27 replies to this topic

[coopertaz]

if engine and shell both fall into historic class dvla seem fine, have changed both engines in mine and dvla didn't ask for engine receipts or what car they came from. Luckily as blocks had been in garage for years. when i asked them if this would be an issue they stated only if it results in a change in taxation class.

with colour always remember isurance companies will always look for anything in a claim even body pinstripes or non decleration of minor extras can result in a failed insurance claim.

[DClarke1954]

Well the V5 arrived today with the relevant updates to colour and engine size. 

Chassis number matches, but there is no serial number on this block where you would usually find it.

Are there alternative locations for an Engine Number to be stamped/attached?

I can't say what engine is in it then can I really?  But I have done my best.

Now off to get a valuation for insurance purposes.  

[Ethel]

No engine number recorded on the V5?

 

They were only ever on the plate, probably because they give info about other bolt on bits, not just the block. It would have been removed if the block was faced, or possibly by a previous owner hoping to get away without declaring the swap to insurers.

 

Some engine builders might stamp in their own. You could do the same, pick the prefixes that fit best then make up your own digits to complete - DOB or purchase date???.

[MrBounce]

Well the V5 arrived today with the relevant updates to colour and engine size. 

Chassis number matches, but there is no serial number on this block where you would usually find it.

Are there alternative locations for an Engine Number to be stamped/attached?

I can't say what engine is in it then can I really?  But I have done my best.

Now off to get a valuation for insurance purposes.  

The engine number metal plate* often gets removed if the block is given a mild skim at an engineering shop (which yours may have had). I was lucky enough to have mine returned to me by the shop, so I'll be putting mine back on. Mini Spares sell the rivets for this. Another alternative is to stamp the engine number yourself with number stamps to match the V5. If you have no number at all, as Ethel says, you could probably sort something out with something made up. I remember once meeting a chap at the IMM who changed his engine number to MED 1380 Screamer. His V5 came back with exactly that, although this was back in 1997!

 

* Note that these are stamped from the back, so if you make your own, it won't look like this.

Edited by MrBounce, 23 December 2024 - 02:17 PM.

[Chris1275gt]

You can get them on flea bay here and old school minis do them as well I think. Good luck getting the rivets out if the remnants are still in the holes.

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Edited by Chris1275gt, 23 December 2024 - 03:36 PM.

[DClarke1954]

No engine number recorded on the V5?

 

They were only ever on the plate, probably because they give info about other bolt on bits, not just the block. It would have been removed if the block was faced, or possibly by a previous owner hoping to get away without declaring the swap to insurers.

 

Some engine builders might stamp in their own. You could do the same, pick the prefixes that fit best then make up your own digits to complete - DOB or purchase date???.

No, there is an engine number shown on the V5, it is "-53132" which means nothing to me as an engine number.  There is no engine number on the block at all.  The spot where it ought to be is milled flat and blank.

[mab01uk]

MiniMail can stamp and supply engine number plates, and have useful info on all the identity plates used on Minis:-

https://www.minimail...sis-vin-plates/

 

[Ethel]

 

No engine number recorded on the V5?

 

They were only ever on the plate, probably because they give info about other bolt on bits, not just the block. It would have been removed if the block was faced, or possibly by a previous owner hoping to get away without declaring the swap to insurers.

 

Some engine builders might stamp in their own. You could do the same, pick the prefixes that fit best then make up your own digits to complete - DOB or purchase date???.

No, there is an engine number shown on the V5, it is "-53132" which means nothing to me as an engine number.  There is no engine number on the block at all.  The spot where it ought to be is milled flat and blank.

 

 That could be an actual serial number, less the bits that tell you actual info like cc's, unleaded head, diff ratio...

[Peter_NottinghamS]

This was delivered on a transporter today.
It certainly takes me back 50 years in time and to being only 20 years old again.  
to be honest it isn't easy for me to get in/out of as I am 5' 7" in all directions.
My wife thinks her Mini All4 has given birth to a love-child.
I am finding it a bit "tiny" and my feet keep pressing 2 pedals at once.  Eek!
A rolling road report that came with it says 89BHP and 100MPH, but that's not really my thing.
Inside all I can smell when I sit in it is "Engine & RPM".  It is very tidy inside and out.
But start it up and it is very loud in the cabin (that might get annoying after the Rangie V8 Burble).
Still, I have the green slip and it says "Historic Vehicle" so that's half the battle, I just need to straighten up the colour and "cc" particulars.
 
I am sure it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  
 

Hi Danny

Another UKMinis winner here - well sort of.

My son Tom won Marvin (https://www.ukminis....oad-mini-marvin) in April just two weeks after his first child/son arrived and living in a street with no off-road parking, he asked me to garage Marvin at my house.

I'm not sure how Gwen was when she arrived but Marvin was a non-runner and quite dangerous (poor brakes) so I ended up spending a lot of money to get him running and stop over-heating.

Fortunately I have a garage and previous experience of Minis having raced and rallied them in my youth.

Marvin is now driveable but needs a carb refurb, an oil cooler and a ton of jobs to get him to the concours condition claimed in the prize draw.

