[ 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...
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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
