12 replies to this topic

[1972-850]

Hi, folks! I'm new to this forum, new to the Mini world, but not new to the joys and pains of hoarding classic cars.

 

I'm rebuilding a 1972 Morris 850 that I purchased in Marseilles in 2018. It was parked in 1980 due to a mechanical problem. I've moved it from one garage to the next, but it hasn't spent a night outside in at least 40 years. It's solid, there's no rust on it, but nearly everything else needs to be gone through. I joined this forum because I have a few technical questions to ask. I'll post them in the appropriate section.

 

I've attached a couple of images of the car. One shows what it looked like the day I bought it, and the second shows how it sits today. My goal is to keep it as stock as possible; I don't wish to turn it into a Cooper replica or anything of the sort.

Attached Files

•  mini.jpg   80K   4 downloads
•  mini2.jpg   82.43K   4 downloads

[mab01uk]

Welcome to the forum.

Nice find......recently, stock 1972 Morris 850 Mk3 Minis have become a rare and highly desirable version of the Mini to own !

Edited by mab01uk, 27 July 2020 - 02:17 PM.

[johnR]

Love the 'barn find' photo - looks to be in great condition.

[Gilles1000]

Very nice picture! 

I would pin it on a wall ;)

 

The cars looks indeed in very good shape, I think the weather helped to keep it good... Mine is also from th south of France (but at the other sea)

 

Félicitations

Gilles

[Itsaminithing]

A wonderful looking survivor, i'm quite jealous.

It's even got the original door mirror (though i'm not sure about that interior rear view mirror).

 

I don't recognise the bonnet badge, is this a UK or Belgian built Mini? (Belgian Minis have a B at the end of the Vin plate).

It looks to be Tundra Green (same as my 1975 1000) but your seats would have been Limeflower.

We need more photos

 

[paul.smurthwaite]

A wonderful looking survivor, i'm quite jealous.

It's even got the original door mirror (though i'm not sure about that interior rear view mirror).

 

I don't recognise the bonnet badge, is this a UK or Belgian built Mini? (Belgian Minis have a B at the end of the Vin plate).

It looks to be Tundra Green (same as my 1975 1000) but your seats would have been Limeflower.

We need more photos

Leyland badge maybe?

 

 bl.jpg   36.44K   1 downloads

[Gilles1000]

I would bet it's a Belgian Mini, as it's LHD and in south of France ;)

 

But I will let the owner explain it. And add pictures!

Will you do a complete resto or just keep it as it is and fix the problems?

[1972-850]

Hey, it's a Belgian-built Mini with a B at the end of the VIN plate, Gilles is right. Here's a better image of the badge:

 

 IMG_20200728_073848.jpg   40.02K   1 downloads

 

And some of the interior:

 

 rg-1972-morris-mini-16.jpg   63.52K   0 downloads

 

Taken in 2018, when I bought it.

 

 IMG_20200728_075035.jpg   61.33K   1 downloads

 

 IMG_20200728_075008.jpg   84.13K   0 downloads

 

 IMG_20200728_075017.jpg   83.82K   0 downloads

 

Taken this morning. It looks like a cigarette set fire to the rear seat, so I'll need to find a replacement, but that's probably the very last bullet point on my to-do list. Also, this 1981-model year British Leyland brochure was in the car when I bought it, and the name of nearly every dealer in this region is underlined, so I've concluded the last owner didn't feel terribly comfortable commuting in this car.

 

 IMG_20200728_075358.jpg   42.54K   0 downloads

 IMG_20200728_075412.jpg   60.43K   0 downloads

 IMG_20200728_075423.jpg   89.54K   0 downloads

 

As you can tell by the images, the car was repainted at some point in its life; it was originally red. I know very little about its early life, except that it was owned by a young driver (I found the "90" stickers France used to mandate in the trunk). It was last registered in the Marseilles area, and that's where I bought it, but it wasn't sold new there because the registration number was issued in 1975. It's an original French-market car, though. I have the last owner's name, but I've not been able to find him. He may be dead for all I know.

 

 IMG_20200728_075053.jpg   36.41K   0 downloads

 

For history/plate nerds, the rear license plate was stamped by Kennings, the company that was in charge of importing BMC/BL cars to the southeast of France until BL set up a French subsidiary in Paris in 1971. Kennings (and other importers) then became mere dealers. I can't legally keep it on the car. It'll receive a new-style number (e.g., AB-123-CD) when I finally get it registered.

 

 IMG_20200728_081454.jpg   44.67K   0 downloads

 

My plan is to turn it into a reliable driver and leave the rest of it as-is. It doesn't need to be perfect, shiny, or quick. I always keep my cars in as-is condition (unless they've got foot-sized holes in the floors). I bought this one because it required almost no welding. I think the only parts that will need cutting are the passenger-side fender and a-panel, so I'll need to get it repainted sooner or later because I imagine the replacement panels will be black. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, though.

 

 rg-1972-morris-mini-7.jpg   79.97K   0 downloads

 

I'll post updates as this project progresses, but it's going to be a bit of a slow one because there are several other on-going projects clawing for my time, money, and attention. This is a longer-term one that I know will take months -- not days or weeks -- to wrap up.

[ads7]

As others have mentioned that's a great barn find photo.

Great you're keeping patina in place where possible. The 850s are lovely little motors.

[Itsaminithing]

If those door cards are Navy blue then the original paint colour would have been Blaze

http://mk1-performan...ian_colours.pdf

A Mk4 Leyland bonnet badge on a BLMC Mk3 Mini.... that's just not right

[Gilles1000]

If those door cards are Navy blue then the original paint colour would have been Blaze

http://mk1-performan...ian_colours.pdf

A Mk4 Leyland bonnet badge on a BLMC Mk3 Mini.... that's just not right

 

I think I have an MK3 badge (the blue and white one) on an MK4: That is not very right too...

And some later cars than mine do not have reverse lights. Also my second Mini has about 2000 numbers more than Toto, the black one, and it still has the MK3 straight pivotable door handles whereas Toto has the diagonal fixed ones.

I do not really know what BL did at the time. It seems to me they emptied cupboards and just built the parts on the cars.

[Itsaminithing]

It's more normally a case of original parts being replaced with later parts (or even sometimes earlier parts) though a very few Minis did leave the factories with parts they shouldn't have been fitted with.

As for the OPs Mini they didn't manufacture the CZH4143 Leyland bonnet badge till 1976 so unless he's bought a time-traveling Mini it's not the original.

 

Integral reversing lights also started in 1976 with the Mk4.

Mk3 doors have horizontal handles & an 'anti-burst' recess on the bottom (the Mk3 door sill step was flat & didn't have drain channels/anti-burst recess)

Even the MK3 door hinges are slightly different to the Mk4 ones!

 

Can you tell which is my favourite version of the Mini yet?

[Curley]

Bonjour, bienvenue 1972-850. C'est une très belle voiture, monsieur.

 

EDIT: I found these old brochures an excellent source for assessing what was period correct for a given year: http://www.minipassi...s/brochures.htm

 

 

Welcome to the forum.

Nice find......recently, stock 1972 Morris 850 Mk3 Minis have become a rare and highly desirable version of the Mini to own !

Tell me about it, starting to regret turning my '71 into a race car! lol

Edited by Curley, 31 July 2020 - 06:46 PM.