Just picked up a classic Mini Cooper "project" that looks to be in sort of decent condition, but some of the panels might no be able to be saved. I need some help in acquiring the front lower valance that sits under the grill along with the rear lower valance that the rear deck lid hinges bolt on to. Would anyone know of a source for this sheet metal?
I also wonder if anyone knows what size socket is needed to remove the steering wheel nut, it's MASSIVE ! !
Hopefully some progress photos to follow, I just got the car and haven't finished poking around it yet. Literally poking it, to find the rot and rust that might be hidden . . .
Mini Mania is a good source in the US for both decent parts and good tech support. I recommend supporting them for the latter reason. I've also had good luck with http://www.gbcarparts.com/ - pricing is closer to the UK numbers, but inventory is patchy and is clearly based on whatever was in the last shipment.
I have a 67 Cooper S 1380, RHD Aus Spec, that I rebuild from ground up. It's concours / auto cross usage.
took me 9 years start to finish. Minimania is my motor work. Graham at Heritage Garage is local to me - and I get all parts for them
holler if you need anything
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Thanks for the tip, just now came in from pulling th bumpers and real lid and getting a close look at what's under them. Front "lip" need some repairs, probably just some sheet metal welded in on the right side where the bumper would attach, maybe a replacement if available. Rear is shot ! All of the metal is compromised where the rear lid and bumper attaches, going to need a replacement piece that include a bit of the metal under the tail lights.
Going to put together a list although shipping is probably gonna kill me !
In reply to mr2s2000elise :
Thanks for the offer, I'm going to need the sheet metal piece that fits under the rear lid that the hinges attach to at a minimum, making a list now !
My car is a right hand drive as well, honestly one of the reasons that I bought it . . .
A ground up is beyond my abilities, but nice ten footer will do just fine as I really do drive my cars right into the ground and parking lot dings would just kill me if the car was actually done up too nicely.
The nice thing about Minis is that pretty much everything is available and there is lots of good info out there -especially in book form.
+1 for Graham at Heritage. They did the pre-purchase inspection on the Mini I bought off Hemmings prior to having it shipped to PA. In hindsight, I wish I had them do more work on it prior to putting it one the truck. It would have saved me time and a lot of grief (and probably some money).
Some day I'll have a classic Mini again.
Spent a little time that I shouldn't have cleaning up, painting the inside, and polishing the outside of the front bumper, pretty much perfect. Something to set to one side and not have to deal with again until assembly. I was thinking of mounting for/driving light brackets in it but, since I have the grill off and it needs some attention, I might just cut some round holes on either side and mount the lights in the grill, I like that look.
A friend found out that I'd just picked uo the car and offered a set of 13" Panasports wth new Michelin tires, the car currently has 10" Panasports with new tires, but Il was thinking that the larger 13' wheels would help with highway speeds and I see that MiniMania offers a 13" wheel and tire package so it must be a common/viable alternative.
Any thoughts on this? Seems like a good idea, but totally without context to make the decision.
Could still/also use some info on what size socket to buy for the huge steering wheel nut, I have a nice vintage Moto Lita steering wheel for it, still trying to find the correct hub to mount it, but might as well remove the original wheel while I have the pent up enthusiasm. I have to lube the brake and clutch pedal pivots anyway and it'll be easier with the wheel gone.
Thanks—
That nut only looks huge because of context
I think it is one and1/8 inch of the top of my head. Larger tire diameter has a noticeable negative effect on brake performance on these cars. If you have 2 piston disc brakes on front or something later than that you're OK, but don't do it if it is a drum brake car.
They work FAR better on 10" tires. The later cars used 12" to clear disc brakes and went to 13" for style, so people think it must be better. It is not. Handling and ride works much better on 10s. I backdated mine to 10" from 12" and it was a revelation. I also went to a 7.4" disc brake setup from Mini Sport.
Minimania will probably have your hub. If not, try Mini Spares. It's a pretty typical setup.
Thanks for all of the info, guys !
Just took a bit of initiative and went over to where the car is being stored and DAMN ! The steering wheel nut is nly 1.25 inches, looks HUGE in there, just as you said Turner.
I hit gbcarparts and found almost all of the sheet metal that I need (probably place an order tomorrow afternoon) only thing missing was the piece that runs side to side that the rear lid hinges bolt to, have to check out some of the other vendors located here in the US, shopping and shipping from the UK might get costly.
