1978 Austin maxi 1750HL

[bmcnut]

Didnt get the other 2 wheels done but did test fit a badge. On the front I've got a landcrab 1800S badge.


And needed something smaller but similar for the back. I spent ages looking at cooper s badges new and old, and other more obvious choices, then one popped up on a search that was the right shape but didn't have the red insert, but was near enough the same hight as the 1750 badge, and it arrived yesterday.



It's not fitted properly as I need to redo the primer bits first, but it's ideal. Can anybody identify what it's off?

Next on the to to do list is the mudflaps.


They need a good clean and a shine, and the maxi logo highlighted. Originally it was white bit always looked too bright, so I'll probably do them silver or darker.
Although I'm happy with the steels I keep looking at alloys and gave myself an idea. The car used to have ambassador alloys on it.


And realised I've never seen a set painted black with a diamond cut face, like this


And now I think I want a set.

[bmcnut]

Touching up some areas of paint on the rear quarter where the paint has cracked and/or failed. I'm not hoping to make it look perfect at the moment, just stop it from getting worse.


Ive also found some wheels and tyres locally. They're the right pcd and size, just need to check offset. I didn't want minilights simply because I've had afew sets in the past and wanted something different, but messing about on my phone makes me think they'll look OK.

[bmcnut]

The wheels didn't work out. The offset was too far out and my studs arnt long enough. Credit to the chap selling them letting me borrow a wheel overnight to check fitment.
So I've carried on painting my steels. And got distracted by the state of the rear mudflaps. Took them off and gave them a good clean. This was after the clean. They looked absolutely knackered.


So I found some leather cleaner and gave them a slightly more intensive clean. They came up really rather well. Then there's the maxi logo. Originally white which never looked right to me, as the badge is silver. So I did them silver.


Better. And now the brackets, nuts and bolts look rough so I'm giving them a clean up and a coat of black.

[75swb]

The "S" badge is confusing me. I initially thought a civic Si, but it's not that. Looks similar to a 911 s, but it's too symmetrical, too svelte for a Peugeot SW badge. You'll have to put us put of our misery.

Nice work on the rest of it too!

[bmcnut]

Jul 16, 2024 3:47:42 GMT 75swb said:

The "S" badge is confusing me. I initially thought a civic Si, but it's not that. Looks similar to a 911 s, but it's too symmetrical, too svelte for a Peugeot SW badge. You'll have to put us put of our misery.

Nice work on the rest of it too!

Thanks. The badge is a 2009 vauxhall one, it's the only one that came close to what I had in mind. Since putting the S badges on it it's given me a theme to work to. Changing details to make it a 'what if'. Dad did that with the 3 badge, I'm doing the same with the s.

[igor]

How about the S badge from an Oz spec Mini?

[bmcnut]

Had a problem with the front brakes sticking on. An easy fix, the channels for the sliding part of the caliper were dry so a dab of copper grease sorted that out. Mudflaps are back on too, really happy with the results.

Before


After


After the brakes were done I took it out for a test and ended up in Brighton. Saw a shop.


On the way home a fuse popped and I lost my lights. Easy bodge. Aside from that the car really is driving very nicely now. It's honestly hard to put into words how much I enjoy just driving it about. I often wonder what dad would think if he knew I'd got the car back, but the way it all happened strongly suggests he probably does know. 🙏

[Mercdan68]

Superb makes me smile 😉😉😉

[bmcnut]

A minor discovery, but worth a post. There was a load of tape wrapped around the back of the garage door lock. I have now been reminded that dad put it there to protect the paint when the boot was up while the car was parked in the garage


Good job it's still there otherwise I'd be getting the paint brush out

[jimi]

Funnily enough my garage door was exactly the same, must have headbutted the square bar half a dozen times before I took the hacksaw to it

[jamesd1972]

Jul 30, 2024 18:58:13 GMT jimi said:

Funnily enough my garage door was exactly the same, must have headbutted the square bar half a dozen times before I took the hacksaw to it

Showing your age there in not using an angry grinder !

Modern (especially cordless) tools sure have made life easier.


Maxi still looking great.

