Mini World March 2022

1ST CHOICE

FOR MINI CLASSIC STYLING OWNERS ROAD RACER SALOON

SUSPENSION SERVICE REFRESH SUBFRAME BUSHES

O R I G I N A L A N D G R E AT E S T M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E M I N I MARCH 2022 £5.50 WWW.MINIWORLD.CO.UK

R E L L E V A R T E IM T E H T 1964 MORRIS MINI WOODY

Superb husband and wife lockdown resto project

PERFORMANCE MODS 1968 Mk2 DELUXE

FATHER & SON MINI TOUR NORTH COAST 500

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ESSENTIAL 2022 MINI EVENT DIARY BEAUTIFULLY MODIFIED CANADIAN MINI 1000 1969 SOUTH AFRICAN MINI VAN REBUILD LATEST MUST-BUY PRODUCTS FOR YOU AND YOUR MINI

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SEE MORE ONLINE!

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14 MINIWORLD’S GARAGE

44 REPLACE FRONT SUBFRAME BUSHES How to replace front subframe bushes in situ.

4 March 2022 MiniWorld

38 Q&A Readers' technical questions answered.

54 LOGBOOK: JIM JUPP Sheldon's engine is set up on the rolling road.

March 2022 issue 80

70

F E AT U R E S 14 MODIFIED 1968 Mk2 MINI DELUXE Performance engine with big bhp.

30 RESTORED Mk1 TRAVELLER Back on the road after over 30 years.

60 MODIFIED CANADIAN MINI 1000 Mini project leads to lots of fun for the family.

30

66 1999 ROVER MINI MAYFAIR AUTO Fantastic Mk1 Mini retro-styling project.

74 STRIPPED-OUT SALOON Years of experience led to this superb build.

80 ROAD TRIP: SCOTLAND'S NC500 Father and son Mini owners enjoy epic scenery.

REGULARS 74

66

60

PAGE 42

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Check out our lastest subscription deal

9 EDITOR’S WELCOME Karen’s guide to this issue’s highlights.

10 MINI SCENE Latest happenings in the world of Mini.

22 IN GEAR Cool products for you and your Mini.

26 EVENT DIARY Mini and classic car show calendar.

28 INBOX Your emails, photos and messages.

49 MINI POSTERS Superb Mini art for your wall.

70 MY MINI Our readers' amazing Mini projects.

72 GET FEATURED IN MINIWORLD How to get your Mini in the magazine.

92 MINIS FOR SALE Minis and parts for sale in our free ads.

94 BLAST FROM THE PAST A look back at past issues of MiniWorld.

97 NEXT ISSUE A sneak peek at the April 2022 cover.

PAGE 96

BACK ISSUES

Complete your MiniWorld collection MiniWorld March 2022 5

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09/02/2021 16:16

Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, United Kingdom +44 (0)1959 541444

www.miniworld.co.uk

Editorial

Editor Karen Drury . mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk Deputy Ed & Photographer Jim Jupp . jim.jupp@kelsey.co.uk Art Editor Mark Baker . mark_baker04@yahoo.co.uk Technical Editor Tim Mundy . mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk

Regular contributors

Monty Watkins . Kay Drury . Jake Adams . Simon Benton . John Dean Rob Hawkins . Craig 'Watto' Watson . Mike Taylor . Simon Cooke .

Mike Guido . Andy Starkey . Paul ‘Buff Daddy’ Wiltshire

Advertising sales

Tandem Media Limited Managing Director Catherine Rowe Account Manager Liam Stone +44 (0)1233 228751 Liam@tandemmedia.co.uk

Advertising Production

It was great to see Verena and Dave Pugh's Morris Mini Traveller during our photoshoot. The talented couple have spent a lot of time getting it in tip-top condition and back on the road.

Management

[ Editor's welcome ]

Tandem Media Limited Production Manager Neil Hepden +44 (0)1233 220245 miniworld@tandemmedia.co.uk Chief Executive Steve Wright Chief Operating Officer Phil Weeden Subscription Marketing Director Gill Lambert Retail Director Steve Brown Print Production Manager Georgina Harris Print Production Controller Kelly Orriss & Hayley Brown Subs Marketing Executives Dave Sage and Claire Aspinall Affiliate Marketing Kate Chamberlain

Subscriptions

13 issues of MiniWorld are published per annum UK annual subscription price £64.87 Europe annual subscription price £78 USA annual subscription price £78 Rest of world annual subscription price £85 UK subscription and back issue orderline +44 (0)1959 543747 Overseas subscription orderline +44 (0)1959 543747 Toll free USA subscription orderline 1-888-777-0275 UK customer service team +44 (0)1959 543747 Customer service email subs@kelsey.co.uk Customer service and subscription postal address MiniWorld Customer Service Team, Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, United Kingdom Find current subscription offers at shop.kelsey.co.uk/MWO Already a subscriber? Manage your subscription online at: shop.kelsey.co.uk/site/loginForm Digital issues and subscriptions See pktmags.com/miniworld

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cars@kelseyclassifieds.co.uk You can also view and upload ads via: www.motorfreeads.co.uk 0906 802 0279 (premium rate line, operated by Kelsey Media). Calls cost 65p per minute from a BT landline; other networks and mobiles may vary. Lines open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm). Kelsey Classifieds, Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL. Distribution in Great Britain Marketforce (UK), 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9AP, United Kingdom. 0330 390 6555 Distribution in Northern Ireland & the Republic Of Ireland Newspread +353 23 886 3850 Printing William Gibbons & Sons Ltd., Willenhall, West Midlands ISSN 0963-1186

Wonderful Woody I absolutely love Mini Travellers and Countrymans.

Perhaps it is because my mum had one as a company car when she was expecting me. It may just be that they are very of their time and look so different to all other Minis. Either way, it was a joy to spend time with Verena and David Pugh and their brilliant Traveller which they have put back on the road after being laid up for around 30 years. It looks amazing so do look out for it at Mini shows. In the meantime you can find out all about it on pages 30-37.

There are more superb Minis in this issue including a motorsport-inspired saloon, a Mk1-styled Auto Mayfair, a Canadian Mini 1000 with very cool mods and a performance-tuned Mk2. Don't miss Steve Trott's fab Mini Van too.

In the Garage section Jim updates us on Sheldon's all-important first rolling road session with the 1293cc engine and there's a step-by-step article about changing front subframe bushes. Perhaps you need to do that to your Mini before the show season. Talking of which, our Event Diary is on page 26. Sadly the COVID situation led to Mini Fair being postponed from January to 13 March so do get that new date in your diary.

I was wowed by the scenic photos from Garry Wadey's trip to the north of Scotland and Skye in his K-series-engined Mini. See pages 80-86. He and his dad, in his own Mini, spent a few days exploring the famous North Coast 500 route. Now that is a trip I'd love to do one day, ideally in a Mini of course.

I hope you enjoy the issue.

miniworldmagazine Karen Drury Editor

Part of the Classics World Family www.classicsworld.co.uk

KELSEYmedia

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Kelsey Media © 2022 all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers.

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Disclaimer: Giveaways/Competitions: If a prize is lost or damaged during delivery, Kelsey Media will endeavour to provide a replacement but no financial compensation will be provided. Employees of Kelsey Media, their relatives and affiliates cannot enter. Only one entry per household.

Technical features: Readers carrying out tasks outlined in MiniWorld’s Garage should only do so if they have the correct tools and are confident of doing the job properly and safely. Kelsey Media accepts no liability for injury or damage caused by following information on these pages. These pages outline how certain individuals or garages carry out a task and cannot be guaranteed as being the correct, or only, way to perform a task.

Note to contributors: All articles submitted for consideration by MiniWorld's editor must be the original work of the author/sender and not previously published. Where photographs are included, which are not the property of the contributor, permission to reproduce them must be obtained from the copyright owner. The Editor cannot guarantee a personal response to all letters and emails. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Publisher. Kelsey Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for products and services offered by third parties.

Data protection: Kelsey Media takes your personal data very seriously. For more information of our privacy policy, please visit www.kelsey.co.uk/ privacy-policy/. If at any point you have any queries regarding Kelsey’s data policy you can email our Data Protection Officer at dpo@kelsey.co.uk

MiniWorld March 2022 9

News

Mini Scene

What’s happening in the wonderful world of Mini?

Contact us

Send club, trade, motorsport and all other Mini news to: Email: mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk Post: Mini Scene, MiniWorld, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL UK

RIP Basil Wales 1934-2022 Former Special Tuning Manager, Basil Wales, passed away on 12 January 2022.

He was incredibly enthusiastic about the Mini and MGs in general and wrote a monthly column in MiniWorld during 2012.

He told us about the start of his career at BMC: “In 1959, after two years of National Service, a challenging start to my career was being offered a brand new unidentified job with the newly-formed BMC Service Division. The new title of Sports Car Specialist Service Engineer seemed to have been created for me and, as soon as the Mini Cooper was launched in 1961, I claimed responsibility for solving its unique problems, if only because it had disc brakes and was, without doubt, a sporting car ahead of its time.”

Basil became manager of Special Tuning, at Abingdon, and was ahead of his time as he came up with the idea of putting together tuning kits and we still talk of Stage tuning kits today. “My idea for modification kits came as a result of seeing the way that everyday parts were sold in USA major stores. Something as simple as a cupboard door hinge would come with all the necessary screws, instructions and even a screwdriver in some cases. This was undoubtedly the turning point in the drive for profit, as well as using contacts to bring in

Basil Wales, left, at the Goodwood Revival, with former Works Mini rally driver, Rauno Aaltonen.

customer cars for modification.”

He also designed the original Special Tuning rosette logo recognised by fans of Minis and other BMC cars worldwide.

“An early challenge was to design an attractive logo which I designed on the Ecurie Safety Fast logo, which was only ever allowed to be added to genuine Works cars.

Ecurie Special Tuning seemed a rather logical step.” When British Leyland was formed in 1968 he updated the logo to a shield featuring chequered flags.

Basil was a keen supporter of MiniWorld and Mini events and was an Ex-Works 10 March 2022 MiniWorld

Registrar of the Mini Cooper Register. He also formed the Ex-works and Special Tuning Register. His valuable knowledge of the Abingdon Works Dept. and Special Tuning will be missed by many.

Charity fundraisers recognised In December 2020 Freddie St George and his mother Giulia were both awarded MBEs by HRH Princess Royal. Together they have helped to raise almost £3 million for children's charities via their Italian Job charity driving tour which takes participants, mainly in Minis, on epic adventures in Italy.

Giulia told MiniWorld: "I accept the award on behalf of all Jobbers from 1990 to the present day and I gladly share it with them." Freddie said: "To be recognised with an MBE is a true delight and makes me even more determined to carry on organising the Italian Job for many years to come."

The next Italian Job event takes place in May. Find out more information online at: www.italianjob.com

BUY THE APRIL 2022 ISSUE

FROM 4 MARCH

Freddie and Giulia St George were awarded their MBEs, for services to charity, at Windsor Castle.

Riviera Run seaside fun The 2022 Riviera Run at Pentewan Sands Holiday Park, in St Austell, Cornwall, takes place Friday 29 April to Sunday 1 May with Mini runs on the Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for those choosing to stay a few more days. Cornish Mini Club

Pentewan Sands Holiday Park is the scenic location of the Riviera Run.

members are working hard to organise many attractions for all the family.

Although on-site caravans are likely to be booked up, there are other sites nearby and there are plenty of camping plots available too.

Over the weekend there will be an optional Friday run from Gordano to Pentewan Sands, three days of Mini shows with Sunday show ‘n’ shine, Mini displays, trade stands, rocker cover racing, evening entertainment with a fancy dress competition on the Saturday night, cruises, a glow show, exhaust sound-off and much more.

Day visitors are welcome but note that dogs are not allowed on site.

Find out more info online at: www.cmcrivierarun.co.uk and also www.facebook.com/cmcrivierarun

• Available to buy in many shops • Online: https://shop.kelsey.co.uk • Digitally: www.pocketmags.com • By phone: +44 (0)1959 543747 Back issues: https://shop.kelsey.co.uk

Charity track day A Mini track day will take place on 1 May at Blyton Park in Lincolnshire featuring motorsport talks, camping, trade stands and a show ‘n’ shine. The event will be raising funds for Macmillan in memory of co-organiser Pete Flanagan’s late wife Elizabeth. See www.mk1-performanceconversions.co.uk. You can also donate at: https://tributefunds.macmillan.org. uk/In-Memory/Elizabeth-Flanagan

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18/10/2021 16:17

MiniWorld March 2022 11

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23/11/2021 11:15

[ Modified 1968 Mk2 Mini Deluxe ]

TIME WELL S PE N T When the first Coronavirus lockdown happened in England, in March 2020, Gordon Jones used it as an opportunity to rebuild his Mk2 Mini.

Words: Karen Drury. Photos: Jim Jupp and Gordon Jones.

14 March 2022 MiniWorld

G

ordon Jones has owned Minis for many years and was a high-profile Mini drag racer in the 1980s to 1990s. In early 2020 he was nearing the end of his Radford Mini project but, when lockdown hit, he decided to switch to working on the 1968 El Paso Beige Mini De Luxe he bought in September 2019. “I got fed up with the other one,” he admits, although work began in secret as his wife, Gill, thought it best that he finished the Radford first. “I started working on the Mini properly on 12 April 2020. I tried to disguise it at first. I was just going to do a little bit and then I got a bit more involved and then a bit more until I was

working on it every day in the garage.”

He had bought the Mk2 as a project car rather than a runner. “It wasn’t bad. It was pretty sound but tatty and there was a bit of welding to do on it. There was an engine sitting inside the car and there was oil all over the floor. I bought it from an older guy, named Paul, who had owned it for 12 years. He had stored it all that time and didn’t really want to part with it.”

Paul eventually agreed to sell the Mini, having once planned to build it into a Monte rally Mini lookalike. “He wanted to fit spotlights, bonnet straps and do a rear light conversion to make it look like a Mk1.” We’re glad that Gordon rescued »

OWNER PROFILE

Gordon Jones

Occupation: Semi-retired antique dealer What’s new?

I recently became a grandad so I’m keen to pass on an interest in Minis to another generation Any lessons learned from this project?

I was thinking about making a support for the oil cooler feed pipe, to stop it kinking. While fitting a washing machine I realised that the hose guide that goes on the back would do the job nicely

MiniWorld March 2022 15

[ Modified 1968 Mk2 Mini Deluxe ]

Cool Compomotoive alloys. Airhorns are fitted underneath the driver’s side wing.

it as Mk2 Minis are rare, having been built only for a couple of years. The Mini came to Gordon with a white Cooperstyle roof and the seller had already had the seats re-trimmed using leather salvaged from a three-piece suite. “It even had a leather boot board so he was reluctant to part with the seats.”

