Spec Help

[Matt RSP]

Hi,

In my search for a Mk1 I've looked at a few cars and should be pretty familiar with standard specs but just wondered whether the following spec is correct for the year.

It's a 1964 Morris, Island Blue, no chrome in window rubbers or on sliding windows, fixed rear windows again no chrome, black speedo face, and entirely light blue leatherette interior trim.

Any hints appreciated and it's a question more out of interest than anything as the body matters more to me initially.

Best regards,

Matt.

[Pete]

Island Blue wasn't introduced until late '65 as far as I know.

[jay weinstein]

Pete...are you sure you not confusing him/her with ultra violet?

[Old English White]

I know that John Parnell's excellent book suggests that Island Blue was introduced in 1965 but I'm not at all sure that is correct. My memory is of 1964 Minis being available in that colour and my 1960s paint books state that the colour was introduced in 1964.

The car does sound to me like a 1964 Basic/Standard spec 850 which would also have had a rubber mat flooring and just one sunvisor, no overiders on the bumpers etc. !964 also saw the changeover from "dry" suspension to hydrolastic and from "hard" sunvisors and metal interior mirror to the "soft" type, the fitting of courtesy light switches and other bits & pieces so a variety of specifications could be correct for that year.

[rich@minispares.com]

Hi,

In my search for a Mk1 I've looked at a few cars and should be pretty familiar with standard specs but just wondered whether the following spec is correct for the year.

It's a 1964 Morris, Island Blue, no chrome in window rubbers or on sliding windows, fixed rear windows again no chrome, black speedo face, and entirely light blue leatherette interior trim.

Any hints appreciated and it's a question more out of interest than anything as the body matters more to me initially.

Best regards,

Matt.

matt


what are the front seat brackets like, if they are the strange early 4 bolt ones, then your car could be a ministry of supply car.


they where bog standard spec cars bought in bulk for use as disabled driver cars.

[Old English White]

I think the black speedo was also introduced during 1964? Probably the key start as well (I had an early 1964 with a floor start once). SO many 1960s Minis will have been "upgraded" over the years so the current spec may not be entirely original of course but it sounds close enough! The correct colour interior for Island blue was always more or a "grey" than a "blue" as far as I know - Cumulus Grey I think.

[Old English White]

Perhaps this is the smart looking car for sale in Sheffield? With a late front panel and an incorrect white painted grille? That car has a Powder Blue interior which I'd say is incorrect (along with upside down fitted door cards ) If it is that car it has been for sale for MONTHS though not under the same ID. No idea why - or if the car is genuinely in good condition or not, but when you said "blue" interior it rang a bell. I'd seen this car advertised months ago - well before I bought my own Mk1 in March.

[Pete]

I know that John Parnell's excellent book suggests that Island Blue was introduced in 1965 but I'm not at all sure that is correct. My memory is of 1964 Minis being available in that colour and my 1960s paint books state that the colour was introduced in 1964.

That's interesting, because I could swear many years ago I once had an Island Blue 850 (rescued from a greenhouse) on a B plate aswell but I've never seen another since??

Anyone else think Island Blue was a pre '65 colour? If so, BMC must have offered both Island and Surf Blue in tandem for over a year?

[Red Mist]

My '64 appears to have been Island Blue originally.

When I stripped it down a few years back and removed the vinyl from the lower dash rail, I discovered Island Blue paint and it looked to be original.

[Matt RSP]

Perhaps this is the smart looking car for sale in Sheffield? With a late front panel and an incorrect white painted grille? That car has a Powder Blue interior which I'd say is incorrect (along with upside down fitted door cards ) If it is that car it has been for sale for MONTHS though not under the same ID. No idea why - or if the car is genuinely in good condition or not, but when you said "blue" interior it rang a bell. I'd seen this car advertised months ago - well before I bought my own Mk1 in March.

That's the one, I didn't realise it had been for sale for so long!

Thanks all, that's a great help. Unfortunately I don't know which seat brackets it has as I haven't seen the car yet.

Re front panels, how can I tell the difference between the correct Mk1 panel and a later panel from a photo? It's something I struggle with.

Thanks again,

Matt.

