The main reason for buying the car was to fully restore it, not to simply patch it up to get it on the road as quickly as possible. Despite searching for, and buying a Cooper S in the best possible condition, it soon became clear that an enormous amount of work would be required in order to carry out the restoration project.
Before beginning the restoration of the body shell I had to learn to weld. After buying a reasonable MIG welder I spent the next month practising, mostly on other people's cars! Once I felt confident enough to begin I set about replacing the two front floor pans, the back section of the boot floor, the battery box, and lower rear valence. Also, the rear sub-frame was replaced, and re-assembled with restored components. At this stage nothing was done to the engine as it was supposedly in good condition, having been rebuilt only a few years before.
During this period the car was kept off the road cocooned in a number of different lock-up garages.