35 replies to this topic

[newenglandmini]

Called a muscle shirt because one wears it to display one's biceps.

 

I removed the trim panels from the parcel shelf today and found this material.  The sign looks English to me...

 

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[xrocketengineer]

 

Might be an idea to google "Mini in porn films", or a better one to be sure you never do!

 

That was disappointing!   I got MINI USA advertisement!

Edited by xrocketengineer, 22 January 2014 - 12:43 AM.

[Dan]

I don't recognise that sign at all, but it seems to be for a mobile phone charging station or something and certainly doesn't look 40 years old! I'm inclined to agree with the above that everything you have found is previous owner abuse. You do hear of sabotage and my Dad's old Maxi certainly had some badly put together bits from new but this is a bit much. As was spotted above that shirt is from a manufacturer that has never made it to the UK, although of course even in the '70s factory boxes of rags came from all sorts of sources (I get similar things in the bales I use even now, and lots of hospital blankets). So maybe some of those rags are original but not the rest. What is the history of this car? Are you sure it's even a '74 and not a dodgy logbook rebuild as lots of Minis over there are?

[dklawson]

At the time of worst labor problems I believe BL had decreased its list of cars imported to the U.S. to the MGB, Midget, TR7, and Spitfire.  Of those the TR7 had a horrible reputation for low quality and there were numerous reports of thing that appeared to have been put together wrong.  By the time the quality issues were addressed the damage was already done and U.S. sales for BL dropped significantly.  By most accounts the TR8 (at least here in the U.S.) is/was a great car but it died in the shadow of the TR7's reputation.

 

Dan, I think Corey said in an earlier post that this was a Canadian spec Mini.  Our neighbors to the north did import the Mini much longer than the U.S.   It is not uncommon to find them down here... albeit with conversions to remove their strange bumpers.

[newenglandmini]

I don't recognise that sign at all, but it seems to be for a mobile phone charging station or something and certainly doesn't look 40 years old! I'm inclined to agree with the above that everything you have found is previous owner abuse. You do hear of sabotage and my Dad's old Maxi certainly had some badly put together bits from new but this is a bit much. As was spotted above that shirt is from a manufacturer that has never made it to the UK, although of course even in the '70s factory boxes of rags came from all sorts of sources (I get similar things in the bales I use even now, and lots of hospital blankets). So maybe some of those rags are original but not the rest. What is the history of this car? Are you sure it's even a '74 and not a dodgy logbook rebuild as lots of Minis over there are?

 

The items were sealed behind the dash fascia board, which probably has never been removed.  It gave every appearance of having not been disturbed.  The area is dust-free.  The sign has a plastic-type face, and would not have deteriorated in that location.

 

I purchased the car from the son of the now-deceased original owner. He lived in Rochester, NY, which is near the Canadian border. He purchased the car there and imported it himself. I have the original purchase documentation and customs forms.

 

The car has only 49,000 miles on it.  I have now completely dismantled it, and every item appears original, including the UNF thread rubber cones.

[newenglandmini]

And two more bits of sabotage.  These were inside a sill.  I removed a factory-installed bit of tape, and saw a bit of rag through a 1/2" hole.  I pulled these two long pieces out with a fine right-angle pick.

 

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