australian clubman

[arnaud-offroy]

hello,
i have a question ;
is possible to transform mini clubman for put australian door with hinge outside.
thank

[KA2S4]

The Australian Clubman was basically a Mk1 mini with a clubman front, so mk1 floor, small rear window.

To "make" an Aus clubbie you would need to start with a Mk1 mini.

J

[Tim]

The answer is still the same as the previous times you asked the question. The door aperture is a different shape and would need to be modified. Its a huge job.

Tim

[Spider]

The Australian Clubman was basically a Mk1 mini with a clubman front, so mk1 floor, small rear window.

To "make" an Aus clubbie you would need to start with a Mk1 mini.

J

Almost, the B pillar and rear 1/4 panel where the latch nests in to is also a different. The Australian Clubmans have a Burst Proof Latch, where as the MKI's only had a latch (of sorts ). I've seen a few that have been converted, so doable from a MkI shell.

[java gt]

Taken from another forum as I asked the same question.

A bit more detail, I was rushed earlier. Wind up window doors were introduced here in 1965 and no major changes were made to the door apertures, so the first style of doors will fit a Mk1. The latch mechanism they use is almost identical, but altered slightly on the passenger side to have a locking snib that sticks up through the top. As mentioned they swapped positions of the D shaped nylon door buffer and the cup that it fits into, but I think that the sliding window door ones can be used and they fit into the same location on the body with no problem. Having said that, I have heard people say that they had trouble with the panel gaps when fitting Australian doors to UK cars. Its possible that the jigs being used were not quite identical, so you might end up with worse panel gaps.
The early windup window doors have external handles which look fairly similar to the ones used on sliding window doors, but are a bit different at the front of the hook. There was a black plastic boss attached to the door skin to try to make them safer, but it rarely works. There's a flat spring which is supposed to hold the handle level, but they always break and its very common to see Australian minis with their handles hanging down at an angle. On the inside there was a plastic lever to open the door and a matching plastic handle to wind the windows down, both are a bit fragile but can be replaced with identical looking metal ones from other cars of the period, possibly 1100 or even Morris Minor? They have a square shaft rather than the large hexagon fitting of the later UK door handles.
The later doors that Mister D mentioned were a response to Australian safety laws. They came in around the end of 1970 or start of 1971 when the Clubman was introduced. They have a flush lift up exterior handle, which we call "flappy" handles. Their internal handle is borrowed from the parts bin and was used on a lot of Leyland cars, neither handle is very strong or reliable. The latch mechanism looks similar to the UK Mk3 ones, but I don't know if it is. The rear part of the door apertures were changed to accommodate the latch. Interesting to hear that the later UK vans had the same aperture. All Australian Minis had external hinges right up until the end of production in 1978. Our doors kept the pockets, although they are narrower, so we have flask shaped gin bottles. The pockets have been re-designed slightly as well. They are better finished internally, in my opinion.
The windows themselves are really good. On a hot day you open the rear side windows (no fixed rear windows on Australian Minis) and turn the quarter vent windows right round so that they scoop big blasts of cooling breeze through the car. It also works when the side windows are fogged up in winter, although it tends to be less fun then. The wind down section is big enough to pay tolls or go through a drive through, assuming you have long arms.
Australian doors were exported to South Africa and used on some of their cars too. The Aussie doors look similar to some of the UK conversions and Innocenti doors with quarter vents, but ours have a piece of stainless trim in the front lower corners that distinguish them.

[Tim]

That looks familiar

Tim

[java gt]

Deja vu Tim,I am still trying to work out how to get a pair over from Aus.

[Tim]

I just flew across the country with a radiator and a tailshaft for my J type van as excess baggage with clutch and accelerator pedals and handbrake in my suitcase.

If you pay the airfare, I'll bring you a pair of doors in my baggage.

Tim

[java gt]

It might work out cheaper Tim after I include VAT and excise duty on purchase and shipping costs it adds up to a fair whack.Always fancied something different on my MK1.

[1071 S]

"Having said that, I have heard people say that they had trouble with the panel gaps when fitting Australian doors to UK cars. Its possible that the jigs being used were not quite identical, so you might end up with worse panel gaps..."

Both my cars are UK MkIs and both have had Oz wind up windows with no problems.

If you wanted a Clubbie with wind-ups the easiest way would be to start with aUK Mk I, fit the Oz doors and then a Clubman front....

Or I could just send you a Clubman body with wind-ups

Cheers, Ian