Gordon was happy to keep it looking like a Mk2, “with a little bit of a twist and a few mods.” Originally fitted with Hydrolastic suspension, it had been altered by the time it came to Gordon. “It

had beam axle suspension on the back but it was poorly fitted, as the shockers were touching the wheels, so I took it off. It had shocks all round with springs. I thought about fitting a Vauxhall redtop engine but, if you start altering the structure of the car too much, the DVLA may no longer class it as an historic vehicle.” Instead he decided to use an A-series engine and fit conventional Mini dry suspension comprising Hi-Los and Spax dampers. “There are no camber or caster brackets. Spax is good kit.” Front

7.5” disc-braking is taken care of by black anodised 4-pot aluminium calipers from Mini Spares. A new steering rack was also sourced from Mini Spares.

Gordon made his own roll-over jig so that the shell was easily moved during repair. “It cost me a fiver to build the jig.

I did a bit of welding on the front panel.

The wings were already there, although they were badly dented. I thought I could persevere and get them reasonably good.

It came with a replacement bonnet but the bonnet catch was totally in the wrong »

The build

Gordon made his own jig so that he was able to rotate the Mini for easy access druring repairs.

The floor pans required a few patch repairs.

The wings were dented so Gordon worked hard to repair them rather than replacing them.

Gordon did the repair work and replaced a number of panels in his garage at home.

The underside was painted first. An experienced restorer he was able to paint it himself at home.

Once the underside was painted it was fitted with the replacement dry suspension components.

16 March 2022 MiniWorld

“...I got a bit more involved and then a bit more until I was working on it every day in the garage.”

The painted shell was then taken off the jig, lowered to the ground and it was built up.

Gordon also built the 1293cc engine himself.

The beautifully detailed engine was then fitted.

Gordon forgot to fit the new bonnet before painting it so he had to use spacers to fit it.

The Mini was taken to Tipton Garage for rolling road tuning by experienced tuner Stephen Miles.

The 1293cc engine achieved 94.1bhp at the crank.

The torque figure was 79lb/ft@5,510rpm.

MiniWorld March 2022 17

[ Modified 1968 Mk2 Mini Deluxe ] place. Annoyingly, I had painted the bonnet by then so I had to put spacers on to adjust it. It was a nightmare. The door skins had already been replaced and it had new outer sills on it. The floor pans were pretty sound, although there are little patches in places.”

The Mini came with metal Union flag badges on the A-panels. “The holes were there already so I just cleaned them up and I thought I’d leave them.” At home he painted the Mini in cellulose paint in its original colour of El Paso Beige (BG17).

He made sure to follow correct safety procedures regarding use of chemicals and ensured that there was plenty of ventilation for his own protection.

He fitted new old stock Mk1 door handles. “Mk2 handles always droop so I prefer the Mk1 handles. I also managed to get a NOS rear badge and surround and the front badge surround is NOS. I repaired the front badge.” He also fitted a Les Leston flag badge to the boot lid.

“I fitted slightly more modern ‘fat’ bumpers. It should have had overriders but I thought I’d use what I had. The rear quarterlight windows had started to come apart as the fittings had rusted.

The ‘68 shell was on the cusp so I could

The leather for the seat retrim came from a brown sofa! Gordon painted them with black leather paint.

fit a pair of piano-hinged windows in and I think they look far better than stainless ones. I did think about fitting mirrors but I don’t have a problem not having any, apart from getting in the garage, but I’ve got used to it now.” Some of the glass was missing. “He had lost one whole side of the door aperture including the glass. Fortunately, I had some that was

dated correctly. The wipers are left-hand drive so they are on the opposite side.

I just prefer them that way so that the wiper is out of the way of the driver. ” The Mini had 1970s Compomotive 5x10” multi-spoke alloys. “They came with the car and were in poor condition.

I put them in a sand-blasting cabinet. It took a while because they are fiddly. I

“It wasn’t bad. It was pretty sound but tatty and there was a bit of welding to do on it.”

18 March 2022 MiniWorld

Gordon made the billet alloy boss for the MotoLita steering wheel.

painted them in silver cellulose and fitted new bolt-in valves and Yokohama A008 tyres.” He also fitted NOS BLMC mudflaps.

Inside the Mini the re-trimmed leather seats needed a bit of attention. “They were brown but there were a few cuts and they didn’t look nice so I changed them from brown to black, with leather paint. The black leather-rim Mota-Lita steering wheel came with the car, in a box of parts. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found it. I made the steering wheel boss out of billet aluminium.”

Gordon fitted a Lucas 608 rear-view mirror, as he does to all his Minis. “That’s my trademark,” he laughs. It also has a cream crackle headlining from Newton Commercial and he made up the carpets himself and fitted BMC seatbelts. “I have got a thing about seatbelts,” » MiniWorld March 2022 19

[ Modified 1968 Mk2 Mini Deluxe ]

“It also reminds me of a Mini I had in the 1980s.

Actually, I did build it a bit with that in mind.” he confesses. He fitted a modern rev counter and a large orange oil pressure warning light. “That’s my numpty light,” he grins. “When I start the engine I always make sure it has pressure.”

Being in the antique trade he has an eye for period trinkets so there is an Esso Tiger hanging from the rear-

view mirror and there is also a silver spanner, that his son Luke gave him, in the ashtray. The handbrake came from a Cooper S and atop the gear lever is a gear knob engraved with Gordon’s name. “I had them specially made from silver in the 1980s.”

With uncertainty over supplies at

GORDON’S DRAG RACING MINI VAN

The Van was powered by a highly modified 283ci small-block Chevy engine with a home-made 175 nitrous shot set-up. It mainly attended RWYB (run what ya brung) events at Santa Pod and Avon Park. “I did enter the Pro Street Challenge at Santa Pod and also took it to Switzerland and Copenhagen where I was

20 March 2022 MiniWorld

asked to do rolling burn-out demonstrations.

It was also on Street Machine magazine’s stand at Earl’s Court in London and many other shows and events around England.”

The Mini Van’s best quarter-mile time was 10.3 seconds at 130mph, “although it did run a top-end pass at 134mph.”

the start of lockdown, he was pleased he had already collected many parts for the engine. “I had the new engine and I had the cylinder head and the camshaft and everything. I just looked round the garage to see what I had got and I had enough parts to build it.”

He built the engine himself. “It’s a pre-A+ engine with twin HS4 SU carbs.

I bought this block off a friend. It’s basically a 1293 and it has still got the pistons that came with it. The main bearings had gone. I managed to pick up a new-old-stock crankshaft for it which wasn’t in perfect condition but was useable. He is clearly very passionate about engines and I guess this stems from his drag racing days where performance was all-important to get the shortest time on the quarter mile. “It has a Super Sprint camshaft from Kent Cams, Bryan Slarke cylinder head, big valves, bronze guides, British Leyland new-old-stock lightened flywheel, a balanced backing plate, a grey clutch, a Cooper S gearbox with close-ratio gears and Hardy Spicers, so it’s got full Cooper S running gear throughout. For efficient cooling I fitted a high-flow radiator and a six-blade summer fan.”

The Mk2 is fitted with a Stage 2 exhaust manifold. “It could do with a 3-into-1 but this is a cheaper version and I fitted a cherry bomb in the middle to keep it quiet because it is noisy. It has a 2” Sportex rear box.” Gordon says that there is no sound deadening in the Mini but it was running so loud that he sensibly booked it in with Stephen Miles, at Tipton Garage, for a rolling road tuning session in April 2021. Stephen is the son

Gordon hopes to get more powe r from the 1293cc engine. Fuelling is taken care of by SU HS4 carbs.

of Richard Miles, of Downton fame. “He changed jets and all sorts of things and it could only manage 94.1bhp but I was hoping for over 100. It might make 100 now as he backed the distributor right down so it stopped the advance on the top end. It was firing well before the stroke because of the camshaft.” After some fettling, including fitting electronic ignition and a new distributor, Gordon reports that the Mini now runs really well.

Now that the Mk2 is finished he is

really pleased with it. “I like it because it’s different and it drives differently to other Minis I’ve owned. It wants to go but the roads aren’t that friendly for Minis now.

It’s a bit racy to say the least. It’s similar to the Mini Van I used to drag race which had a full race engine. It also reminds me of a Mini I had in the 80s. Actually, I did build it a bit with that in mind.”

For the right money the Mk2 could be moved on. “It can be sold but there’s too much money in it now. There’s

quite a lot in the engine. If I took the engine out I could reduce the price by about three grand. Then I could get £300 for the seatbelts and the decent 608 mirror is worth about £150.” Time will tell but, looking at the smile on his face when driving this Mini, we think it may be hard for Gordon to part with it, but then he does also own a fantastic Radford Mini which is now finished and you can read about that in a future issue of MiniWorld.

MiniWorld March 2022 21

Shopping

In Gear Must-have Mini goodies

Prices include VAT

Traders

To get your products on these pages email: mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk.

Post: MiniWorld, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, UK. (Prices include VAT).

Cooper S 10” wheels Mini Spares sells brand new remanufactured steel Cooper S 10” wheels with a width choice of 3.5” (with ET44) or 4.5” (with ET35) in Old English White (Mk1) or silver (Mk2 and Mk3) paint. Wheels are priced individually.

Mini Spares can also supply stainless steel or chrome finish wheel trims and wheel nuts to suit these wheels. £62.40 3.5x10” OEW (Ref: 21A1282WHITE) £59.40 3.5x10” silver (Ref: 21A1282) £66.74 4.5x10” OEW (Ref: 21A1286WHITE) £59.28 4.5x10” silver (Ref: 21A1282) +44 (0)1707 607700 www.minispares.com

Mini Sport gilet It may seem like witchcraft, but gilets are great for keeping you warm, even though they don’t cover your arms. Mini Sport sells this fleece gilet, in navy blue, with zipped side pockets and embroidered logo. £39.95 (S-XXL) +44 (0)1282 778731 www.minisport.com

Master cylinder blanking plate Smiff y’s Bits produces this blanking plate, in stainless steel, which is fitted to the master cylinder base plate. It is designed for non-UK-built overseas Minis and some Automatics. It is sold without the base plate. £6.25 +44 (0)7974566841 www.ebay.co.uk/usr/minismiffy

Japanese alloys Classic Minis Japan sells these cool BR-020 alloys from Osaka, Japan. Available in either 7x10” or 7x12” sizes, they have an offset of -10 and are supplied with wheel nuts and valves. Spare wheels can also be bought separately. ¥123,200 (approximately £794.53) (set of four) www.classicminisjapan.com 22 March 2022 MiniWorld

Lightweight billet alloy door handles S-CAN 3D has launched these ultra-light RetroSport billet aluminium door handles to replace the factory Mk3-on Mini saloon pushbutton handles. Their lightest version weighs 180g for the pair. They do not have locks and are designed for motorsport Minis; available in silver or black anodising. Supplied with fixings and gaskets. £225 pair (Ref: DRS3247) +44(0)1953 455551 www.dsnclassics.co.uk

Willy Cave book Author Pablo Raybould has published this interesting book about former BMC Works co-driver Willy Cave, called Putting Willy Cave on the Map. Though it includes a lot of non-Mini content, this book gives a highly detailed account of Willy’s motorsport career as a navigator in such events as the Monte Carlo Rally, the Coupe des Alpes and RAC, as a member of the Works team, co-driving for the likes of Paddy Hopkirk, Pat Moss and John Sprinzel.

A real must for classic rally fans, it also includes accounts by Willy himself, who is now in his 90s. £27 including UK postage pabloraybould@blueyonder.co.uk.co.uk www.facebook.com/willycavenavigator/

MUST HAVE Rechargeable LED floodlight Machine Mart can supply this portable 650 lumen floodlight. Powered by a 7.4v lithium battery it has a claimed 2.5-hour working time. It can be recharged from either the supplied 230v adaptor or a 12v vehicle charging lead. The light has a IP20 rating, making it suitable for indoor or outdoor use. £31.19 (Ref: COB10CR) +44 (0)115 9565555 www.machinemart.co.uk

Mini Cooper model Available from German toy makers Brandstätter Group, is this Playmobil Mini Cooper.

The model has a removable roof and includes two figures in fashionable 1970s outfits, plus a Dalmatian dog and a police officer. Dimensions: 18.5x10x8cm (LxWxH) £57.95 (Ref: 70921) www.playmobil.co.uk www.jadlamracingmodels.com

MiniWorld March 2022 23

THERE’S MORE!

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Calendar

E V E N T D I A RY

Mini and classic car event listings...

List your Mini or classic car event for free: Email: mw.ed@kelsey. co.uk Post: MiniWorld, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, UK Check with event organisers for any last-minute changes

CORONAVIRUS NOTE: Please be aware that these events will only be able to take place if government guidelines allow.

2022 February

20 Normous Newark Autojumble

Multi-marque event at Newark and Notts Showground. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

March

5-6 Minis Down Under

Mini event at Rosehill Gardens near Sydney, Australia, to celebrate 60 years of the Mini in Australia. It was due to take place in 2020 but was pushed forward to 2022. Organised by Mini Car Club of NSW. www.miniclub.com.au NEW DATE

13 Mini Fair

Fantastic event at Bingley Hall, Staffordshire County Showground. Perfect shopping day out for Mini fans due to the large amount of Mini-specific traders and autojumblers. Plus club stands, British Mini Club's Show 'n' Shine and the Premier Concours final. www.britishminiclub.co.uk

18-20 Classic Car & Restoration Show

Multi-marque event at Birmingham's NEC. Demonstrations, food outlets, live restorations, club, trade and autojumble stands. www.necrestorationshow.com

27 Brooklands Mini Day

Mini event at Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey.

Club stands, traders, Mini-only parking, food outlets. Ticket includes the museum's many excellent motoring attractions. www.brooklandsmuseum.com

April

10 Normous Newark Autojumble

Multi-marque event at Newark and Notts Showground. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

29-2 May Riviera Run

Excellent Mini weekender at stunning seaside location of Pentewan Sands Holiday Park in St Austell, Cornwall.

Entertainment, rocker cover

racing, fancy dress contest, show 'n' shine, glow show, kids' entertainment, local crafts, Mini traders, scenic Mini cruises.

Static caravans and camping pitches available on-site plus restaurants and watersports.

