Mini

This one has been two years in the making. When I bought the car, I had ideas of using it as a run-around on wet days, the Westfield is not ideal for this! Anyway, the car needed a bit of work doing on it and I started having all sorts of ideas. The results are on these pages. In the meantime, I bought a 'proper' car as a run around, people just can't understand why I need four cars!

I wish I'd taken more pictures of the car when I first got it. I bought it for £450... and for that I was done! The shell was sound, although it looked horrendous. A solid Mk 2 mini is unusual these days, the Mk2 was produced from '68 to '71, this is a '68 S. The engine, well it worked and the car was MOT'ed when I got it though I don't know how it passed! It went straight off for welding and painting basically to confirm the shell was solid before I spent money doing it up. Once back, just about everything has been reconditioned or replaced. It lost the hydrolastic suspension and it got a new unleaded engine...

It started life as a red car, so the black roof was a logical step forward. From there came the arches, Wood and Picket fibre glass seemed to suit, and it had to be the 6x10 classic wheels.

Well, everybody has the MiniLites so I decided to be different and settle on Revolutions. A little hard to get hold of but they I think they go rather well with the red and black.

The view from the front. The classic black and silver number plate and the Austin Cooper S badge. I rather like the Mk2 grille, though it is actually the same as the current grille!

I'm still not sure about overriders. A Mk2 should have them and it did originally, I'm just not sure I like them!

The view from the back. The RC40 exhaust doesn't look quite original!

The sticker in the window is a pony club... no idea what pony club but the guy who sprayed the car 'preserved' it thinking it was mine!

Under the bonnet, things suddenly don't look standard! We have a Mk3 servo and an A+ 1275 very late unleaded engine. An HIF 44 carb on an MG Metro inlet manifold and LCB tubular exhaust. The dynamo was replaced with a fine modern alternator and the radiator with one of Mini Spares finest. The broken wiper motor went to, replaced with a 2 speed late model.

The inside, absolutely standard dials and switch gear, a matching Lucas special for the two speed wipers.Totally out of sync with the dash, the Corbeau Forza seats with Willams harnesses! The steering wheel is actually from my first car, a 1984 mini!

So what's the point? I don't know, but it gave me something to do building it! I only bought it because it was tax exempt and that sort of appealed to me. It is great fun getting a tax disk for it!!!

I intend to take it to Italy this year for the Italian Job http://www.wordserf.co.uk/italianjob/, which should be fun... 3000 miles in a mini. Should prove if I put it together right! After that, who knows?

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Last modified: 12/16/04