63 Austin Super de luxe project

[roymck]

After lurking about on here for many years I have finally found myself a project car . Over the last 35 years had many Minis but been without one for at least 15 years now. I missed having one and driving this one home it brought back so many memories I forgot how much fun they are .
I wanted a early Mk1 Mini , rust free but not mint , non standard preferred so after looking at various cars last week I took the plunge and bought this.
It’s a 63 Super De Luxe Austin fitted with a 1275 with a wand gearbox , still on drums ! Never had seat belts fitted .Very few miles over the last 8 years .
Genuine minilites , hi lows and still has the original number plate . Yes it has the wrong grille and no doubt might horrify purists but it’s a project .
So jobs to do , fit front S discs , fit roll cage , fit seat belts , Newton recliners , get rid of the brand new Motolita wood rim just hate it and fit a leather rim alternative . Remove Cooper S and 1275 badge from bootlid and fit more period badges . Oh and finish the bathroom , that’s first or so I have been told .
I don’t want a fake Cooper S I want a period looking car with the same performance you know pseudo semi race look but a road car. So no doubt I will be posting frequently about problems and questions that I hope you can solve .
Anybody got a rear cage to sell , Roy

[seandoyle]

Why are you fitting the cage ?

[roymck]

Why are you fitting the cage ?

Hope to do a few hillclimbs and sprints , so part cage and full harness belts .

[mk1]

Hi Roy,

Looks like you have found a brilliant project!

Just my sort of car, basically very good, but will benefit from a bit of "personalisation".

What sort of cage are you thinking of? Hopefully NOT a 60's style 3 legged one. Although a cage is not mandatory for road going hillclimbers, those 3 pointers are very much frowned upon & some scrutineers won't pass a car with one fitted. If you do want to go with a cage, something I'd very much advise, then the Minimum should be a good quality modern rear cage with a fixed diagonal & preferably c/w a seat belt mounting bar.

Rear cage:
http://www.minispares.com/product/Class ... o%20search

Seat belt bar:
http://www.minispares.com/product/Class ... o%20search

[jayare]

no doubt might horrify purists but it’s a project .

All the more reason to do it

[innocenti-si]

Like that a lot

[roymck]

So one of my pet hates on this car is the rear badging . It’s not a Cooper S or even a Cooper also the badges aren’t even in the middle of the bootlid . After removing the Cooper and S I found that there were extra holes in the bootlid and digging through the box of bits I got with the car I found the correct Mini badge . So before the bootlid goes off to be repaired and sprayed I did a trial fit of the badges .
So it looks like it started off with Austin Mini badging then the Cooper S motif was added so no wonder it looked lopsided .
However it still looks wrong to me , any body got a photo of the correct positioning of the badges . They just look too close together . Even some measurements or a template would be a great help .
I also assume that for a July 63 car this is the correct rear badging ?

[dodge44]

Sorry it's only a fag packet sketch but it might help. Hole centres measured from an original 1963 SDL lid. For practical reasons vertical measurements are taken from the top edge with the tape stretched across the lid curvature. Best to check the badges are actually level before drilling though as there will be variances on any dimension taken from an edge.

Hole 1 is 168.5mm in from top edge.
Hole 2 is 171mm in from top edge.
Hole 3 is 163.5mm in from top edge.
Hole 4 is 170mm in from top edge.

Nothing sophisticated here I’m afraid - All measured with a tape measure

[Peter Laidler]

Another way is to almost copy what Dodge suggests. Lay a bit of masking tape across the whole area, put a pencil line along it to mark the bottom of the letters and put a bit of TIPPEX on the badge studs and when it's aligned according to Dodges marks, touch the masking tape. When you've done both badges and the masking tape has the tippex marks, just drill through exactly where the marks are.

If you don't want to mig-up the old holes and avoid a bit of possible distortion it's simplicity itself to just slightly countersink them, strip the immediate area and lead fill the holes and make good. Just done my friends MGBGT tailgate.

