Author Topic: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin) (Read 35379 times)

sbwhart · « **on:** January 09, 2009, 07:15:24 AM »

Hi Chaps

I would like to introduce Gavin he's our much loved 1989 Austin Mini Mayfair. We've had him from new some 20 years he is my wifes car that she bought when she went back to teaching when our Kids had started school themselves.

He's had quite an adventurous life our two kids both learnt to drive in him, and we only resently just found out that our son holds the record for number of pasengers carried:- seven, four in the back and three in the front, why is it that parents are the last to find these things out, if we'd know at the time he would have been grounded.

I've done all the maintainance and repairs on him, A real tinkerers car no electronic gismo, points and timing etc to be set. He had a complete body rebuild mainly due to rust and having an argument with a Chelse Tractor. We only use hin now in the summer for crusing the lanes of Cheshire.

So now you know ther's more to me than machining and steam trains.

Have Fun

Stew

Bernd · « **Reply #1 on:** January 09, 2009, 09:18:19 AM »

Looking good for 20 years and constant use.

You'd be lucky over here to get that many years on a car. The way the spread salt on the roads here in winter it would have eaten the Mini in no time.

I did a few stunts with my Dad's VW Bettle when I first started driving. You can get the tires to spin in second gear.

Bernd

sbwhart · « **Reply #2 on:** January 09, 2009, 11:22:47 AM »

Hi Bernd

We spread rock salt on the roads over her also, plays havoc with the body the front end of the Mini had vertualy rotted away that and the spead bumps we have on the roads over her, nearly caused the engine to drop out. When we had the yearly road worthy test we do over her, (MOT) the garage couldn't beleave how it was still in one piece.

Cheers

Stew

bogstandard · « **Reply #3 on:** January 09, 2009, 11:39:37 AM »

Bernd,

But just a bit of info that might be of general interest to members.

Quote

The way the spread salt on the roads here in winter

The area where Stew and myself come from, supplies most of the salt for the roads in the UK and Ireland. Most of it is mined only a few miles from where we live.

http://www.winsfordrocksaltmine.co.uk/

http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/towns/northwich.shtml

At one time, even more locally, Elworth, Sandbach, hot water was pumped down into the ground, and the resulting brine was evaporated off to make table salt. This caused major subsidence of our local area, and there are now many man made subsidence lakes, and houses leaning at wierd angles. In fact, in certain areas, new houses have to be built on 'rafts' of concrete to counteract the effects of subsidence.

http://www.saltinstitute.org/symposia/symposium3/lewis.pdf

My great great grandfather, and later his son, used to own a small salt mine in Over, just outside of Winsford.

So we know all about what damage the salt causes, and not just on the roads.

John

sbwhart · « **Reply #4 on:** January 09, 2009, 11:56:28 AM »

Just like to add a bit more to Johns point about the salt in Cheshire. It was the foundation of a number of world class chemical firms such as ICI. Salt is the basis of a lot of chemical products clorine being one, it was the demand from the cotton industry in the 1800 for a cheap and quick way to bleach cotton white, that was the stimulus for these chemical industries to develop, this led to the field of organic chemistry.

Her endeth the history leson.

Cheers

Stew

John Stevenson · « **Reply #5 on:** January 09, 2009, 02:44:46 PM »

I have a soft spot for Mini's - Romney Marsh

No seriously I have had quite a few, a couple of vans and 3 pickups, no cars thought.
The vans and pick ups were more basic than the cars, heaters were an optional extra [ no joke ] and they had rubber suspension and not the hydrolastic as fitted to the cars.

BTW you can get 17 people in a mini pickup if 14 of them stand up in the back holding on to one another, no mean feat as we were coming back from the pub to the paddock at a race meeting.

And you can get 14 one hundredweight paving slabs in one as well.

Not bad to work on.
remove the exhaust, a few wires, fuel pipe, clutch cylinder, front brake pipe, track rod ends, 8 bolts and lift the body up and walk backwards and put it down.
the engine and front subframe is still sitting there. Better with two people but it can be done with one determined guy.

JS.

Divided he ad · « **Reply #6 on:** January 09, 2009, 03:39:04 PM »

Mini's

My first car was a Mini convertible (Cabriolet) it was the best 1000cc car a 17 year old could have. Metalic red paint, cream roof (with crappy plastic windows...But hey!?) big fat GB alloys (the real macoy!) and a 4" oval tail pipe!!!