Minimania does have some hubs, going to have to pony up the coin, OR make an adapter using the base/hub of the stock steering wheel as a starting point. Once the wheel is off I can see what's what.
Just sold my '73 Vette, got some coin to play with, this little car is just SO much more fun than the Vette, even if it does need work—once I begin to make some visible progress, I'll have to start posting some photos, right now all I have is a shiny front bumper . . .
I mainly use 7ent.com for my stateside purchases but more often than not I just order from minispares or minisport in the uk.
In terms of speed. I get parts fastest from 7 enterprises with minispares a close second, minimania comes third and minisport 4th.
Even with international shipping you will spend a fair bit less ordering from England.
Would love an original mini! Been watching Project Binky for years. I think they replaced the panel you're looking for so they must be out there somewhere although i could be mistaken.
notsafeforwork said:
A friend found out that Id just picked uo the car and offered a set of 13" Panasports wth new Michelin tires, the car currently has 10" Panasports with new tires, but Il was thinking that the larger 13' wheels would help with highway speeds and I see that MiniMania offers a 13" wheel and tire package so it must be a common/viable alternative.
Any thoughts on this? Seems like a good idea, but totally without context to make the decision.
Personally, I love my 10inch wheels. I would never put 13s on my mini
I run 165/70/10 yokohama a032. My MINI sees 10k miles a year. Most of my miles are in the fast lane doing 80-85mph, no issues with wheel/tire size
In reply to mr2s2000elise :
Since the 13" Panasports and brand new tires are free, I can't refuse them really. I might save them just in case. I'm not one to thrash a car about in the turns but really DO love a little more for the highway and I suspect that the rolling ratio of the 13" wheels might provide that with less stress the engine. In the end there's always the option of selling them on to someone with an MG Midget looking for something a little more sporty.
Probably sort out the peeling chrome on the rear bumper today, have a neat (or totally stupid) idea for some paint detailing and mounting a rear (red lens) fog light or a reverse light in the same spot. I'll work on it regardless and also look into what it might cost for a decent used or possibly new bumper.
In reply to 2Girlsracing :
"Been watching Project Binky for years" Who HASN'T ? ! ? ! ? ! ? !
Those two Brits are simply the very BEST ! ! ! Every time I watch an episode I want a cup of tea, and I HATE tea . . .
Now you got me going, I gonna to put off playing with the rear bumper for a spell and watch a few episodes right now.
In reply to notsafeforwork :
Unless those new tires happen to be 175/50-13 there is no way they will fit..... without a massive suspension lift.
10" wheels and tires are 19" tall. The sports pack 13" setup is 19.9". The next smallest 13" tire is 22.5" tall. Three and a half inches is a tough ask without major modifications.
The issue of scale comes up all the time when mini wrenching. Things look normal or even small in your hands but become comically oversized when you try to put them near the car.
Not sure of the tire size, but I noticed the the suspension mounts (?) were already sort of close to what's on the car. Again, free is free and they're being delivered, so why not. They might well be up for sale on this site for a Midget owner as I DO love how the car looks right now with the teeny, tiny Panasports on it !
"The issue of scale comes up all the time when mini wrenching. Things look normal or even small in your hands but become comically oversized when you try to put them near the car."
VERY good point, I'm just now starting to notice that phenomena, it's almost like a magic trick ! Even my lug wrench looks out of place being used on the wheel lugs.
I can't help but notice you said "mini cooper" in the title. Is it an actual cooper?
My mini 1000 had cooper badges on it but those were added by the previous owner
Yeah, MINI has devalued the Cooper name badly. It means something in the classics.
The 13s might be free, but you still have to use the car afterwards. I spent hundreds and hundreds to put 10s on mine, so I would say that 13s have a negative value to me.
Somewhere I have a picture of my entire drivetrain sitting beside a 5 gallon jerry can. There's not much difference.
Keith Tanner said:
Somewhere I have a picture of my entire drivetrain sitting beside a 5 gallon jerry can. There's not much difference.
Best I can do is a LS water pump dwarfing an A series block 
What trans would your car have? One of them(not the rod-link or the magic wand, but the third option) made me look like I didn't know how to drive stick.
In reply to Trent (Generally supportive dude) :
Good question. I know that the car has an '85 engine and trans in it, essentially a big collection of Mini parts and pieces all put together registered and titled as a 1971 Mini Cooper for the past fifteen years.
Apply to British Motor Heritage with your serial number and get a certificate. That will tell you what it was when new.
Mini Mania has a bitsa spotters guide as well.
