LUCKY - 1961 Austin Se7en Countryman build

[Hunter2]

We started December 1st, 2015 and have over 100 hours in now and closing in on the last of the steel work. Lots of photos up at http://www.miniman.ca if you would like to see detail.

The name LUCKY relates to the fact it must have been in a big (for a Mini) shunt to have two shell halves welded together and survived. LUCKY

It was rescued, unused from a shed in the US Mid-West when a US serviceman was being reposted and stuff had to go. Could have been scrap. Became a parts car. LUCKY

Made its way to Canada on a 950 mile flat tow up the Interstate 5 from California. Lost a wheel on pulling into Canada Customs. Could have been a high speed wreck on the I5. LUCKY

I bought the Woody project in 2004 and it sat on a rack in my garage until November 29th last when it came down to be finally built.

LUCKY has new half floors, new heel board, new cross member, new full length door steps, new inner/outer A panels, new rear closing panels, new apron/slam panel & wings and quite a number of smaller steel repairs.

Will have new Wood milled in Woodland, California by Verdis Upton, aka The Woodsman. Some improvement in braking - Cooper S with late master.

Freshly built 1293cc (with new A+ crank & rods, cam, lifters, rockers, lightweight flywheel, clutch, timing gears/chains, Cooper S pistons (19320) with new Hastings rings, new bearings, oil pump, water pump, refurbished head with new bronze silicon guides, valves, springs, hardened exhaust seats). HIF 44 onto Metro intake and out via Maniflow Cooper Freeflow and twin box.

Will roll on 4.5"x10" Minilites (Cooper S offset) and A008s. Old front subbie has seen some extra stitch welds and been gusseted at the ears for use with HD adjustable lower arms & tie-rods/control arms. Adjustable trumpets, new rubber springs and set up with <1 deg. neg. camber, no rear toe...maybe a rear sway bar.

Colour (don't beat on me) a Ford Fiesta metallic green from 2011. Why? My wife always wanted a Green car, but every time she went to the Honda dealer to buy a new one, the Blue cars were cheaper so she came home with a Blue one. So, she will ride in a Lime Green Metallic Countryman.

Some of you may know that we have driven our Minis around North America 1996 on and the OZ Mini Window Van around Australia 2011 & 2013 and, after coming home 2 years ago, across Canada and back across the USA.

LUCKY will be driven!

PHOTOS: of our Mini rides

[Hunter2]

Project in hiatus since my bash & weld partner's Mom-in-Law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Clearly a family time. She passed after 1 month this a.m.

So, sometime in March, we will get back to work...meanwhile I have been ordering new wiring harness & relay box, new 2 speed wiper motor & switch, new ignition switch, new Cooper S disc brake kit with AP calipers, new Special Tuning 4.5"x10" wheels and lots of little bits.

Kind of stuck on the interior, since the paint will be 2011 Ford Focus 'Lime Squeeze Metallic'...not seeing any Mocha interior kit.... Suggestions are welcome.

[Spitz]

Rick....what harness did you order? I'll be needing one for my van...same vintage as your estate

[Tagus]

Rick,

It was nice of you to share some time with me to have a look at your project. Up until then I wasn't sure where the weld connection was between the old and older chassis. Now it's all clear. You and John are doing a great job of the metal work and the engine rebuild by Craig is fantastic. I'm looking forward to seeing its completion. Very inspirational.

Ron

[mk1]

Great job!

Sounds like Lucky really is LUCKY!

[Hunter2]

Hi Spitz,

I ordered a new MK I harness from British Wiring in PA (not Prince Albert) without the floor starter.

Also added a Relay Box to BW order (to be hidden from view) for head lights hi/lo beams, horn etc. Will need to be modified for the relays and some other bits...like electric fuel pump, 2 speed wipers (have new motor), electrical cooling fan etc.

In my view, better to choose a complete new harness to amend rather to ask for a custom harness from away.

Hunter2

[Spitz]

OK thanks Rick....will look into it.

Why no floor start for you?