Day visitors are welcome.

No dogs are allowed on site. www.cmcrivierarun.co.uk

May

1 Mk1 Performance Action Day

Classic Mini track day at Blyton Park in Lincs. Raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Saturday night camping with motorsport special guests. www.mk1-performanceconversions.co.uk

2 Yorkshire Classic & Performance Motor Show Multi-marque event at Ripley Castle, Ripley, Harrogate.

Trade stands, autojumble, refreshments. Dogs welcome. www.greatbritishmotorshows. com

8 British Mini Day, Himley Hall

Mini event in the picturesque grounds of Himley Hall, near Dudley, West Midlands. Traders, club stands, Show 'n' Shine and concours. www.britishminiclub.co.uk

10-18 The Italian Job

Touring adventure, set in Italy, for vehicles featured in The Italian Job film plus New Minis and New Fiat 500s. Starting in Imola, participants compete in fun challenges and timed stages, while navigating with tulip-style rally notes, with the aim of raising funds for kids' charities. Meals and hotels included in fee. See stunning towns and countryside from your Mini plus The Italian Job film locations in Turin. Money raised goes to Buttle UK which helps disadvantaged children. www.italianjob.com

14-15 Beaulieu Spring Autojumble

Multi-marque event at Beaulieu Motor Museum in Hampshire www.beaulieu.co.uk

26 February 2022 MiniWorld

26-30 International Mini Meeting, Germany The 2022 IMM will be hosted

by Mini IG Bamberg at Eventzentrum Strohofer in Geiselwind, Bavaria. Expect partying, displays, tours and local food outlets. Camping and glamping available.

Merchandise is on sale now.

This re-scheduled event was first planned for 2020. www.imm2022.de

June

5 National Metro & Mini Show

Annual event at the excellent British Motor Museum, Gaydon, Warwickshire. Traders, displays, club stands plus free entry into the fab museum with your show ticket. +44 (0)1926 895300 www.britishmotormuseum. co.uk

12 National Mini Day, Beaulieu

Excellent event at Beaulieu Museum in Hampshire, organised by the Mini Cooper Register. Ticket provides entry to the brilliant museum. www.minicooper.org

12 Ripon Clubs & Classics Motor show

Multi-marque event at Ripon Racecourse. Traders, displays and refreshments. www.greatbritishmotorshows. com

19 Classics in the Park

Multi-marque event at Hutton in the Forest, Cumbria. Traders and displays. Dogs welcome. +44 (0)1729 840070 www.greatbritishmotorshows. com

19 Mini & VW Bus Meet

Mini and VW bus camping event at DK Rugby Club, Kingswinford, West Midlands. Live band and entertainment, show 'n' shine. +44 (0)1384 897779 www.britishminiclub.co.uk

23-26 Goodwood Festival of Speed

A must-attend multi-marque event for fans of motorsport, performance cars and

supercars. At Goodwood Circuit, near Chichester, West Sussex. +44 (0)1243 755055 www.goodwood.com/grr

26-28 Silverstone Classic

25 Mini Action Day

Multi-marque classic car motorsport event. Watch historic vehicle racing on Silverstone's iconic racing circuit and see a fantastic array of racing cars. Plus traders, food and drink outlets, club stands and displays. www.silverstoneclassic.com

July

September

Multi-marque event at Leighton Hall, Carnforth, Lancashire.

Traders, autojumble, displays, live arena, scenic gardens. www.greatbritishmotorshows. com

Multi-marque event at Beaulieu Motor Museum in Hampshire +44 (0)1590 612345 www.beaulieu.co.uk

Take your Mini on Castle Combe's circuit. Traders, club stands and autojumble. www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk

3 Leighton Hall Classic & Performance Motor Show

10 BMC & Leyland Show

Annual event at the excellent British Motor Museum, Gaydon, Warwickshire. Traders, displays, club stands plus free entry into the museum with your show ticket. The event will include a celebration of the success of BMC and British Leyland rally and sports cars.

Organised by Mini Cooper Register and the Historic Marathon Rally Group. +44 (0)1926 895300 www.britishmotormuseum. co.uk

30-31 Firle Beacon Hillclimb and Rally Event

Multi-marque hillclimb and rally event at Firle Beacon, Lewes, East Sussex. Rally paddock, supercar paddock, quarter-mile sprint, club stands and celebs. www.firlebeacon.com

August

7 Lytham Hall Classic Car & Motorcycle Show

Multi-marque event at Lytham Hall, Lytham, Lancashire.

Traders, displays, house and garden to explore. www.greatbritishmotorshows. com

14 Northumberland Classic & Performance Motor Show

Multi-marque event at Tynedale Park, Corbridge. Camping availeble on the night before. www.greatbritishmotorshows. com

10-11 International Beaulieu Autojumble

11 Mini Fest at Stanford Hall

Fab Mini event in the scenic grounds of Stanford Hall, Lutterworth, Leicestershire.

Traders, club stands, displays, concours and show 'n' shine. +44 (0)1384 897779 www.britishminiclub.co.uk

16-18 Goodwood Revival

Superb annual event celebrating motorsport and aviation at Goodwood Circuit, near Chichester, West Sussex. Track action, displays and trade stands. Period dress makes the event more fun! www.goodwood.com/grr

17-18 Isle of Wight Adventure

Minis travel to Sandown Racecourse on the Isle of Wight via Red Funnel Ferries from Southampton. Free camping available or paid-for static caravan accommodation. Mini runs allow you to explore the beautiful countryside. www.westcountryminis. co.uk/iow

25 Simply British Classics

Multi-marque event at Beaulieu Motor Museum in Hampshire. www.beaulieu.co.uk

26 OhSoRetro

Multi-marque event at The Rec' in Margate, Kent. Over 1,500 Classic, Vintage and Retro Cars & Bikes, club stands, show 'n ' Shine, traders, autojumble, live music, kids' entertainment. www.ohsoretro.co.uk

MINI FAIR 2022 THE UK’s BIGGEST AND BEST INDOOR MINI SHOW

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Visitors travel from all around the globe to share the experience that Mini Fair offers. Let us share our passion of the car that we love so much at Mini Fair.

Download your Mini Pride of Ownership booking form today!

NEW DATE

13th March

The Best Trade Stands Mega Mini Jumble Pride of Ownership Display Premier Concours Final Bingley Hall Club Displays Minis for Sale Staffordshire County Showground Charity Auction STAFFORD ST18 0BD Heated Venue with Cafe & Bar Buy your Advance BMC Membership Centre Tickets Now!!

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Get in touch Email: mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk

www.facebook.com/miniworldmagazine Post your letter to: MiniWorld Inbox, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, UK

Your chance to talk to the Mini-loving world

Great Gordon I must say that the past several issues of MiniWorld were excellent in all aspects.

I was very sad to read the article about former Mini racer Gordon Spice who passed away. I met him during Mini@50 and I bought his book. Gordon had worked at Downton and he told me a few hilarious stories. A year later he invited me and my wife Corina to his house at Old Windsor where we met his charming wife Mandy. After lunch we had a boat ride on the river Thames. Gordon was a great character.

Keep up the good work at MiniWorld.

Edward Preiswerk

Much missed.

Gordon Spice was a popular Mini racer.

Can't find MiniWorld?

I am having trouble buying MiniWorld. I have bought every issue for about 20 years but my newsagent says she can't stock it any more.

Can you help me get a copy?

Shane Towers, Quebec, Canada Hopefully you have now found a copy of MiniWorld and will see this reply, Shane. Sadly we are hearing the same story from other overseas readers as it is getting harder to sell mags via retailers around the world. You can however subscribe to MiniWorld's paper edition at https://shop.kelsey.co.uk. You can save money over the paper copy by subscribing to our digital edition at https://pocketmags.com.

Also, clubs and traders can make money by selling subscriptions from their websites: Find out how at www.kelsey.co.uk/affiliate [KD]

We are so glad that you are enjoying reading MiniWorld. Thanks for sharing these precious memories with us. [KD]

Never miss an issue of MiniWorld with a subscription to either the paper or digital editions.

Gordon racing as a privateer at Brands Hatch in 1967.

Mainstream Rover Cooper Delighted to see the letter in December's MiniWorld from Mike Dowey about his Mainstream Rover Mini Cooper. I agree with him that this model is unfairly ignored, and is now rare in anything like original form.

Mine was bought from Somerford Minis in 2013 where it had been fully rebuilt, and brought up to Scotland where I have been enjoying it ever since. It is quite a lot more basic than an RSP in terms of trim and equipment but mechanically almost identical.

Easy ways to spot one are the lack of tinted glass and sunroof and they have black, stripy sports crayon seats. They didn't come with spotlights or Cooper bonnet stripes but many had them retro-fitted.

Rob Lightbody

28 March 2022 MiniWorld

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[ 1964 Morris Mini Traveller ]

30 March 2022 MiniWorld

THE A TEAM Restoring the family Mini is much easier when one of you is a mechanic but, if the other is a paint sprayer, really good things happen.

Words: Karen Drury. Photos: Jim Jupp

MiniWorld March 2022 31

[ 1964 Morris Mini Traveller ]

D

uring the COVID lockdowns many people used their time at home very creatively. For instance, as folks couldn’t go out for a drink, there was a craze of building home bars. Long-term Mini enthusiasts Verena and David Pugh already had one.

“Around five years ago we built a garden pub,” says Dave. “We’ve got Sky Sports TV in there. It was our saviour during lockdown. It’s only little room, fitting eight people max, and there are a lot of Mini

photos and memorabilia in there. It was a great little place when you couldn’t go anywhere or have anyone over.”

Most people would have enjoyed spending a lot of time in such a place but this couple was determined to spend the time getting their Woody finished and back on the road after over 30 years of retirement. “We made a point of not going in there all the time, only on Saturdays and when watching the Formula One on a Sunday,” explains Dave.

This garden pub was the perfect lockdown lair but there was a Mini project to be completed!

32 March 2022 MiniWorld

They have both worked in the motor trade for decades. Verena is a paint sprayer by trade and Dave is a mechanic.

They met when working at a Volkswagen dealership. “David was a supervisor,” recalls Verena. “I was just a young thing, walking through his office every morning, and we got together about a year later.”

They have a history of many years of Mini ownership and own two more that you will read about in future issues of MiniWorld. They fancied a Mk1 Mini for Verena as the others are mainly used

by Dave. They have everything covered when it comes to Mini maintenance and restoration. “I do dents in the paintwork and spraying and Dave does the welding and mechanics,” explains Verena.

In September 2019 they bought their 1964 Morris Mini Traveller as an almost finished project. “A friend of ours had it,” explains Verena. “We were chatting and I said that I had always wanted an early Mini with the big steering wheel and the starter button on the floor. We didn’t know he had one as he’s got quite a few Minis. We went to have a look and did the deal and brought it home.”

Dave continues the story: “I didn’t hear it running when we bought it. The guy said it would run but hadn’t been used for 30-plus years. Initially I put a battery on it, made sure it had a spark, poured some petrol in a jug, poured it in the carburettor and it started and ran, which was pretty alright.”

The Old English White Traveller had originally been red but their friend had »

The build

The previous owner hadn't sourced the wood trim and painted the roof red.

Verena stripped back any panel imperfections and any small dents were filled ready for paint.

David methodically recommissioned the Mini's engine and running gear.

Once COVID restrictions allowed, the Mini was taken to the bodyshop, where Verena worked, so that the bodyshell (including the roof), could be resprayed again in Old English White (WT3] two-pack.

There was a tear in the stitching on one of the seats which was carefully, and cleverly, repaired.

The wood trim required staining and protecting and caulk strips provided weather protection.

Fitting the wood was a slow and fiddly process but they persevered and it now fits perfectly.

A plush new blue carpet adds to the overall impressive look of the whole Traveller project.

MiniWorld March 2022 33

[ 1964 Morris Mini Traveller ]

Matching overmats mean that the Mini can be used for trips out without spoiling the interior. The large original steering wheel provides Verena with the Mk1 Mini magic she craved.

34 March 2022 MiniWorld

changed it to white, with a red roof.

They decided to keep it white, with a white roof, so that the project didn’t get out of hand. “All the bodywork had been done. He had painted it white so we kept it white, although I did paint it again,” says Verena. “We started work on it during the first lockdown.”

Dave set about recommissioning the Woody, as he explains: “I checked and lubricated everything. The petrol tank wasn’t in it at the time and we did other work to it first: suspension, brakes and all that. By the time we got some petrol in and got it running it was getting very, very hot and the water wasn’t circulating.

I took the radiator out and it was all full of crud in the bottom. I took the water pump off and it was absolutely blocked solid with rust half way across. So then I took the cylinder head off and I cleaned out the cooling system as best I could.

I cleaned out the radiator, fitted a new pump and put the radiator back in and

added some strong cooling system cleaner and flushed it through twice and it’s been alright since. I did the valves and everything while I was at it although I didn’t fit unleaded valve seats as it was an unknown quantity at that point as I hadn’t even driven it and I didn’t know what the gearbox was like or anything.

I did the minimum but, while it was out, I painted it all and made it look tidy and it doesn’t drive too bad. The gears aren’t too bad but the timing chain rattles a bit.”

Electronic ignition was fitted. “We had to put a new dynamo on it,” recalls Verena.

Despite Dave’s vast experience with Mini mechanicals, things don’t always go to plan: “I wanted to get the distributor out so I could paint the block. I stripped all the bits off and I couldn’t move it – it was seized. I was trying to twist it and it broke so I bought an electronic distributor and a coil and a set of HT leads to

go with it. It starts on the button although the starter motor is a bit sluggish.”

The wood was ordered from specialist company Woodies (www. morriswoodwork.co.uk). “We ordered the wood kit from Woodies and there was a five-month waiting list.” While waiting for that they got the rest of the Mini ready. “I rubbed it down in places and painted it all at work. It was pretty good so the bodywork for me was really quite simple,” recalls Verena.

Dave adds: “It had whacking great big door mirrors so we took them off and I

just put a little overtaking mirror on the A-pillar when it went back on the road.”

Verena spent a lot of time working on the interior as they were keen to keep the original trim if it could be cleaned up enough. “The interior was very old and grubby so we took it all out and scrubbed it,” she recalls. “The passenger seat had a rip in it so we had a new seat cover made but it was the wrong colour and didn’t match. I went to a local upholsterer and they said they couldn’t do anything so, in the end, I repaired it with Wundaweb underneath. I just put a »

“I didn’t hear it running when we

bought it. The guy said it would run but hadn’t been used for 30-plus years.”