[roymck]

Thanks for the info

[finchy533]

Is it a Mk2 bootlid? The little capacity badge is a Mk2 thing, and the different main badge might account for the holes being where they are.

Looks like a great project. Funnily enough, I'm planning to fit the rear cage & harness bar Mark suggested to mine before doing some hillclimbing next year. Another thing to bear in mind - before splashing out on recliners - is that you'll need a seat with a headrest for hillclimbs/sprints.

[roymck]

Is it a Mk2 bootlid? The little capacity badge is a Mk2 thing, and the different main badge might account for the holes being where they are .

Yes probably is a MK2 bootlid , however I may be wrong and frequently are but with so many variations of model when you bought a genuine replacement bootlid did it come undrilled for badges ?

[Peter Laidler]

Yes, I had a replacement for my late H reg Mk2S quite soon from new in 1970 and it was undrilled. Although as a bit of an aside, the original was double skinned with the Mk3 type outer pressing BUT with the captive nuts for the swinging number plate. Bought a new factory boot for my Mk2 G cop car and that was an undrilled Mk3 type

[finchy533]

Same here - mine was replaced in ‘72, it has a Mk3 outer but swinging plate fixings - and the badge holes drilled too low down by the bodyshop.

[AndyPen]

I've mentioned here before that when I did a factory visit they were using dodgy bits of pre-printed cardboard the drill the holes!! Some were well past their sell by date too!

[roymck]

As I said previously I could just not get on with the Motolita 13 inch wood rim wheel and even though it’s nearly new it has to go , and although it has a tulip boss it won’t accept a standard horn push either so more suited to a Mk2 or a Mk1 using the Motolita horn button .

79AA6973-878C-4E86-B8DF-3FFAA435D1FC.jpeg

So after looking for a second hand flat 14 inch wheel Motolita nothing seemed available so looked for a new one but new Motolita,s have got so expensive. EBay came up with a alternative leather wheel still fits the 9 bolt fixing and at £59.95 delivered I thought I would give it a go . For the difference in cost it seems a bargain . Fitted up with a s/h tulip boss with the correct 9 bolt fitting and for a Mk1 horn button it’s more comfortable . Took the opportunity as well to line up column with the self cancelling mechanism so indicators work now as they should . Job done , only a hundred more to go .

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[roymck]

As the car had been off the road for many years I have no choice but to go through the car sorting out the bodges and previous cost cutting measures .
I’ve cleaned up the rear light lenses and replaced a badly sun bleached rear indicator lens . Replace the rear bulbs as the old ones had started to go black and fitted new lamp gaskets .
On the front I have changed the headlights as the reflectors had stated to go rusty , fitted Cibie headlights with LED sidelight bulbs and top of the range Osram nightbreaker bulbs , bulbs were £19 a pair but what a difference , I could say they are brilliant and they are . Fitted clear indicator lenses to clean up the front look a bit and also a new front number plate . Took off the Morris Cooper grille and fitted a Austin grille , well it is an Austin it’s the old grille from DPU thanks Coopertim. Then added a green tinted with a top tint heated screen. Still to be wired up .
Under the bonnet the fresh air hose had had it well it is 55 years old so pulled it out and now looking for a new one .

B13A5834-76A6-414D-BF43-44349A04D770.jpeg

Replaced the speedo and instrument bulbs with LED , again a real transformation . Also the bulb holders in the speedo were all plastic and didn’t fit properly . It looks like the car has had a new wiring harness fitted at some time and the bulb holders were not only plastic but used a modern capless style of modern bulb so carefully spliced in correct metal bulb holders , they seem to fit so much better .
Also 2 big boxes arrived today , it was a new set of Cooper S disc brakes , all in kit form that will give me hours of fun.

9DC8969C-471A-4ECB-9832-394AEBF8FED7.jpeg

[coopertim]

Looking great Roy! Glad the grille has gone to good use!

Tim

[roymck]

Ooh I love parcels , wonder what it is ?

58FA0779-2FB9-4507-8F8B-EAEFF8B48D61.jpeg

[UHR850]

The world is upside down now in the UK ?