Introducing Prissy - 1966 850 SuperDelux

[Mcmini]

Howdy folks

Have become aware of your great site in recent weeks. I am delving back and back in the archive and its very helpful. I hope to become an active contributer over the coming months

My wife and I bought our 1966 Morris Mini Minor Super Delux 850 (name longer than the car) in 2003, on Elvis' anniversary, she is obviously a girl so Priscilla she was named, and Prissy is what stuck

She was an import to Ireland from the UK, ran well and was solid, if not pristine. Over the next 18 months a significant revamp and paint brought her up to the standard below. The only real update fromstandard was the addition of some superlight like wheels and modern tyres.



We used her daily, she was my wifes prime mode of transport until 8.5 months pregnant on our first child. we attendded car shows and used her for weekends away, winning the odd prize too as we went along. She was once rolling roaded at 35bhp !!! Of course then 2 more children arrived and by 2008 she was off the road. A blown headgasket was replaced but life and family got in the way and she deteriorated somewhat.

And that leads me up to now, over the last couple of weeks she has come down off the axle stands she has sat onin my drive way for a couple fo years. She was sat on some borrowed wheels and was then trailored to a new shed where my father and I will be getting stuck in over the winter.

My dad has just moved his VW camper van out of the shed so the mini will hopefully be a quicker project, but there is lots to do.

All the usual issues need work - sills,steps, door bottoms - frame, skin and pockets and a few other rusty bits and bobs. I have restored the orginal steel wheels and she will get new 145 rubber for those. she is hydrolastic too, so I will be pulling out the displacers when the subs are dropped. She rides lovely on the wet supension, but she does chirp along as she goes, which I love, but I need to be sure all is healthy. As parts get scarce I want to do this right, once.

As she looked as she left for the cave.



So thats us, Brian and Liz, Dublin, 3 kids, 1 dog, 1 goldfish and one 48 year old mini is need of some TLC.

Wish us luck.

[graham in aus]

Good Luck Brian, Prissy looks like a great little project to 'freshen up' sounds like you know what you're doing, but you'll get lots of help and advice here!

Welcome

[Mcmini]

Not sureI do know what I am doing, but sounding like I do is half the battle.

Its deep breateh and get stuck in time. My dad wil lhelp with the welding andI'll be spannering everything. I fuly intend on asking lots and lots of questions

[mk1]

Doesn't look like Prissy needs too much work. She looks like a little cracker!

[Red Mist]

Good man Brian, glad you found the site. Keep the wheels for as long as you need by the way!

[Mcmini]

Nearly sorted my friend.....glad I mentioned they were borrowed now.

IMOC auto jumble in athy on Sunday so I hope to have some steels then.

[Mcmini]

Doesn't look like Prissy needs too much work. She looks like a little cracker!

she was and is..... think of her as your dream girl. You courted. You won her heart and she yours. You spent your youth exploring the world together and then there were the growing up years after you committed to life together forever. Days turn to weeks to months to years and suddenly you need a trip to the gym and the docs for a face lift. It will all be worth it and now the kids can take care of themselves you can head off for a canoodle once again....

oh and there is this



And this



but. That is the worst of the 2 sills.

[JC T ONE]

Nice looking car dont forget to treat the inside of the panels, after the car is welded up.

I use the pipe & nozzle from a waxoil spraycan, and fit it to the spraycans with zink primer, this way you can paint all those hidden places.

The zink primer "creeps" into most panel joints, and you will get the rest when you waxoil her after she is painted.

Dont forget to respray with waxoil from time to time.


Jens Christian

[Mcmini]

I like the zinc primer idea.

We had some wax oil in there when we did her first but the sill on that side was replaced previously and I am not sure how good the repair was. There was also a hole on the inner wing/bulkhead so I think the void was regularly full of water...

Sitting up has not helped as both door bottoms are ruined. Base of the frame and pocket a bit. Ho hum.

[Old English White]

Ooh! SNAP . We have one almost identical but male, as he's called "Johnny"! Glad to hear she'll get a new lease of life.
Who knows, maybe the two of them will meet up some day.

Good luck with the project - I hope we'll see some photographs as work progresses.

[Mcmini]

Hi

Wow Johnny is a looker (still Brian here!!!!) Some day a meet up would be fantastic.

I have a print of your car now on my desk

[java gt]

Great to see you made it over to the MK I forum Brian,serious Mini envy here with some of the cars fellow forum owners have.My 1960 MK I makes Prissy look like a concours contender,you're lucky you have metal to weld onto and I will bring those steelies to the auto jumble on Sunday.By the way this is what mine looks like although it is tucked away in a warm dry garage as I slowly buy all the panels(and there are many) for it.Note the lack of A panel or A post behind it.


Prissy in better days

[Mcmini]

Wowzer there is my girl about to take my girl out on track

Lads there is a YouTube video of us lapping in the car out there. Including me spinning the old girl... search for mini 850 at mondello.

Edit:: Found it....no giggling down the back

http://youtu.be/nVYKVPxyBPo

Java get you have me at a loss but we must have crossed paths. That 60 looks like a real challenge. Sure come practice with me anytime

[java gt]

My old blue GT made an appearance at 4.40,best 1275 I had even if it was a couple of shades of Denim Blue.

[Mcmini]

Aha

[Mcmini]

So I had no wheels on tyres last week I now have 8!!! Partly thanks to java get (and a further 8 with no tyres)

So this week I need to refit the original length studs I the rear hub and put the workshop wheels on.

I am months away from this choice but I also picked up some small centre caps.... The choice now is small dishes or super deluxe trims..... priorities as you can see

then it's stripping time.

[MK111]

Nice looking car dont forget to treat the inside of the panels, after the car is welded up.

I use the pipe & nozzle from a waxoil spraycan, and fit it to the spraycans with zink primer, this way you can paint all those hidden places.

The zink primer "creeps" into most panel joints, and you will get the rest when you waxoil her after she is painted.

Dont forget to respray with waxoil from time to time.


Jens Christian

Hi Jens
I came across this product by Eastwood: Internal Frame Covering; available from frost.co.uk; item 12515. It's had some good reviews though I haven't tried it myself yet. Might be worth considering.
John.

[Mcmini]

Been a bit of a delay because i broke my hand playing football....3 injuries in a year is probably a sign that my time has come

Anyhow first evening of stripping has been had.

Interior out next

[Mcmini]

Its been a bad winter(and spring and early summer) we have her mostly stripped and the panels purchased. We unfortunatley have lost the storwge facility which in a twist of fate has coincided with me taking a loan for the bodywork so its all hands to the pump now.

I hope to have some more regular updates in the next few weeks.

[Mcmini]

Really not good



Passanger side is a mess. Sill and step is non existant. Inner sill wasnt too bad by comparison. Drivers side step was going. Inner sill solid but the outer has a cover sill on. So we have m machine inner and outer sets for both. The preassembly is a work of art.

Both sides have minor damage to the rear qtr from in front of tbe wheel arch and lower a-panel damage. Other than that she needs some new seem covers. The bottoms of the doors are shot. We got frame repair panels and will need to replace the bottom 2 inches of each door skin.

I have welding lined up i think.

You gotta get them young