MiniWorld March 2022 35

[ 1964 Morris Mini Traveller ]

OWNER PROFILE

Verena Pugh

Occupation: I was one of the first female paint sprayers. I got the apprenticeship before I sat my exams at school.

I was on the shop floor painting until 2001 and I had some knee surgery which took me off for a while so I was the workshop controller until last year. I won Vauxhall Paint Sprayer of the Year in 2000, which is a national competition.

I was made redundant last year and now work in a care home, which is very rewarding work.

towel on the seat when I drive it. It has its patina still and it’s had a good scrub up. I didn’t want an all-new interior if I could help it although the carpet is new, which was an online purchase.”

It’s important to the couple that any upgrades are of the correct era for the car’s age. “We bought Britaxtype seatbelts as our friend had fitted inertia ones which I didn’t want as I just wanted it to look 1964-ish.” One

interior change is almost undetectable: “Even though it’s got the original pushwasher button, Dave changed it to an electric pump so there’s a switch to flick for the washers but we’ve still got the button to look authentic,” she explains.

The brakes had already been upgraded to Cooper S front disc brakes and spacer drums at the rear before they bought the Mini. They kept this configuration for safety on modern roads but the

“I want to enjoy driving it and it’s kind of a pension pot as well.”

36 March 2022 MiniWorld

braking system needed overhauling, as Dave explains: “The discs were all rusty so I bought new discs, new pads as they had seized in the calipers, plus the suspension bushes on the front. I fitted a Cooper S brake master cylinder. It had a clutch master cylinder on it which wasn’t right so I bought a new clutch master cylinder too and it needed new brake shoes on the rear. The standard wheels fit on just inside the arches. It has much better brakes than an 850, even without a servo. Once you have used it once or twice they work very nicely.”

The wood trim is such an important part of the Traveller and Countryman’s overall look so they were pleased when it arrived from Woodies in September

2020. “I’d never fitted a wood kit,” explains Dave, “and I hadn’t taken the original one off so I had no idea how it would fit. It wasn’t bad as we did it together. Verena’s got smaller hands so she was able to start off the awkward screws down the bottom. We treated it with two coats of Sikkens HLS Plus, in Light Oak, applied wet on wet then, after drying, two coats of Sikkens Cetol Filter 7 Plus in Light Oak, which gives a satin, micro-porous finish.” This process was recommended by Tim Foreman of Woodies. “We assembled the sides and offered them up to the car and we thought ‘well, that’s not too bad’. I put a screw in each side and we made

sure the wood was hanging in the right position. We sealed the wood, when fitting, with Eastwood Flexible Strip Caulk. by then it was November 2020 so the weather was changing.” By the summer of 2021 they were able to enjoy driving the Woody to Mini shows.

Dave saw the Woody’s engine as a bit of a stop-gap for last year’s shows and is currently building another 850 for it. “I have stripped it down and made a list of parts like new pistons and bearings. The crankshaft needs a regrind and I want to get the head done for unleaded fuel plus all the other bits and pieces you need for a rebuild. It's on stop at the moment, due to being too cold and damp to work on

Above: The 848cc engine runs well but will be replaced with another equivalent engine soon.

it, so I will resume when the weather is warmer and, hopefully, install it on a nice summer weekend. It won’t be cheap but, If it was my car, I’d have a 1275 engine in there just to make it more useable, as it’s a handy car for carrying stuff, but Verena wants to keep it as it was.”

Verena’s plans for the Traveller are clear. “I want to enjoy driving it and it’s kind of a pension pot as well. They are going up in value, and we do keep our Minis a very long time.” Let’s hope they get to spend a bit more time in their garden pub now too.

MiniWorld March 2022 37

[ Expert advice ]

&A

Ask m

Email: mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk Post: MiniWorld Q&A, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, UK Tim Mundy has worked on Minis since the age of 13. In the 1990s he worked for Oselli Engineering and has been writing for MiniWorld for 25 years. He has owned more than 20 Minis and built two from scratch.

Problems with your Mini? Tim Mundy helps you get them sorted...

Metro power I have a 1987 Mini and a 1275cc engine and disc-drive assembly from an Austin Metro. I am finding that the Metro hubs fit well but the Metro drive shaft s are too long to fit the Mini. Are Mini drive shaft s shorter than Metro ones or do I need to shorten them to make them fit?

Colin Marsland Metro drive shafts are longer than Mini shafts and cannot be used on your Mini. It is possible to shorten driveshafts by cutting them centrally and welding them together but this is a skilled process and will cost significantly more than obtaining a set of Mini shafts. Use the existing drive shafts from your 1987 Mini if they are present and in good order. If you are using Metro hubs you must fit adjustable tie rods and negative camber lower suspension arms as well and have the geometry set up professionally. If not, you will have serious steering problems.

It would be considerably better to use a set of Mini disc brake hubs and fit the Metro discs and calipers or, better still, fit Mini 7.5” or 8.4” discs and after-market alloy calipers.

Lap belts I am building a Mini based on a new British Motor Heritage shell and using a very rusty 1970 Mini 1000 as a basis. The engine is to be a 970 Cooper S and the car will be styled as a very minimalist racer with completely stripped-out interior including a full rollcage and two 38 March 2022 MiniWorld

bucket seats. Bearing in mind that I have a rollcage I was hoping to not fit any seat belts but I have found that a 1972 Mini does require belts by law.

Would it be legal to fit lap belts to the two front seats or must they be inertia-reel types?

Will Graham You are correct in that your Mini will need to be fitted with

seat belts in the front by law as it was registered after 1 January 1965. The belts will also have to be threepoint belts, either static, inertia-reel or full harness.

Front lap belts will not be legal, nor would they offer much protection. The fact that you have a rollcage has no effect on seat belt legal requirements. I would

Static or, preferably, inertia-reel seat belts must be fitted for front seat occupants.

Front lap belts in Minis are, quite rightly, not permitted in the UK, although some UK Minis do not need seatbelts but we advise fitting them for safety's sake.

Metro driveshafts will not fit a Mini as they are too long.

Mini driveshafts, as shown here, will need to be used.

RESTORATION CORNER

A lightened flywheel will allow the engine to rev up faster and will reduce the weight of the rotating engine components.

BODYWORK HIGHS AND LOWS

“...a lightened flywheel will make the engine a bit more responsive and it should rev more easily.” suggest that you consider fitting full harness belts as they will complement the strippedout look and will make the car considerably safer for the occupants particularly as you have a cage fitted. When you are thrown around in the car during an accident, despite having seat belts, hitting your unprotected head against the cage can cause serious injury or worse.

Lightened flywheel Last year I fitted a standard 1275cc engine from an old Austin 1300 saloon into my previously 998cc-engined Mini. The engine had been rebuilt and was fitted to my existing gearbox. The performance is definitely better than the old 998 and the new engine seems smoother and more relaxed. However, it does seem a bit lazy on pick-up: the 998 was more responsive initially but ran out of steam quicker. I am wondering if I should lighten the flywheel and whether doing so will improve pick up. The flywheel is the original diaphragm

clutch one from the 998.

Jim Mitchell Fitting a lightened flywheel will make the engine a bit more responsive and it should rev more easily. You can certainly have your flywheel lightened to road specification and you will need to have the pressure plate lightened too. You should not lighten the 2A598 pressure plate very much at all, though, for safety reasons.

The 22G270 Cooper S plate is the one to lighten or fit a good quality after-market backplate.

Before doing this I would have the engine set up on a rolling road as it could resolve the pick-up issue; after all, the same engine was fitted into the Mini 1275 GT. Tuning the engine with a modified head and a carb and exhaust upgrade would produce better results too; this is what tuners do sometimes before lightening the flywheel.

One of the most important jobs when restoring a Mini, or when carrying out any body repairs, is to ensure that the panels are as ‘straight’ as absolutely possible. No matter how good the paint is, if the panel or panels have high or low spots, or are rippled in any way, the resulting overall finish will be ruined. Mini bodywork is rarely perfect as there are slight curves and variations, particularly at the panel edges. If they are supposed to be there, i.e. if your Mini, and the majority of other Minis, were made this way, then it is best to leave them as rectification may involve ridiculous amounts of work and the result may be that the Mini does not look quite right. If the undulations or similar are very bad, and/or look a lot worse than other Minis, correction may be necessary. Comparison with other Minis is the best way to determine this.

High spots in panels need to be taken down into line, usually by very gentle panel beating.

High areas are best identified visually, by feel and using a body file or a long-handled sander of similar design. If you are practiced and the high spot is relatively minor then it is possible to do this at home. If it is major then removing it will require shrinking the metal, which is a highly skilled job. Low spots can be removed with a thin skim of filler. Put simply, the straighter your bodyshell the better the Mini will look and it will show off a really good paint job to the max.

Removing ots high and low sp ing from panels us specialist tools will make a huge erall difference to ov appearance.

MiniWorld March 2022 39

[ Expert advice ]

Tufftriding a crank at rebuild time will normally significantly extend its lifespan.

Tufftriding I have a 1981 998cc Mini and the engine has just expired with only 55,000 miles on the clock.

I know the history of the car and that the mileage is genuine.

Depending upon its condition after strip-down I am going to either rebuild the existing engine or, if not, I will try and source a good 1275 unit and rebuild that.

Whichever engine I end up with I will lightly tune it, possibly with a mild cam upgrade as well as head and carb mods. I hope to be driving the Mini a lot more in the coming years and, as I would like the engine to fare rather better than the original, I am thinking of having the crank either tuffrided or nitrided but only if it will really improve longevity.

Do you think it is worth it?

Terry Hammond If you are planning on building a standard or fairly mildly-tuned engine with modded head, mild cam and carb mods, a standard reground crank should be capable of a much higher

mileage than your original.

This would be dependent on regular good quality oil and filter changes, i.e. every 3,000 miles or annually whichever is soonest.

There would most likely be some wear present on the crank after say 50,000 miles. If you were to have the crank tufftrided or nitro-carburized (nitriding was/ is only done to EN40B Cooper S cranks during manufacture and rarely done otherwise) it is very possible that it could cover well over 100,000 miles plus before requiring a regrind although the engine may possibly require reboring or need some rebuilding during that time. I would always recommend tufftriding and using high quality bearings whenever the budget allows. Have all rotating parts of the engine balanced at the same time.

Dipstick leak I have owned my Mini for nearly three years but have not driven it to any extent in more recent times due to conditions generally.

Recently it has developed an

TOP QUESTION

Subframes

It is vital to fit

I am new to Minis and have the correct subframe bought a 1980 Mini 1000 and for the year of the wish to build this into a fast road shell but note that d 1275cc Mini. I have the remains some subframes use on of a 1970 1275 GT, which means Hydrolastic suspensi basically everything except the and some used dry suspension. interior and the bodyshell. I am planning on using the engine and brakes from the GT but would like to know if I can fit the entire power unit, including the subframe and running gear, straight in. The 1980 car has a damaged front frame where it hit a lamp post and bent the front of the frame so I cannot use that.

All the front end body panels have been replaced. The main question is: are there any differences between the Clubman front subframe and the round-nosed frame?

Simon Parkinson The basic answer to your question is that Clubman and round nose front subframes are only the same and interchangeable when the frames are of the same type/ era... and yours, assuming that the GT shell was the original, will not be. There are basically two types of front subframe mountings: the early two bolts per tower with solid floor and front panel mounts, and the later 1976-onwards will have a single, large bolt per tower, rubber-mounted frame.

The latter type will be fitted to your 1980 Mini. There are

40 March 2022 MiniWorld

also other differences in subframes, namely the Hydrolastic frame, all of which are the earlier fixing type (and this will include your GT frame) and the injection engine frame, which is the later design fitted from 1990 onwards.

This, though, will fit your 1980 Mini. You will need to source a 1976-onwards front subframe, available new from BMH, and transfer the power unit and drivetrain to the new frame. I would very strongly recommend that you strip and recondition the engine, gearbox and disc/drive/brake assemblies before fitting to the car.

oil leak close to the front of the engine. It only leaks when the engine is running and seems to be coming from the dipstick hole.

The seal on the dipstick looks to be in good condition but the dipstick rises up after driving, causing the leak. The Mini is a 1982 998cc with the original 83,500-mile engine. Do you have any suggestions as to the cause of the leak and as to what I can do to prevent the problem?

Callum O’Neill Oil coming out of the dipstick hole could be caused by one of two scenarios. It could simply be a blocked engine breather or it could be down to significant engine wear. Either way the crankcase is pressurising.

I suggest you clean out or replace the pipe going from the breather canister on the back of the engine block to the carburettor and also make sure that said pipe is not bent so

‘RALLY’ SEATS

much that it blocks itself. It is OK to shorten the pipe slightly to cure the problem. If necessary, remove the breather canister from the rear of the block and clean it. Use a new gasket when

you refit it. Also check that the breather cap on top of the rocker cover is not clogged. If this does not cure the problem you should carry out a compression check on your engine.

Mini's engine breathing system requires periodic checking and maintenance to ensure that the pipework is clear.

Aftermarket seats were very 70s popular in the 19 t mos in particular. In icantly cases they signif fort m co ed ov pr im levels in a Mini.

Although masses of fun, Minis were never known for a comfortable ride, largely down to the short wheelbase and limited suspension travel, but there was another factor which did nothing to improve overall comfort and this was the design of the seats. Most early Minis were made with fixedback seats, which was normal at the time. They only had very limited fore and aft adjustment. The range of adjustment could be significantly extended by the fitting of aftermarket seat adjuster brackets which allowed height adjustment to the front of the seat as well as much more aft travel. The problem was that adjustment using the brackets often meant bolting and unbolting the seat a number of times to find the right mounting hole. Because of all this, and also because of the Mini’s extensive involvement in all types of motorsport, a large range of aftermarket seats became available, including some recliners. Many people fitted them, as they still do today, and, if you found the right seat, the Mini was suddenly a much more acceptable long-distance prospect. Changing the seats often meant that the steering column angle was very wrong but this was easily corrected with a steering column lowering bracket.

Good seats were, and in some cases still are, made by many manufacturers like Corbeau, Terry Hunter (also known as Billover and Huntmaster) and Paddy Hopkirk, Cobra, Newton Commercial and a number of others. The seat ranges available today are somewhat more expensive than those shown in the Autopoint Racing advert from May 1974 (right). Retailer Autopoint had branches in Birmingham and Hereford but neither branch remains today.

MiniWorld March 2022 41

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[ Subframe bushes ]

It can be a fiddly job but replacing worn out front subframe bushes can improve your Mini’s handling and reduce the risk of failures elsewhere.

