Project RSP

[Derfinn]

Wow!
That's brilliant news!
Congrats on the new RSP, Ger!

[iwanagofast]

Would this mean that there is a spare set of RSP wheels knocking about the place?

[irlmin]

UPDATE, I have sold the original RSP project and am now concentrating on the 'new' one which is RSP no 350, it was fitted with sportpack arches when I got it which have now been removed , of course whoever fitted them did it correctly and cut the front wings for clearance so I will have to fit 2 new wings , door skins are blistering ---- so its 2 door skins , but aside from sorting the arch fitting holes in the rear side panels the body shell is in excellent condition , I will have to respray the sides and new std arches , then its down to mechanical bits , at present its pretty good with slight grating going into 2nd and 3rd gears , here is the plan , 73.5mm offset bore block with line bored journals , new cam bearings , Swiftune SW5 cam + vernier timing gears , powermax 73.5 mm pistons , new stroke corrected and hardened crank , conrods balanced and checked , ST 4 big valve head , Janspeed LCB and system , 2 x 1.5" SU carbs , Aldon distributor ,I have managed to get most of the bits from an RSP 'S' conversion so this used Janspeed exhaust components and this is what I will use , lightned flywheel , Full gearbox rebuild and change to 3.44:1 CWP , also looking at Quaife LSD but not sure about this yet , Brakes will be vented / grooved 8.4" discs with alloy 4 pot calipers , rear genuine 'minifins' . suspension wise its conventional with Hi-Lo's and AVO shocks , adjustable tie bars and 1.5 degree negative camber bottom arms , rear again adjustable camber brackets . interior is totally original and excellent at present and I intend to just fit a John Cooper signed Motolita steering wheel , interior trim will be standard BUt i am trying to source the original 'lightning' cloth and have 2 Recaro seats retrimmed with 1/2 leather / lightning cloth with red beading as per RSP . body work will be finished off with RSP 'S' badging which came with the 'S' conversion , finished car should be pretty good and will look really standard . may also fit r/h fuel tank as this was also a JC accessory for the RSP . wheels will be minilite 5.5" x 12 with Yokohama A048 165 x 55 x 12 tyres , so there is the plan , most of the bits are in the workshop , we will get the bodywork sorted 1st and then move on from there , I want to try to keep this a rolling resto if possible , pics as work progresses ,
G

[irlmin]

My original RSP project car has left my garage for its new owner , plan is to restore to original and as I plan to do to my latest RSP the new owner is also going to upgrade engine / box and also brakes , suspension etc , but remain close to original look . He is planning to have it finished some time during 2010 . so RSP no 831 is going to get a new lease of life ,
G

[irlmin]

Parts are now being collected for My RSP project , having removed the Sportpack arches some previous owner fitted I will have to fit 2 new wings as the originals have been cut to clear the big wheels , I also need 2 door skins or doors , then its sort the holes from the sportpack arches in the rear quarter panels and a decent repaint of the lower part of the car ,a set of original RSP arches in black ( body colour ) new brightwork and 'S' badges and the exterior will be finished , interior is mint and only requires a change to My John Cooper signed Motolita steering wheel , longer term a set of Recaro seats in the correct RSP 'lightning' trim will be fitted . I have already started on the engine / box with a reconditioned gearbox with 4 pin diff and 3.44:1 fd ready to go , i have outlined the engine options in a previous post and am looking forward to getting stuck in to this project .
G

[inny1300]

Hi Gread,sounds as though you are moving very well,and it is a mini that is getting very rare these days,i look forward to seeing it when it is done,regards jon

[scottmaher32]

god id love to do all that with my mini ha how much (vaugly) would it all cost for the sand blast and respray if ya dont mind me askin

[irlmin]

It really depends on how good your mini shell is , as a guide if you want to replace sills , A panels , wings , door skins , rear valance , front panel ,wiper panel etc etc and a very good respray you are looking at anywhere between € 3000 and € 5000 . now if your mini is pretty rust free you would reduce this figure considerably . I would always recommend making sure your mini is structurally good before you spend any major money on cosmetics , its amazing how many people spend mega money on wheels , body kits , etc etc on minis which really should have the same money spent on basic structural items before any mods start .
G