1965 Morris Mini - From NZ to the UK!

[W1NG3D]

Thank you all for the kind comments. The magazine has posted a few of the digital photos on Facebook which look great, I've shared them below.













I've not had a chance to do a lot with the car over the past month, partly due to an impromptu work trip to Canada. While I was there I got the chance to visit Steveston Motor Co - they hooked me up with some more stickers to add to the collection on the Mk1's back windows, and I also saw their Spectre 'Type 10' in the flesh which was an incredible thing to behold (even if a bit dusty!).







And now I'm back in the UK, here are some of their stickers fitted to the car last weekend! I took the opportunity to fire up the engine and run it up to temperature to keep things ticking along, reassuringly it started and ran with no trouble.

[timmy201]

Those photos came out really nice!

It’s always nice when you can add some mini time to your work trip

[W1NG3D]

I braved the cold and salty roads yesterday, by bringing the mini along to my friends' workshop at TC Composites & Autocare. The mission for the day was to fit the new KAD internal gear linkage I bought a while ago - I'm pleased to say this mission was a success!
 

 
On paper it was a simple job, but a lot of time and care was taken to make it a tidy installation. This included painting up most of the bracketry in Almond Green to match the car, and we also made a custom blanking plate to cover the old hole for the undermounted gear linkage. Here are the various bits just in the oven to dry after a first coat of paint...
 

 
After removal of the old standard rod change mechanism, the new kit was all trial fitted then mounted in the car, making use of the original magic wand hole at the front to make its way through to the gearbox. This necessitated some slight modification to the handbrake lever bracket and some fettling to ensure it cleared the gear selector.
 
Also because the KAD kit is made for later cars with the square tunnel floorpan, this wasn't quite a standard installation - a Mk3 door hinge was used on the passenger side so that the main bracket could be fixed to the round tunnel at the correct angle, and the bracket itself has been modified to make use of the original floor starter hole to mount to the drivers' side - a metal piece from an engine steady bush was cut down to use a spacer here.
 

 
Here's the unfinished cover plate being tried for size, this was eventually smoothed out, painted satin black, and finished off with a nice rubber seal edge.
 

 
I didn't get any other photos of the fitment, but here is the finished result after driving the car back and parking it up in its tent, by which time it was quite dark so apologies for the poor lighting! I do want to fit a different gear knob, as I'm not a massive fan of the KAD ball. Unfortunately I can't just swap my old Specialist Components one back on because the standard Mini thread is different, but I might look into either getting the knob modified, or maybe getting an adapter made up. Anyway, overall I'm happy with the outcome, I now have much more space around my exhaust and the gear selection feels great - I'm a big fan of the lift-collar reverse lockout too.
 

[Peter Laidler]

Correct me if I'm eventually proved to be wrong, but I've got a feeling in my bones, that I'd place a small wager on, that the next time your engine and box is out for any reason, you'll be disconnecting that aftermarket intrusive remote and replacing it with the less intrusive and realistic real McCoy.

The good part is that you might (?) be able to sell the aftermarket one to someone else to try

[timmy201]

It does look awesome - plus more room in the tunnel which is nice as well

How is the shifting while driving?

[W1NG3D]

It does look awesome - plus more room in the tunnel which is nice as well

How is the shifting while driving?

Thanks The additional clearance around the exhaust is a big plus for me, as I was finding it nigh-on impossible to mount the old rod shifter in a nice way to make it shift consistently and smoothly 100% of the time. It feels much nicer now, really tight with no slop, and isn't overly close like some "quick shift" setups I've tried either. It's in a better position for me, too - much more ergonomic to suit my seating position, height and length of my left arm

[1380Rallykit]

Always liked the extra space in the tunnel on my stage rally car.
Are you tieing it to the engine like the standard linkage?

I had to use solid engine mounts or it would jump out of gear over bumps under acceleration.

[roger mcnab]

hi
well i managed to assemble the engine and gearbox today and put the adapter plate and bell housing in place pushed the clutch shaft in place it needs 20 mm cut off as it is to long plus i think the engine needs 1 mm taken off the gearbox to level the shaft
i will talk to my engineer about this but i feel it is the way to go but looks huge
cheers roger

[W1NG3D]

Always liked the extra space in the tunnel on my stage rally car.
Are you tieing it to the engine like the standard linkage?

I had to use solid engine mounts or it would jump out of gear over bumps under acceleration.

It's not tied to the engine like the standard rod was, but fortunately my engine is already held quite solidly in place as it has near-new engine mounts, as well as an aftermarket rose-jointed steady bar. On the drive home from the workshop the shift mechanism behaved nicely and didn't jump out of any gears, but if I do encounter any such issues I've got some additional engine steadies I can fit if needed.

[W1NG3D]

After a couple of months rest, out of hibernation she comes!



Roof rack off, I gave the bodywork a much needed bath to clear away the accumulated dust and general grime. Despite the gloomy weather, the paintwork looked pretty good once I wheeled the car further out onto the driveway.



