Thanks for the mirror tip!

 
Buy an aftermarket mirror that uses a glued on mount. Mini rear view mirrors always vibrate. 
Deb

I love the colour scheme. It really works. Nice looking car. Glad you are having fun with it.

I take Robert O's Mini and if so, yes he did a lot of travelling in it, mostly with Winnie.  From Florida, me kitty-corner in SW British Columbia, we ended up at a number of meets together.

One of the reasons I bought this car was that the PO had traveled so much with it.  I figured it was either pretty reliable, or worn out.  Stuff that is worn out can usually be fixed--witness some of the piles of rust in the Porsche world that are rebuilt and now command 6 figures!  I don't fault the car for quitting on me the other day--it was something that I could have fixed on the spot with a little more knowledge, and I'm learning that.  My own British car mechanic seems happy enough with it--I fixed the things he recommended, and it wasn't a long list.

While I'm thinking of it, can you or someone else tell me how to make the rear view mirror suction cup work better?  I replaced it last fall, so it's new, but still seems to want to vibrate loose.  Suggestions?  

Hello Deb. 
I am Rileydeb, my Mini is a 1967 Riley Elf. So therefore "rileydeb".
It has always been our habit of calling our Minis by their former owners name.
Bob, drove that Mini all over and it was reliable.
His other Mini , a convertible made it up to Canada and is now in one of our member's garages.

Welcome to the crazy world of Classic minis.

Deb

Well, I see it's been quite a while since my last post.  I've driven Angela through the winter (dry roads only), and am learning some quirks.  First, the ball joints were replaced, and that did seem to help a bit on the steering.  The "ticking" noise in the left front was a bearing, done.  Routine oil change, etc. done.  Can't remember what else was done last fall, although I have a list on the receipt.  

Angela let me down the other day, though.  I stopped to show her to someone, then noticed she was really running rough in the parking area.  When I stopped for traffic before entering the main road, she quit cold and wouldn't relight.  Cranked well, just wouldn't catch.  Fortunately it was only a couple of miles from home, so long-suffering spouse came to help.  Turned out that a wire had pulled loose from the distributor, so it was a freebie.  I made Hubby show me exactly where each wire was supposed to go, and what it did.  Also made him show me how to check for a spark.  

I haven't been stuck on the roadside for decades, other than for flats.  Not sure I like the experience, but it was pretty painless this time, and I learned a lot for the next time.  BTW, she's been a real hit in this area--I live in a very large gated community (14,000) of mostly retirees--like the Villages in Florida, only with gates.  Everyone is always commenting on what I drive, whether new or old MINI/Mini.

I've got an appointment Tuesday morning with my mechanic for a review of what might need to be done in the near future, or over the longer term.  Hope I can lighten the steering effort a bit, as I really get a workout when I drive.  Everything else is fine, just getting to know a new old car.  Dion said he shipped my shop manual, and I'm eager to read it.  Not necessarily work on the car, mind you, but at least look through it.  We'll do the easy stuff ourselves, like oil changes.  The rest remains to be decided.

Well we don't want to directly attack anyone here. Never claimed to be a good speller. You had same body style with the power bulge. I worked for the Saab dealer in the late 60s / early 70s. They even sponsored my Cooper S Solo 2 SCCA national car. Did NASCAR saturday nite short track, PCA with the wife's 71 911 T with tripple Webers and S suspension and brakes. Vintage in the mini and dirt track 1/8 and 1/4 mile go kart. I hope your steering is a simple fix. Steve (CTR)

If i remember correctly Bob's Mini had a stock steering wheel and knowing Bob the suspension and settings are all correct. As with all cars without power steering get used to moving first before you turn the steering wheel, it becomes easy to turn the wheel then move without P.S. Also if you still feel the need for p.s you can install an electric set up. Enjoy.....

Ma'am there are 4 key to achieve a soft manual steering without using too much of elbow grease.

1) Maintain proper tire pressure (mine is at 32 psi, i like it hard)

2) Good amount of Oil in the steering rack ( i use 20w/50 oil)

3) Maintain a postive castor ( 1-3 deg is ideal/ but pls refer to your Haynes manual on this one)

4) Properly shimmed and greased balljoint to achieve the correct tightness.

Off topic: Manual is for younger dudes who wants POWER when needed, burn rubber etc, and do all kinds of stuffs.,noisy exhaust etc. (not my tempo)

Automatic is for people like me who wants convenience./ who wants to be able to do a SUDDEN stop using only my right foot nothing else.

Steering wheel appears normal size.  As for the other possibilities, I'll let my guy up here take a look at it next week.  You know those sore muscles you get when you do more yard work than usual?  Well, I sure had 'em after I spent a good part of the day tooling around the area.  So, either I find something to fix, or I'll get some nice arm definition!  

Actually, I could probably use the latter.  I remember reading a long time ago that if you switched from a manual to an automatic, you'd gain a pound a year over the same mileage.  That was decades ago, when many people still had manuals.  I have to say, there are plenty of ways to gain weight, even if you still drive a manual.  Don't ask me how I know!

The high effort steering may be due to somebody installing a quick ratio steering rack like this one:

//www.minimania.com/part/C-FAM7307/Steering-Rack-Mk-Ii-Left-Hand-Drive-Quick-Ratio

what size is the steering wheel?  If a smallish wheel was installed, this will increase the turning effort.

Another thing could be that someone has installed a drop bracket, but not loosened the steering rack to allow it to rotate as the column dropped, so it could be binding at the attachment of the column to the rack.

Good luck!

