MARSHSEIS "Classic Mini Challenge" Creating a Time Machine.

Objective-9 The Interior...... Let's see exactly what we can squeeze in.

If ever there was a day of reckoning for our "Classic Mini Challenge" then this was it. The pic below was the culmination of possibly a day of measuring and re-measuring, a great deal of thought, contemplation, re-assessment, and then measuring again. Everything and I mean everything on the interior of the new mini.... you could say uses this front facia foundation rail as a datum point and is relative to it, so the installation of this had to be exact down to millimetre precision or it just wasn't going to fly. As you'll see in future blogs we've had to use copious applications of Marshseis Magic too, to squeeze, coax and cajole everything in, but in the end we got it to where it needed to be and we're pretty pleased with this result.

The facia foundation rail as well as providing a mounting point for the facia and ancillary components it also provides strength and rigidity to the front of the car so we also had to get the rail as close as we could to the original cross bracing rail. Now let's see what fits or can be made to fit.

Steering wheel fits :-) and in our opinion is actually in a better and more ergonomically appropriate position for driver comfort and control than the original is or was, but I guess that's subjective and as I said a matter of opinion, but we certainly like it and for us that's the opinion that counts.

Now the fun really starts :-) Let's see what else fits. We had literally hour upon hour of offering up, planning, measuring, fettling and trying to think out every eventuality. Trying to work out just how the fitting of every component would impact on and possibly compromise the installation of the next.

The installation of every component having to be fought for and won and not only its own location relative to its next component considered but how every piece of the puzzle would impact upon and merge harmoniously or not with the original mini body and peripherals.

The biggest realisation or conclusion we made, rightly or wrongly is just how closely the German Engineers designing the new MINI had kept to the original scope and spec of the classic Mini shell, Some of the measurements and similarities being in some cases actually quite amazingly similar, yet in others positively and purposely different to accommodate the host of additional peripherals the new MINI contains.

Finally a little teaser in anticipation of the next blog, I wonder how many can work out, why, where, and how we had to install this component and a little clue, its not from the new or original mini. ?? :-)

That's about all for this blog....All the best and take care and be sure to keep an eye out for our next blogs where you'll find out exactly how we got on with "Creating a Time Machine".