Words and photos: Jim Jupp

Replacing front subframe bushes

T

he front subframe bushes on our project, Mini Sheldon, were squeaking when downward force was applied to the slam panel. The subframe fitted is a dry (post-Hydrolastic) 1976-on one. Replacing them is a job I put off for a while because it’s a bit tricky but, as with most Mini jobs, once you get stuck in it’s not that complicated. What will make the process easier is a helping hand but it is possible to complete this job on your own as long as you take care. The [1976-on] front teardrop bushes seem to be the most stubborn to replace but these were clearly the failure point in this case, going by the direction of the noise.

There is a large variety of bush and mount options available when it comes to replacing front subframe bushes for 1976-on dry front subframes, as we have here in this 1990 Mini with replacement BMH shell. This type of subframe can be identified by the two large upper tower bolts that connect the subframe to the bulkhead and are visible either side of the bulkhead. The earlier versions had four long 5⁄16” bolts [or studs] through the bulkhead.

There are roughly three types of replacement bushes but people mix and match them for a number of reasons: solid mounts are mainly used on racing cars or when carrying out

RetroSport billet alloy front subframe rear mounts

44 March 2022 MiniWorld

Top and front teardrop polyurethane subframe bushes from Mini Mine were chosen to replace the OE ones last fitted.

bodywork (for improved panel alignment), polyurethane offers a stiffer, more-responsive ride and, finally, OEspecification rubber.

The later type of front subframe has six bushes/ mounting points, with the rear lower mounts (21A2599) comprising two metal plates bonded together with rubber.

This was a new addition in 1976, to reduce noise, as earlier front subframes bolted directly to the front bulkhead. 1976 also saw the introduction of a fixing strap, visible from the interior, which can now be replaced with a stainless steel equivalent

Smiffy's Bits stainless steel front subframe rear mount strap.

from Smiff y’s Bits (www.smiff ysbits.co.uk) Solid front subframe rear mounts are an option promoted by several Mini RetroSport parts suppliers, even for a road car, to solid billet alloy es are sharpen up handling, and they are subframe bush to the fine to use if noise transmission isn’t an alternative an issue for you. These can be sourced poolyurethane ones above. in mild steel from suppliers such as Mini Spares, Mini Mine and Mini Sport.

Billet alloy versions are also an option from S-CAN’s RetroSport range, as well as Mini Sport.

In my view, the front teardrop mounts are the hardest to remove and it is difficult to check visually whether they have failed or not. As with the other mounts, the same alloy/polyurethane/rubber options exist. Shims may also be required to space out the front panel (part 2A4292). These can be sourced from several Mini suppliers The two-part (each side) top-most bushes, which sandwich between the subframe towers and the bulkhead, as well as a large bush fitted to the tower bolts directly, have a large range of material options, including nylon. If the idea of solid bushes seems a step too far for your road Mini then several Japanese suppliers (such as www.classicminisjapan.com) can supply polyurethene bushes moulded to secure onto the tops of the towers. We have found these to be effective but they are more costly. Shaped to match the top of the tower, these cannot move, unlike some bushes we have used.

It takes more thought but it is possible to replace these bushes with the engine in situ, as I am showing you here.

The biggest problem is the significant weight of the engine and the consequent hazards to yourself and the Mini. Two suitable axle stands, with two strips of wood to protect the bodywork, are needed, along with a reliable trolley jack. The latter is very important as it needs to support the weight whilst lowering the whole front assembly.

We’re mixing and matching the bushes/mounts for Sheldon, with Mini Mine polyurethane tower mountings and front teardrops. The rear mounts are mild steel as I feel that sharp handling is worth the sacrifice of a bit of road noise.

Front teardrop mount shims.

Japanese top subframe bushes follow the profile of the subframe towers.

1

On a level surface, jack the front of the Mini up from the front subframe with a trolley jack (I use the front tie bar mount and use a hockey puck to protect the paint). Two axle stands need to be placed under the lower bulkhead seam in front of both footwells.

A small piece of timber should sit between the axle stand and the bodywork, to avoid damage, taking care not to crush hoses and cables. A single piece of wood will foul the exhaust, other pipes and battery cable if fitted. Chock the rear wheels, lower the Mini slowly onto the axle stands and check the car is stable.

2

Once you have the front of the Mini safely raised you can remove the rear lower-most mounts, which in this case is a replacement solid steel version from Mini Mine. With all nuts and bolts removed it is then possible to remove the mount.

MiniWorld March 2022 45

[ Subframe bushes ]

3

4

Here is the OE version of the rearmost front subframe mount which was designed to reduce road noise within the Mini. They should always be replaced in pairs.

5

In each inner arch, just above the tie bar mount at the front of the subframe, you’ll find the nut for the bolt which passes through the front teardrop mount and front panel.

6

If the engine isn’t fitted, use the jack and a length of wood to support the subframe, but don’t lift the Mini off the axle stands – just take the weight, before you undo the remaining bolts.

46 March 2022 MiniWorld

7

The bolt is accessed via the front valance. Use a long ½” socket to avoid damaging the paintwork. Undo it with a spanner on the nut. Leave the bolt in situ for the moment, until you are supporting the engine. Sheldon has a towing eye on one side.

8

Once the road wheels are removed, the front dampers can be removed.

As the engine will be lowered you need to remove a top engine steady and possibly the earthing cable, depending on configuration.

9

Doing the job with the engine in place means using a trolley jack under the gearbox, which will need protecting so that the fins are not damaged. Use a piece of wood or a hockey puck as shown here. Supporting the engine puts strain on the engine mounts so, if they are worn, they should be replaced first.

10

There could be a number of hoses and pipes that connect to the body which haven’t got enough slack to enable the subframe to be lowered, such as the clutch slave. In Sheldon’s case the brake valve pressure reducer needed unbolting from the bulkhead so as not to put stress on the brake pipes. Undoing just the mounting bolt, not loosening the brake pipes, did the trick.

12

With some play now in the subframe you should be able to remove the two bolts from the front panel (see Step 6). The teardrop mount will not come out until the 5⁄16” locating bolt is also removed, using an open-ended ½” spanner. It is reached just behind the front valance, via the grille aperture.

14

Once the bolts are removed, the subframe can be lowered to expose the top of the mount. This is where another set of eyes helps, to be sure nothing is pulling tight or snagging.

I lowered the subframe by 30mm with no issues.

11

Using a 1 5⁄16” six-point socket and an extension bar, the two tower bolts were loosened at either side of the engine bay. It isn’t necessary to remove the bonnet, but you may have to remove the wiper motor cover, if fitted.

13

The two tower bolts can now be removed. Here is one of the bolts, now fitted with a polyurethane bush from Mini Mine. The older rubber bush is also shown.

15

This is the tower-to-bulkhead bush replacement (right), again compared to the rubber version. When replacing, the conical top should be faced upward toward the bulkhead.

MiniWorld March 2022 47

[ Subframe bushes ]

16

The left-hand (UK nearside) tower bolt bush is even harder to access but, with patience, I managed to remove and replace it without the need to remove the radiator.

17

With the subframe lowered it’s possible to reach the OE front teardrop mount, which has clearly failed here. There is also a locating dimple to aid alignment on the front panel. The mount is held in place by the dimple and locating bolt securing the mount to the front panel at this point.

18

I started with the front teardrop mount replacement first before raising the subframe again and fitting the tower bolts, with copper grease smeared on the threads.

19

Before tightening the tower bolts the lower rear mounts were fitted. I’ve retained the mild steel solid mounts. Place the 5⁄16" bolt through the subframe first, down into the mount. Secure, using a washer and a spring-washer. The holes in the subframe can enlarge, so a flat washer used first will provide a good surface for the spring washer.

20

The two bolts connecting the front panel to the subframe can now be added, or RetroSport towing eye in this case, through the teardrop. Add shims if required, between the mount and subframe, to avoid stressing the front panel. With the front dampers and the road wheels re-fitted, the axle stands can be removed and the car lowered. I also re-secured the brake valve pressure reducer onto the bulkhead.

48 March 2022 MiniWorld

Be safety smart!

Safety should always be your first priority so always start a job like this by disconnecting the battery at the battery end. Before starting this task you shoud check the routing of the battery cable as you will need slack when you lower the front subframe by about 30mm. Some configurations will require the removal of the battery cable back to the solenoid, be it separate or integral with the starter motor. Fuel and brake pipes are another safety consideration, depending on how they are secured and positioned. If in doubt then ask a professional to do the job.

Always wear appropriate attire for the task you are undertaking including personal protective equipment such as steel-toe-cap footwear.

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Garry Wadey's modified K-series Mini touring Scotland's North Coast 500. From the March 2022 issue of MiniWorld. Photo: Garry Wadey.

Verena Pugh's 1964 Morris Mini Traveller. From the February 2022 issue of MiniWorld. Photo: Jim Jupp.

[ Our Minis ]

Logbook

Jim Jupp

Sheldon Model: Reshelled 1990 Racing Green, 1293cc engine History: Donor Mini bought as a MiniWorld project and reshelled into BMH Mini bodyshell number 1 in 2003.

Sheldon during one of his running-in jaunts during summer 2021.

54 March 2022 MiniWorld

MiniWorld staff and writers reporting on their month in, under and around Minis...

Rolling, rolling, rolling

Just before the salt was scattered on our local roads, we managed to get Sheldon set up on a rolling road and made some interesting discoveries too.

I

t took a good few months to run in Sheldon’s 1293cc Rob Walker engine. I have to say that running the engine in was actually quite painless as I combined it with fun trips out to the coast and the countryside on A-roads, rather than motorways which is a no-no with the running-in process.

The 500-mile mark was a good point to get the engine tuned on a rolling road and it’s a critical part of engine set-up.

After changing the engine oil I took Sheldon to RACE, in Sussex, to be set up by Jamie, who runs the rolling road dynamometer. I was impressed with

their facilities. After a chat about the car’s specification, and verifying that I’d checked fluid levels, we agreed on a rev limit of 6,000rpm. Jamie did some basic checks, including the timing, retarding it by 3° to 28° at full advance, with the distributor’s vacuum disconnected.

The initial run was rather interesting.

Fuelling had been OK up to the 3,000rpm limit I had set myself during the run-in period but going past that saw the fuel/ air mix going very rich. Jamie removed the twin HS2s’ dashpots to reach the needles fitted. This is where I kicked myself as the needles fitted were both

I have been using a Mini Spares race-specification rocker cover gasket on Sheldon's engine but the old, pitted head created a minor leak. Additional tightening down has thankfully resolved the leak. Ideally, the head's face would have been machined but I didn’t want to lose the identification marks.

The Delta steering column drop bracket, from Japan, which has worked well on previous projects. It’s important to have a sturdy bracket holding the column.

Before fitting the steering column drop bracket I had to remove the large Noise Killer sound deadening pad in order to gain access to the steering rack nuts.

The four (there are only two shown here) steering rack Nyloc nuts have to be slackened before adjusting the steering column. I also replaced the nuts individually with fresh ones and added some thread-locker before re-torquing.

marked ‘M’. Referring to an SU needle guide, we found the M needles, with which the brand new twin carbs had come, were in fact 0.090” fixed jet SU needles and not intended for HS carbs at all. Normally a fixed needle wouldn’t have a collar at its top but one had been added. Most importantly, as you can see from the pictures, the M needle isn’t long enough, which is why fuel was pouring in when the revs were raised.

I had assumed they would be middleof-the-road needles, as we’d had with previous twin carbs. And the MOT had seen the engine running at an acceptable mixture. But assumption is the first point of failure. What I should have done is call an SU specialist to get a needle better suited to the engine specification. Jamie conferred with Southern Carburettors and opted for SU HS AAP needles, which RACE didn’t have in stock but as Southern Carbs are local to them they could »

Jamie, at RACE, retarding the timing very slightly to 28° full advance.

MiniWorld March 2022 55

[ Our Minis ] supply them within minutes.

Power at this point isn’t huge, with 63bhp at the crank registering on the RACE Dyno, torque is 75lbs/ft but how the Mini drives is more important to me than any figures. The power delivery is smooth with lots of low-down torque, which is exactly what I wanted. As you can see from the graph, the torque curve is nice and flat too. There was only one opportunity for another blast with the engine correctly set up as, a week later, we took Sheldon off the road and drained the fuel to wait until the salt has been washed away.

Even though I’ve got one-way valves on the breather hoses, and the fuelling

is sorted, I was getting a slight puff of smoke when I pulled up at a junction. I suspect that this is down to the breather set-up. I bought a sealed catch tank with an oil separator so, as a brief experiment, I fed the crankcase breather pipes into temporary bottles with the breather inlets on the SUs blocked up using tyre dust caps and it did cure the problem. I don’t want to run the breathers to air so I will plumb in the sealed catch tank which I’ll feed back into the carbs again. If that isn’t very efficient I’m thinking of going back to basics with a replacement timing chain cover with a breather canister and an LLC10047 clutch housing canister.

After these changes I’ll have to get

the fuelling re-checked by Jamie in the spring. I feel that there is more to come from this engine.

Another job done, prior to Sheldon’s last drive of the year, was the fitment of a Mini Delta billet alloy steering column drop bracket. Occasionally, tall people, such as former Editor, Monty, would drive Sheldon, so the steering column was kept standard. As Karen and I are now the main drivers we’ve set the steering wheel to a more practical height for us both. The drop bracket is fixed but, importantly, it is robust when compared to some cheap, aftermarket drop bracket options. There are some good UK options available though, such as the

The SU needles were found to have modified, fixed jet needles, the same as the two on the left.

Here you can see the difference in length with the longer AAP needle selected; correct for our HS carbs.

I shall be trying this small, sealed oil catch tank, which I sourced from eBay. I am planning to vent back through the twin SU HS carburettors.

Sheldon on the RACE rolling road.

56 March 2022 MiniWorld

RetroSport version.

I’ve also cured a The dyno squeaking noise we graph from RACE which showed had in Sheldon’s nk.

63.9bhp at the cra front subframe, e is 75lbs/ft rqu To which you can read and comes in nice about on pages 44-48. and early.

My Riley Elf resto project is taking up most of my time at the moment, which I’m keen to push on with. I’ll update you with that in my next instalment.

