Classic Mini - Restoration

roadcat said:
My father bought 3 old mini's, 2 of which were Cooper S's. He then built one 1275 Cooper S. Took years, but was worth it as he ended up with a superb 1968 Morris Cooper S. Was the scariest car I have ever driven...
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So he used 3 cars to build up just 1?
 
ToxicBunny said:
So he used 3 cars to build up just 1?
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Yes, but all three were in very poor condition, so he picked best chassis, best engine block etc. He even ordered some parts from the UK where he couldn't find a working good condition one from the three. He build finished it round 92 and sold it last year for 125k :)
 
Yeah, but I imagine that it was an absolutely immacutely example of the vehicle, close to, or better than factory original?
 
roadcat said:
Yes, but all three were in very poor condition, so he picked best chassis, best engine block etc. He even ordered some parts from the UK where he couldn't find a working good condition one from the three. He build finished it round 92 and sold it last year for 125k :)
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He prob did it himself though right?
 
F1 Fan said:
He prob did it himself though right?
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He did - BTW, the Cooper S is a 1275 and trust me, it goes much faster than 100km/h :) Although 180km/h in that feels like 250 in a normal car.

The Cooper S has disc brakes in front already. Drums at the back but I'm sure you can fit discs as well.

I've seen Mini's in the UK with a 3.0 liter engine :wtf: but those guys have access to all parts etc. and doesn't cost as much there to do.
 
Find a local mini club...get one of them to take you for a spin in a mini ...
They were very fast and used in rallies. Think of a go-cart on steroids.

Keep it standard, upgrade the brakes, and suspension.
 
Weird thing about those minis is even though they are so small a guy 1.95m tall still fits in it fine :wtf:
 
F1 Fan said:
Haven't bought one yet actually. Plan is to buy a shell and buy all the mechanical components. If I don't get a shell, I'll just buy a normal one and remove the parts. Idea so far:

-champ motor and gearbox
-change to rear wheel with prop and diff
-replace brakes with something easily available?
-suspension - No clue what to do yet

Basically I want to remove original mini mechanical parts and replace it with, reliable, easy to find parts...
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Having owned a few Mini's in my day....

-champ motor and gearbox

I've seen a Champ motor in a Mini, but that was in a Oval track racer.
(It's worth noting that the Champ motor is basically an evolution of the A-Series motor found in the Mini anyway)

Gearbox - No, will never fit. (five speed boxes are available from the UK)

Champ Engine is mounted longitudinally, the Mini's is transversely mounted. Simply not enough space to mount an A-series Motor longitudinally.

-change to rear wheel with prop and diff

No no no! Mini has an independent rear suspension (which in part accounts for it's superb road holding). The body shell won't accommodate the drive shaft and once you get to the back, there is no axle to mount it onto.

-replace brakes with something easily available?

Change to discs if you can, but remember Mini wheels and arches are smaller than just about every other car out there. (pirate parts were readily available last I looked)

-suspension - No clue what to do yet

Do nothing. Replace shocks, and replace rubber blocks if required (There are no springs). Nothing you can do to a Mini suspension. will improve handling.

Like others I suggest you get a refurbished 1275 motor. In standard form it will get you to 140km very quickly (it's the lack of a 5th gear which stops you there, not power) and they are reliable. A bored out 1275 won't produce much less power than a Champ motor.

If you can source a 5 speed gear box then a better route to more power is a low boost Turbo or a supercharger. (seen both done reliably)

One thing you can do is improve engine cooling, especially if you're turbo charging, I once saw a neat installation of a Golf III radiator in the front grill of a Clubman body as an addition to the existing radiator.


The key thing to remember is that Mini's are fun to drive not because they go fast (they don't really), but because they are fast around corners. Tight corners curvy roads are a Mini's natural habitat and that is due to front wheel drive and independent suspension (no Axle).

Please don't hack a mini -shell to bits to defeat the whole purpose of the design (which was 30 years ahead of it's time)
 
Thanks....have decided to stick with the 1275 motor (thanks Toxic). Now I just need to find a mini...roundnose...

I definitely won't be turbo charging though....

The one thing that really worries me is the suspension..
 
F1 Fan said:
Thanks....have decided to stick with the 1275 motor (thanks Toxic). Now I just need to find a mini...roundnose...

I definitely won't be turbo charging though....

The one thing that really worries me is the suspension..
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Why should it worry you?

The suspension was pretty damn good for its day, but in todays standards it will be rough as nails.. but it will stick to the road and handle almost anything you can throw at it..

