Valuation?...

[Oldskoolbaby]

Hi guys. Hope this is the correct section to put this. A friend of mine has unearthed a 1275 cooper S motor that he's had for over 20 years. It's been sitting at the back of his shed so no doubts needs a rebuild. I'm currently twisting his arm to sell it to me and I'm pretty certain he's going to say yes. I only want it to build my 999 8 port using the S castings so it'll be stripped and rebuilt regardless. The spec is

1275 S block
Bored to 73.5
Lightened, balanced and polished 1275s rods
Standard en40b crank which we think is ground 10/10
Piper 285 cam
Stock S top end
22g333 gearbox with all the remote mechanism up to the gear nob.
All the gears apparently work lovely before its retirement

Anyone know what I should expect to pay for it or even offer? I'm all for a bargain but don't really want to rip a mate off and scarper. In the same breath he might ask over the top to which I'll happily walk away. If I do get it, the crank, rods, pistons and gearset will all be up for sale on here so I'm trying to figure what it'll cost all in all. Any input, help or thoughts would be great and much appreciated.

[In the shed]

1275 S block
Bored to 73.5 £200
Lightened, balanced and polished 1275s rods £150
Standard en40b crank which we think is ground 10/10 £200
Piper 285 cam £50
Stock S top end £200
22g333 gearbox with all the remote mechanism up to the gear nob.
All the gears apparently work lovely before its retirement £600

£1400.

Personally, I'd buy something else.

[251 ENG]

I will buy every cooper s block and 10/10 crank you have at £200

[In the shed]

It's 73.5mm, clearly +0 is a different animal. I'd also take anything as a worse case scenario....ie needs sleeving or to 74mm

Crankwise, I just paid £200 for a paul ivey EN40B forged crank at +0/+0/+0. Seems OK.

The prices of bits has gone truly insane. I would advise the friend to ebay everything and make top dollar and keep some money in your wallet for the time someone says "That old downton engine is still under my bench"

[wantafaster1]

I can't remember having seen a forged crank that cheap when prices weren't insane. Would like to know where folks find all this stuff.

[mk1]

Crankwise, I just paid £200 for a paul ivey EN40B forged crank at +0/+0/+0. Seems OK.

That is an INCREDIBLE bargain! I'm not saying it is not true, but the chances of many people finding a bargain like that are very slim indeed.

[In the shed]

A mini is an old mini. They are old minis. I know it's gone totally silly, but it's like value of gold.

You can jump on ebay with your wallet and blow infinite money. I remember getting ripped off with a 64 Deluxe in 02. Paid £800. It was mostly cereal packets and filler. I thought I was going to lose and put it on ebay and got £1800 for it then. I remember Beyondbeingnormal (the ebay seller with the cooper s speedo stickers as he was then known) making a fortune on getting parts in Freeads and putting them on ebay. It got a bit silly when a Mk2 Cooper turned into a 65 970S. I remember seeing a Mk1 Cooper, Mk1 S and Mk2 S and a barn full of spares go for under £2000 on Freeads. They were all shagged, but still, it was a bargain. My mother was an antique/collectables dealer and it's always been a matter of having money available and then pouncing on a bargain when it comes up. Despite everyone knowing the value of everything on ebay and asking silly money, things do still come up. It is rare, but the odd bit comes up.

Since 03, I have paid £1500 for a 66 Morris car which had been prepped for period rallying (rally hydro bits) but wore it's standard engine. It was restored and didn't have a flake of rust. A few years later, I picked up an A Series 1430 which had been used for 3 autograss races back in the day (BRR engine). This was utterly full race with everything you'd imagine. £570. It was a bet, I stripped it and it could have been a 1275 GT engine which was knackered. It still had it's hone marks. Set of 6" JA Pearce wheels like new £100. Set of 5 mag minilites (4.5) £120 and various other things. The Ivey crank is fully worked and is an 86mm as well. It's like something out of a swiss watch.

The guy I bought the JAPs off had a 1071S race car with original period race stuff which he had just paid £1200 for. This also came with a set of Cooper Car Co rosepetals which he paid £50 for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was in the midlands and owned a metal foundry. He was quite the mini head and may be on here. ???

You can either jump in with the ebay and silly prices, and those who price their stuff in that manner, or you can keep your ear to the ground and pounce.

There's a guy who I know has 5 cooper S engines in his shed. There was another guy who scrapped 3 BDA engines (I know, it's terrible, isn't it!!!). Some people aren't money minded and a few hundred quid for an old engine in my shed is better than all the mucking about putting it on ebay and someone getting cross because it isn't factory new, or has the wrong rocker gear, etc.

These bargains are getting slimmer, but they are still there. Occasionally, someone clears out their shed and there you go.

Anyway, paying a fortune is largely connected to wanting it all now. If you are prepared to wait years, it can cost a whole lot less!!!!!

The last thing I did for commerce with car parts was buying a set of 80s 911 fusch alloys from a scrap yard, purely because he was going to melt them down and stuck them on ebay. They were £45!!!!

[swifty]

Some people are truly blessed. ... Ken