So much fun, driving down the duel carriageway in the summer to Chester at 4am with two of my friends standing up holding on to the roll cage top bar at 70Mph.... Your right Stew... The parents should always be the last to know!!!

(no real reason... it was just fun

)

Fixed many of them in my time too.... 15 years in various garages saw to that.... Welding all BL, Austin and rover vehicles was quite the norm!!

Got all the flywheel tools and everything you could want to fix one Stew... Just shout up if you ever think you need one

I'll have to see if I can find a photo???? It was a long time before digital photography!! There may be one in the archives somewhere? Don't hold your breath

Thanks Stew, you just cheered me right up

Ralph.

Bernd · « **Reply #7 on:** January 09, 2009, 04:03:36 PM »

John,

There are salt mines just south of where I live. They ship all over the place. It's one of the many salt mines in the US. The first one had a colapse in it a few years ago. Sink holes all over the place. So know what your talking about.

End of

subject.

Bernd

SPiN Racing · « **Reply #8 on:** January 11, 2009, 02:35:00 PM »

GOD I loooove real Minis.

They are one of those cars that I want so bad I can taste it.

Im telling you guys.. Im gonna find one one of these days and spend a ton to hop pacross the pond and pick it up.

I remember looking through a British auto trader type mag.. and there were tons and tons and tons of them for cheap.. Not sure thats true anymore. But seriously want one.

Prefrably a cooper.. and early 70s. I think... (But I am by no means a mini expert)

Scott

sbwhart · « **Reply #9 on:** January 11, 2009, 02:46:44 PM »

Mini in trouble.

Went to the club track to help on some maintainance work this morning, and passed a red Mini just like Gavin in the ditch

Some one will be up set.

Stew

bogstandard · « **Reply #10 on:** January 11, 2009, 06:42:38 PM »

Spin,

They are still readily available, and reasonable prices as well. The main advantage is that because it was such a popular car, there was never and still aren't any problems getting new bits for these motors. In fact, I think you could build a brand new one by ordering everything from the catalogue.

I used to have a accountant aquaintance, who was Alex Issigonis's right hand man when he was designing the very first minis, and he said that he was so hot blooded (Greek extraction I think) he would not let anyone deviate from his original drawings. It wasn't until after the initial ones were built and sold that they found major bodywork problems, with the outside seams being made to fit the wrong way up, and letting in copious amounts of water into the passenger compartment. So if ever you went for one, stick to a mark after 1965, by then they had most of the major problems sorted. I can't quite remember when I saw my first one, but it was either 1959 or '60, it was a 'tallyman' getting out of it, and he must have weighed at least 15 stone (210 lbs). Stew and myself had a little bit of a discussion on this dating of the first one when he came to visit, but now have found out that it was released late '59

I personally don't think the latest BMW version captures the spirit of the earlier versions. They are just too large.

John

SPiN Racing · « **Reply #11 on:** January 11, 2009, 07:36:05 PM »

Ahh will take note.

Yeah the BMWs are just.. a little square brick of a car.

Under the hood they are the opposite of what Mini should be. They have a decently sized motor shoe horned in there so tight its silly. They are sooooo cramped in there.

Divided he ad · « **Reply #12 on:** January 11, 2009, 07:38:20 PM »

Told you I'd find a pic....

This is meant to be me!!!(pretty close I suppose!)
My big brother drew it after I got arrested for driving without an MOT (well they read me my rights etc... but I was not taken in... Just had to go to court etc!)
.... Not good considering I worked in a garage and was an MOT tester the next year!!!

This was my Birthday gift from him in my 20th year

Scott... The one I owned was re-conditioned and sent to the USA to it's new owner..... It could still be out there somewhere?
Apparently it's not that expensive to ship them... It just takes ages!!

The reg' on the drawing is correct... I wonder if it is traceable? ... It would be one car I would buy back.... I had so much fun in that car

It's alright Stew... Mini's can be re-built in a matter of days.... It'll be fine soon enough

Ralph.

Brass_Machine · « **Reply #13 on:** January 11, 2009, 08:25:52 PM »

I am a huge fan of the classic Minis. Can't stand the new ones. Unfortunately we don't see a lot of the classic ones here.

Stew... I hope you plan on hanging onto Gavin for a long time. What a car!

On a side note, did anyone see the guy here in the sates that built a mini from scratch? Tube chasis, Carbon Fibre replica body and mid engine? I will post the link in another thread.

