1964 Mini fell into my lap

Good god. Like I wanted or needed another project. A good friend had some health issues and asked me to take his 64 Mini Cooper (unverified) 998. There was/is a little guilt involved but here I sit. 

Im considering the build out. I'll probably take it on (after the Midget). Like to bounce some ideas around if you all have the time. 

Current state: 

-basket case

-rust free 

-lots of holes in the floorboard 

-motor/trans likely need complete rebuild  

General Ideas/thoughts:

-im thinking an in-town runaround car would be the best way to build it. I think that's what they have to be from a comfort/safety standpoint.

-reliability would be nice. I don't ride my Norton Commando as much as I would like because something breaks every time I ride it.

-AC would be nice, as I live in Central Valley CA and am not as tough as I used to be.

-Don't know what originality costs or is worth on these given that it appears to be a genuine Cooper, but not an S.

-Setting it up for vintage racing would be fun, but it has to be claustrophobic and hotter than hell on a track. Also don't have a big enough garage yet to support this.

Options:

-buy rebuilt 1275 engine/trans and have a little reliability for $10k. 
  -pro: more power, someone else rebuilt it, some small amount of reliability. Native engine. 

  -con: still an a series, and I know it will always require some fettling

-rebuild the 998 and trans.  $6k?

-b16 Honda conversion 12-14k?

  -Pro: stock motor infinite reliability (at least in comparison). AC availability is realistic. Bolt in subframes and conversion parts exist. 
  -Con: not original and may ruin value of the Cooper part. (I'm not an originality nerd, and this is literally being saved from the junkyard by me). 
 

Just got the car today, but throw out stuff I haven't thought of. Thinking of taking it to paint asap so I can just get going on it. I would like most to keep the 10" wheels. I can't imagine a mini without. 

Getting this out of the way.

Put it together with the parts you have and either fall in love with it or move it on as a finished car. There are fan$ out there that will take it away if it is a Cooper.

I am still struggling with the juxtaposition of the words "rust free with lots of holes in the floors".

Haha. After all the E36 M3 I'm dealing with in the Midget the only way I'm considering an engine swap is if there is a kit and it has been done hundreds of times. The Honda B fits that bill as far as I can tell. Some company in UK even makes an AWD kit using crv parts. I'm thinking if I go Honda it will just be an FWD swap- nothing extreme. 

NOHOME said:

Put it together with the parts you have and either fall in love with it or move it on as a finished car. There are fan$ out there that will take it away if it is a Cooper.

 

I am still struggling with the juxtaposition of the words "rust free with lots of holes in the floors".

Lots of holes means they were drilled. Lots. Don't know what for. 

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

 

Getting this out of the way.

Brings back memories of my '89 All-Trac. 

Tesla or leaf drivetrain. 

Go electric for an in town runabout

What about putting a BMW K 1 head on a BMC bottom end?

Pros: Awesome, Stock +, a trodden path, easy to keep 10" wheels

Cons: AC? , some machining work necessary, ???

If you can find one, a Suzuki Swift engine fits nicely:

What about a bike engine? I know, no reverse or AC, but 12K redline is bitchin.

I think I like the K bike head swap.

Having grown up in the NAVY, my Dad was stationed twice at Lemoore.  Most people do not have a grasp of central valley hot, I understand wanting AC.

That said I think the 1275 is the easy button.  If you have never driven a Mini, it is as close as you will ever get to the sounds and smells of being in a gear box.  But you will have a grin from ear to ear!  Enjoy.  And keep it on the 10" tires.

David 

As you are project rich:

Put it back together with what's there unless the 998 is in sad shape

If the 998 needs a lot of machine work, find a 1275 and be done with it.

As for the AC (I live in Vegas): drive it on the days when the heat isn't super oppressive. I do this with my after work bicycle rides in the summer; there are usually 5-6 days in the summer when we get "down" into the mid-nineties. On those days we go for a 20-30 minute ride.

My .02

You know what falls into my lap?

1995 Chevrolet Lumina's.  Never anything cool.  

All engine swaps are stupid hard and stupid expensive to pull off. 

Any chance you could just flip this for $$$ that would help further other projects?

The floor holes intrigue me, roll bar and seat bolts?