OK...I think this would be the one for me.
Although my van would orig. of had just the speedo, I'll be fitting auxillery temp and oil....either a 3 clock binnacle or an underdash Smiths pair I have.
http://www.britishwiring.com/Austin-Min ... p/3202.htm

[Hunter2]

OK, we have completed the steel work after a multi-week layoff following my bash & weld partner's Mom-in-Law being diagnosed with terminal cancer at 87. She passed peacefully with her children at her side.

Today was quick, install a 6 flute outer sill modified to 4 flutes DONE. Misc. welds in front wheel arches, rear wheel wells DONE. Minor welds in the 4 wheel arches DONE. Relocate the licence plate mountings on the apron DONE. Fit the later bonnet modified for MK I DONE.

Now ready to talk body/paint.

[rich@minispares.com]

why is the s stiffener welded the wrong way round?

[NZmember]

LHD

[Craig]

Stiffener looks right to me ......

I think thats just some bracing showing from underneath.

The front apron/ nose panel is from M- Machine


http://www.miniman.ca/Lucky/201-300/images/IMG_8962.jpg

Craig

[Hunter2]

What you are seeing is a strut on the 'bolt on/roll around front' sub frame for doing steel work...the angled "S" 'stiffener' or strut is absent in the photo.

We drilled out the pop rivets and will weld the strut in place today. Yes, looks like an early Cooper S style apron (only because the later airflow corners in the stamping have been closed up ala early style) by the supplier.

PS - incidentally, for those who will be driving in extreme heat conditions and want to add an oil cooler, removing the vertical strut and rolling the lower lip down to mount an oil cooler is easy. I rolled the lip on the then 20 year old Mini 1000 - used two lengths of hard wood clamped at each end over the to be rolled lip with vise grips and shorter lengths of hardwood on either side where the lip would remain vertical...then, two people each holding a vise grip in each hand roll the lip down in the middle while keeping the vertical lip up to the outside. As long as you leave a gap at each end of the central clamping to allow for a smooth roll, I bet you don't crack even old paint!

[rich@minispares.com]

Ah, just checking!

It would have been a bummer if it was wrong and you didn't realise until it was painted......

Still, getting it the wrong way isnt as bad as an s that was on eeBay a while ago.......


It had two fitted

[Hunter2]

A club member is bring over a pair of Aussie doors with bins, rollup & vent windows. Since we have established that the shell is a 'bitsa' pre-November 1960 nose, likely post July 1961 rear and maybe was revinned sometime in the early 1970s (perhaps even in the 1960s) when in New York State, if the doors are in good condition I might consider using them.

Another club member used Aussie doors on an early Pickup that my partner did the steel work on.

Though a 'bitsa' I am still looking for a good build...yes it will have a 1293 (needs to go in today's traffic), Cooper S brakes (needs to stop in modern traffic).

All that is left of the early nose are parts of the A pillars, lower windscreen panel & scuttle, inner wings and toe board (all of which have seen repairs).

New steel - full length half floors, heel board, outer sills, full length doorstep panels, wings, bonnet, apron & our fabricated scuttle closing panels, rear valence/closing panels, rear arch extension/closing panel and our own inboard addition to the rear of the rear arches and steel strips across the inside of the top to receive plug welds (old roof rack install) & to stiffen the smooth roof. Old steel spliced in - left rear lower corner, complete dash panel and rod change tunnel cross member to toe board. Plus various other smaller details.

[java gt]

Would love to see the Aussie doors on,it is a pipe dream of mine to fit them to my MKI.

[Hunter2]

java gt,

Will post results after looking at the doors...seller could not bring them over yesterday.

Rick/Hunter2

[Hunter2]

Well, I might have been less hopeful. The doors were in bad shape needing a complete rebuild, reskinning, probably oodles of rust inside, glass shattered & hardware abused badly...vent window rubbers alone are +$70 per side (vs $15 per MGB vent window).

Will stick with the sliding window doors...only one needed repair behind the lower hinge.

[Hunter2]

Steel work all done & shell glass bead blasted yesterday before Epoxy primer. Doors & bonnet were done last week....

[Hunter2]

Got bonnet, doors & new rear subbie (glass bead blasted same day) into epoxy primer yesterday.

Doors now at least 55 years old will need some TLC from body man....

[InimiaD]

Making great progress. I wish my projects were this quick.