Jim's contacts: www.raceltd.com www.southerncarbs.co.uk www.antecautomotive.co.uk www.mini-delta.co.jp www.minispares.com

SHELDON’S ENGINE SPEC: A+ 1275cc built by Rob Walker . rebored +0.020” to 1293cc . AE Federal Mogul 21253 pistons . OE A+ press-fit rods . tuff trided crank, reground 0.010/0.010” . machined centre main cap, centre main strap . 1275 A-series 12G940/12G1805 9-stud cylinder head, larger inlet valves (Mk3 S, MG Metro size), double

valve springs . AC Dodd RS camshaft . lightened Duplex timing assembly, offsetkey . threaded oilway bungs . Maniflow LCB (ceramic-coated by Zircotec) . twin SU HS2 carburettors . MED stub stacks . MED/ITG sponge air filter .

Maniflow steel inlet manifold (ceramiccoated by Zircotec) . Mini Spares

stainless steel carburettor heat shield . chrome rocker cover . braided oil pipe .

RetroSport anodised billet aluminium accessories . Smiff y’s Bits stainless accessories . auxiliary fan, thermostatic switch . Powercor performance HT leads . Play Mini side-exit single box stainless steel exhaust system .

MiniWorld March 2022 57

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26/10/2021 09:31

21/01/2022 11:33

[ 1979 Canadian Mini 1000 ]

TO THE (HONEY) M O O N A N D B AC K

Richard Crawford, of Canada, loved Minis from an early age and now his whole family can’t get enough of them...

M

Words: Richard Crawford. Photos: Richard Crawford and Leah Crawford.

ost kids get excited at the sight of a brightly-coloured, ultra-expensive supercar as it races past. I remember, as a boy, seeing a Mini in a grocery store parking lot and walking up to it with eyes wide open thinking, “I can see myself driving one of these!” In 1995, when I was just 15 years old, the search began for my first car.

My goal was to buy a Mini but, even back then, a good one was hard to find.

After 1979 Minis were no longer sold new here in Canada. Additionally, our winter road salt causes car bodies and components to decay quickly. After about six months of searching through classified ads in magazines I came across

60 March 2022 MiniWorld

my dream car. It was this 1979 Java Green Canadian Mini 1000. It was a bit rough around the edges but it had the original paint, the body was solid and the engine ran. I negotiated a deal with the seller and, since I did not yet have my driver’s licence, my dad drove my Mini home. I remember the hood [bonnet] did not latch properly and was bouncing as we drove along the highway. Out of concern for it flipping open, we pulled over and used straps to secure it for the remainder of the trip. Fitting hood pins was the first modification my car received. The pins permanently resolved the loose hood problem and also made working in the engine bay a dream.

I spent many hours tidying up my Mini.

I removed the oversized Canadian safety bumpers, scraped off the faded window tint and then pulled out the mouldy soundproofing and carpet. After saving up a few dollars from a summer job I hired my friend John to do the bodywork.

I stripped the car down and towed it to his shop. He did a stellar job of removing rust, straightening panels, deleting the Canadian side marker lights, shaving the rear bumper seam and applying a fresh coat of Java Green paint. At my request he also cut a rectangle in the lower dash rail to fit a CD player. My Mini came home still retaining all of the original panels and looking better than new. On several occasions my friends Matthew and Steve left high school shop class

The 1995 classified ad in which I found my dream car.

Dad and I, with my new ride, in 1995.

Me and my bride, Sherri, in 2000.

The last adventure in 2012 before it was parked for seven years.

to help me get my car back together.

Finally, my Mini was finished and I had my driver’s licence. It looked and ran great.

After a few young driver mishaps and trips back to the bodyshop I decided to swap the front drum brakes for discs.

My Mini served me well over the years. It got me to college and was my transportation when I dated my girlfriend, now wife, Sherri. My Mini was our wedding car and took us on the long road trip to our honeymoon destination. It got me to work, weekend getaways and car shows. A Mini attracts a lot of attention on the road and is a welcome contrast to the large American muscle cars that frequent shows here in Canada. I drove my Mini each summer and continued even after my three kids were born. I have fond memories of driving my entire family in my Mini, on the local racetrack, for a Mini 50th anniversary event.

In 2012 my Mini developed a few issues including a failing clutch, neglected brakes and it only started when it wanted to. Sherri has vivid memories of pushing

My sons and I installing the new engine in 2021.

my car to bump-start it and driving along the highway with the handbrake as the only option for stopping. After limping home from a camping trip, with very little

clutch, it was parked up. Life got busy with raising three kids and providing for my young family. As a result of these obligations my Mini rested, safely tucked » MiniWorld March 2022 61

[ 1979 Canadian Mini 1000 ]

There's a stripped-out racer vibe inside, with no luxuries such as a heater or sound deadening. Switch panel now houses a CD head unit.

away in the garage, for several years.

My babies grew into toddlers, then teens and, in 2019, my kids took an interest in the dusty green car in our garage. That spring we rolled the Mini out and, with only a few minutes of tinkering, it fired up. We drove it around the block with hardly any clutch and still only a handbrake to stop. I was put in contact with Mike Guido at Mini Sport USA and he provided me with an abundance OWNER PROFILE

Richard Crawford

Hobbies: Water skiing, table tennis and biking What appeals to you about Minis?

The engaging driving experience and simple mechanics Most hated Mini task: Anything involving brake fluid Favourite Mini Supplier: Mini Sport USA Car club membership: Underestimated Society of Cars Current Cars: 1979 Mini 1000, 1985 Mini Mayfair, 2017 Volkswagen GTI What’s new? I recently took a 7,000km road trip for my 15-year-old son Eli to purchase his first Mini.

62 March 2022 MiniWorld

of technical support along with many parts. With additional help from YouTube my Mini had a new clutch plate, starter solenoid, working brakes and a tune-up.

I added some performance-inspired modifications to go with the already fitted Revolution wheels and sticky Yokohama tyres. Upgrades included adjustable trumpets, competition cones and lowered dampers. The performance theme continued to the exterior with

black roundels on the doors and a sun strip. For my 40th birthday my wife treated me to a pair of Cobra Classic bucket seats and a rear seat to match.

At the same time as installing the seats I removed the door cards and other unnecessary comforts to complete the stripped-out race car look. Weight reduction was also considered and I got rid of several ‘unnecessary luxuries’ including the heater, spare tyre and even »

“A Mini attracts a lot of attention on the road and is a welcome contrast to the large American muscle cars that frequent shows here in Canada.”

MiniWorld March 2022 63

[ 1979 Canadian Mini 1000 ]

“...we often take the scenic route to enjoy country roads in our Minis.”

The entire Underestimated Society of Cars crew, AKA: my family.

the passenger side windshield wiper.

I drove my underpowered, racethemed 998cc Mini for the following summer. That same summer my then 14-year-old son, Josh, purchased his first car, which was a Mini of course. He has a red Canadian Mini 1000 but the previous owner swapped the original engine for a 1275cc MG Metro unit. I had the privilege of driving him in his car until he was old enough to get his driver’s licence. That experience gave me a thirst for more power. I decided that I wanted to stick with an A-series engine so the search began for a 1275cc unit for my Mini.

After much looking I learned of a guy who had what I wanted. I drove out to his place and came home with the power plant. It is a 1275cc engine that has been bored out to just over 1300cc, a Piper 270 camshaft and big-valve head had been installed along with other go-fast components. Over the winter I tidied and painted the engine and, in the spring, my kids and I dropped it in the car. A freshly rebuilt HIF44 carburettor sucks air through a K&N cone filter. Exhaust gases exit through a Maniflow LCB manifold and a single-box, centre-exit system.

An electronic distributor, aluminium radiator and other accessories finish off the package. The engine bay was tidied up and treated to new master cylinders, hoses and other bits. My son Eli dedicated hours to sanding and polishing the inlet manifold, carburettor dashpot and ignition coil. My boys and I spent an entire day tinkering with each component of the carburettor to get it just right.

My Mini is now running great and is often spotted racing around my community without the hood. My daughter Leah enjoys lively drives in the Mini with the windows down, grooving to the same 1990s pop music that I listened 64 March 2022 MiniWorld

Polished accessories contrast with the satin black engine.

1275cc engine has been rebored and utilises a Piper cam. My son Eli polished the shiny components.

to when I was in high school. My family spends summer weekends at the lake and we often take the scenic route to enjoy country roads in our Minis. I am always pleased to experience the connections that the Minis initiate with family, friends, neighbours and even strangers.

From the driver’s seat of my Mini, the uninsulated induction noise is

excessive, the exhaust note is intense and the firm suspension is almost too much. It is surprisingly quick through the gears and incredibly nimble in the corners. The power-to-weight ratio is perfect. Overall it is a visceral driving experience that could not be replicated by even the most expensive supercar.

Yes, there are a few things I would

do differently now. I would not grind and drill for hood pins, shave the bumpers or hack up the dash rail for a CD player but each of these modifications reminds me of my teenage years. Nothing about this Mini is perfect but it gets driven and holds many memories that will be treasured by my family for years to come.

MiniWorld March 2022 65

[ 1999 Rover Mini Mayfair Automatic ]

SHARING IS CARING

A retro-styled Mini Mayfair Automatic is the perfect car for the Yamagami family to share.

Words and photos: Yoshio Takeno. Translation: Tetsuo Tsugawa

Sisters Ayako and Akari love the Mini which is being enjoyed by their whole family.

66 March 2022 MiniWorld

The retro Mk1 styling is really effective and the wing mirrors really add to the overall look.

R

yuji Yamagami bought a 1991 Mini Sprite around 30 years ago.

“I used to take my two little sons for a drive,” he recalls. He drove it for five years until the family grew with the addition of two daughters, Ayako and Akari, who are now in their 20s. A sensible family minibus was required and the fun Mini Sprite was sold on.

Time passed and his sons left home.

He hoped that he would be able to return to Mini ownership when he retired but, in his late 50s, he became impatient. Thankfully, with approval from his wife Yoko and their daughters, Ryuji was able to return to Mini ownership in March 2020 when he bought a 1999 Mini Mayfair Automatic. He chose automatic as his daughters are not used to driving a manual car. “I couldn’t wait until my retirement so I decided to buy a Mini.

When I was young, I couldn’t modify my Mini to Mk1 style so I made the plan to build my Mini Mayfair into the Mk1 style.”

He looked around for Mini specialists, in his local area of Tokyo, to give the Mini a classic colour and Mk1 Cooper looks. After much searching he found KidsCompany, in Iruma, in the Saitama prefecture of Japan. Ryuji liked the idea of painting the Mini Smoke Grey, a colour that looks blue in some lights. However, the Mini was bought with the family in mind so the final colour choice was given to Ayako and Akari. The sisters were even involved in mixing the paints at KidsCompany to create a unique colour for their Mini, which actually is very

Ryuji’s Sprite, which he owned in the 90s, with his two sons Ryosuke and Tatsuya, who are now grown up.

similar to Smoke Grey. An Old English White roof adds to the Cooper look.

Externally, this Mini has been given a Mk1 grille, Mk1 rear lights and bumpers with overriders plus Mk1 badges. LED headlights have been fitted for safety and a 1964 Tokyo Olympics badge is fitted to the grille. Both Ryuji and Yoko were born in that Olympic year.

Ryuji admits that, when he was a child, he wanted a Mini with 10” wheels so the Mini has been converted to run Mini Cooper S wheels with Dunlop SP10 tyres. Round mirrors have been fitted to the wings, a fashionable alternative to the clip-on seam mirrors which

are more popular in the UK. A clear reversing lamp has been fitted below the rear bumper to replace the Rover one and the front and side indicator lights have also been given clear lenses.

Inside the Mini, earlier seats without headrests have been trimmed in grey vinyl, as chosen by Ayako and Akari.

There are also chequered floor mats and a Moto-lita wood-rimmed steering wheel and matching gearknob have been fitted.

The dash houses the air conditioning controls and a centre console has been fitted for a CD head unit. Delta pedal covers have also been chosen. The Rover line-of-sight gauges have been » MiniWorld March 2022 67

[ 1999 Rover Mini Mayfair Automatic ] removed in favour of a central Super/ Cooper oval binnacle and there is an additional pod to the right of that for a rev counter, voltage and vacuum gauges.

Aluminium door furniture has also been

fitted. Mr Shimizu, of KidsCompany, fitted a traditional-style hazard switch and toggle switches in the white-painted switch panel to preserve the retro vibe. A wire basket, from Kent Garage, sits over

the exhaust tunnel in the rear with cup holders and room for travel essentials.

The 1275cc MPi engine and gearbox were overhauled and the neatlypresented engine was topped off with a green-painted rocker cover with a Morris badge to continue the retro theme. “There are no more tiny gremlins anywhere,” smiles Ryuji.

“I love old cars. Mini is especially my favorite,” says Ayako. “I was so excited when my father told us he was going to buy a Mini. I am not worried that it has no power steering. It is the same as a Mario Kart to drive. It is so cute, isn’t it?”

Younger sister Akari thoroughly enjoyed her first experience of driving a Mini. “I can feel the speed more than the Toyota Noah previously owned by our family. I enjoyed choosing the body colour and mixing the paint in KidsCompany. That felt like we were really building our own car. I love it. I saw a lot of pictures of my brothers with father’s old Mini. Now we can enjoy the same Mini life as

Automatic transmission means that the Mini is easy for all the family to drive. These chequered mats are very popular in Japanese Minis.

Mk1 stle seats look fab and the wood-rim wheel adds to the traditional look.

68 March 2022 MiniWorld

Cup holders were big in Japan before they came to the UK.

Sisters Ayako and Akari enjoyed mixing the paints to create a custom colour for the Mini at KidsCompany.

Ryuji and his wife, Yoko,.

She also enjoyed driving the Sprite and loves their new Mayfair.

The Mini is well and truly one of the family.

my brothers. I’m so excited.”

The family feels that the Mini, as a common interest, has brought them closer together. “After I went to the seaside with my friends I was talking with father about seaside views and which photo positions would be nice for photographing our Mini, etc.,” says Akari. They are also planning trips to Mini events. “I never went to any Mini events when I had the Mini Sprite but now I have this Mk1-spec. Mini I’m looking forward to going to Mini events with my family,” says Ryuji.

The 1275 MPi engine and gearbox have been overhauled

by KidsCompany.

MiniWorld would like to thank: Classic Mini Magazine of Japan (https://lovemini.net).

Special thanks to: Kids Company (http://kidscompany.boy.jp) MiniWorld March 2022 69

My Mini Show off!

To get your Mini on these pages, email mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk with photos of you and your Mini, plus information (put ‘My Mini’ in the subject box) or post to: MiniWorld My Mini, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, UK. If your Mini is awarded the 'We Love It’ badge, you’ll win a goody pack, courtesy of Meguiar’s (www.meguiars.co.uk). Email us to claim your prize.

