4 replies to this topic

[WanaGo]

Hello,

 

Bit of a back story to my question.

I got a 1978 Morris 1000 Mini about xmas time, I am doing up to get back on the road, after sitting for 20 years.

It came with a 5.5 gallon tank, which was just rattling around inside the boot, but it also had a diagonal strap on it, which was loose.

The tank itself, has no 'indent' for a diagonal strap, ie its one of the older ones which had that mount on the boot floor for it to sit on, and then the 2 piece strap on the left hand side of it. 

So somewhere along the way, this mini lost its tank it came with.

So I went out looking for a replacement, thinking it must be a long range 7.5 gallon tank it came with, a that has a diagonal strap.

I found one locally, or what I thought was one, but I found it is the same size, 5.5 gallons, but it has a diagonal strap indent on it...

I have never seen or heard of a smaller 5.5 gallon tank with a diagonal strap on it.

Is that normal? Was it for a specific year or region?

 

I have a '79 1275GT Clubman as my other mini. That has a fat 7.5 gallon tank. Very different to this one I just got. It has more rounded corners, where as the 5.5 and this diagonal strap 5.5 have harder/shaper corners.

 

Just curious how many tank variations there are, and what a 5.5 with a diagonal strap would have been out of?

I actually found 2 of them, both being sold by different people locally, as the longer range tanks, when clearly they are not - now that I have compared to my 1275GT tank.

 

Few pics for reference. The one without the diagonal strap indent is the 5.5 that came with this mini. The diagonal strap ones are the 5.5 I brought, thinking it was a 7.5.

The modified tank in my black mini, is a 7.5 gallon tank. It has a Honda fuel pump in it etc as its in my vtec mini, so ignore all that, but you can clearly see its wider on the right half etc.

 

Anyone have any info? 

 

Thanks

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[WanaGo]

Ah. Found something on Sommerford Mini website diagram.

So it was a thing...

No longer available though, the strap. 21A2783

 

Anyone know how much shorter the 5.5 diagonal strap was than the 7.5? I could cut and weld it back together.

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[Ethel]

You could just fit the bigger strap & pack it out with spares 'n tools for when it breaks down. 

 

Take it the car's got the bracket for the diagonal strap. You could put the tank in to mark up where the bends need to be with the strap attached at one end, then the other.  Then see how much excess there'd be between the bends.

 

Prefer the smaller tank, an old army suitcase fitted perfectly & I couldn't drive any farther in a Min - not without losing the physical ability to climb out of the driver's seat!

[Designer]

 not without losing the physical ability to climb out of the driver's seat!

 

Ditto Know the feeling even after very short trips at my age now. Always have to check the fillings and false teeth are still in.

 

Yet another of the wonderful charms of the Mini we love so much.

[WanaGo]

You could just fit the bigger strap & pack it out with spares 'n tools for when it breaks down. 

 

Take it the car's got the bracket for the diagonal strap. You could put the tank in to mark up where the bends need to be with the strap attached at one end, then the other.  Then see how much excess there'd be between the bends.

 

Prefer the smaller tank, an old army suitcase fitted perfectly & I couldn't drive any farther in a Min - not without losing the physical ability to climb out of the driver's seat!

 

Haha. Yes, it is setup already for the diagonal strap, not the 2 piece + under support part. That is why I thought I needed a 7.5 tank, didnt realise there was a 5.5 with diagonal at all.

Yeah I think I can figure out the length and all that, would be nice to know if anyone has an offical length though, but yeah.

 

100% know what you mean about having to just about crawl out of the mini after a long trip, lol. My accelerator foot gets stuck from the extreme angle and takes me a minute to walk it off after a long trip. lol