Minis - Who's got/had one?

[ZeroIndex]

check this out for some good ideas: VTEC Mini

[R6_kid:Me]

know about the vtec thing, but something in me just screams WRONG!!! Its jappa in british skin... That kinda half japanese just doesnt do it for me unfortunately.

Its the one of few mechanical contraptions the brits got right so why ruin it.

The plan in my head is get the car looking good, then handling and stopping good, then get more juice. Probably go in the form of an overbore and eventually a turbo.

Dont worry devil, the only money im gonna be spending on a mini (if i get one) is on night school courses so i can do the work myself, or on beer/smokes to get someone to show me how.

[ZeroIndex]

know about the vtec thing, but something in me just screams WRONG!!! Its jappa in british skin... That kinda half japanese just doesnt do it for me unfortunately.

Its the one of few mechanical contraptions the brits got right so why ruin it.

The plan in my head is get the car looking good, then handling and stopping good, then get more juice. Probably go in the form of an overbore and eventually a turbo.

Dont worry devil, the only money im gonna be spending on a mini (if i get one) is on night school courses so i can do the work myself, or on beer/smokes to get someone to show me how.

and then there's the one mini station wagon that i wished i owned.. behind the front seats was sealed off, and for the first time in history, a harley davidson engine was used for a 'good' purpose......

Q: ever seen a mini stationwagon with a harley engine in the back do a burnout [Mid-Engine/RWD]?
A: OMG YES!!!! GIMME GIMME GIMME

[James Deuce]

Every Japanese car firm owes its origins to BMC in some way. Nissan took O and M series engines and made them work and work reliably. With twice the horsepower.

[Motu]

Or more correctly Sir Alec Isognosis - he was responsable for the Morris Minor,The Series II Oxford,the Mini and 1800,and a whole lot more.His designs put function over form and always gave maximun interior space - it's always a surprise when you get into one of his cars and see how huge they are inside.I wonder what he could of done if he hadn't been curbed in all his work by BMC?

The A and B series motors were Austin designs were very advanced for their time,over head valve and all that tricky stuff.But lots of problems from the Weslake designed cylinder head,with it's heart shaped combustion chamber and siamesed ports.I've got a lot of time for the B block,having had several.I fitted a 1622cc out of an A60 into my 1954 A40 pick up,then later put the same motor into our Series II Oxford.I'd also fitted the A60 brakes,wheels and diff into the A40,going from 17in wheels to ''fat'' 14in.It was a bit of a sleeper,I'll see if I can find a photo.I've also had a couple of MkI 1800's,and had a couple of wrecks to keep on my lawn too.They may be ugly but were a super impressive car - huge interior space,and exceptional handling on the open road and gravel.Landcrabs were a family tradition,and my daughters cried when we got rid of our 1967.

[Dooly]

I've worked on a shit load of Mini's,and absolute shit load.They used to be one of the most popular cars on the road,along with their 1100/1300 clones.We had a 1962 as our family car in the mid '60's,my father was intrigued with them,and just had to have one to see how they ticked.My mother had a couple...I've only had one,still had it in 2000 I think.

You name it,and I've pulled it apart and put it back together.We were always doing head gaskets and burnt valves - I could get a head off a Mini in 3/4 hr,the insides of my forearms nearly always had a burn mark where I did an exhaust flange on a hot engine.I used to do rubber cross joints in 20 mins,no air tools,no ratchets,just twirling spanners.There was a special tool to remove and replace the engine - it lifted the engine out on a tilt to clear the final drive and firewall,then you moved the chain to a different position to lift it level,so you could pull the engine off the trans.My boss borrowed one off the local dealer....and made a copy before he gave it back.Now you can buy them anywhere.Clutches were a 2 hr job (no air tools again) I still have the tool I made that I dropped into the flywheel teeth and jammed in the starter hole so I could get the big flywheel nut undone.Often we would find a gear tooth on the magnetic drain plug....then we'd pull the engine,split it and do a final drive pinion and put it back in.No worries.Filthy,filthy work.

Don't ever want another one,don't ever want to work on another one....

Oh how I echo all that.

My old man was the top BMC mechanic in the area and when he started our business 35 yrs ago after leaving the BMC dealer half their clients came with him.
I did my time working on all those BMC shitters. Sometimes we could have 6 or more Minis in at once plus the usual crap like 1100s, Allegros etc etc.
Was soul destroying.
Fortunately most are off the road now.
Alas we possess the only hydrolastic suspension pump up machine in the bay so we tend to still get a lot of the shitters in, plus the later model MGs etc.

Character building I used to say.

Used to be a bloke around here had a 350 Chev in a Mini, had big rear tyres, everything under the guards, no bonnet bulge or anything.
Quite impressive for one of them.

[Kickaha]

I did my time working on all those BMC shitters. Sometimes we could have 6 or more Minis in at once plus the usual crap like 1100s, Allegros etc etc.

Same here

I worked for a BMC dealer for 5 years (as the boy) and I grew to loathe those things, I got the crap jobs pulling them apart so the mechanics didn't have to

got a mate who has one out to around 1300cc with a whole bunch of mods and nitrous

[Motu]

So you guys have the dent in the back of your head where the bonnet catch hit too? We had our own home made pump.A contractor came in one day and said he used that same pump to grease his bully about 20 yrs before.It was a little steel drum with a hand pump - we would clip the valve on and hand pump next to the wheel with a tape measure in our other hand.Ah,the smell of hydrolastic fluid - how many people could pick that one out in a smell test?

[Dooly]

So you guys have the dent in the back of your head where the bonnet catch hit too? We had our own home made pump.A contractor came in one day and said he used that same pump to grease his bully about 20 yrs before.It was a little steel drum with a hand pump - we would clip the valve on and hand pump next to the wheel with a tape measure in our other hand.Ah,the smell of hydrolastic fluid - how many people could pick that one out in a smell test?

Fuckin bonnets!

We have been using antifeeze in the hydro machine for years to pump them up.
Works fine.

[James Deuce]

Ah,the smell of hydrolastic fluid - how many people could pick that one out in a smell test?

You spelled hydrolastic wrong - hydrospastic thanks.

[_Gina_]

Had a yellow & black Clubman 1275, was such a cool car, something about being so close to the ground I'd guess. Had a momo steering wheel and mags, also those silly pedal overlays which were shaped like feet!!

Sold it for a Skyline Turbo, which I kept for 6 months then sold 'cause I was going to kill myself if I didn't.

To buy a decent one would be an investment I'd say!


Gg

[Motu]

You spelled hydrolastic wrong - hydrospastic thanks.

But most Mini's had Molten rubber suspension....




Ok,Moulton.

[Kickaha]

So you guys have the dent in the back of your head where the bonnet catch hit too?

Biggest dent in my head came from the collapsing land rover bonnet complete with spare tyre on it

[James Deuce]

Austin A40 Countryman bonnet. If both sides didn't click then you were doomed. I'm rubbing the dent on my head as I type.

[Dadpole]

Biggest dent in my head came from the collapsing land rover bonnet complete with spare tyre on it

I share your pain, and have that dent too.
Great to watch it happening to others but.