Just make sure that the suspension is in good nick, and replace any parts you can with newer equivalents and you will be good to go.
 
I would only do something like this if I had R100k that I would be okay with never seeing again. Because when all is said and done, that is probably how much it will cost, if not more. Things will end up costing more than you thought they would, guaranteed. It might take longer than you thought, and you might get over it by the time it is done. Can you see yourself driving and enjoying this car in 3 years time? In 5 years time?

Also note that when you sell it, you will get nothing near what you have paid. You will probably get your original purchase price or maybe a little more.

There is another car that you could modify though, which might end up cheaper due to part availability - the Citi Golf. I do hate them, but I have a feeling they might be easier to mod because they are a little larger and more modern. They still have their wheels quite close to the edge of the chassis, so roadholding should be good, if not quite up to Mini levels.

But then, it depends on what your aim is. What is your goal here? To end up with a fairly original and good condition Mini to use as a weekend car? Or daily driver? To end up with something small and fast that is fun to drive?

Have you considered an older Mazda Miata? Right out the box, it might be exactly what you want, plus it is a roadster.

EDIT: Before doing any of this, consider what you could do with R100k.

R100k less on your bond?
R100k on an awesome holiday?
R100k saved towards your childs education?
R100k on a man cave complete with massive TV and sound system?

I'm not trying to put you off doing what you want to do. I just think you should consider how much it will cost and what else you could do with that money. Even if that money is earmarked for fun only, there are other fun things you can do with R100k. Could you have more fun in other ways? Will you get R100k of enjoyment out of a Mini?
 
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Ancalagon said:
I would only do something like this if I had R100k that I would be okay with never seeing again. Because when all is said and done, that is probably how much it will cost, if not more. Things will end up costing more than you thought they would, guaranteed. It might take longer than you thought, and you might get over it by the time it is done. Can you see yourself driving and enjoying this car in 3 years time? In 5 years time?

Also note that when you sell it, you will get nothing near what you have paid. You will probably get your original purchase price or maybe a little more.

There is another car that you could modify though, which might end up cheaper due to part availability - the Citi Golf. I do hate them, but I have a feeling they might be easier to mod because they are a little larger and more modern. They still have their wheels quite close to the edge of the chassis, so roadholding should be good, if not quite up to Mini levels.

But then, it depends on what your aim is. What is your goal here? To end up with a fairly original and good condition Mini to use as a weekend car? Or daily driver? To end up with something small and fast that is fun to drive?

Have you considered an older Mazda Miata? Right out the box, it might be exactly what you want, plus it is a roadster.

EDIT: Before doing any of this, consider what you could do with R100k.

R100k less on your bond?
R100k on an awesome holiday?
R100k saved towards your childs education?
R100k on a man cave complete with massive TV and sound system?

I'm not trying to put you off doing what you want to do. I just think you should consider how much it will cost and what else you could do with that money. Even if that money is earmarked for fun only, there are other fun things you can do with R100k. Could you have more fun in other ways? Will you get R100k of enjoyment out of a Mini?
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Fully understand where you are coming from.

I prob wouldn't want to spend 100k though. Maybe about 60k. But you right, I could just put that money into my bond.

My end goal is two fold; To satisfy a childhood dream and to have a weekend or even a daily runner (if it runs well). I wouldn't do this with any other car simply because I generally am not into doing up cars. I just want the mini that way I always pictured it.

Alternatively I could wait until a finished mini pops up and buy one of those....
 
Lol, this is starting to make less and less sense the more I think about it...Im just wary that in 10 years Im going to say I wish I had done it...
 
I'm not saying don't spend the money on entertainment, I'm just saying be fully informed up front that you will probably struggle to keep the costs under R60k.
 
Ancalagon said:
I'm not saying don't spend the money on entertainment, I'm just saying be fully informed up front that you will probably struggle to keep the costs under R60k.
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No worries...understand your point... Im going to let this simmer in my head for a few weeks after I've received pricing....
 
Buy a mini in good running condition that is as standard as possible. Can pick up a really good one for under R30k.
Drive it for a while and then decide what needs to be fixed improved.
 
spiderz said:
Buy a mini in good running condition that is as standard as possible. Can pick up a really good one for under R30k.
Drive it for a while and then decide what needs to be fixed improved.
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This is probably a much better idea... and at least you will get a decent ish vehicle that you can recover most of your money on if you decide to walk away.
 
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