8 replies to this topic

[Mr Black]

I own a 1973 Mini 1000, and have done for well over 40 years, nearer 50 now. It had its first mods within weeks of my ownership, and that never really stopped. Inevitably it got used for motorsport, and that included modified engine, gearbox, suspension, brakes, bulkhead, interior, roll cage etc. I did all the work myself so I knew my car very well back in the day, working on it most weekday evenings ready for the following weekend, and it was my pride and joy.

 

And then one day I succumbed to the temptations of competition in a high powered 4x4, and my Mini got parked up under a tree with a tarpaulin thrown over it. Bushes and trees grew up around it and it was all but forgotten. The tarpaulin disintegrated, nature took its course, and it slowly started to dissolve. Life got in the way, my son started racing and needed my support, the 4x4 got sold and my poor Mini was left to dissolve, and of course the longer it got left the worse it became.

 

Cutting a long story short I have recently dug my Mini out of hibernation and it's fair to say that the shell is in the sort of state that you'd expect of a car with 1970s rustproofing(!) that's sat under a tree unprotected for decades. In other words it needs a lot of work, to the point that it's obviously not economically viable. That won't stop me though, because this next part of the journey is not about money it's about nostalgia and rekindling some old memories. It'll very much be a labour of love.

 

The intention is not for my Mini to become a polished show pony, but a rough and ready little pit pony that is happy to acquire and wear scuffs, scrapes and dents with pride. And that I can have fun driving hard, accepting that accidents do happen. I've not yet decided whether I'll keep the mods in period by restoring exactly what I've got, or maybe take it to the next level as I was always innovating back in the 1980s. I'll almost certainly wind up competing in classic rallies and/or hillclimbs, but any future mods will be what takes my engineering fancy and not built to class rules.

 

I'm in no rush though, and I want the pleasure of doing it all myself as before. Nobody except me has laid a spanner or other tool on that car since the 1970s, and that's not about to change now.

 

I'm well out of touch with the sort of stuff that used to be in my head though, like interchangeability of parts (especially subframes) between the various different years/marks, so please expect lots of questions as I go along.

[cooperd70]

Sounds like exciting times are ahead....and also a lot of sleepless nights, headaches, cut knuckles and plenty of swearing!

Plenty of expert advise on here if it's required and a discount on parts from minispares if you sign up to TMF+ (a fiver a year)

Personally I'd love to see it with it's period mods as that would be a rare thing to see...whichever path you go down you'll know it's the right thing to do with your car.

Hopefully we'll get to see some photos along the way.

Good luck 👍😎

[Mr Black]

Sounds like exciting times are ahead....and also a lot of sleepless nights, headaches, cut knuckles and plenty of swearing!

Plenty of expert advise on here if it's required and a discount on parts from minispares if you sign up to TMF+ (a fiver a year)

Personally I'd love to see it with it's period mods as that would be a rare thing to see...whichever path you go down you'll know it's the right thing to do with your car.

Hopefully we'll get to see some photos along the way.

Good luck

 

Thankfully I'm not in a hurry, so I can take my time and enjoy the build process rather than fixating on an end date with either cost or quality suffering as a result.

 

A discount on parts sounds like a good idea, and looking at the price of panels I suspect I'll more than recover that fiver in my first order! How and where do I sign up to TMF+ please?

 

I may well stick with my period mods (Weber 45DCOE on a 7" manifold with bulkhead cut to suit, LCB exhaust, cam and head work, SCCR gearbox, LSD, Hi-Lo suspension, fly-off hydraulic handbrake etc. etc.), not least because that's what I'm familiar with, it fits with DVLA's MoT exemption requirements for not changed in the last 30 years (or more!), I've already got plenty of spares, it was always plenty fun enough, and it'll never get as quick as my daily driver whatever I do. 

 

The one change I am contemplating is a removable fibreglass front end, partly because I always fancied one, partly because it's an easy and pragmatic solution to my rust problem, and partly because I'm not getting any younger so the improved access will be most welcome. I'll check that out with DVLA rules first though.

[cooperd70]

You should be able to find what you need here:

https://www.theminif.../forum/151-tmf/

Tho I'm sure someone will be along with the required steps

[Mr Black]

You should be able to find what you need here:

https://www.theminif.../forum/151-tmf/

Tho I'm sure someone will be along with the required steps

 

 

Thank you, although when I click that link I get an error message saying:

 

You do not have permission to view this forum.

 

 

I tried to share a screenshot of it but that got me an error message saying:

 

You are not allowed to use that image extension on this community.

[cooperd70]

I think if you log into TMF in a browser on a computer (rather than viewing it on an mobile) the view is different and there is a subscription area where you can sign up

[Mr Black]

I think if you log into TMF in a browser on a computer (rather than viewing it on an mobile) the view is different and there is a subscription area where you can sign up

 

I've found it, thank you:

 

I don't like using smartphones, let alone apps. I much prefer a proper website on a full size screen, so for the benefit of anybody else who may be looking here's the link: https://www.theminif.../subscriptions/

 

And I must say that a fiver for a year sounds like an absolute bargain, which makes a pleasant change in this day and age!

[stuart bowes]

especially when it gets you a discount with minispares, which basically pays for the subscription cost on the first order over about £70-80 :)

 

make sure you send simon a message before you do an order, he'll make sure you account is setup right for the discount https://www.theminif...nminisparescom/

[Mr Black]

especially when it gets you a discount with minispares, which basically pays for the subscription cost on the first order over about £70-80 :)

 

make sure you send simon a message before you do an order, he'll make sure you account is setup right for the discount https://www.theminif...nminisparescom/

 

I will do, thanks. I can already see that my first order will be over £500, and that's likely to be one of several orders, so well worth doing.