Geoff's Custom Design Body Works Mini Classifieds

From this .....

What was a 1964-5 Morris Mini 850 was melded with a Toyota Starlet and this is the almost finished product. I say almost because parts are still arriving from England and the local uphosterer has gone fishing, I think! He certainly didn't live up to his promises. But hey, we did get one seat and the door trim ... at 3 pm on the Saturday and we set out to cover over 500 km to the Muster for the Sunday.

... to this!

Now this car isn't registered yet and we off-loaded it from the trailer to drive it into the venue. The front tyre went flat. Then the electrics cut out in a car where all is unlocked with a button - I just made it out of the cut-down window!! The tow rope connected to our other mini broke. And yes, now the other front wheel went flat. How "lucky" we were there was a truck in the garage across the way with a tip tray - we made it! Just 15 minutes late after all the drama! Turned out the two-piece rims were puncturing the tube.

Anyway, I managed to hot-wire a fuse to get it going after a lot of thought. I had no time to take photos of anything and I thank the guys who posted these pics on ausmini.com - contact me with your names and I'll give you proper acknowledgement.

The following pictures - with very minimum commentary, a picture speaks 1000 words, they say - give you some idea of the trials and tribulations in getting this project to fruition. The welding, the painting and the mechanical assembly is all Geoff's own work. Email or phone him with any queries you have.

This mini on the right you'll recognize from the 2007 Muster where it took some trophies. We took Best Paint and won the Sound-off this time. Wally Morgan - Webmaster


Cutting the pillars to make a "gangsta" car! 65 mm (2.5") should do it.			How much to cut and weld to go from one car to the other?

Whole back is cleared including side so the new fold-down seats will fit	Starlet 1.3 litre turbo-charged, fuel injected, 16 valves, front wheel drive motor.	The front sub-frame is altered to suit the motor

More detail to show how the sub-frame was altered for the new motor			The Starlet dash will need fitting!

The arms are made adjustable		50 mm (2") more is needed up front!

Knee-bone connected to the ....? But it all worked out in the end.	Better view of how the front needed to be changed.		The Starlet cockpit gradually fits!

Now the fiddley stuff as the gaps close and the hole is made for the scoop. There aren't any pictures, but the floor pans were replaced.


More fitting and finding - doors and the boot. The pillars had to be adjusted to allow the roof to fit without an extra bit inserted. It allowed the windows to be raked a little further. The pillars had to be made to line up wih the door. The window had to be changed to take full glass without a quarter glass. Welded the Starlet fuel tank itothe boot, reshaped the number-plate slot to suit the slim-line plate.


Off to the sand-blaster! Very damaged and it took several days to straighten the body. And I still found rust! Fitted the Starlet boot into the car so that the fuel pump, return lines, etc. could be fitted. Otherwise, it would have taken a few days extra to make a fuel tank. Now it was primed and it was readt for de-seaming and smoothing.

Time to clean the motor and install the adjustable control arms.		De-seaming and smoothing

All the de-seaming and smoothing continues

The flare kit, ordered months previously, finally arrived. The fuel tank inlet had to be shifted to the near side!			The window winder and the electronic locking all had to be installed


The car is now all smooth with the flares in place. The body kit is a mould off a Zemax body kit and all the flares are two-piece flares so they can be widened or narrowed to suit.		The fuel tank in place. The coil suspension from a Harley is so stiff - but the one ordered from England didn't arrive in time.

Assembled the "suicide" door, the bear claws, the release, the hinges, and made sure the windows would go up and down in the sliders. Meanwhile, the scoop is ready and the project is at last ready for paint. Assembled the car to check all the "gaps" are OK before painting.


First mask was silver with a second mask to allow the orange to be painted inside. Then masked all that and sprayed a similar colour to Morpheus with some change to make it more purple. Once the masking is removed, I cleared it. Two days later, I sanded the whole car till it was nice and flat and then gave it another three coats of clear.

Not many pictures detail the stages of getting the painting done. However, you can see it all coming together.

The subframes and engine were painted and installed. A two-pack black for the frame and silver with a prismatic flake for the engine.


Time is running out! I couldn't get enough pictures at this stage. Installed the collapsible steering column from the Starlet. I completed the hood lining and took the car to Windscreens O'Brien for all the windows to be made and installed. Oh yeah! That one seat and door trim arrived. So did the headlights from England. The wheels are Dragway 4-spoke Mags, 13x7 on the front, 13x6 on the rear, Pirelli tyres, Angel-Eye headlights, and we even have hazard lights thanks to the Starlet. The grill is new from England.

We were soon on the road! Incomplete .... but competitive, at least!