I have a want to do the b swap to one. Just because silly fwd power to weight 

The 998 is fine in those. The 1275 is better, of course. But the 998 does a decent job moving it along.

My 848 was actually pretty good once you got it moving.

A/C in one of those is a pipe dream, IMO. The packaging is already tight. I wouldn't want to ever work on one that had a/c installed.

Make it run and drive, then profit. Prices for legit early Minis are skyrocketing.

If you have one Mini Cooper then you have to watch this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7hCPODjJO7s

Binky build by Bad Obsession Motorsport!!

IMO very funny and what a build!! :0D

Personally I'd throw a 1275 in, some old School Revolution wheels, a few suspension mods and enjoy.

Serious question, is it really $6k to rebuild a 998 without anything special? Aside from keeping originality, I wonder why anyone would do that. 

What makes you feel the engine/trans need rebuilt?

My inclination, especially considering you just want to putt around town, would be to toss the 998 back in it. My wife's has a 998 and it's slow but plenty for around town.Keep it simple.

A rust free, running, driving Mini will always be in demand and you can either then send it on it's way or decide you want more pep and find a good 1275.

I'm a British car fan, so my opinion is please don't hack it up for a swap.  Early Mini's are somewhat rare.  If you want a Honda (or whatever powered) Mini, use a later model with roll up windows. 

I'd restore it.  Either back to original condition or original with period upgrades.  Keep the 998.  Is it safe?  Not even close, but at least when it rains you won't get as wet as you would on a motorcycle.  The vent wings move a decent amount of air, but even with that, I would be a car for cooler days.  Not sure how attached you are to it, but if flipping it (either now or after finishing it up), I'd wager an original one will be worth much more.

In case you aren't aware, you can get the British Heritage Certificate on it to figure out if it is an original Cooper and what it left the factory with.

-Rob

6K is a tad extreme to rebuild an A series, unless you go crazy in the Swifttune catalog. The machine work on mine to turn the crank, balance the internals, bore the block 0.060" over and shave the deck was $1200. Pistons, bearings, oil pump and whatever else was inexpensive. I was about $2500 all in on my 998 and that included a 123 distributor. 

Minis are in the same category as VW bugs or old Mustangs where the cars are getting expensive but the parts are still affordable. 

The problem with fitting the ultra rare, Japanese spec air conditioning is that you have to run the bulky dashboard as well. To me the simplicity of the center mounted gauge binnacle and open dash tray is a big part of the charm of a mini. Space is super limited obviously. Just trying to find a place to hide the Megasquirt ECU in mine is tricky.  

Another thing to remember is that Minimania and Seven enterprises exist only to serve Americans who are needlessly afraid of international shipping. Their markups are around 160% compared to Minispares and DHL will get a shipment to you in 4 days. 

Seven's price for a single shock

Minispares

The exchange rate is about $1.15 to one UKP currently.

I sent you a PM on a 1275 I have, did you get it?

True the engine parts cost is reasonable, but you also have to think of all the rest of it, the gearbox rebuild, starter, clutch dizzy, alternator and on and on......$6K is very reasonable to rebuild the entire power unit.

I doubt this is a Cooper, it's a Mini.....and I doubt the 998 is original to the car.

You'll also want to add the front disc brakes - you can get a kit with everything you need for $5-600. Then you'll want to do the suspension - I recommend going with adjustable lower control arms and tie bars so you can set the caster and camber - otherwise it's just toe in.

I agree with leaving it on the 10's. However, I don't like Revolution wheels, they use sleeved lugs and I find those can get to where they allow the wheel to wobble a bit - feels like tire imbalance but you can never get rid of it. I'd get some wheels that are hub centric and use tapered lugs.

MiniSpares used to sell some really cool alloys that look just like the OE steel wheels - they use a little dog dish hub cap, very similar to what the original car had.

You can PM me for info, I've been building these cars/engines/gearboxes since the 60's - MinidaveC@gmail dot com

I agree, get your parts from Minispares and/or MiniSport, they're super cheap right now due to the exchange rate, I usually buy almost everything from Spares but Sport sells some front suspension stuff I like.

I lived in Fresno for a year, I know what the central valley heat is like, but the evenings can be nice to drive around. A/C is difficult, but not impossible and there are aftermarket kits. 