Scott

Minimans--yeah, I kind of like the colors.  It's really different!  The white is actually a light cream, not refrigerator white.  The red stripes are painted on, so I probably won't be changing them, unless I overlay something in vinyl on the red.  Still not sure what, if anything, I might change in appearance.  I have magnetic round Union Jack number gumballs from my old autocrossing days, and I might stick them on the doors to see how I like the effect.  I have a great graphics shop nearby, so I'll probably figure something out...or just leave it as is.  My modern MINI is kinda bright, not something you'd typically see a 65 year old woman drive, but hey--at least everyone knows me around here!  See photo.

Dr Mini--Good to know.  That was my impression in talking to him.  I'm not sure how he found out my concern about the turn signals, but I think I inadvertently offended him.  I certainly didn't mean to criticize the car (or him).  If I'd wanted a museum piece, I have written a much bigger check.  I wanted a driver, though, and as soon as we get the steering figured out, I'll certainly have that.  This car has a lovely interior--red leather and wood--and that was a factor, too.  It's very comfortable.  I broke my back in a Bimmer crash a number of years ago, so I was gambling a bit on the seats, but they work for me.  

As for clubs, I'm already active in a number of clubs, both MINI/Mini and otherwise. I was just up in Eureka Springs for MINIs In The Ozarks.  I led a drive there, too, partly on the Pig Trail, but mostly on some wild and woolly roads I discovered that were a blast.  A number of people knew I was "expecting," and I promised them I'd bring the classic up next year if I felt it was reliable enough.  By then I should have any issues sorted out.  

CooperTune--I'm not easily upset unless there's a direct attack on me as a person.  I hate that kind of drama and think it's misplaced in a car forum.  As for the Sonett (spelled that way, not Sonnet), mine was a V4.  My serial number was 000686, so it was fairly early in production.  I bought it in '71, and it was my daily driver until I moved to Houston in '75.  The only reason I sold it was because the dealer in Houston said they'd never seen one, and I was afraid of parts availability there.  There weren't many Saabs in Houston in the '70s or '80s, and I think the dealer killed the Saab line in the '90s, even though they carried a number of marques, and still do today...including MINI.  The Sonett was a weird car, but a blast to drive.

Glad all this is not upsetting to you. I completed moving the 85 Mayfair around the shop today and still steering with two fingers though the window. So you know I'm 67 next month and not a he man. I also have a Saab Sonnet three cyl. under restoration in my shop. Belongs to a high sweet heart who moved away years ago and left in storage local. When she found out the building was being torn down I rescued it. Can't wait to hear that ring a ding ding again. Steve (CTR)

As others have indicated, Big Bob is as honest as the day is long. He takes very good care of his cars and you can rest assured that your Mini is a good one. It should give you many years of happiness. Hopefully you will come to some of the Mini events and join in the madness.

What a splended looking mini! hope you enjoy her to the fullest. The red roof and accents are a bit different on a white car? personal preference would be to remove the boot and bonnet stripes but that just me!

Wow, lots of information to sift through--and I always believe everything I read on the internet, right? 


In no particular order, oldminimover49, yes, the car did belong to BO, and the shop reported that he was very diligent with maintenance.  I got a text message from him last night telling me there's a switch to turn off the "fire alarm" turn signals.  Found the switch and...silence!  Funny thing is, today I had to drive my modern MINI, and I found myself deciding not to signal (not for traffic, just habit) because of the reverse conditioning from the noise.  I'm so happy that was easily resolved.

Today I spoke to the mechanic I'll be taking it to for things we can't do.  I'll take it in next week to have him check the steering.  Also there's a ticking/clicking noise that is speed related, sounds like maybe a wheel bearing or something on the left side.  It's not real noisy, but needs to be checked.  I also want to have him show me how to do an oil change.  We normally do our own on all of our cars, except the MINI, which is still in warranty.

Regarding the tire pressures, we didn't know what the pressures should be, and actually have them higher than you guys are suggesting.  CooperTune, definitely couldn't do that at all with this car.  As I say, we'll find out next week.  It's an old car, and they all need work.  I'm not worried, and won't be upset if I have to replace or fix things to make it right.  If he says it's all okay, I've got another friend who has the latest super-duper alignment machine, but it seems to track all right, and I don't think it's that.

Alex, understand what you're saying, but I'm not worried.  This is a state that has no inspection or emission checks, and no one around here would even know the difference.  I had no problem with registration yesterday, and the paper in the glove box, and the insurance card are all I need.  I have go-fast machines already, but didn't buy this car for that.  I doubt that I'll stir up much interest with the gendarmes with this car!  I haven't even installed a radar detector yet (is there even a cigarette lighter for a power source?).

tothefloor, the car was rebodied in '95 with a '93 shell, so yes, the body was shipped over without the chassis.  Oh, and for all who have mentioned engine, it has the 1275.  I'll post some engine photos when I can.  I'll also try to get the Vin off the body. I have some appointments tomorrow, so it will probably be Friday or the weekend before I can do that. 

For all of you guys, yes, I know about reVins, the 25 year law, etc.  I didn't go into this entirely blind.  What I need help with will mostly be keeping her running and in good condition, and I may need advice as to what year parts to use for specific issues.  I do have a number of friends in the local British car club, most of whom do their own work, and also some good shops in the area.  Back in the day I used to maintain my Saab Sonett, and I'm sure I can do it again.  My husband and I did the restoration of our 356--everything except the actual body and paint work, so we've been around tools for plenty of years.  He's an engineer, and he's kindly allowed me to indulge my...insanity...with all things MINI and Mini.

Take a quick peek at the boot latch where the trunk handle attaches to the boot

If you look closely you will see small numbers stamped into the plate either on the flat or maybe on the top

Eg:10 93, tenth week of 1993 for the correct build date

This will help you when ordering parts

If the car belonged to B O, then it was well maintained

Big AL