Thanks to the cold weather and the passage of time, the battery just didn't have enough juice to fire up the engine to begin with. Fortunately my MINI Clubman was feeling generous enough to donate some volts to the little Mk1, so before long (and with the help of a little deodorant in the inlet ) it burst into life. A short road test followed, then we ventured along to a well-timed local Mini meet to really stretch the car's legs and dust off the cobwebs.



This marked the second outing since the KAD internal gear linkage found its home in the car, which is still working nicely and gives a racer vibe to the interior. The gear knob still wants swapping out, but that's a small detail for another day.



Without a roof rack, the exterior has also taken on a slightly sportier look (and the car does feel a little faster too!). While the bare 'S' steelies match that aesthetic in kind, what's abundantly clear from today's outing is that they are in dire need of a refurb. They're less white and more rusty orange these days...



The obvious answer would be to either repaint or powdercoat them in the same creamy white as before (not OEW!), but I have a couple of other ideas I'm playing around with at the moment... Watch this space! For now, at least the car is back in action and will hopefully be seeing the light of day much more over the coming weeks and months.

[timmy201]

The rack less roof and ratty wheels do give it a cool look!

[W1NG3D]

The rack less roof and ratty wheels do give it a cool look!

I suppose I could just put a clear coat over the rust and leave the wheels looking as-is That said, I've been playing around in Photoshop and am tempted to either paint them satin black, or maybe even metallic bronze... just fancy a bit of a change really! Still, it's hard to deny that the white wheels do go very nicely with the roof, so it's a bit of a dilemma.

[twc641]

where did you purchase the labels for the wiper, ignition etc

[W1NG3D]

where did you purchase the labels for the wiper, ignition etc

They're from "ISayDingDong", purchased online along with a few other stickers. They've got loads of reproduction sticker designs in their catalogue - https://www.isaydingdong.co.uk/ourshop/

[twc641]

thank you
i have just placed my order!
additionally i'm looking for a roof rack like yours
any help locating one?

[W1NG3D]

thank you
i have just placed my order!
additionally i'm looking for a roof rack like yours
any help locating one?

The roof rack on my car is a one-off that was made in New Zealand. You used to be able to get similar ones from Mr Bridger's Roof Racks in the UK, but I've heard that he's now ceased trading so I'm not too sure where you might be able to buy them new, especially in the US. I do see them pop up on the second-hand market from time to time, so it's worth keeping an eye out.

[twc641]

thank you again.........
I have been trying to source on the internet !

[W1NG3D]

Another outing last weekend, this time I drove along to Port Solent for the regular Sunday morning car meet. I joined a couple of other minis in the car park, wandered around in the cold taking photos and talking rubbish for a couple of hours, then headed back to tuck the car away - not before giving the garage a much-needed sort out! Now that there aren't loads of boxes blocking in the car, I should have an easier time getting it in and out which will be handy now that the weather's improving.

The morning sun really cast a light on the declining cosmetic state of the wheels which I've already mentioned, but also the grille has sadly started to show signs of rust coming through. I'd like to tidy everything up before show season really kicks off, so hopefully will get the time to sort this out before Brooklands, which is the first event I'm booked to attend in just under a month's time. The simple answer would probably be to get the wheels and grille blasted + powdercoated all at the same time, but that'll mean extra expense; including the cost of four new tyres which would soon add up. On that basis I'm leaning toward booking a day or two off work to tackle it myself, so will clean up the grille and repaint the wheels as best I can, and give the car a general service and once-over at the same time.

[W1NG3D]

Another outing last weekend, meeting up with the local Midweek Minis club in Portsmouth; seems that green was the colour of the day. It's nice to be getting the car out regularly again, even if only for the odd Sunday drive.





I was at a loose end today so, on a whim, decided I'd attempt to clean up the tatty spare Morris grille that I picked up from eBay last year. Here's how it started...



After attacking it with a cordless drill and various wire wheel attachments, it ended up looking like this. Excuse the very green tinge to the remaining photos, the tent garage doesn't offer the best lighting



Next step was a couple of coats of rust-inhibiting zinc primer.



And then on went some colour, of course it had to be glorious Old English White. (Actually, it's Halfords' version of Rover Arum White, which I've previously discovered to be a near-perfect match for OEW!).



Finished off with some clear lacquer, here it is next to the grille from the car...



So of course I had to see how it looked in situ!



It's far from perfect, but considering the condition of the grille before I started, I'm pretty happy with the result! This was also good practice ahead of repainting the wheels, which will be receiving similar treatment in the next couple of weeks.

A few of the grille slats were damaged from rusting through, so I tactically covered this up with an AA badge - I'm planning to restore the Great British Car Rally badge so that'll stay off the car for the time being. When I next get the chance, I'll have to get the car out into daylight for a better look, so I can decide whether I'll stay with the OEW grille or go back to the chrome one.

[W1NG3D]

Wheeled the Mini out to get a better look at the fitted grille today, which seems to suit the car rather well. I then refitted the roof rack to get an idea of how the overall look comes together. The bare roof look has grown on me lately, so I'm a little torn as to which I prefer... but the rack certainly does help to personalise the car and has become a part of its character by this point!