes, discs and pads. Ok, then the clutch, another slave and master cylinder. Do not ever, I really, really mean this, buy cars that have stood for seven years.
MOT advice - check fuel before leaving (otherwise wife has to sit on side of road unimpressed) (new job - make sure fuel gauge works ).
Failed on lots- not enough space to list
Third time lucky – PASS!!!

Went to first show, nice day, lovely drive, snapped engine mount! At first I thought we had only lost the exhaust, no problem, tie it to the roll cage with some rags drive away. No way, no gears! Call RAC. Try explaining AMC Cub to nice lady, give up, mini moke-a-like. Go home, dismantle car.

The shell was loaded onto a mate’s flatbed trailer and sent to Davies Panel Works for sanding, priming and painting. The rollcage and bullbars went for sandblasting first due to rust. I was then badgered into choosing a colour - BMW lilac. The car was then returned on a lovely sunny day. Oh crikey, it’s pink.
I’ve had my car sprayed pink. Noooooooooo. (webmasters note – I was told it was going to be Cadburys wrapper purple, but plans change I guess and the lilac grows on you…but a BMW colour what were you thinking!!! – must be careful not to make too much fun of colour…as I proof this, my temporary company car sits outside…a metallic lilac Daihatsu!)

In the time the car had been under going its transformation we had been busy cleaning and respraying the subframe and other suspension parts. Striping down the engine for a quick check and respray in silver rather than gold and oil. During this we found the cause of the overheating problem, a solid plug of gunge in the water pump plus we confirmed that the engine has been bored out to 1293. We then began making an ever increasing list of things we needed or wanted.

After calming down about the colour we began reassembly. First job remove rear suspension for painting. Then refit rear suspension. Fit reconditioned steering rack, front subframe and engine. Refit brakes and handbrake. Also fit the new checkerplate floor which replaced good old marine ply (wm note – not as easy as it sounds, they had to add an inner lip to the pontoons as the ply is NOT! supported on the outer edge) . Cut new holes for the replacement indicator, side and brakelights.

Now the electrics, this is where it gets interesting. I had decided to fit a later twin point steering column and switches to allow me to reach the controls with the four point harnesses fitted. This had come with part of the later wiring loom and the twin speed wipers but was missing the control unit. A trip to our local scrapyard looking for a rover yielded a crashed twin point mini with the control unit and an almost intact wiring loom. This replaced the original ( take a 20 year old wiring loom put it in a kitcar by rolling it up in a ball behind the dash, leave in garage for 7 years ) . I was going to build a new custom loom but why bother? This did leave us with a wiring loom all over the frontroom as it was taken apart with the aid of a Haynes manual.

The loom was partially fitted and the engine ancillaries likewise when she went to her first show… On the back of a trailer. Still not running, without any seats. During the weekend I was asked if the car was an AMC Cub by a passerby. After a quick double take we both realized that the car was the one he had shown me the previous December. He hadn’t recognized it in it’s new colour! By the end of the weekend she went round the showring under her own power. (wm note – its not just Mini Se7en racers can build a car at a show, cubbers can too) Thank you to everyone helped, go away to the folding chair mechanics and just don’t ask about the sticker on the rollcage (wm note – it reads “HONK IF YOU THINK ITS PINK”) or the “award for the pinkest car”.

We still have to fit the new twin exit exhaust and find new wheels to replace the rusty wellers. (wm note -update on this point new 13” Revolutions have been purchased and painted in body colour – should have been silver to match but breakdown in communication proved a happy result)

Warning:- despite appearances this car is not pink. (wm note – yeah yeah yeah that’s what they all say)