Hello from Frankfurt Germany

[Hammering man]

Hello, I'm Marcel and I live in Frankfurt.

I on these site for 2 years now and followed all these unbelievable projects. Some of them can beat the big three and some more "High level (price) restoring shops" too.

I started in late seventies with a Austin Mini, bought new and last for 7 weeks before I modified the car (light crash). Years and years and few minis and other cars later I sold everything I had and changed the job, worked in the UK and later in Brighton MI. I dreamed about a Seven build '59, not as everyone does a Cooper S. I found one in South Carolina US but as a package, 2 cars for restoration and a whole bunch of spare parts. One is build Dec. 12 1959 YES!! and registered 1961 in Minnesota USA! And the other one are NO WAY a 1964 Cooper S 1275!! Both cars are in a "Not for the fainted heard- condition" but I got them. Jobwise back to Germany, and I started again with parts and a Mini and a Mini and so on. By the way I collected a 1962 Van in Birmingham UK and a '67 Innocenti body and some more Sedans in Germany. Luckely my Garage is big enough to store them and now I started to clean up the mess ä' sort all parts. Its like christmas, every box I open is a new challenge where to put the parts and do I find them whem I need them. Now I try to get a modified '92 Cooper to start with mechanical issues (the damned thing don't start) and a '89 Mini 1000 I got as a gift from a friend (I have nice friends) stored outside for min. 8 years but in a restorable condition. Dismantled first and started welding.

Thats for now


Marcel

[Steve Hamilton]

Hi Marcel
Welcome to Allmetalshaping, your membership has been approved.
It appears that you have enough projects to last at least a year!

Steve

[Jaroslav]

Marcel, welcome, you're in the right place. Do you have a lock on the door like Mr. Bean?

[metaldahlberg88]

Welcome to the site

[cliffrod]

Welcome to the forum, Marcel.

[Mike Whelan]

Hi Marcel,

I would love to see a photo of the Mini van!

I owned one in the early seventies when I was a student in England. The rot problems were unbelievable. I eventually replaced it with a Mini Clubman estate.

I'm now living near Trier and am restoring an old Rolls-Royce


Mike

[skintkarter]

Welcome Marcel. It certainly sounds like you have quite a Mini problem.

Your story reminded my about a couple of friends and their Mini van in the late 60's early 70's. There seemed to be lots of red mini vans around in the North of England at the time - perhaps ex the Post Office. For whatever reason, the engine needed to come out of my friends' van and of course we had no lifting gear. So a length of timber and some rope was employed between the 3 of us. Repairs were effected and we reinstalled the engine as we had taken it out. However we had removed the distributor and needed to re-time the engine. We got the van running, but not very well. Being the stupid 16 year old petrolhead I was (and at 65 still am) I suggested that in the absence of a timing light or rolling road, that I ride on the right hand guard (wing) with my feet in the engine bay as one of my friends drove the van down a straight bit of road in 3rd gear. He was to call out the mph and I was to rotate the distributor to yield the highest mph call. All worked out as anticipated and nobody died... Complete madness looking back

[Hammering man]

Hello Steve, I think I need more than a year but its better to have a projects


Hello Jaroslav, no there are no lock on the door, the door id so rusted there will be no metal left to put a lock an.


Hello metaldahlberg88 and cliffrod



Hello Mike Whelan, sorry no pics now, the van stucks under a pile of whatever.



Hello skintkarter, thanks god I do not have these kind of stories, but we did some less dangerous things, but we still alive.


Marcel

[abarthdave]

The German post pffive VW Type 147 (informally Fridolin) were also pretty rusty ,
When they came out of Bundespost service they were everywhere , and cheap transport for students , then I think they just got scrapped from the rust ,

Now I would love to find a rusty one !