Where's the best place to purchase body panels? least expensive but best quality replacements. Are there different types? i.e. OEM/Aftermarket? and is there a better brand than another?
Panels I'll be looking for:
Complete Floor
both inner wings
boot floor
crossmember
companion boxes
inner/outer seal
etc.
JD
M-Machine http://www.m-machine.co.uk/ (http://www.m-machine.co.uk/) in the UK has the best selection and good quality. Their panels are as close to original as you can get for MkI to MkIII cars. They have a huge selection and will consider custom panels.
British Motor Heritage http://www.bmh-ltd.com/mini.htm (http://www.bmh-ltd.com/mini.htm) makes genuine panels from the original tooling. The panels are very good but unfortunately they have a limited selection and most of the original tooling was modified over the years for the MKIV and later Minis.
The British Pound is cheap right now relative to the U.S. Dollar so it is worth ordering from the UK.
Cheers,
Kelley
M-machine is a good choice. I've ordered some panels from them ages ago.
always got what i needed from mr. mini (www.mrmini.com)
Oh by the way, its in the early stages but I may be putting up panels in the store. It should work out to be much cheaper than say MM prices. In fact genuine parts may cost the same as their reproduction parts. Don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but I'm working on it.