January 1960 Austin Mini

[TRP]

The car had been painted this darker blue by someone over the years. I'm not sure if it's a true Mini color or not. Looks close to Marina blue, maybe? The prep work wasn't great, which resulted in the paint popping on the top. There were a few sections which had lifted / bubbled and exposed a white undercoat. I sanded the top down to expose the paint underneath. Unfortunately the paint wasn't serviceable.

The car will be going to paint and body in late Jan/Early Feb so I decided to keep myself busy by temporarily painting the roof a nice off white.

Started off with sanding everything down to get to the 'white' that was originally there!

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Sanding sanding sanding!

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Hit it all with some build-able auto primer:

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More sanding and a bunch of sanding and more sanding... decided to hit it with a "Wimbledon white":

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Didn't like the Wimbledon white. Was too yellow/cream colored. I wanted something less yellow so I went with straight GM white:

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Came out good enough for me. It's just on there to keep the top from looking like hell from all of the previous bubbling of the dark blue.

[TRP]

Okay... I was tired of not being able to drive a car i have owned for over a month. The clutch issue needed to be addressed this weekend. So far I have replaced a leaking slave cylinder, all of the clutch lines and hoses, and the master cylinder. Visual inspection shows everything is moving as it should. The clutch has been adjusted per spec, yet the car still won't go into gear. What the heck!?

At this point I assumed the issue was a worn ball on the end of the clutch lever. I removed the two pins and wrestled the clutch arm out of the wok. I found that the 'ball' had been snapped completely off of the clutch arm! It's not obvious, but the clutch arm pin is also bent. The lesson learned here is that it's best to start with the simplest thing. The slave cylinder was leaking, so it had to go. But after that... I should have looked at the arm straight away. Lesson learned.

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Wait!... the ball? It was still in the throwout plunger! How the hell do I get that out?

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It wasn't really easy to fish out. I used a magnet and pair of really big needle nose pliers. I spun the plunger 180 degrees around so I could get to the 'ball' end. Once I did that I used the magnet to fish the ball out. All good.

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I ordered up a new clutch arm, a slave cylinder push rod, and all new pins. Should have the car rolling under it's own power in a few days. What the heck would case that arm to break?


Here are the two ladies waiting to be taken out for a drive. Once I get the clutch fixed I can register the Mini in my name and actually DRIVE the damn thing. Then it's off to paint and body. I have mixed feelings about that. I'm not sure what color I'm going to end up going with. Green/White? Blue/White? Grey/White? No idea yet. No red, yellow, white/white. No light blue. No black. Again, not sure on the final color. Oh... I also need to decide if I'm going to install the Wood & Pickett style flares. If I do, do I leave them black? or paint them body color? So many decisions.

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[abri]

Hi Ted, that looks like a 1959 car
You should ask the Heritage certificate.

Well spotted! Eagle eye Ricardo

[TRP]

Hi Ted, that looks like a 1959 car
You should ask the Heritage certificate.

Well spotted! Eagle eye Ricardo

Okay!! You win! I will order one this week.

Ted

[TRP]

Took a drive today to pick up some parts.

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Second hand right tank. Going to clean it up and see of it's useable. Looking for installation tips.

[iain1967s]

Looking for installation tips.

My advice would be, wait until you have the heritage certificate before you modify the car any further. If it turns out to be something early/rare, you might regret making non-reversible changes.

[TRP]

Good call. I appreciate the advice.

Let me ask something as the new guy around here. Am I trampling on graves or stepping over the line by modifyng a 59 or 60? I don't want to be a nuisance by sharing sacrilege.

Thanks and sorry?

[iain1967s]

Each to his own, there are no rules

Given the older demographic and market trends, I tend to err on the side of originality or period modifications, and much of this forum is similar in my experience. But for its whole 60 year history the mini scene has revolved around customisation and personalisation to varying tastes.

For example I will say that the car currently claiming to be the oldest 1959 Mk1 in USA was at British Invasion this year in Stowe VT. It has been modified so much over the years that not much of its originality is identifiable. It still makes for a nice presentable mini, just not original. Does that matter?

Not for me to judge... I like seeing the progress made by anyone who is willing to spend their time (and money) on this hobby. I don’t have to agree with their choices to appreciate their skill or effort.

[woodypup59]

The gold 80 speedo is from a Morris Minor (not mini) which had 14 or 15" wheels. Not sure what diff it had but you may find the speedo does not read quite right - unless it has been re-calibrated.

[TRP]

Thanks, Woody and '1967s. Glad to hear I'm not going against the grain. The car had a few odd Morris Minor parts on it. The speedo and 'pull to start' starter switch. I picked up a push button switch, a proper speedo, and a like new Smiths tach last weekend. Sending the tach off to Spiyda tomorrow to have them install a new electronics board and fine tune it to work with the electronic ignition.

Yesterday I filled my used right tank with white vinegar and 2 big handfuls of stainless steel nuts. I shook it every direction every few hours. After 24 hours I drained off all of the vinegar into a bucket and filtered out the loose flakes and silt. The vinegar and nuts are back in the tank for another soak/shake spell. A couple more days on there and I will be ready to rinse and neutralize the vinegar.

In between all of that work this weekend I got the car out for a fun 30 minute blast around town. Nothing crazy, I just ran a few errands and picked up some paint for the exterior of the tanks. My first drive where I wasnt hunting for years. All in all a good little runner. Loud as hell in the cabin. Needs some sort of sound deadening in there. Fun stuff.

