I started out (...and not yet finished) with the engine bay which has a lot of fiddly hard to access areas. I stripped what I could using an angle grinder mounted wire brush, then worked the tighter areas with a drill mounted wire brush then got right into the hardest of places using a rotary tool (I use a Draper one now as the Dremmel turned out to be as crap as their subsequent customer service!).
Whilst working on the rear valance I uncovered an alarming amount of filler running down the left hand side. When I had taken everything back I could see that the area had buckled inwards, which in turn had caused some damage and creasing to some of the inner plates:
Based on the accounts of the original owners this would be consistent with a minor accident back in the 80's when a Mini slid into the back of the car due to icy road conditions. It is bizarre, but knowing the history of these damaged areas stops me from feel frustrated about the state of them!
Anyway, following my valiant attempt of the engine bay (still in progress!) I moved onto drivers side rear window and again the little rotary tool wire brush was perfect for getting into those tight corners and underneath the drip rail:
And with a fresh coat of primer added:
As I was on a roll I then bare metaled and primed a chunk of roof section:
Not sure how to tackle the rear vent area yet, hence why I masked the area off and sprayed around it.
More progress updates real soon...
