5 replies to this topic

[bluequinn]

Hello everyone.

I've wanted a Mini for about 30 years, and yesterday I finally bought one!

I registered on this forum 13 years ago for reasons I cannot remember, but never posted until now.

 

Anyway, here it is!

 

It's a Rover Mini Special (What they called the City in Europe, I live in SW France) first registered in Jan 1991. It's only done about 33,000 miles.

Being French it has opening rear windows as standard, but the rest was as a Mini City. This one has had a restoration and an interior retrim some years ago, and is absolutely rust free, even has the original exhaust! It drives great and it's all oil tight.

The last owner never took it out in the rain, and was a mechanic with the military, and went over everything mechanical with obsessive precision. The suspension is basically brand new. He wasn't an electrician though, so there's a small list of electrical items to fix.

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[DeadSquare]

Lucky you, to find one like that.

 

All mine are riddled with "tin-worm"

[bluequinn]

Believe me I looked at a few overpriced rotters before getting this one!

[imack]

Nice looking car.

[bpirie1000]

Cracking looking car that. Lovely shine.

What are the plans for the car then?

A smile is standard equipment on a mini.....remember even in the rain, miles of smiles......

[bluequinn]

Short term plans are to give it shiny things and try and fix the electrical issues, which are:

Wipers that don't park. I shall order a new park switch and see if that fixes it.

A Hazard flasher that doesn't work, though thankfully it miraculously leapt into life to pass the Controle Technique and allow us to buy the car. Both the switch and flasher have been replaced in 2022 and before that in 2016. I couldn't find an inline fuse for it.

The interior light doesn't work. Possibly related to the above.

A fuel gauge that reads half full when the tank is completely full. I've ordered a new sender unit. Hopefully it's that.

Indicators that do not self cancel on left turns (the steering wheel is the Rover original)

 

Interior-wise I'll be replacing the plastic door furniture with stainless/chrome, fitting an alloy gear knob and changing the terrible stereo and speakers for something modern with CarPlay that can fit in the centre of the dash.

 

Cosmetically on the outside I want to fit W&P style arches, fit stainless trim round the door window frames, and replace the black wipers with stainless.

I'm thinking about the door and boot locks too. I'd like chrome mirrors too, but I don't like the ones available for Minis, so want to see if Mk1 MX-5 ones would work.
Also in France I can register it as a historic car, which means I can have black and silver plates which will look great with the black bodywork.

 

Mechanically I don't intend to touch it beyond servicing and maintenance. (famous last words!)