Eric

rleete · « **Reply #14 on:** January 11, 2009, 08:43:37 PM »

A little off topic, but being a car guy I had to chime in. A couple of years ago I told the wife I was going to buy a sports car. I was looking for something small and zippy, having previously had a Corvette and a Mustang GT. I was thinking along the lines of an old MG (my brother has a 1959 MGA) or a Triumph. Problem is, here in this part of the States, the salt they use on the roads is a car killer. They use so much, this section of the country is often called the Rust Belt. So, the older cars were either basket cases or well beyond what I was willing to spend on a toy.

Cruising the car ads, I came across a 1994 Mazda Miata. Small, 5 speed, in reasonable shape for it's age. Amazingly, the wife said yes. I got a great deal, because what kind of idiot buys a convertable with a bad top in the dead of winter? Here's a pic taken just befor I bought it:

Hard to see from this angle, but the rear window is gone. There are numerous scrapes and dings, and the interior was filthy.

Fast forward a year, and I've put a whole new suspension in it; lowering springs and performance shocks. It sits about 1.5 inches lower now. It also has a new top. Then, while driving to work one morning, I decided the lack of power (104HP) needed to be rectified. I found a used supercharger kit, along with a methanol/water injection setup. Wife wasn't so thrilled with that purchase! I also bought a standalone ECU (the computer, fully programable) and some other goodies like a larger fuel pump and injectors. Final set up ought to yeild in the neighborhood of 220HP. Not too shabby for a 2000 pound car. It's all waiting for better weather to be installed and tested.

Rog02 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 12, 2009, 01:02:44 AM »

Nice looking Mini Stew!

Those things are a blast to rip around in, just a bit too cramped for my 6'2" (mostly leg) frame though. I always wanted to take the drivers seat out and drive from the back seat. Not to worry though I can't fit into a MG midget without putting the top down first either, however I have owned my fair share of MGB roadsters and GTs. All was good once I got in (my knees folded a bit better in those days).

One Saturday evening several of our friends from the IAM asked Linsey and I to join them for an evening of racing at Cowdenbeath. As an old dirt track racer with credentials as an ASA asphalt late model crew chief, an evening of watching cars whiz around a soccer pitch going the wrong way was intriguing so we joined them. The first heat up was the Mini class. What a HOOT! There must have been 25 of those things in one heat. Little 600 CC engines buzzing away like asthmatic bumble bees, cars bouncing off the wall and each other. It was funnier than watching the dachshund races.

A couple of weeks after that, Linsey was given a new BMW Mini to do a drivers evaluation on for one of the motoring magazines. We flogged that thing daily for a couple of weeks. It was a decent enough car but was rather gutless in my opinion.

I still kid Linsey about getting a Robbins Reliant. They are just so ugly, they are cute.

gilessim · « **Reply #16 on:** January 29, 2009, 04:55:17 AM »

Hi there, I am also a great mini fan, I've owned 5 of them ,unfortunately they all ended up at the scrappers!

in about 1980 I worked for a while in an auto parts shop and one day, for something to do, we worked out how much it would cost to make a new mini just from parts, I seem to remember that it came to about £20,000! when a new one cost about £3000!

Giles

bogstandard · « **Reply #17 on:** January 29, 2009, 05:16:20 AM »

Rog,

I rode about in Reliants for many years, and even drove about in one of these for a bit, when a mate would let me borrow it.

It is based around the Reliant chassis and engine, and was a classic icon in the early 70's.

http://www.bondbug.com/gallery/general_gallery.asp#

The engines could be tuned up to race performance, in the early models, 700cc all Aluminium. In later Reliant models they were bored out to 850cc.

It wouldn't look too far out on the roads today.

Bogs

sbwhart · « **Reply #18 on:** January 29, 2009, 05:46:02 AM »

Hi Giles

Pleases you like our Mini we keep him in the garage through the winter to protect him from the salt that they spread on the roads. I can't remember what we paid for him new it must have bin £3000 to £5000, I do know it cost us in total £3500 to have brought up to good condition, this included a complete new front, new doors skins, new right hand rear wing, new boot, new bumpers, and a loads of new trim, we had the work done by a company in Stoke on Trent called Mini Mine that specialise in renovating mini's. Mechanically he was in good condition the problem was with the body work rusting.

Reliants wouldn't have a rusting problem as they had fiberglass bodies.