James

[minijohn]

Great thread - I just read from start to finish - well done.
One thing I think the car needs is a couple of chrome bolts to fill the holes in the front bumper like these...
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152150976816?itmmeta=01J44QF8QN8CQ1H50K9FJX5MD6&hash=item236ce7a930:g:y3cAAOSwuzRXdjEl&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4Ml8KecA88QrRyR3qFNnuj9FmlhbzsgomjUoDvO2LGzvCnfGOLtP4Q5xwVZG5n%2BxbLXxijElZfrkOIZsVtQBUkU%2Bcc1VgqmYpz%2BSjssBiYtTm8ZIH6rX3yeSAFdGEq55vPCtEKZr3vKhnjI09sMlbt061s4nIqsjfUy58FKT4gw8%2FEFz6FRA5buIqYk0eXBWBRA9A5%2BqDb0ZP5ULT9XeT8CwVEgqtKc%2F8oxEzGSLTb7HMZofhwS12m%2F5UkFF3yvm39QQW28DIZVHVp%2FvpkTzxJPRikQyh0Rq%2BjlAzF3V0mU7%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_KLvZehZA&edge=0

[bmcnut]

Jul 31, 2024 15:47:36 GMT minijohn said:

Great thread - I just read from start to finish - well done.
One thing I think the car needs is a couple of chrome bolts to fill the holes in the front bumper like these...
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152150976816?itmmeta=01J44QF8QN8CQ1H50K9FJX5MD6&hash=item236ce7a930:g:y3cAAOSwuzRXdjEl&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4Ml8KecA88QrRyR3qFNnuj9FmlhbzsgomjUoDvO2LGzvCnfGOLtP4Q5xwVZG5n%2BxbLXxijElZfrkOIZsVtQBUkU%2Bcc1VgqmYpz%2BSjssBiYtTm8ZIH6rX3yeSAFdGEq55vPCtEKZr3vKhnjI09sMlbt061s4nIqsjfUy58FKT4gw8%2FEFz6FRA5buIqYk0eXBWBRA9A5%2BqDb0ZP5ULT9XeT8CwVEgqtKc%2F8oxEzGSLTb7HMZofhwS12m%2F5UkFF3yvm39QQW28DIZVHVp%2FvpkTzxJPRikQyh0Rq%2BjlAzF3V0mU7%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_KLvZehZA&edge=0

Thanks for the link, you must be some sort of crazy psychic, it was one thing I forgot to post, but over the weekend I found 2 of the later clip in type, I prefer the finnish of the bolt type you linked to, but the clip in type are flatter. They were in my box of knobs and handles that I used to restore furniture. No idea why, and I didn't know I had them.

So that's one thing to tick off the list, the front end is finished.



I'm still toying with the idea of sticking the austin letters onto the chrome strip under the grill, and there have been calls to put the grill badge back on, but I think I like it as it is.

[jimi]

Jul 31, 2024 14:45:31 GMT jamesd1972 said:

Jul 30, 2024 18:58:13 GMT jimi said:

Funnily enough my garage door was exactly the same, must have headbutted the square bar half a dozen times before I took the hacksaw to it

Showing your age there in not using an angry grinder !

Modern (especially cordless) tools sure have made life easier.

James

More to do with my MR2 sitting under/behind the door than lack of "modern" power tools, depends on your definition of "modern" after all power tools have been about a very long time

[bmcnut]

I've just found something I've been looking for for ages. Two things actually. They were found deeply stashed in a box, in a box, in a box







Dad put these together probably 30 years ago, they're a bit battered, so I will do some very careful work to them. There's another one somewhere that I converted badly to a scalextric chassis. You'd get strung up for converting a perfectly good airfix kit these days.

[minijohn]

Back in the 1960’s I was modifying Airfix kits all the time - particularly a Mk1 Ford Cortina that I chopped the roof off to make a convertible and then made a roll cage for it from the ‘tree’ the parts are attached to.
White circles on the doors, racing stripes etc etc


I think the front end of the Maxi looks perfect now - it looks like a big mini clubman.
Great story to it too - especially with all the photos you have.

[bmcnut]

Aug 2, 2024 15:55:16 GMT minijohn said:

I think the front end of the Maxi looks perfect now - it looks like a big mini clubman.
Great story to it too - especially with all the photos you have.

Thanks. I've got loads of pics from years gone by, and many more memories. One pic that really feels like a memory is this one, taken by me on holiday somewhere. Last year I'd look at this pic and think about the car being in my past, and as far as I was concerned that was where it was going to stay. Never did i think it would be back in my garage.

[bmcnut]

So, after afew month of enjoying it I was out on Friday and modified the ride height by hitting a speedhump a little quicker than I should've, the real kicker is I knew it was there, I just didn't realise it was quite so severe.


So there it is. Broken but cool looking. I havnt looked underneath but I'm sure it's popped the front unit. It'll be off the road now until that, and other bits and pieces have been sorted. I'll just stick it in the garage and forget about it for afew weeks.

[bmcnut]

In the garage now. A couple more pics before it went in.

[darrenh]

Jul 4, 2024 20:29:25 GMT bmcnut said:

One side sorted. Just needs centre caps, I do have some conveniently tapered plastic drinking cups which should do the job when cut down.

its got overgrown mini clubman vibes, which i like