One mod I did was add a steering wheel boss to allow the steering wheel to be removed, making theft unlikely.

We've had a lot of fun this year but it's been a huge money pit in pursuit of safety and reliability and I fear more money will be needed to make Marvin driveable and showable for 2025.

Enjoy Gwen but be prepared to have a slimmer wallet.

Peter

[DClarke1954]

Peter_NottinghamS, on 28 Dec 2024 - 10:48 PM, said:

DClarke1954, on 09 Dec 2024 - 4:59 PM, said:
This was delivered on a transporter today.
It certainly takes me back 50 years in time and to being only 20 years old again.
to be honest it isn't easy for me to get in/out of as I am 5' 7" in all directions.
My wife thinks her Mini All4 has given birth to a love-child.
I am finding it a bit "tiny" and my feet keep pressing 2 pedals at once. Eek!
A rolling road report that came with it says 89BHP and 100MPH, but that's not really my thing.
Inside all I can smell when I sit in it is "Engine & RPM". It is very tidy inside and out.
But start it up and it is very loud in the cabin (that might get annoying after the Rangie V8 Burble).
Still, I have the green slip and it says "Historic Vehicle" so that's half the battle, I just need to straighten up the colour and "cc" particulars.

I am sure it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Hi Danny

Another UKMinis winner here - well sort of.

My son Tom won Marvin (https://www.ukminis....oad-mini-marvin) in April just two weeks after his first child/son arrived and living in a street with no off-road parking, he asked me to garage Marvin at my house.

I'm not sure how Gwen was when she arrived but Marvin was a non-runner and quite dangerous (poor brakes) so I ended up spending a lot of money to get him running and stop over-heating.

Fortunately I have a garage and previous experience of Minis having raced and rallied them in my youth.

Marvin is now driveable but needs a carb refurb, an oil cooler and a ton of jobs to get him to the concours condition claimed in the prize draw.

One mod I did was add a steering wheel boss to allow the steering wheel to be removed, making theft unlikely.

We've had a lot of fun this year but it's been a huge money pit in pursuit of safety and reliability and I fear more money will be needed to make Marvin driveable and showable for 2025.

Enjoy Gwen but be prepared to have a slimmer wallet.

Peter

Hi Peter,

Sorry to hear of your experience with the car. I hope this one is not so bad.
I am just waiting on a valuation for insurance purposes, then I will insure it and try it out.
Cosmetically it looks good (it may be a "mug's eyeful" and all show and no "GO") but who knows.
It does start (first time), and seems to run OK.
At £12.95 I can probably afford to spend on it and still come out winning.

Cheers!

Dan.

Edited by DClarke1954, 03 January 2025 - 02:58 PM.

[Peter_NottinghamS]

Hi Peter,

Sorry to hear of your experience with the car. I hope this one is not so bad.
I am just waiting on a valuation for insurance purposes, then I will insure it and try it out.
Cosmetically it looks good (it may be a "mug's eyeful" and all show and no "GO") but who knows.
It does start (first time), and seems to run OK.
At £12.95 I can probably afford to spend on it and still come out winning.

Cheers!

Dan.

Thanks Dan

My son got lucky as he had a Mini-mad Dad with a willingness to help with the costs.

From being dropped off on the trailer (paid for by the Bank of Mum and Dad), Marvin was promptly loaded back onto a trailer and taken to Real Minis south of Oxford and they got it running (my tools and workshop were 150-miles north so maybe I could have sorted it myself) and two more breakdowns (and back to Real Minis and a rolling road) and Marvin was useable.

On the drive from Reading to Nottingham I discovered the brakes were non-existent and they've since been sorted.

Real Minis had another non-running UK Minis prize car there and the owner didn't have the funds to get it running properly and back on the road (it may be still there) and we've come across two others with similar problems.

Marvin seemed to been rushed and botched (the wiring is truly amateurish) and important items like brake servo, oil cooler and a decent cooling system seems to have been overlooked in favour of a pointless stereo and cosmetics.

After spending nearly £2,000 we've got a running 'work-in-progress' car and we've had some fun in the summer but the overheating will need to be addressed for 2025 and I can only see ££££s getting it sorted and driveable.

Re-valuation and insurance, my son sent a link of the UK Minis site to Adrian Flux and they accepted the valuation based on the claimed build cost and offered a policy/cover based on that.

Based on our experience, I would urge you to thoroughly check over your car, test the brakes on a clear wide road (I ended up in the verge on the opposite side of the road when I did my test emergency stop; scary) and check for leaks.

Marvin is p*ssing out petrol from somewhere - I can't find out from where) so I carry a 5l petrol can in the boot as we regularly run out of petrol.

Maybe we can meet at a show in 2025 and compare war stories and empty wallets.

Have fun.

Peter

[DClarke1954]

 

Hi Peter,

Sorry to hear of your experience with the car. I hope this one is not so bad.
I am just waiting on a valuation for insurance purposes, then I will insure it and try it out.
Cosmetically it looks good (it may be a "mug's eyeful" and all show and no "GO") but who knows.
It does start (first time), and seems to run OK.
At £12.95 I can probably afford to spend on it and still come out winning.

Cheers!