[mk1]

Good call. I appreciate the advice.
Let me ask something as the new guy around here. Am I trampling on graves or stepping over the line by modifyng a 59 or 60? I don't want to be a nuisance by sharing sacrilege.
Thanks and sorry?

TPB, YOU DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT TO YOUR OWN CAR!

It's yours & anything you choose to do is perfectly valid!

I have modified 59 / 60 cars before now I have received a certain amount of bother over it. The folks who feel entitled to say what other folks can & can't do with their own cars should wind their necks in!

Having said the above, I don't think that Iain1967 was doing this, he was just pointing out that making non reversible mods to an early car "could" effect it's value in the eyes of some collectors.

[TRP]

TRP, YOU DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT TO YOUR OWN CAR!

It's yours & anything you choose to do is perfectly valid!

Understood. I just don't want to join the forum and be seen as a disruption / troll. It's important to me to do my own thing and be mindful of the forums culture and not be an obnoxious oaf. Glad to hear the forum is open minded. I appreciate the advice regarding everyone has shared thus far.

I have ordered the Heritage Certificate and believe the car will comeback as a very early 1960 De Luxe. This is pretty much in line with what you (Mk1) helped point out. Early enough to be interesting but nothing that will ever be draw like an S, nor will it be a high dollar concourse car.

The decision to add the extra tank is difficult because, as 1967s' said, it will be hard to undo without a bunch of expense. I like the look of twin tanks and the benefit of 2x as much fuel. I picked up the second tank at a reasonable price so I currently plan to move forward with it. The other item I'm struggling with is the fender flares. If I do the flares, I will go with the Wood & Pickett lip mount style. I like these because they are a clean install without the need for screw holes in the fenders. They do require a hole in the 'fender lip'. While the fender lip mount is very attractive, I question the longevity of this method. Still investigating this option. I appreciate any advice / experience with this topic.

Thanks again!
Ted

[Peter Laidler]

The extra fuel tank shouldn't be a detrimental point in 'originality' in my view, simply because the extra tank was an option, albeit a dealer fitted extra/option from new. Quite whether it was on your early car is another natter. But some export 850's and Mk2 1000's were factory fitted fitted with extra fuel tanks for special orders to Countries (or organisations like the Army in Libya and Malaya) where there were long distances between fuelling points.

Wheel arches/spats - very personal. You can't UN-drill a hole. You can only weld it up and make good

[iain1967s]

I don't think that Iain1967 was doing this, he was just pointing out that making non reversible mods to an early car "could" effect it's value in the eyes of some collectors.

Absolutely, was just trying to help TRP be fully informed in his decisions.

[timmy201]

My right hand fuel tank looked the same as yours! It had a locking cap on it from a previous owner and it was impossible to remove the cap without damaging the lip on the filler neck.

It was slightly terrifying taking to a mint quarter panel with a holesaw, but the extra range on the tank really makes it worthwhile. I found the worst part of the whole thing was getting the fuel hoses connected to both tanks. The supplied fuel hoses didn't fit, and the factory style link pipe makes it tricky to get the hoses on. If I pull the tanks out in the future I'll be changing it to a simpler setup.

[TRP]

I don't think that Iain1967 was doing this, he was just pointing out that making non reversible mods to an early car "could" effect it's value in the eyes of some collectors.

Absolutely, was just trying to help TRP be fully informed in his decisions.

I appreciate that help!

My right hand fuel tank looked the same as yours! It had a locking cap on it from a previous owner and it was impossible to remove the cap without damaging the lip on the filler neck.

It was slightly terrifying taking to a mint quarter panel with a holesaw, but the extra range on the tank really makes it worthwhile. I found the worst part of the whole thing was getting the fuel hoses connected to both tanks. The supplied fuel hoses didn't fit, and the factory style link pipe makes it tricky to get the hoses on. If I pull the tanks out in the future I'll be changing it to a simpler setup.

The difficulty of installing the fuel lines hadn't occurred to me. Feel free to reach out with PM if you have any pointers. I know very little about these tanks but I was very happy that this didn't have the unsightly puckers and ripples I've seen on some of the right hand tanks you see for sale. All said and told, there are very very few ripples in this one. The tank also has edge welded seams and the neck is brazed on. Welding the neck back together will be a careful task I may farm out. Who did yours, Tim?
Did you install the base bracket and 'long strap' bracket as well? Any pointers there? I will be welding in these items, possibly the boot board 'feet', and cutting the big 70mm hole in the fender prior to sending the car off to paint.

Thanks again!

[timmy201]

I had mine cleaned out and the new neck welded on at a local radiator shop. You definitely won't be able to see the repair on yours from the outside.

I took some measurements for the bottom bracket from a local guy with a stripped car. I pop riveted mine on, but you can also weld it on. There are 4 holes to be drilled for the top bracket on the seat back, and one bigger hole in the boot floor for the bolt. I'm sure there would be a template or the measurements on here somewhere.

[mk1]

Not wanting to prolong the discussion, but the tag line for the forum is

"A friendly international forum for people interested in the tuning & modification of classic BMC vehicles"

[Peter Laidler]

I have a funny feeling that the MGB filler neck is a perfect substitute for the filler neck on the mini fuel tank. The MGB one (maybe the Midget too) comes as a separate part, ready to cut to length and braze in place.

[java gt]

I have Wood & Pickett arches on two of my Minis and they have lasted very well.The one thing I would say is to use contersunk self tapers,I used stainless countersunk raised ones I picked up in Home Depot and don't put one at the 12 o clock position.10 and 2 would be better as I ripped out the screw at the top of the arch on the back during spirited driving and nearly ruined a new Yokohama tyre as well when it bottomed out on the rear arch.