18 replies to this topic

[Minigman]

My 1960 850cc was awful on the hills where I live on Exmoor. A lot of the hills are 1 in 5 and having to double clutch into first with a caravan up your bum is no fun and quite stressful. I took mine out and fitted a bored out 1098. It looks virtually the same and I’m still running the pea shooter exhaust, HS2 on the original manifold and standard air filter housing. I got 47bhp and 61lbft of torque and it’s an absolute delight to drive by comparison. I also upgraded to a 4 synchro gearbox and retained the magic wand gear stick. The 850 engine is stuck in the shed for a rainy day or when I want to sell the car on I can offer to put it back in. There’s loads of original cars out there so why not just put yours to how you want it and enjoy it.

[Homersimpson]

Unless you live in a very hilly area like Minigman you should be fine with an 850, the trick is that you have to work it hard and only slow down when you have to.

 

Its a very different driving style but the nicest mini's I have ever had have been 850's and the best of the bunch was an 850 Auto with 37K mile on it, 60-65 on the motorway was fabulous and it showed me that a car is never the same once its been rebuilt as it was totally original and unrestored (and a bit battered).

[DeanP]

We have a 1964 mk1 850 back home in Queensland. It is totally standard and it's a hoot. Bumbling along down the esplanade and around quiet towns.

It's not so good on a motorway but it wasn't really designed for that.

I've said before I wouldn't really want it to have much more power than it does. Not on those brakes, not on those tyres, not sitting in those seats, not holding that steering wheel. I don't want to detract from it's originality. It is what it is and it's better for it in my opinion. A lovely peice of motoring history.

My 1996 Spi is a totally different beast. To get the 1964 to go something like that you'd end up nearly having a mk1 cooper S. But it's not a mk1 cooper S, it's a Morris 850 delux.

 

 

exactly my thoughts, I also have a 1953 Morris Minor, boy is that slow. If I wanted a quicker one, I'd buy a later model. It's the OP's car and he can do with it what he wants, but for me, if I wanted a quicker mini, i'd sell it on take the cash, bank some of it and buy a newer 1275 with the rest. For me it's all about maximising on your investment.

Edited by DeanP, 19 April 2020 - 08:54 PM.

[timmy850]

My 850 engine was long gone when I got my car. It had a 998 fitted, and also the upgraded twin cylinder front brakes. Now mine has a rebuilt modified 1098 with a 4 synchro magic wand gearbox, so from the inside it looks pretty much standard. Once I'm finished with the engine bay details it'll look like the original 850 with a set of twin carbs rather than the single

 

I think if I did have the original engine/gearbox I'd prefer to keep it all together as one unit and rebuild a new engine/gearbox combo. More than likely the original gearbox will need a full rebuild anyway