Rambling Words, Rambling Wheels

The next target for my work on the engine compartment was the windscreen washer motor. I was a little hesitant, as it requires the removal of part of the interior trim. I really needed the motor out, though, to be able to adequately clean and paint the engine area. I finally started peeling back the panel above the “parcel shelf.” This uniquely Mini feature runs across the entire front of the car under the dashboard, broken only by the unique instrument cluster in the center.

Prying back the panel took a bit of wriggling, but it finally started to work free. The front of the panel was black vinyl, like the majority of the interior. However, as I peeled the panel back, I could see that the portion of the covering that wrapped over and under the backing material was actually red. The front had been painted black.

I’ve been considering what color to paint the car itself. There were many indications that it had once been red under the horrible black skin now covering it. However, I also wondered if it might have been a cream white based on some deep scars on the exterior.

This trek inside the dashboard gave me the final help I needed to answer the color question. Behind the poorly painted scuttle panel, and further still behind some insulation, I found the bolts for the wiper motor passing through the firewall. And, that firewall, in brilliant Tartan Red, was confirmation of the original color of my vehicle.

Work continues on the engine compartment, now with a clear focus on the color to which it will be reverted.