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always wondered why so many minis had crusty cornflakes under the carpets!!!

this was from a major motoring publication in 1964!!

what chance do we have now?????

Dealers the things they got up to in the old days. And I'm sure the odd few still do!!!

we used wd40 to clean engines up in the showroom and at the auctions. It takes road crud off really well, but doesn't half produce a load of white smoke when it gets up to temperature the first time. If you forgot to warn the driver, it took a bit of explaining that it wasn't a major fault with their new toy!

My Mum's '61 850 had floors made out of rubber mat glued to the remaining flakes of rust with bitumen under body sealant. It kept the larger items from falling through (like children etc).

Tim

Early 70's I had just got a very nice red Triumph Spitfire, a mate and I were at the traffic lights near Hampstead Heath, he asked this girl if she wanted a lift she got in and sat on his lap, just as I was about to drive off the front of the floor pan fell into the road, it was a bit like the Flintstones!!!

Tim wrote:My Mum's '61 850 had floors made out of rubber mat glued to the remaining flakes of rust with bitumen under body sealant. It kept the larger items from falling through (like children etc).

Tim

what year was this?? about 1970??

Mid to late '70s. We bought it in about 1970 and sold it in 1980. It was the first year of Mini production in Australia, an early CKD. Dad told me the other day about trying to get the synchro cones re-grooved in an attempt to get some synchro back - it didn't work. He couldn't afford the kit to convert to baulk rings so he gave up and taught Mum how to double de-clutch.

Tim

In the mid 70's a guy who I was at college with used to specialise in papermach'e chasis repairs for the MOT! Alot of A40's in the Bournemouth area were so equipped and by the time the underseal had set I am sure the repair was as strong as steel

David

I love the description of that mat as "fancy rubber". A high society luxury in those days !

I remember a mate selling his Mini (in Portsmouth) in 70. We couldn't afford rubber - why waste beer money:) - so used a beer carton in the foot well to stop water splashing up your trouser leg. We spent a last weekend touring in Devon but the new owner wouldn't drive it from the carpark to the main gate of the base where his trailer was...

Then there was a Spitfire that snapped in two after (during?) an emergency stop at Excellent's main gate ... and a TR4 that caught fire at around 100 mph on the A27

I sold my S for 300 ukp.... LMF 602C seems to have gone to rest...

Things were different then

Cheers, Ian