Bloke With No Mechanical Experience Tries To Restore A 19Something Mini Van

Hello everyone, thanks for stopping bye

 

Well im going to need all the help i can get. Recently purchased a 1967 (i think) Austin traveler ( or countryman, i dont know), and are planning on installing a 1275 out of a austin 1300, so that should be good. Brought the car with little to no rust, so body's in good shape. 

 

Progress so far

- getting the engine reconditioned- head at the moment being cleaned up. Block most likely going to need a re-bore

-acquiring parts such as radiators, alternators etc

- converting 8.4" brakes to 7.5 cooper setup

 

im planning on getting a paint job (last on the list) and some rose petal mags.

 

Now i have quite a few questions in which i would love some help with.

Q. whats a good final drive for a 1275 10inch wheel van. im thinking 3.44, but ol haynes says differently.

 

Q. currently i think the FD on the gearbox (from a mini) on the 1275 is 3.9 or something. can diffs just be interchanged (i also have a 3.44 diff), or how do you change the final drive. ive looked everywhere for this answer, but can seem to find it.

 

Q. So I'm a bit confused about the drop gears. I currently have a a+ idler gear, do i simply need to get a a+ 1275 primary gear, or are there different teeth counts etc. (from what i gather, there aren't many differences between these gears just a & a+ versions)

 

So thats it for now. if you have any info, please share. Ill keep everyone updated, so make sure to follow the thread to see what happens. There will be more questions in the future for sure haha

 

cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is a great looking project, good luck with the build if you get stuck there is loads of people on here that will help :)

hey thanks mate, appreciate it. Great fun learning everything, but there's just some stuff that does my head in haha

Hi there, I'm looking at buying a 1964 Austin mini van, they are asking $9000 (£1800) semi restored what do you reckon good price for a van or nah

Hi there, I'm looking at buying a 1964 Austin mini van, they are asking $9000 (£1800) semi restored what do you reckon good price for a van or nah

without pictures it's hard to tell you a price but vans are usually a safe investment,Ive personally never lost money on them and I only have vans

Ok cheers, thats the listing if that helps.  

 

 

http://www.trademe.c...x?id=1256934782

Edited by Fraser_06, 19 February 2017 - 05:58 PM.

Looks like it'd be a steal if it was in the UK.

 

Hi fraser i saw that car on trade me, i thought it looked good, nice paint job. cant tell much untill you drive it though aye haha. $9000 maybe a bit steep, but if its mint, im thinking thats fair. 

by the way thanks ethel for that answer.