My Mini

W in!

Every Mini deserves its moment of fame and so do you...

WE IT!

Steve Trott 1966 South African Van After 25 years I sold my body shop business in 2002 and vowed never to work on cars again. My first car, in 1969, was a Mini and I always had a soft spot for them so I decided to do just one more so, in 2015, I purchased a 1966 Mini Van online, without viewing it. It was imported from South Africa, having been exported as CKD. As soon as I collected it I knew I had some work ahead but it was not too daunting.

First job was to get it ready to pass an MOT so I could get it registered with DVLA for an age-related registration. Then the painstaking job of stripping it began. There were eight coats of paint: white, red, green and then its original Dove Grey.

I fabricated an A-frame so it could be mounted and rotated. The smoothroofed Van bodyshell, complete with vent, was relatively sound but was well worn, with some damage, so new panels were fitted including floor sections

I decided to do one last classic rebuild project.

I fitted reclining front seats from a MINI One.

70 March 2022 MiniWorld

[ Mike Cooper ]

including sills, seat crossmember, rear valance and corners, a door skin, rear doors, bonnet, front panel, an A-panel and the right lower body side panel, which was badly damaged. All new panels were from M-Machine, who made the front panel with a solid grille, and all their panels fitted extremely well.

Remarkably, the wings and the rest of the body, including left-hand A-panel and bulkhead, are all original, as are both subframes. The load floor area needed many hours of painstaking work to straighten and, using a Miracle Puller, eventually turned out well. The right B-post was also damaged so it was cut out, straightened and refitted as a new panel was not available. The body was then prepped and dents removed.

The bare-metal body was coated in 90% zinc primer, then the floors inside and out, plus inner wheel arches, were sprayed with U-Pol Raptor which I would recommend as it gave a really good protective coating before priming and painting the whole body with 2K direct gloss Dove Grey [GR26] paint.

Both subframes were stripped and sand-blasted. The rear had one pinhole, which was welded, and the front needed a small repair. They were rebuilt with new suspension and brake components and new pipework fitted. The front brakes were replaced with 7.5” discs with a Cooper S master cylinder. Cooper S 4.5” rims were fitted to keep them within the body line as I didn’t want arches.

The engine is from a South African 1275 GTS. It was stripped, re-bored and rebuilt with new components

by Derek at Hilltop Performance Trucks. The main blocks for these engines were originally cast and built in South Africa using a pattern from a Cooper S. This engine has the oil filter on the left, mounted vertically for easy access. A new water pump, radiator and hoses were also fitted.

The Van came to me with black door mirrors. SA is stamped on the inner wing. I made an A-frame for easy access. The body repairs were fairly straightforward as I have lots of experience.

A rod-change remote gearbox was cleaned and found to be OK. It needed a new casting where the linkage attaches.

New gaskets and seals were fitted.

The carburettor is a 1½” ISO, common on Datsuns in South Africa. It is very similar to an SU and works really well.

I even found a brand new spare one at Beaulieu. A Mini Sport performance exhaust with a three-branch manifold is fitted so it all performs well. The petrol tank was sand-blasted and painted and new fuel lines were fitted. I chose an Autosparks wiring loom together with electronic ignition, so I don’t have to access points behind that Van grille.

A centre binnacle with speedo, oil pressure and temperature gauges was fitted. Brackets were fabricated for

the crossmember to fit reclining seats from a MINI One. Inertia seat belts are also fitted. The headlining and door cards were made by Adrian, at Axminster Upholstery, and the floor area was carpeted. The rear inner side panels were insulated and lined with millboard and the load floor was fitted with chequerplate rubber to protect it and reduce road noise.

The Van came without a heater, as BMC felt it wasn't needed in South Africa, so I bought a Mk1 Mini heater, stripped, refurbished and fitted it with correct ducting and vents.

Although slightly modified, as most Minis are, the Van performs well with the bigger engine and stops well with the disc brakes.

The BMC South Africa engines are different to UK ones.

MiniWorld March 2022 71

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Feature cars If your Mini is rust-free, immacula tely presented and you have a great story to tell about it then email us around five photos showing the exterior, engine bay and inter ior and, if it qualifies for a full featu re, we will arrange a photographer to visit you. You’ll get a copy of all the photos, a copy of the mag and the glory of sharing your Mini with MiniWorld readers.

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07/11/2021 10:19 21:29 21/01/2022

21/01/2022 11:34

[ 1293cc Mini saloon ]

74 March 2022 MiniWorld

S TA R T I N G F R O M S C R AT C H

Since he was nine, Rhos Jenkins has owned 124 Minis and he currently owns 12. Being an aeronautical engineer, he is well-skilled for building Minis and he shares his latest project with us…

I

Words: Rhos Jenkins. Photos: Simon Cooke.

n 2014 I bought a bare 1980s shell, in order to re-shell a Mini that was beyond saving. Having collected Minis for so long I had all the parts to build one from scratch.

When it came to the look of this Mini, I was inspired by examples I saw in MiniWorld and on Facebook and Instagram and decided to build something to my own taste. I really wanted a period Mk1 racer look and particularly liked the styling of Swiftune’s Mini racer, Willow 2.

I did the welding in my own garage, at home, starting with welding in Mk1 rear light infill panels and I made the mods to fit a Mk1 grille. I made a swaging tool to cut holes in the bonnet but, when I accidentally made them too big, I didn’t let the metal go to waste as I used it on the passenger side A-panel and parcel shelf and to repair the rear valance. The replacement bonnet is

steel, easily removable and I cut out the centre rib along the middle.

I welded on a new front end, including the A-panels. The floor was solid and the shell even had its original sills.

I wanted a cleaner look under the bonnet so I welded the hole for the fresh air vent. I love BMC Willow Green but didn’t want Old English White on the roof so opted for a Fiat colour called Cappuccino to paint the roof and steel reverse rim wheels which I bought on eBay for £80. I bought a set of Yokohama A032 tyres for them.

I painted the car green underneath, inside and the engine bay. A friend, who owns paint shop Albion Accident Repair Centre, offered to paint the outside. I love Minis without arches so I fitted a Deluxe trim along the sides. The bonnet and boot are secured by tan leather straps. The Mini also has H4 headlights, a parcel shelf-mounted brake light,

green-tinted windows and Downtonstyle mirrors on Swiftune door mounts.

I added a genuine right-hand fuel tank which I bought for £100 via Facebook.

I wanted to keep the interior simple, in line with the racing theme, so there is no carpet in the Mini. Two 1970s » OWNER PROFILE

Rhos Jenkins

What is your Mini ownership story?

I’ve owned 124 since 1994 and currently own 12.

Minis of note currently owned: A track-day Mini with an R1 motorbike engine, Van, Pick-up, Shorty Clubman, turbo and a rare Mini Stripy.

MiniWorld March 2022 75

[ 1293cc Mini saloon ]

“I really wanted a period Mk1 racer look and particularly liked the styling of Swiftune’s Mini racer, Willow 2.” fibreglass seats came from eBay for £60 and I had those, and the door cards, re-trimmed by C&S Custom Upholstery.

There was a spare rollcage in the garage so I painted it in the Cappuccino paint and fitted it in the Mini, along with a Works rally-style dash in a crackle black paint finish. I made my own internal linkage, replicating the KAD version.

76 March 2022 MiniWorld

The wiring loom also runs internally.

A 120mph Cooper speedo sits in an oval pod above a simple switch panel with just the ignition barrel. To the right of the pod I fitted a selection of random gauges with toggle switches. I chose a Moto-Lita steering wheel and a columnlowering bracket. Below that you can see a pedal extension in the footwell.

Both subframes were stripped and painted black and I fitted new bushes, Hi-Los front and rear and Koni dampers.

I chose the Mini Spares Cooper S 7.5” disc brake conversion on the front and used braided hoses. The single-circuit braking system utilises drums at the rear.

The engine was bought as a 1275cc A-series but, when I removed the head, »

The wiper motor is located behind the passenger side dash. The fuse box is also inside, along with the washer bottle, which is a Jägermeister bottle.

The wiring loom runs inside the driver’s side wing.

The stripped-out interior follows the motorsport theme. Rhos bought the seats online and had them re-trimmed. The rollcage is colourcoded to the roof and wheels.

MiniWorld March 2022 77

[ 1293cc Mini saloon ] I discovered it had actually been rebored to 1293cc. After an inspection, I fitted Mini Spares roller rockers, a larger alloy rad and a Weber 28/36 downdraft carb. I wanted to add an 8-row oil cooler so I removed the front number plate brackets and fabricated a frame for it under the grille aperture, an ideal location for airflow. The number plate is now on the front bumper. I changed the four-blade radiator fan to a plastic one for better cooling.

The Mini has a 12G940 ported and polished head with Mini Spares 1.3:1 roller rockers and I opted for an electronic distributor and Champion plug leads. I bought a

The 1293cc engine is fuelled by a Weber carb.

Above: The 1293cc engine achieved 78bhp at the wheels on a rolling road. It is solid-mounted with an extra three steadies. Right: An electronic fuel pump is mounted inside the boot between the two fuel tanks.

78 March 2022 MiniWorld

Maniflow Freeflow exhaust manifold plus a Powerflow exhaust.

I fitted KAD 1:1 straight-cut drop gears and added a new cross-pin diff. The only problem I came across during the project was that, when I installed the engine, I couldn’t select gears. After a while of head scratching I removed the clutch to find gasket sealant on the clutch plate. A quick clean and the problem was solved.

Now that the Mini is complete I enjoy using it when I can but, sadly, I rarely find time to drive my Minis so I was really pleased when I was able to take it to the 2021 Mini Action Day at Castle Combe last summer as it won first place in the show ‘n’ shine in the Top 20.

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21/01/2022 10:28

Road Trip

HIGHLAND FLING

In May 2021 father and son, Derek and Garry Wadey, took their Minis to the north of Scotland to drive the stunning NC500 coastal route.

Words and photos: Garry Wadey.

A

fter our short but enjoyable road trip to the mountains and valleys of Wales back in September 2020 (as featured in the September 2021 issue of MiniWorld) we wanted more and started thinking ahead to the next trip.

I have visited Scotland a few times, as we have family there, so I know how good some of the roads are. I had never been there in my Mini and I had never been to the very top of Scotland.

The North Coast 500 is a 500-mile route around the very top of Scotland, starting and ending in Inverness 80 March 2022 MiniWorld

and traditionally going clockwise across to the west coast then up along the north coast and back down the east side to Inverness. The route has grown in popularity in the last few years with petrol heads looking for great driving roads and tourists just wanting to enjoy the scenery, especially with the recent travel restrictions making travel abroad more difficult.

My dad, Derek, and I began planning the trip and took some advice from my sister, Gemma, and brother-in-law, Calum, who live just south of Inverness so knew the area and the ideal time

for us to go. They suggested May, early June or late September as the route is likely to be quieter and we would miss the legendary Scottish midges.

We decided on late May and also planned to do the route anti-clockwise for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we thought there may be less traffic travelling in the anti-clockwise direction to hold us up and we were told that the scenery on the west coast was the most impressive so wanted to save that until the latter part of the trip. The Isle of Skye was also recommended as worth a visit whilst in the area, if we had time, so we

Get into MiniWorld

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On the A9 to the start of the NC500 route.

Rogie falls .

A photo stop at Loch an Ruathair on the detour road.

planned that into our route as well.

My parents were already planning a visit to see Gemma and her family in the Cairngorms (an area well worth a visit on its own) at the end of May so it made sense to tie it in with that.

Dad wasn’t too keen on the eight-hour motorway journey in his 1995 SPi Mini Mayfair so decided to buy a trailer and tow the Mini up behind his 4x4. The motorway drive in my 1971 K-series Mk1-styled Mini didn’t bother me so I followed up in it a few days later. The great thing about an engine-swapped Mini is the fifth gear and effortless cruising which make motorways a piece of cake. Even so, it was still around 500 miles from my home in Northamptonshire to Gemma’s house in the Cairngorms so I stayed with them for the night before dad and I headed out the next day to begin our adventure.

We only had four days to do the route so had to cover over 150 miles per day.

Our planned route was around 700 miles long as we factored some detours,

including the Isle of Skye. After loading up the Minis with camping kit, tools and spares we left Gemma’s house and headed north towards Inverness. We didn’t get far before we had a problem.

Only a few miles in, dad’s Mini hit a huge bump in the road, caused by roadworks, and his SPi Mini instantly cut out.

Luckily, I realised that the jolt from the bump caused the fuel cut-off switch to trigger, turning off the fuel pump. With the switch reset we were off again.

As Minis only have small fuel tanks, and not knowing how easily we would find fuel in some of the more remote areas, we filled up whenever we saw a petrol station. First stop was Inverness, where I also filled up a jerry can just in case. From here we drove to Rogie Falls, a fantastic waterfall where, at the right time of year, you can see salmon jumping out of the water, trying to make their way upriver. Unfortunately we didn’t see any but it was worth the stop anyway.

Normally you would then continue

west, along the A835, to complete the route in the clockwise direction but we doubled back eastward and turned north to follow the east coast along the A9. There was fairly heavy traffic on this road, due to it being a major route, so we detoured as suggested by Calum. We were supposed to turn onto the A897 at Helmsdale but the sat nav took us on a shortcut so we turned off earlier on to what we thought was the correct road.

This road started well, a narrow singletrack with a decent surface and great scenery, but it quickly deteriorated into a very rough, broken surface that felt more like a rally stage. After a few miles we stopped the cars to consult the map as I couldn’t believe this was the road that was recommended to us. It turned out to be an access road used by huge logging trucks and, fortunately, soon joined up with the A897 which was much more pleasant. This road cuts across to the north coast and is a great driving road, with no traffic and a smooth surface, but does mean we missed out on the » MiniWorld March 2022 81

Road Trip John O’Groats.

“There are some amazing beaches along this part of the coast with white sands and crystal-clear blue seas.”

Dunnet Head.

north-east corner of the NC500 route.

Our plan was then to drive from Melvich, where this road emerges on the north coast, back eastwards to a campsite at Thurso, where we would pitch our tent, then continue to John O’Groats. Unfortunately, this didn’t quite go to plan. When we began to set up the tent we couldn’t find the poles anywhere in the Minis and dad then realised he had left them at home. A quick drive into Thurso and we found a fishing shop that luckily had a suitable tent so at least we had somewhere to sleep. We couldn’t miss visiting John O’Groats (the most north-easterly point of the mainland) but I also wanted to visit Dunnet Head, which is the most northerly point of mainland Britain.

