Deseamed Mk1 racer

[Spacekadett]

Hi,
Just joined having found this while searching for info on S engine builds and thought I'd better share the car before getting into tech stuff

the car in question is this;



The car was originally built by the sons of my dads boss, Andrew and Hugh Wheldon for Hugh to race in the saloon car championship. Andrew carried out the deseaming job (vowing never again! ), the mechanical spec consisting of rose jointed front suspension, three point cage (for show, not safety!), as much metal as they dare cut out and a Vita injected 8 port up front. All the work was done in a workshop in the corner of the familys' fruit farm. Hugh used the car for two seasons ( '69 and '70 ) before deciding to concentrate on rallycross for which he is better known, I believe he won outright one year ahead of the works teams and was one of the drivers of the 4wd Clubman.

This car however, was stripped of its engine and sundry other bits and forgotten about for about 35 years! I'd seen it and wanted it since I was a kid and was always told he'd never sell it. the time came though when it finally had to be moved to carry out work on the barn roof and it was dragged out and moved to another shed, but one or two people saw it and expressed interest in buying it. I had an 'in' though as dad had been trying to buy it for years so we had first refusal of sorts . Then by fluke I bumped into Hugh myself and we got talking about it and arranged to have a proper look around it. I couldn't believe the condition of the shell. The barn it had been in was permanently open and had a roof in less than great shape, but under the straw and mouse turds it was rock solid and still had its race stickers and scrutineer tags hanging from the dash rail! True, alot had gone awol while it was in storage (like the engine sadly) but parts that had been made for it like the fuel tank, radiator etc were still there. A deal was done and a little while later, with the help of a mate with a trailer, it was collected on the proviso he could borrow it for the weekend to display on his stand at a local show before he dropped it off!


In my workshop after a quick brush up. I'll leave it there tonight as it's late and photobucket is being a pita More in a day or two I promise!

[Pete]

Love that, it's got 1969 written all over it, pleeaaaase bring it to Blyton!!

Kept some good company in 1969...


MALLORY PARK - May 4th 1969


1st- George Whitehead - Ford Anglia 1860 14m19.2

2nd- Gerry Marshall - Vauxhall Viva GT 2.0

3rd- Len Dixon - Ford Anglia t/c 1.6

4th- Stuart McCrudden - ( Chelmsford ) Anglia t/c

R- Pete Shelton - Ford Cortina GT

1300cc race :

1st- Ian McDougall - Mini Cooper 1.3

2nd- Paul Bayley - Mini Cooper 1.3

3rd- John Hipkiss - Riley Elf 1.0

4th- Hugh Weldon - Mini Cooper

5th- Mike Kearon - Mini Cooper 1.0

1000cc race :

1st- Roger Payne - Mini Cooper 1.0

2nd- Mike Darrieulat - Mini Cooper 1.0

3rd- Terry McNally - Ford Anglia 1.0

R- Bill McGovern - Hillman Imp 1.0

R-- Geoff Wood ( British Vita ) Mini Cooper 1.0

( fastest laps Whitehead 56.6 - 85.87mph , McDougall 56.8 -85.56mph , McGovern 56.4 -86.17mph )

[JC T ONE]

Hi & welcome

What a cool car & story

Well done.

Jens Christian

[jay weinstein]

I'd be sleeping in it!

[rich@minispares.com]

wow


what a cracker - a great find!

mike kearon still races, I used to compete with him in extreme mighty minis, he did miglias as well

[Pete]

Last time Mike raced was at the Oulton Park Gold Cup about two or three years ago in the 'other' Mike's Broadspeed coloured car, he did very well! I've invited Mike to bring a car to Blyton but his work hours make it unlikely.

[mk1]

What an absolutely cracking find!

It would be great to see it at Blyton.

M

[Flygirl]

Amazing find, thanks for sharing! Looking forward to more pictures and details.

[Spacekadett]

Thanks for the kind comments Blyton would be great, but it's about3 hours away according to google which would mean scrounging a towcar for the weekend. I'll see what I can come up with though
I did try and sort out scans of the cars results as Hugh still has newspaper cuttings, press photos etc in a scrapbook. I sorted the bits relavent to the car and got my brother to scan them, but he never brought round the disc Doubly frustrating is that after a divorce and God knows how many move I don't think I'll ever get it

Anyway, back to the story...