The best Honda kit is one sold by MCM (John McGee's shop) it uses a D series Honda motor so it fits better and doesn't overdrive the front end so badly. I have a friend with one in his Classic Mini Pickup. 135hp is plenty in a 1400lb car. cost is right around $10-12K for the kit, and the A/C will be on top of that. It's never a bolt in deal, but his is close.....

Putting a 1275 with a rod change in IS a bolt in deal and easy for a guy with your skilz.

Lots of good advice above, so I don't have much to add.

Regarding AC, I'm another person who's going to say it's a lot of hassle.  The late Minis that had AC also had front mounted radiators and condensers.  This car has the side mounted setup. Instead of AC, I'd paint the car a light color and keep the roof white, then put a light interior in it.  My DD in the summer is a 1966 VW Beetle--light blue on the outside, grey interior.  My Mini is red with a white top and it's similar.  If I get into it on a 90 degree day and I've left the windows down, it's not unbearable.  If I get in a modern car with AC, yea, the vents blow cold, but it takes a lot of time to cool down the huge dashboard and everything else.

I like in Kansas City - our summer is 90-100* and humid, my Mini is BRG with a white top and since it lives in the garage it's fine to drive around town on those days - but I wouldn't want to set off across country in it without A/C.....

The only late model Minis that had A/C were Japanese market cars, and like mentioned above they had a completely different dash to accommodate it, and OMG were those engine compartments cramped! the condenser was mounted in the right fender - opposite the radiator - and had its own electric fan. The radiator also had an aux fan mounted on the outside behind the radiator.

On my builds I use an aluminum radiator and never have a hot running issue.

So- AC is a pipe dream. Roger that. I'll do some more research into body number to verify it is a real Cooper. This thing is a complete basket case so it may take some digging to find everything.  

Teh E36 M3 said:

Good god. Like I wanted or needed another project. A good friend had some health issues and asked me to take his 64 Mini Cooper (unverified) 998. There was/is a little guilt involved but here I sit. 

Im considering the build out. I'll probably take it on (after the Midget). Like to bounce some ideas around if you all have the time. 

Current state: 

-basket case

-rust free 

-lots of holes in the floorboard 

-motor/trans likely need complete rebuild  

 

General Ideas/thoughts:

-im thinking an in-town runaround car would be the best way to build it. I think that's what they have to be from a comfort/safety standpoint.

-reliability would be nice. I don't ride my Norton Commando as much as I would like because something breaks every time I ride it.

-AC would be nice, as I live in Central Valley CA and am not as tough as I used to be.

-Don't know what originality costs or is worth on these given that it appears to be a genuine Cooper, but not an S.

-Setting it up for vintage racing would be fun, but it has to be claustrophobic and hotter than hell on a track. Also don't have a big enough garage yet to support this.

Options:

-buy rebuilt 1275 engine/trans and have a little reliability for $10k. 
  -pro: more power, someone else rebuilt it, some small amount of reliability. Native engine. 

  -con: still an a series, and I know it will always require some fettling

-rebuild the 998 and trans.  $6k?

-b16 Honda conversion 12-14k?

  -Pro: stock motor infinite reliability (at least in comparison). AC availability is realistic. Bolt in subframes and conversion parts exist. 
  -Con: not original and may ruin value of the Cooper part. (I'm not an originality nerd, and this is literally being saved from the junkyard by me). 
 

Just got the car today, but throw out stuff I haven't thought of. Thinking of taking it to paint asap so I can just get going on it. I would like most to keep the 10" wheels. I can't imagine a mini without. 

I loved my experiance with Mini Coopers. They are surprisingly big inside and really comfortable. But more than anything they felt like a street go- cart.  
      That's the trouble.   Driving them in a civilized manner is like watching attractive ladies take off their clothes in front of you with no outlet for the excitement.   
       Having said that, vintage racing is a ball. Really safe both for you and your car.  It will be cheapest way to have it look finished.  Plus it's going to be worth the most in resell.  
   It works well at autocross tracks and shorter tighter race tracks.  

To the Mini guys , 

can you use an Austin America 1275cc motor ?   Most were Automatic but  will a manual gearbox bolt on with the right flywheel ?

same basic car as an MG 1100