John O’Groats provided a fantastic photo opportunity, as we were able to park the Minis in front of the famous sign, but the views from Dunnet Head were much more impressive. Back at the campsite we finished setting up camp, gave the Minis a quick check82 March 2022 MiniWorld

over and found that a small repair was needed to the radiator fan wiring on dad’s SPi. Otherwise all was well.

The next day would see us driving along the north coast then down the west coast to Ullapool, where we had a B&B booked for the night. There is a lot to see along this stretch but, as we didn’t have much time, we had to miss out on a few of the sights although there were some I definitely wanted to stop at. As we made our way along the coast the scenery slowly started to change: the hills start to turn into mountains and the landscape became more dramatic.

The road also varied from fast, singlecarriageway to single-track in places, which slowed progress, particularly when the motorhomes were travelling in convoy, but there are plenty of passing places and most of the slower vehicles pull over to let faster ones past. After a few miles my dad pulled over to the side of the road in front of me and was gesturing towards a hillside but, by the time I got out of the car and asked what

he was pointing at, it was too late. I had just missed a large herd of wild red deer as they disappeared over a hill. We had been warned about them as they have a tendency to run out in front of cars.

The first big stop was at Smoo Cave, near Durness; an impressive large cave.

It is free to enter the main opening and you can pay to take a boat ride deeper into the caves. Unfortunately there wasn’t another boat until much later in the day so we instead walked up to the top of the cliffs to take in the view as we didn’t have enough time to hang around. We topped up with fuel in Durness and I would later find that the fuel caused the K-series to pink whilst climbing some of the hills further on.

I had heard of a place in Durness which is famous for its hot chocolate so I couldn’t miss out on trying that before we headed on. There are some amazing beaches along this part of the coast with white sands and crystalclear blue seas and only the cold water to remind us we were in Scotland.

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Smoo Cave.

Whenever we stopped at a popular tourist spot the Minis received a lot of attention from fellow tourists who loved the idea of doing the route in a classic car. Several people wanted to pose for photos with them. At various stops along the route we would often meet the same people, as they were travelling in the same direction, and we would swap notes on the roads and views. This is one of the great parts of travelling in a Mini as people are always friendly and come over for a chat.

After Durness the route then turns southwards down the west coast. From this point the scenery changes again as you are suddenly surrounded by mountains and lochs for miles without many open flat areas to break it up.

There’s plenty to stop and look at on this section but our next main stop was Kylesku Bridge. The bridge was opened by the Queen in 1984 and is a favourite spot for photo opportunities for anyone driving the NC500. The curved concrete bridge is made even »

»

Kylesku Bridge.

MiniWorld March 2022 83

Road Trip “We were in our element, chucking the Minis through the bends and powering out of the corners before getting back on the brakes for the next bend.” more striking by the landscape it sits on and the mountains in the background.

Just after the bridge the official route turns off the main road on to the B869 which runs from Newton to Lochinver.

A lot of people choose to bypass this loop and, if you are in a motorhome or large vehicle, I would recommend doing the same as the road becomes very narrow, steep and bendy. It is perfect for a Mini though and it really was a brilliant road. Most of the surface was smooth and visibility around corners was good enough to make decent progress with the odd slower

Kylesku Bridge.

Assynt Pass.

84 March 2022 MiniWorld

vehicle pulling over in a passing place to let us past. We were in our element, chucking the Minis through the bends and powering out of the corners before getting back on the brakes for the next bend. Roughly half way along this pass is a hidden waterfall called Clashnessie Falls; easy to miss as it’s difficult to see from the road and there is only a small road sign. We stopped here and made the short walk to the falls, which made a pleasant break from driving.

Back on the main road, we drove past Loch Assynt, with Ardvreck Castle ruins on the bank, and down to the small town

of Ullapool where we reached our stop for the night. Ullapool is situated right on the edge of Loch Broom, which joins the sea, and the town itself is well worth a visit. I had booked us in to a B&B as I had assumed we would encounter wet weather and a break from camping in the cold and wet would make the trip more enjoyable. As it turned out the weather was stunning for the whole trip with sunshine and blue skies every day. It was still nice to have a proper bed for the night and, once checked in, I decided to go for an evening walk around the town, taking in the sunset across the water.

Clashnessie Falls.

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Ullapool.

Bealach na Bà (Applecross Pass).

Refreshed from a decent night’s sleep, and a large cooked breakfast, we packed up the cars, checked our route for the day and headed off. A few miles south of Ullapool the route turns off the A835 on to the A832 which follows the coast for a while and then runs down the side of Loch Maree. I really enjoyed this section as the road was smooth and fast-flowing with wide, open scenery. It was pleasant just cruising along, taking it all in, nicely breaking up the tight, twisty, single-track roads.

A good place to stop for a rest is the Kinlochewe Service Station, situated near the Loch just before the turn-off onto the A896. There is a small café, with a covered outdoor seating area, displaying photos of vehicles which have stopped here whilst completing the NC500. There is a wide range of cars

and motorbikes from all over the world, including a few Minis. From here the route goes to Shieldaig and there were quite a lot of motorhomes along this section as there are a few good camping spots, which meant having to sit behind some very slow-moving vehicles, most of which allowed us to pass.

Soon we were onto the coastal pass that takes us down to Applecross; another great, twisty single-track road with little traffic as motorhomes, caravans and large vehicles are advised not to use this route. If you are lucky, as we were, there are amazing views of the Isles of Rona, Raasay and Skye rising dramatically out of the sea. Once we reached Applecross we then started to ascend the famous Applecross pass, also known as the Bealach na Bà. This is a very steep, twisting, single-track

pass that reaches quite a high altitude very quickly. Due to its notoriety it was also quite busy, meaning progress was slow due to having to wait in passing places to let oncoming traffic through.

The view at the top, however, was breathtaking. There is a passing/ parking spot right at the top of the pass offering fantastic photo opportunities or just a chance to stop and take in the view of the road snaking back down the valley. Here the road becomes a series of hairpins and steep gradients, which were absolutely great fun, but make sure your brakes are in good order as they get a real workout.

Normally, those following the NC500 would now head back inland and over to the finish at Inverness but we had decided to spend the night on the Isle of Skye. There is a bridge across to the » MiniWorld March 2022 85

Road Trip

We were so glad that we detoured to the Isle of Skye.

Fairy Glen.

Stunning views from the Isle of Skye.

island and also a ferry. We stopped near the bridge for fish and chips and to top up with fuel. Then we opted to take the bridge across as it was getting late in the afternoon and we had a campsite booked on the opposite side of the island which meant an exciting drive across some lesser-used passes.

Before that, though, we drove a detour to Torrin, to get a view of the mountains across Loch Slapin. Some of the passes across Skye were a little rough, with some scary potholes, but we made it to the campsite OK and set up for the evening. Looking back across to where we had set out I could see an interesting land formation which turned out to be the Trotternish landslip that runs for 20 miles; almost the entire length of the Trotternish peninsula.

Whilst at the campsite some of the other campers came over for a chat and to look at the Minis. One camper told 86 March 2022 MiniWorld

us that, before we arrived, he had been sent some photos of our Minis at John O’Groats by a friend who is also driving the NC500. What are the chances of that?

We awoke to the final day of our adventure, packed up the tent, loaded up the Minis and checked over the map. We decided not to follow the official route back to Inverness but instead to head straight towards Nethy Bridge. Before leaving Skye I wanted to visit a place known as Fairy Glen, near Uig, so called due to the landscape being made up of miniature hills and landslips that form a fairy-tale setting with a small road winding through it.

Once off the island it was a fairly relaxed drive as we didn’t have many planned stops and the roads were mostly fast-flowing A roads. I spent the next day in Nethy Bridge, helping to build a Bothy in Gemma and Calum’s back garden, before making the 500-mile

drive home the following morning.

The Mini was eating up the miles so I just kept going, only stopping once for fuel, and I made it home in record time. My dad followed on a few days later, to his home in Leicestershire, with his Mini on the trailer.

It really was an epic road trip. The cars were faultless and we loved the variety of roads and terrain. I covered over 1,800 miles in total and loved every one of them. There is so much to explore and see up in the Highlands of Scotland and a Mini seems like the perfect car to do it in. Even if you don’t do the NC500 route I would recommend a visit, particularly to the west coast, where the scenery is at its most impressive and there are countless perfect driving roads.

See a video of Garry and Derek’s NC500 adventure at: https://youtu.be/Bze_oTWOdFU

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MOTORFREE ADS TO ADVERTISE VISIT

WWW.MOTORFREEADS.CO.UK CURRENT LISTINGS MINI 1000 E

MINI COOPER

1976, 48162 miles, £8,000. Recently restored Mini 1000, owned for 20 years. Service history.

Much loved and cherished car. Please call 07806 074686, West Midlands.

110810

MINI CLUBMAN

MINI COOPER

2001, 46736 miles, £15,995. Y reg Mini Cooper Sport 500 number 330. 1.3 MPI, three previous owners, full bodywork restoration and re-spray.

Aluminium dash. Silver/black full leather. MoT till June 2022. Please call 01489 789921, South East.

2000, 55000 miles, £12,500. Cooper 1.3i.

Completely rebuilt in 2020 using all new panels, complete respray and engine overhauled. Ready to go with no rust. Interior in original VGC. Owned from new but I don’t driver her very much so would like her to go to a loving home where she’ll be driven. MoT till June 2021. Loads of pics of the work that has been done. Please call 07773 023937, South West.

110314

MINI CLUBMAN

110228

MINI COOPER

1978, £3,200. 1275 MG Metro engine. Original seats, no rust bubbles, tax and MoT exempt. Tidy all round condition. Please call 07518 208596, South West.

110313

1988, £12,000. Fully restored, engine rebuilt.

Please call 07904868818, South East.

111629

1983, £4,500. 1275 E imported from SA to UK in 1991. Last restoration 2000. MOT September 2022 advisories on front floor, offside sill corrosion. Soft and hard top. Fun car, runs ok.

Email nigel.wb01@gmail.com, Hampshire. Please call 07948 551637, South West.

110977

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MINI RITZ

1991, 37500 miles, £5,500. Nice car in good condition. Genuine mileage with all MOT’s and servicing. Auto works nicely. Maintained for two years by a local Mini specialist. MOT till April 2022. Please call 07436 003807, South West.

1985, 102000 miles, £4,500. New bodyshell, rear subframe, engine overhaul, parts replaced too numerous to list, MoT until June 2022, garaged and used in dry only. Please call 01904 422176, Yorkshire and the Humber.

110318

MINI MAYFAIR

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110322

MINI DYMO 1710 PLASTIC LABEL MAKING MACHINE £250. Classic Mini Cosmics Alloys 4 x 5 x 10 with tyres. Please call 07979 406536, Yorkshire and the Humber.

111958

MINI WHEELS 1989, 30000 miles, £7,500. Fully restored to a high quality standard and all parts renewed with heritage parts full paintwork done by professionals to exact colour when new. M.O.T till March 2022.

Great running we car never misses a beat. All reasonable offers considered. Please call 07763 140880, South East.

111911

1965, £4.50. Period DYMO labelling machine, model 1710, complete with part reel of black 1/4” width plastic labelling tape. Makes durable labels for the labelling of dashboard toggle switches in period rally cars etc. Fully working order. Gold 1/4” plastic tape reel also available separately. Please call 07795 121845, Greater London.

£100. Set of four classic Mini 12£ Minilite type wheels (tyres u/s perished). Also front and rear windscreens, £30 pair. Please call 01787 377602, East of England.

112374

MINI COOPER ORIGINAL STEERING WHEEL

112295

MINI ROVER MINI MINI MAMBA ALLOYS

2000, 27501 miles, £7,500. 2000 (97MY) Rover Mini 1.3i. Balmoral half leather stone beige interior with Walnut dash. Old English White (NNX) with Black Roof. Refurbished pepper pot wheels, new tyres. MOT till March, lovely car in very good condition. Has been garaged with occasional summer use. More pictures available. Please call 07903680091, East of England.

£250. Classic Mini original Mamba Alloys 4 x 5 x 10, V/good. Please call 07979 406536, Yorkshire and the Humber.

112392

111957

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111960

CARS@KELSEYCLASSIFIEDS.CO.UK

1966 A U S T I N M I N I D E L U X E ■ OWNER AT THE TIME: Paul Eeles ■ ISSUE: Summer 2017

P

aul Eeles was keen to have a Mk1 Mini in his life. He found a suitable candidate in the form of a 1966 Surf Blue De Luxe but he had to change it to red to create a tribute to the Monte rally Minis of the 1960s. It was fate that directed him to build an homage to Rauno Aaltonen and Henry Liddon’s all-conquering 1967 Monte Carlo 1275 Cooper S, LBL 6D. “I ordered a replica rally plate and I didn’t know which one was coming, but then 177 came, so I thought I’d better do that car.”

Stripping the Mini revealed issues with the rear quarters and much more:

94 March 2022 MiniWorld

Looking back at feature cars from MiniWorld's archives

“It needed a complete floor, inner and outer sills, A-panels, wings, inner wing, rear valance, round by the back lights and boot floor repair.” Paul entrusted Tony Ennion, in Cheshire, to do the bodywork and paint which took six months. This was back in 2009.

Once the painted shell was home Paul started building it up, which was not that straightforward as he wanted it to look authentic. “Robert Young, from the Mini Cooper Register, said the thing about Works cars is the loom. That would make or break the car. He came

and helped me out with that and I can’t thank him enough for that.” Autosparks in Nottingham supplied all the wires.

He sourced parts from the late Works Mini expert John Kelly, including the push-start extension, route card holders, knee protectors and lock covers, which John made.” Catmint supplied the lamp bracket but modified it slightly for Paul’s requirements. “He’s really good.” They also made the Works winter grille muff specifically for this Mini.

Thankfully Paul could learn more about the original car as it is displayed

in the British Motor Museum. "We took photos of the real car. We measured the door square, and the number on the door, where the relays were, everything really. We went over it with a fine-toothed comb.”

Attention to detail included buying a roof rack from Bryan Purves to carry Dunlop SP44 Weathermaster forest tyres bought from Vintage Tyres.

The Mini performed as well as it looked, with its 1330cc engine achieving 110bhp at the wheels on Southam Mini & Metro Centre’s rolling road.

MiniWorld March 2022 95

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Mini Magazines 2022 Sale A.qxp_Layout 1 19/01/2022 16:31 Page 3

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