Cheers

Stew

gilessim · « **Reply #19 on:** January 29, 2009, 06:52:22 AM »

I remember that my mate had a reliant robin (known affectionately as the plastic pig) you could drive them with a motorbike license so he didn't bother with his car license for some time, we all had souped up minis and such like and we used to take the p**s out of him all the time, great little cars though, when he eventually crashed it ,it exploded into a million little pieces!

another mate had a bond bug, remember those?, I think it had a 500cc villiers engine and to start it you had to open the bonnet and put your leg in to kickstart it!

Giles

Baldrocker · « **Reply #20 on:** January 29, 2009, 07:24:32 PM »

Brilliant design the Mini. Loved the way the engine got washed
when you drove in the rain, particuarly the distributer.
BR

sbwhart · « **Reply #21 on:** January 30, 2009, 12:49:47 AM »

The fix for stopping damp effecting the distributer was a washing up rubber glove

the cables simply went through the fingers and were sealed with tape, the rest of the glove was pulled over the distributer:-

Job done a fix thats worthy of

Cheers

Stew

NickG · « **Reply #22 on:** January 30, 2009, 04:58:19 AM »

Like the Mini Stew. I used to have a J Reg Mini Neon, 998cc but it later had MG metro engine, then a semi-race 1380cc ... it was great fun!

I reckon I will have another 1 day!

Forgot to mention another 2 projects of mine, a 1989 Escort RS Turbo and a 1989 Renault 5 GT Turbo ... the 5 is running, I use it a couple of times a week for work, but the Escort, unfortunately is far from running!

Nick

Brass_Machine · « **Reply #23 on:** January 30, 2009, 02:45:51 PM »

Quote from: NickG on January 30, 2009, 04:58:19 AM

...
Forgot to mention another 2 projects of mine, a 1989 Escort RS Turbo and a 1989 Renault 5 GT Turbo ... the 5 is running, I use it a couple of times a week for work, but the Escort, unfortunately is far from running!
...

Hey Nick

Could you start up a thread about that Escort? Back here in states they didn't have a good reputation... we had a GT model but I think that was as good as it got. Never heard of a RS Turbo.... Sounds interesting and would like to learn more. I remember hearing of a cosworth engined one.

Eric

SPiN Racing · « **Reply #24 on:** January 30, 2009, 09:29:48 PM »

Ohhh Escort Turbo!!!!

For those of us on this side of the pond.. Escort=Mercury Capri..... with a real engine.

I always thought it was wierd that my brother had a Capri... I think it was a 74? or 73? Had a manual and a 6 cylinder. He ended up putting a header, cam, and carb(s) on it. ANd I always thought he was silly. I was of course 10 years old, and riding around in my mothers 1969 Grand Prix SJ with a 428, and power mods by Dad.
Oh and there were various other big block muscle cars on our street, like a GTX, 70 Chevelle SS, the next door neighboy had a 1969 Mach 1 with I guess a 429? It had the big block shaker hood.

NOW...... I realise it was very likely equal to most of those big lumps on a road course, if not superior.

Would love to see pics of the Renault and Escort.

Brass_Machine · « **Reply #25 on:** January 30, 2009, 09:47:16 PM »

Quote from: SPiN Racing on January 30, 2009, 09:29:48 PM

Ohhh Escort Turbo!!!!

For those of us on this side of the pond.. Escort=Mercury Capri..... with a real engine.
....

Would love to see pics of the Renault and Escort.

Are you sure? I thought the 79 to 86 versions were essentially the same as the Ford Mustang. And the later versions were based off a car from Australia.

Eric

SPiN Racing · « **Reply #26 on:** January 30, 2009, 10:34:30 PM »

Here is a goodle of the 74 Capri. For those of us in the US

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=1974%20Capri&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

Now the Mark II version of it... Oh that one I dont know.

Darren · « **Reply #27 on:** January 31, 2009, 06:55:34 AM »

Didn't realise you had those over there?

I had a MK2 Capri, mid green it was with a 1.6ltr engine. Found it in a field, been there for two yrs or more. Put a battery on it, drained the petrol etc and it fired first time.
It was old, it was neglected (abandoned in said field) BUT there was no rust and it was sound as a pound !!

Kept it for two yrs, drove it all over the country till some joker wrote it off for me.....then I bought a Cortina with a wopping 2ltr engine, loved it.
Mind you, at 25ish to the gallon it would be a bit expensive to run today !!!

NickG · « **Reply #28 on:** February 01, 2009, 03:59:36 AM »

Don't want to hijack the mini thread any more so see new thread RS Turbo & R5 Turbo!

