The Original Mini.

Let's face it, we may get misty eyed with our rose coloured spectacles on when talking about old cars, but generally they were rusty unreliable wrecks within a few years of manufacture - if you were lucky.=))
Which is why I don't run an old British sportscar.I want the car to start and I want to get to my destination without breaking down.:)
And yes I had a Mini Clubman, awful!
 
:arghh::arghh::arghh::arghh::arghh: I loved my first mini......but ok let’s condemn them to Room 101. :arghh::arghh::arghh::arghh:
 
We had a mini many years ago. Great fun to drive, but an awful liability. Tin worm ate the floorpan to provide significant additional ventilation. The indicator stalk caught fire on me on bonfire night as I left the car park at work. Helpfully, the fire extinguisher I was given by site security was empty adding insult to injury.
That said - it was parked for weeks on end in 3 feet of snow one winter but started first time afterwards.
 
Ofcourse of it's time the Mini was brilliant. The handling was streets ahead of any other ordinary car, but like most cars at the time they rusted while you watched. On mine the petrol gauge packed up along with the heater, gearbox and engine on top of all the rust. I stuck a replacement engine/gearbox in from a scrapyard and pop riveted an electric fuel pump to the bulkhead, patched up the rust and sold to an unsuspecting Mini fan!
 
my first car was a mini 1000 reg number mec356k that was 1982 when that expired i bought a 1967 country man reg number nnp272e
with a clapped out 850 engine in replaced it with a 1293 cooper s motor with a ported head half race cam and twin inch 1 1/2 Sus carbs it went like stink had the straight cut close ratio gearbox you could hear it from 3 streets away , this was 1983 just xr2 and xr3 were appearing and i could leave them for dead up to 70 mph at the traffic light drag race
 
I also took my test in a Mini. I had 6 lessons in it before, alongside driving my Mk1 Cortina. I've had 2 Mini's, an 850 and a 1275 G.T. One of my favourite cars. It stuck like glue around the bends, unlike the drivers seat in the 850, which came adrift while driving it. Happy memories.
 
I can guarantee that if you started to learn to Mig weld on a Mini Resto by the time you get it done you will be an expert!! I self taught myself to Mig weld in the mid 80's and Metros were a staple of those days.

Tony.

ps. Best advice I was given was to clean the joint to be welded as if you were going to paint it and also keep the joint clamped or "tacked" at short intervals so there is no gap between the joint.
 
DrWong said:
Great stuff! Any welding involved? I don't know how to weld, but have often thought an old mini restoration would be the perfect vehicle to learn on
Click to expand...
Yeah quite a lot borrowed a mig from a friend and got stuck in you soon pick it up
 
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