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Hi all,
After a lot of agonising, I've decided I have to sell my City as I can't afford the time it takes to keep it on the road.
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It's a good original car, with all the original panels, but is very much a 'survivor' car, with poor paint and surface rust.
I use this car every week so it's not something thats been dragged out of a barn and will fail immediately it's used.
I've owned it since Feb 2018. It had sat for a very long time prior to my ownership, 20yrs plus, and required significant recomissioning. Too much has been done to list here, but in short...
New rear subframe
Conversion to manual City E engine and gearbox,
Complete brake rebuild including all hydraulics,
Complete suspension and steering refresh,
Replacement fuel tank, new lines, rebuilt carb etc etc.
Engine and box-
This car started life as an auto (probably the reason it managed to survive) but Minis need a manual gearbox, so I acquired a donor 1983 Mayfair. This gave me a 45,000 mile, high compression 998 A+ engine, gearbox, gearchange, pedals etc. Before installing the unit, I replaced all gaskets, core plugs, ignition components and fitted a new AP clutch plate.
Engine runs really well, with no significant oil or water consumption. No smoke or oil drips on the floor. The gearbox is perfect. It is a City E setup, so has the long 2.9:1 final drive. Not very good for acceleration, but makes the car much nicer to drive at A-road speeds and perfect for the daily commute.
Suspension, steering, brakes etc-
All function with no signicant issues. There is a little play in the nearside steering rack, but not enough to fail the MoT. All balljoints greased regularly and have no play.
Brakes are original drums all round, which work well.
The car has Minilight style alloys with Yokohama tyres.
Bodywork-
The car still has all the original panels, as far as I can tell. There are marks and surface rust on EVERY panel, without fail. If you've ever seen cars that have been in long term storage, you'll know what I mean. There's no major dents, but the paint is pretty crappy. You'll not win the show 'n shine with this car!!
Personally, I think it looks great. You can use it every day without worry, and it wears its scars with pride. It's how Minis used to look like when we were kids!!
The underside is good. When the subframe was replaced, I painted the boot floor and heelboard etc, all of which are original and in excellent condition. The sills are NOT oversills, they are the correct vented type, but one side has had a patch at some point. The floors are good, with a patch on the driver's side. Rear valance is getting a bit scabby.
VIN is still stamped in the scuttle as it should be.
The body definately has filler in it in some places, notably the offside front wing, where a dent has been repaired badly, but most common rust spots are very decent for a 40+ unrestored Mini. It's a 6-footer, but people still admire the car.
Interior-
The interior still has its Houndstooth seats and black door cards, as per the early Mini Citys. All in excellent condition, apart from a split on the driver's seat. The dashboard originally had a single speedometer in the centre (as it should be), but I added the triple fascia, with water temp and oil pressure gauges. All work perfectly.
The steering wheel is not original, but period correct I think.
To add-
Modifications include a stage 1 kit from Minispares, electronic ignition, a Facet electric fuel pump (switchable), steering drop bracket.
I have no history from before I bought it. I'm sure it would have had some, but it went missing or was not passed on.
The car is tax and MoT exempt and is correctly registered as such. However, I have just had it MoTd for peace of mind.
Showing under 50k miles.
Located in Kent, TN30 area. Paperwork in my name.
This car isn't for everyone. The pictures flatter it. But it's honest and if you were to restore it, everything is 'first time around' so a much better base to start with compared to something that's already been hacked about.
Or you could just keep it maintained and use it regularly, like I have!
Pictures on their way :)
