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Hi All. I have been offered a late 1965 Mk 1 shell with no documents/chassis number that has been sat on a spray booth roof for the last 20 years. Don't get too excited. It has been repaired in the same way all Mini's used to be ie arc welding to the floor, lousy panel gaps etc. It does however have the remote cut out (looks factory), badge holes for cooper s badges front & rear, cranked S pedal, rivetted boot brackets. It will be supplied with a hydro rear subframe too.There is no right hand tank which as far as I know is correct for a Cooper S pre 66. Front end is a shonky Hadrian one so no oil cooler bracket but would be replaced anyway.

What else can I look for?
1) I gather that the bolt holes for the remote are unique to an S (as opposed to somebody cutting the hole out themselves) Any pictures of this anyone?
2) Boot board brackets look suspect as pop riveted but as I recall they are from factory.
3) I have heard talk of fuel vapour lines differing so would there be more cut outs?
4) Sun visors- any differences?
5) Seat belt mountings????

Any advice appreciated as ever. Mark

rolesyboy wrote:

I gather that the bolt holes for the remote are unique to an S (as opposed to somebody cutting the hole out themselves) Any pictures of this anyone?

Well they can be made, but it will be difficult, as you really need to take out the box, that the seats are bolted to, as the lip on this panel has a square cutout, for each of the bolts.

If its a proper S body? I belive the relay for the dynamo, is relocated to the bulkhead, but I am not shure if its fitted with nylon clips, for the self tapping screws? or it just had holes drilled ?

All these "mods" are found of "regular" Cooper cars too...

An S will have the regulator behind the stiffener on the inner wing, whereas 850's, Cooper's had it in front, (looking from the grill), early S's sometimes were on two positions on the bulkhead, but this won't affect a 65. Parnell's book is the place to look.

I would be interested to know whether the regulator and fuse box screws used the square plastic inserts.

Over time the holes in the bulkhead and inner wing had become enlarged (thats being polite - I think the drivers side of the car had been dunked in a river) and the previous owner had relocated regulator/box.

I added new metal/welded them up and redrilled them. Never could tell whether they should have been square.

Why do you say it is a 65 shell? Apart from the remote hole, your description fits for example, a super (850) shell too. But if the shell is indeed a Cooper / Cooper S 65 one, you should be able to find the following:

- Remote cut as explained on the previous post
- Hydrolastic shell
- Seatbelts mountings at the middle of pillar B
- Sun visors big holes at the corners and square holes for the plastic clips near the interior mirror and also above the door
- Riveted boot board brackets
- No fuel vent pipes brackets other than standard (same as 850 shell)
- Front should not have oil cooler brackets (same as 850 shell)
- Servo brackets holes (Cooper S). If there are no signs of them, then it's a Cooper shell
- Holes for the vertically mounted control box behind the stiffener (Cooper S) and the normal square holes for the 850/Cooper too

These are the first things you should look for.

rolesyboy wrote:Hi All. I have been offered a late 1965 Mk 1 shell with no documents/chassis number

The major difference between the Mk1 Cooper S and 850 shell mainly is... if it's a Cooper S it's probably been nicked.

I recall hearing that 'S' shells had all the vertical as well as roof gutter seams roller welded??

Gray wrote:I recall hearing that 'S' shells had all the vertical as well as roof gutter seams roller welded??

that must make my 'tc' a cooper s shell then..........

all the vertical seams are roller welded

They you go Rich, Ive doubled it's value for you