Generally reds fade the most—blues the least and everything else falls somewhere in between depending on where they line up in the visible light spectrum. Look at a boat marina and notice that almost all the canvas sail covers are blue and consider that there is perhaps a 30+ year age difference among the boats—yet they all are pretty much the same shade of blue. The handful of red and yellow sail covers you'll find are dull and faded. Look at a (US) presidential bumper sticker 6 months after the election. You can still read the (blue) president's name, yet the (red) VP's name is barely legible. Of course the type of pigment and the substance it is applied too make a difference as well. But you can't beat blue when it comes to overall colorfastness. 

Did you get your 1970s head lights?

(though I think you would be required to install right dipping headlights for driving in NA)

In any event, I have a pair of working RHD LUCAS headlamps from the '73 Aussie Van that had to be changed out for LHD here in Canada.

Now we are working on shipping it over to the USA. We missed the first boat but will catch another one in a few weeks I hope. There has been a lot of paperwork and middle of the night document scanning and emailing. I am so lucky to have my brother-in-law's help with the many things I couldn't do from half-way around the world. Hopefully the US customs clearance will go smoothly. I prepared a pile of documents, of course.

Some photos and links to my YouTube videos...

-Mark

//youtu.be/2gToe5NuzBE

I am an artist and can tell you that paint most definitely fades when exposed to the light (all forms, but especially sunlight), and not all colors fade at the same rate.  This is why on old plastic, painted, or printed signage you see logos without certain colors, or with them faded while others are bright).  In general, colors derived from mineral pigments will have a highre colorfastness rating, whereas manmade chemical pigments will fade extremely quickly in comparison.

If the color you are seeing on paint swatches looks like a darker version than what you have then it is probably the correct original color.  That being said, I had a real problem trusting the swatches I was seeing online because I have no way of telling how accurate THOSE pictures are compared to the original samples.  In the end I would match what you have now with the idea of keeping the paint LOOKING as old as it is...or...try to match what you feel is the most accurate paint swatch for the color you THINK it is.

Whee is the current owner of the Wolseley Across America car. I still have one, so there are two in the U.S. that I'm aware of.

I'm currently negotiating for a Mk 3 in South Africa. 23,000 miles from new. Maybe there will soon be two of those cars in the U.S..

Wolseley 1000 versus Wolseley Hornet. And certainly not an Elf. Sorry to be pedantic

Some of you may remember Chuck's daily posting of his journey following Lewis and Clark's journey across America, in his SA Wolseley Hornet 1000 ( a nice car certainly, although some would say...well...its not an Elf, is it?) all the way from Ft. Lauderdale, Fl to the hinterlands of the Great Northwest.  I wonder if our host kept that journalistic masterpiece on the site somewhere?  An inspiring read.

yes! found it! //www.minimania.com/Wolseley_Across_America_703

Read and enjoy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAMK3

After much obsessing, I came to accept that it looks to be a South Africa only color... I think... So far I've only come across two other Minis from SA in the same color. And I've heard the factory records have since been lost, so who knows. It looks greener and less saturated, more putty/gray, than other colors I thought were close. Anyway, the car is still in SA, so chance to see it in New York just yet. Here's a newer photo from June. Anyone have a pair of front seats with headrests that I can recover and install in my Mini? Thanks! [url=//servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=102&u=17486224][/url]

There are a pair advertised here that need re covering in the for sale section in Florida.

Here's a newer photo from June.

Anyone have a pair of front seats with headrests that I can recover and install in my Mini? Thanks!

[url=//servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=102&u=17486224][/url]

Very nice Sam! So what colour did it end up to be? I was going to say that it looked like 'Smoke Grey' in the Garage photos.    Mini Estate

Sam,
Looking outstanding...
From my limited experience driving around Brooklyn, as an outsider, I dunno if i would want that car there.... Maybe something more expendible like a Chevy Cruise or a Ford ****us.....
I haven't been in the office in Brooklyn for over a year and a half. So, I'm expecting they're gonna want to see my cheerful face at some point in the next few months....

Shoot an e-mail to my profile addy, and we'll see if we can't get together.... 

So, it has taken some time but the Mk3 is nearing completion. The engine has been painted the original South African pink and I'm working on making reproduction South Africa specific decals, such as for the rocker cover and air cleaner. We installed rear seat belts for safety but all else is staying original. The original seat vinyl is beginning to tear at the seams and will need to be recovered. While I'm at this task, I was thinking of swapping the front seats for ones with headrests. Anyone have a pair of center post headrest seats for sale?

Cheers!

I'm looking for a couple parts if anyone has some leads.

1. A pair of Lucas LHD headlamps for a 1970 car. I would like to stay original even if they aren't the most effective lights. 2. A lower dash pad with the metal trim strip

Thanks, Mark

Headlamps and dash pad taken care of.

From the photos of it outdoors (where the light is better) it looks like a Wolseley Hornet colour "Island Green".  Don't know if the SA factory used UK Wolseley colours or not.  Chuck would be the person to find out the definative answer for you.  Great looking car.

The car is in SA. I have a local friend who is helping coordinate and supervise the work as much as he is able. He has a Mini as well, and I think he is equally thrilled to work on this project. It is such a small car I would love to do the work myself if I had a private garage. I built my Mustang when I was a teenager and had my parents' house to work on the car. No affordable place here in Brooklyn where I can tear it apart, make a mess. When the Mini is ready, I'm not sure where it will live. If I can import it safely and for a reasonable cost, I'd love to have it here. Otherwise, it may live in Cape Town. I would feel a little bad to take it out of the homeland. I sold the Mustang a few months ago and I have a feeling the owner may be exporting it overseas. In the meanwhile, I'm trying to build some knowledge about Minis... reading books and online. I have the Haynes book. In the future I may need to find some relatively local and reputable shops in the NYC/LI area who know Minis if I find myself in over my head wrenching on an unfamiliar car. The Mustang was very simple, so I imagine the Mini isn't too different.

MSH, this is the same car you see on the Facebook page. It is quite a mini Mini world, it seems.