Once it was home it was time for a proper look to see what was needed to get it up and running again. Which was a lot! The shell and wiring were suprisingly ok but it was missing engine and box, 'screen, master cylinders, various gauges and switches plus a few bits to make it road legal like adding adjusters for the headlights, horn, washers etc. hitting the autojumbles scored a few bits, a donor out the local freeads loads more and a large order to minispeed for the new bits for the brakes, clutch and an exhaust. At the time the budget meant a non S engine going under the bonnet to get it on the road, which ended up as tour of local barns and farmyards! One provided a low mileage MG 1275, another a remote change box and yet another to get the correct drop gears to mate the two




Twin carbs and dynamo were to help the A+ look a bit older than it is though both have caused frustration over the years




Thats what I meant about cutting metal out, bye bye boot floor I've put an aluminium one in since


Its worth not painting it just to leave bits like this


interior as found

And after some fun and games getting it running ok (well, ish) it was off for an MOT.... But my boss refused to test it until I 'atleast hoover the mouse sh*t out of it!' A quick clean and all was well and it had a pass.
In the few years I've had it on the road it's been extremes' great fun when it works and enormous head banging frustration when it doesn't! The first set of twin carbs were a nightmare for fuel leaks and setting up and initially the temperature sky rocketed every time you drove it. This prevented its five minutes of fame in PPC magazine as after a morning of breakdowns it finally died on the A14 and never made it to the photoshoot Its eaten several (admittedly used) distributors before giving in and buying a new one and rewiring it to ballasted ignition, which touch wood has stopped it blowing condensors. Another good set of twin 1/4s' has finally got the fueling sorted too.
that said, on an open back road or especially on the trackdays I've done at RAF Marham its a relavation the grip is fantastic, even on three wheels

A couple of recent additions have been this;

A bucket seat the passengers rather than the slide tastic vinyl one robbed out of the donor mk1. and;


A new radiator as couldn't stop the old one leaking. No one could remember what it had been made from, and the radiator specialist reckoned they couldn't get the solder to take. it is a lot better with the aluminium one but it is a bit blingy, so I'll have to get the rattle can out and tone it down.

and that brings it pretty much up to date, other than engine stuff anyway.

[mk1coopers]

Looks great, get it to Blyton and enjoy it

[mk1]

What a really fantastic car! & you are using it & enjoying it which is even better, apart from when it breaks down of course

[Pete]

Thanks for the kind comments Blyton would be great, but it's about3 hours away

Come on bring it It'll be in some good company, some of the most clued up people that were around at the time, drivers and mechanics (some that raced alongside it!) and quite a number of other period racing cars, probably the best gathering of period Mini based race machinery you'll find in one place.

(I think that should do the trick lads, short of begging...don't make me beg! )

[mk1]

Please do not make Pete beg. It's not a pretty sight

You would be made to feel very welcome though!

[graham.codling]

The 8 port still survives as it's in my mark 4 mini .be good to see it at blyton .

[graham.codling]

Got pics of Andrew wheldons car racing at some uk circuits will post them up soon (sorry not trying to steal topic)

[mk1]

The 8 port still survives as it's in my mark 4 mini .be good to see it at Blyton .

WHAT A FANTASTIC TURN UP!

[graham.codling]

Yes mark if you look at photos of the tea strainers on the bonnet it's exactly the same shade green .andrew wheldons mini was the same colour as in the pics I was given by the last owner although that car does not exist anymore .its still amazing how things turn up .there were 2 8port weslake heads but one went to japan .years later I bought some intake valves off eBay the adress was familiar so I emailed him and it was the owner of the 8port I had bought in 1996 he asked me did I get both heads working .i said there was only one purchased his friend had sold the head on his behalf thinking he got paid for both . He rang me later to tell me the history of where he got it from with pics sent to me don't know if him and his mate are still talking i will let you all guess on that .

[rich@minispares.com]

Yes mark if you look at photos of the tea strainers on the bonnet it's exactly the same shade green .andrew wheldons mini was the same colour as in the pics I was given by the last owner although that car does not exist anymore .its still amazing how things turn up .there were 2 8port weslake heads but one went to japan .years later I bought some intake valves off eBay the adress was familiar so I emailed him and it was the owner of the 8port I had bought in 1996 he asked me did I get both heads working .i said there was only one purchased his friend had sold the head on his behalf thinking he got paid for both . He rang me later to tell me the history of where he got it from with pics sent to me don't know if him and his mate are still talking i will let you all guess on that .

sounds like a saturday night project at blyton

we have a car with no 8 port that deserves one

and a 'young pretender' that has his original engine


ive got some spanners

lets go!

[graham.codling]

I appreciate the word young

[rich@minispares.com]

I appreciate the word young

I meant your car............