Dan.

Thanks Dan

My son got lucky as he had a Mini-mad Dad with a willingness to help with the costs.

From being dropped off on the trailer (paid for by the Bank of Mum and Dad), Marvin was promptly loaded back onto a trailer and taken to Real Minis south of Oxford and they got it running (my tools and workshop were 150-miles north so maybe I could have sorted it myself) and two more breakdowns (and back to Real Minis and a rolling road) and Marvin was useable.

On the drive from Reading to Nottingham I discovered the brakes were non-existent and they've since been sorted.

Real Minis had another non-running UK Minis prize car there and the owner didn't have the funds to get it running properly and back on the road (it may be still there) and we've come across two others with similar problems.

Marvin seemed to been rushed and botched (the wiring is truly amateurish) and important items like brake servo, oil cooler and a decent cooling system seems to have been overlooked in favour of a pointless stereo and cosmetics.

After spending nearly £2,000 we've got a running 'work-in-progress' car and we've had some fun in the summer but the overheating will need to be addressed for 2025 and I can only see ££££s getting it sorted and driveable.

Re-valuation and insurance, my son sent a link of the UK Minis site to Adrian Flux and they accepted the valuation based on the claimed build cost and offered a policy/cover based on that.

Based on our experience, I would urge you to thoroughly check over your car, test the brakes on a clear wide road (I ended up in the verge on the opposite side of the road when I did my test emergency stop; scary) and check for leaks.

Marvin is p*ssing out petrol from somewhere - I can't find out from where) so I carry a 5l petrol can in the boot as we regularly run out of petrol.

Maybe we can meet at a show in 2025 and compare war stories and empty wallets.

Have fun.

Peter

 

Hi Peter,

 

I am horrified to hear of your experience and that you have evidence of other cars from the same stable in similar states.

Once I have the valuation and have insured the vehicle I will take it to the Service Station where my BIL works as an MOT tester.

I will ask him to run a super-critical eye over it as just because it is MOT exempt I see no reason to put it on the road and endanger others.  Whatever needs doing will be done.

It may be that I have won a "mug's eyeful" in the raffle, but it surely has to be worth more than the delivery fee (£250 and the £12.95 ticket).

 

If you step back and look at it as a money-making business model it's a great little scheme.   

Buy cheap, tart up to look good, talk a good story about the vehicle, sell tickets and only the "winner" can ever feel he has been had.

 

If that winner bought 50 tickets at 9.99 I can see they would be a bit miffed.  But if it's only <£20  who would ever complain to trading standards?

If you read the T's & C's of the competition they disclaim anything from being "fit for purpose".

I hope I can get it all sorted (whatever that means/needs/takes) and maybe I need it to have a PAS upgrade at the least.  Ha! Ha!
I hope you find the petrol leak before it catches-fire and that we do get to meet and swap war-stories at a show at some point Peter.

 

Best Wishes for 2025.

 

Dan.

[Peter_NottinghamS]

Hi Peter,

I am horrified to hear of your experience and that you have evidence of other cars from the same stable in similar states.
Once I have the valuation and have insured the vehicle I will take it to the Service Station where my BIL works as an MOT tester.
I will ask him to run a super-critical eye over it as just because it is MOT exempt I see no reason to put it on the road and endanger others. Whatever needs doing will be done.
It may be that I have won a "mug's eyeful" in the raffle, but it surely has to be worth more than the delivery fee (£250 and the £12.95 ticket).

If you step back and look at it as a money-making business model it's a great little scheme.
Buy cheap, tart up to look good, talk a good story about the vehicle, sell tickets and only the "winner" can ever feel he has been had.

If that winner bought 50 tickets at 9.99 I can see they would be a bit miffed. But if it's only <£20 who would ever complain to trading standards?
If you read the T's & C's of the competition they disclaim anything from being "fit for purpose".
I hope I can get it all sorted (whatever that means/needs/takes) and maybe I need it to have a PAS upgrade at the least. Ha! Ha!
I hope you find the petrol leak before it catches-fire and that we do get to meet and swap war-stories at a show at some point Peter.

Best Wishes for 2025.

Dan.

Dan

You sound like a wise man. Marvin is now register as an historic vehicle so doesn't need an MOT or paid-for road tax but he'll be MOTed in the Spring.

I suspect he'd fail today as his emmissions are off the scale as the carb is knackered and needs a rebuild. AC Dodd will do a rebuild soon.

The UK Minis concept is fantastic but we know three cars that have fallen short of the mark and few young guys have the skills, tools and motivation to keep a classic Mini on the road.

Did you spot the clothes peg on the dash of the current pick up?

We all know what that's for so why no replace the dodgy choke cable.

Marvin came with a broken heater cable. It's a PITA to replace so the broken one was pushed back into the slot and did nothing.

My wife and I have had great fun with Marvin over the summer and when our son asked us to take over the stewarship of Marvin as Tom's realised he didn't have the funds, skills or a garage to keep Marvin on the road, we took on that stewardship with our eyes (and wallets) wide open.

He's now a member of the family but like our son and daughter, Marvin uses the Bank of Mum and Dad regularly. LOL!

Peter