1972 Innocenti Cooper 1300

[davidnutland]

Yes MK3 Coopermk3 from Innocenti

[e-type]

The chain looks a bit loose, I only use IWIS sold by Minispars as the evo type. Had some bad experiences in the past.

[InnoCooperExport]

Great to see some progress Marcus! Looking great

[MiNiKiN]

The chain looks a bit loose, I only use IWIS sold by Minispars as the evo type. Had some bad experiences in the past.

I have in the meantime replaced the chain with an IWIS as the old one would have made a VVT sort of thing.

The engine is now finished, I will deliver a photo of the finished engine at a later stage.

Steuerzeiten_KetteNeu_LR.jpg

[MiNiKiN]

Working on the bits'n bobs again inbetween house renovation and fixing issues on my MGF (aka Moggy the daily runabaout)

I finished the first Cosmic Mk1 - just needs the bolt hole bored out to take the larger steel inserts
This is the one I had laser welded, because at some point in its life it hit the caliper when it came loose.
Which left a deep score mark I was not happy with in terms of "structural integrity"
Maybe a bit too golden though I think it goes well with the dark blue car. Just 3 more to restore

Cosmic Mk1 #1_finished.jpg

The original doorcards and pockets: their fit is IMHO so much better than the repros, due to their only 2.8mm thin fibre board.
Sadly mine where not only mucky but had bits crumbled, broken out and cracked and extreme wrapping from moisture was also an unpleasant matter.

This is a door pocket pretty much as it looked beforehand:

Door_Pocket_before.jpg

The finished result - door card and pocket after some elbow grease and many hours experimenting on different with flattening procedures.
I filled broken out parts and cracks with epoxy and epoxy putty, laminated some thin glasfibre onto it for reinforcement and painted the whole lot after sanding.

Door_Pocket_Card_after.jpg

Looks shabby, but is actually better than the reproductions, which are too thick.
N.B.: it was so warped, I had to mill material out, steam the wood fibre, flatten it with weights and once dry again finally fix it with epoxy.

Door_Card1_back_after.jpg

The 2.8mm base material is seemingly unobtainium nowadays, hence I had to repair the old.
Half the material was just crumbled from moisture. I replaced it with a piece of an IKEA picture frame

Door_Pocket_inside_after.jpg

[WMU 211G]

Lovely bit of work on the Cosmic and door card

I spotted a really nice looking Innocenti Mini in an episode of 'Inspector Montalbano' I was watching the other night, it was brown with a white roof and the interior was the same colour as yours.

[MiNiKiN]

Lovely bit of work on the Cosmic and door card

I spotted a really nice looking Innocenti Mini in an episode of 'Inspector Montalbano' I was watching the other night, it was brown with a white roof and the interior was the same colour as yours.

Thx, though I do struggle a bit with what the backsides of the door cards look like. Despite nobody else will see them

The brown w/ sand coloured roof and cream interior was a popular colour combo back then too. I prefer it with the night blue main colour though.

[InnoCooperExport]

Great work on the doorcards Marcus! I wish mine were restorable, but sadly a previous owner cut great big holes in them for speakers You are right that the Newton ones are a touch thicker than the original ones, I hope they will still fit nicely...

That Cosmic looks great, I am looking forward to seeing what they will look like on the car.

[colonel mustard]

Great work Marcus!
What paint did you use on the door pockets? I’ve mine to do as they are pretty brittle.

[MiNiKiN]

Great work Marcus!
What paint did you use on the door pockets? I’ve mine to do as they are pretty brittle.

First I tried a special interior spray, but the colour did not match.
I then simply used acrylic spray paint on top of a plastic primer (as used on plastic bumpers etc.)

[WMU 211G]

Lovely bit of work on the Cosmic and door card

I spotted a really nice looking Innocenti Mini in an episode of 'Inspector Montalbano' I was watching the other night, it was brown with a white roof and the interior was the same colour as yours.

Thx, though I do struggle a bit with what the backsides of the door cards look like. Despite nobody else will see them

The brown w/ sand coloured roof and cream interior was a popular colour combo back then too. I prefer it with the night blue main colour though.

I keep telling myself that I'm not buying anymore Minis, but I do fancy an Innocenti one day. I've been watching lots of old Italian crime films from the '60s and '70s and Innos are everywhere!

[MiNiKiN]

I keep telling myself that I'm not buying anymore Minis, but I do fancy an Innocenti one day. I've been watching lots of old Italian crime films from the '60s and '70s and Innos are everywhere!

Saying so, I think they must have been more popular as film drives than in reality. A misrepresentation so to speak, as Innocentis were rather expensive in comparison to other cars the size.
Come on, you need one - treat yourself to a bit of Italian luxurious sportiness

[MiNiKiN]

It has come to my attention, that I haven't updated this thread for ages. My excuse is, that I've been busy with other mini and non-mini things. No-one should get the impression that I've been lazy and haven't continued working on the Inno.
For those who are interested and not scared of clicking a Facebook-link, I have a public album there that is exhaustive and provides a lot of photos with progress on the project.

A lttle video teaser: on my birthday I managed to start the engine for the first time in 30+ years - what a present

https://youtube.com/shorts/YL1Hlk_oCO8?feature=share

Showing (off) progress in my restoration album:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 183&type=3

[cockney21]

Lovely bit of work on the Cosmic and door card

I spotted a really nice looking Innocenti Mini in an episode of 'Inspector Montalbano' I was watching the other night, it was brown with a white roof and the interior was the same colour as yours.

Thx, though I do struggle a bit with what the backsides of the door cards look like. Despite nobody else will see them

The brown w/ sand coloured roof and cream interior was a popular colour combo back then too. I prefer it with the night blue main colour though.

I keep telling myself that I'm not buying anymore Minis, but I do fancy an Innocenti one day. I've been watching lots of old Italian crime films from the '60s and '70s and Innos are everywhere!

Go on join the dark side...None of the other Minis at shows understands what mine is saying!

20240804_130149.jpg2.jpg7.jpg

Great work on the restoration, I know how tricky it is getting decent parts for the Innos.

[WMU 211G]

Thx, though I do struggle a bit with what the backsides of the door cards look like. Despite nobody else will see them

The brown w/ sand coloured roof and cream interior was a popular colour combo back then too. I prefer it with the night blue main colour though.

I keep telling myself that I'm not buying anymore Minis, but I do fancy an Innocenti one day. I've been watching lots of old Italian crime films from the '60s and '70s and Innos are everywhere!

Go on join the dark side...None of the other Minis at shows understands what mine is saying!

20240804_130149.jpg2.jpg7.jpg

Great work on the restoration, I know how tricky it is getting decent parts for the Innos.

No more Minis for me for a while, I'm selling my Mk2 Cooper to make way for something completely different!