Stilldrillin · « **Reply #29 on:** February 03, 2009, 12:24:31 PM »

Quote from: Divided he ad on January 11, 2009, 07:38:20 PM

Told you I'd find a pic....

The reg' on the drawing is correct... I wonder if it is traceable? ... It would be one car I would buy back.... I had so much fun in that car

Ralph.

Sorry this took so long Ralph......

You might just be in luck!

Vehicle Registration Mark SMK867Y
Make LEYLAND CARS
Model MINI 1000
Transmission & fuel type MANUAL PETROL
Body Type CONVERTIBLE
Colour RED

Check it out on here.......

http://www.cardatachecks.co.uk/

Good luck!

bogstandard · « **Reply #30 on:** February 03, 2009, 12:36:20 PM »

Now you see why you should always blank out Reg. numbers.

There are a lot of cloned cars out there, just by having a pic of the car and a Reg.

You never know who is watching you.

They even go around car parks and scrapyards, taking pics of cars that they have already stolen, and giving them another cars identity, especially if they can get Vin numbers as well. Very easy now that the Government has forced the Vin to be displayed thru the windscreen.

Bogs

Divided he ad · « **Reply #31 on:** February 03, 2009, 07:43:35 PM »

Fair do's.... That's pretty cool!

It was originally gold, so someone has changed the reg' details since I sold it!! (that was quite a while ago!!)

Your right about the cloning too John. When I worked at one garage we made number plates, we used to make loads for people who woke up one morning to find their plates has been stolen!!

The goverment tried to stop the sale of reg' plates without photo ID and proof of ownership.... Still doesn't work, you can buy them off the interweb with no ID at all!!!

Still a good site David. When I'm a bit flush I might try the search option

Ralph.

SPiN Racing · « **Reply #32 on:** February 03, 2009, 10:52:56 PM »

THe funny thing about the VIN number, or Reg plate.. I think...

I had a 1974 Mazda RX-3 I purchased.. I may have mentioned it in my Grage thread. It was a old race car, that was taken off the street in 1975. And about 65K of the 70K miles it had were track miles. After competing for a season or two in the sparkplug challenge series, the owners... I met most of them.. RENTED IT for Driving schools between thier own races.
There was much arguing about it being a RX-3SP, that had larger brakes and things.. but it wasnt.

In the end when I bought it, the owner never gave me a title.. just a bill of sale.

When the city came after me to license it.. I went to the guy I got it from, and then back through 5 Owners to a guy who lived about 20 minutes away!! He proceeded to tell me of taking it, and its sister car to Texas for around 5 years where he raced them. The sister car was crashed, and he took it to a salvage yard, and they scrapped it... but he didnt have the title with him, so never gave it to them.

Turns out.. he handed me the title to the car I had, and sent me on my way.

Fast forward 5 YEARS.

I had been pulled over 10 or 20 times for having a race car.. no hood, too loud, what is it.. you name it. Never a ticket or anything, just harassed.

I was researching some things, and decided to look up the info on the car.
I looked up the VIN number from the registration sticker, and insurance.. and it was a 1974 RX3. I remembered the numbers from entering them a lot of times.

The next day Im out washing it, and looked at the VIN in the window while washing it and noticed something odd. The numbers were different than I remembered.

Looking at the VIN on the car... and the registration.. I realised it WAS a DIFFERENT CAR!

I called the guy who I got it from.. he didnt have any other titles!

After spending a week contacting the Department of Motor Vehicles.. I finally got a woman who off the record gave me the last registered owner of the car... who lived in Key West.

On calling him he regailed me with a Hour or stories about the car.. and then said we could go to the DMV whenever I am in the keys and he would sign over the documents to the car.

A Year later.. I had sold the race engine out of it.. and then sold the rolling chassis to a guy who had a job with Boeing? in Scotland? I think? Anyhow.. he boxed it in a crate and shipped it over the pond. To be stripped completely and rebuilt from the ground up.

But yeah

Drove that thing.. doing silly things.. and never got pulled over. And they never verified the VIN number. And if they HAD.. JAIL. Immediately. They assume its stolen, and wait for the judge to sort it out. I dodged a huge bullet from that. I drove it as little as possible after I discovered the VIN number was wrong.

News:

Author Topic: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin) (Read 35379 times)

bogstandard

bogstandard

bogstandard

Baldrocker

bogstandard