[Old English White]

The photographs in the latest advert (ebay item121366394142) won't enlarge unfortunately and it isn't easy to see a lot of detail but the top part of the front panel, visible when the bonnet is open, shows an extra hole on the drivers side where the rubber buffers would fit. The rubbers seem to be missing on this car. The original body number is also missing as this would have been attached to this part of the panel. It isn't difficult to retain this top part of the original panel if you have to replace the front panel. There are many other differences in the later panels which can't be seen in these pictures. This car also has the later Mk3 type scuttle panel fitted, giving the alternative wiper position for LHD cars. Correcting this would be a pain later on if you consider it important.

I'm not trying to knock the car too much - it looks very smart and the price is not wildly wrong for what it appears to be in todays market BUT I would suggest a thorough look around it before purchase as it plainly hasn't been restored with great attention to correct detail and you might wonder what else has been overlooked. Worth a look though if you're interested - there are never a huge number of good Mk1s for sale but I'd guess the incorrect details have put off buyers so far (that's why I didn't bother with it when I was looking for one).

[mini5967]

I know that John Parnell's excellent book suggests that Island Blue was introduced in 1965 but I'm not at all sure that is correct. My memory is of 1964 Minis being available in that colour and my 1960s paint books state that the colour was introduced in 1964.

That's interesting, because I could swear many years ago I once had an Island Blue 850 (rescued from a greenhouse) on a B plate aswell but I've never seen another since??

Anyone else think Island Blue was a pre '65 colour? If so, BMC must have offered both Island and Surf Blue in tandem for over a year?

My October '64 850 SDL is an Island Blue, and one of the first Hydro cars. I always presumed that it was introduced when BMC made the switch to Hydro. I've got an Austin paint chip card from around about then which lists Surf Blue for Coopers and the Countryman, and Island Blue for basics and SDLs. Hope that helps.

[Old English White]

That would seem to make perfect sense. Also, as John Parnell's book relates only to the Cooper models, he stands corrected too of course!

Digging deeper into the depths of my memory, a colleague at work had a Mk1 Mini (non-Cooper) which we resprayed black, but was originally Island Blue. That didn't even have a "B" suffix but was a 1964 car, Oxfordshire continuing to issue non-suffix registrations well into that year. Sadly my memory doesn't extend to whether it was a hydrolastic car or not as this would have been more than 40years ago

[Pete]

Yep , that seems the case from my enquires, around the switch to hydro is when Island Blue came in for 850s but not Coopers which were a year later. So I wasn't dreaming, I did own a '64 IB 850! (could swear that was dry though)

[Matt RSP]

Great pointers there, and thank you Old English White - I'll slap my own wrists for not spotting the scuttle on the Sheffield car, I'll admit that deters me too.

Matt.

[Pete]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1964Austin-Mi ... 25911627a9

[mini5967]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1964Austin-Mi ... 25911627a9

That's another one that's been kicking around on the 'Bay for a while now, again under different sellers IIRC…

[surfblue63]

^I see that one also has powder blue seats. That must be another '64 only thing with Island Blue cars as they were Cumulus grey from '65 on.

http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/pdf/2125J.pdf

[mini5967]

^I see that one also has powder blue seats. That must be another '64 only thing with Island Blue cars as they were Cumulus grey from '65 on.

http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/pdf/2125J.pdf

Unlikely, as my October '64 Island Blue SDL's Heritage Certificate states a Cumulus Grey interior, and the Austin paint chip card I quoted in my earlier post above also states Cumulus Grey interiors with Island Blue cars. My old neighbour was the car's 2nd owner, and he assures me that the interior was CG (although he changed the front seats for black bucket ones in the late 60s). Ultimately everyone's not hard and fast about restoring back to absolutely "correct" factory/Heritage Certificate specs and/or can't be bothered about attention to detail - which is meant more as an observation more than a criticism. If somebody thinks Powder Blue looks good in an Island Blue car, then good luck to them. I'd lean towards restoring more to factory spec myself (with a period mod or two chucked in here and there), but having said that I'm rather partial to Slowboy's Smoke Grey '62 with the Tartan Red trim, which is technically "wrong", but it works!