Fri., June 22, 2007 – When I tricked my wife into getting my first Mini (or so she says!), I bought it with the intent of tinkering with it in the evenings as a way to reduce stress from my then-job as a journalist. My specialty involved advanced-transportation technology, including alternative-fuel vehicles. It was a great job, but that’s another story.

The idea of my new hobby was that – after we put our three boys to bed – I’d be out in the garage for a couple hours fiddling and listening to my favorite tunes. As it turned out, I didn’t get a chance to do much tinkering. So many people asked me how they could get a Mini of their own that my then-hobby quickly turned into a business – which, as it turned out, just added to my stress…

Anyway, one of my dreams had been to take my Mini completely apart – every nut, bolt and screw – and restore it, piece by piece. I haven’t yet been able to fulfill that dream – although I’ve commissioned a number of Minis built up that way, primarily from our network of overseas craftsmen.

A reader recently tipped me off to a great series of videos of someone doing just what I had dreamed of doing myself. And here they are:

Click Here to See Part One or go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TBL5PSSYP8

Click Here to See Part Two or go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wJiR8NHkiE

Click Here to See Part Three or go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVfVxNImArQ

Video submission: YouTube username: “speedingorange”