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 New to Mini's a few questions

 Created by: spares
Orig. Posting Date User Name Edit Date
Feb 22, 2019 05:15AM onetim Edited: Feb 22, 2019 07:45AM 
Feb 21, 2019 04:22PM thewerewolf  
Feb 21, 2019 04:09PM dklawson  
Feb 21, 2019 02:45PM spares  
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 Posted: Feb 22, 2019 05:15AM
 Edited:  Feb 22, 2019 07:45AM
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Not sure how refined your other British cars were, but expect strange squeaks,rattles. and vibrations in even the best mini. It's just character, and usually not a reason to pass in the car. Difficult shifting is a common problem, if it's all the gears, it can be a simple fix. And yup, RUST.

 Posted: Feb 21, 2019 04:22PM
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welcome.. congrats on buying a REAL mini.. later bc

 Posted: Feb 21, 2019 04:09PM
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US
Welcome.  If you pursue buying this Mini, consider adding more contact information to your profile.  You will likely find there are people on this board who are near you.  They will be able to offer guidance and perhaps even look at the car with you.

You asked what to look for.  Look for rust.  Look for perforations in the A-panels, floor, boot floor, scuttle at the windshield, battery box, the bottom of the doors, and companion boxes in the back seat.

The magic wand shifter has a LONG shift lever that penetrates the floor in a forward position near your feet.  You said the 1275 is a transplant so the gearbox likely is also.  Look under the car.  If there is a long (more or less) rectangular aluminum casting coming off the back of the gearbox and going to directly under the shift lever, that is a "remote shift" gearbox.  If that aluminum housing is held onto the gearbox with 4 vertical bolts, it is a Mini remote shift.  If there is a steel bracket with horizontal bolts holding the casting to the gearbox, that is likely from an MG-1100 or Austin America.  A lot of AAs donated their 1275 engines and gearboxes to Minis.  If you do not see the rectangular aluminum casting, look for rods running from the back of the gearbox to under the shift lever.  If you find those, the gearbox is the later rod change type.

Of course there is also the possibility that the car being sold as a '64 is not that old.  VIN numbers are often transplanted.  At a glance, a '64 should have sliding door windows, and the doors should have "rounded corners" at their bottoms.

One last thing to mention is semantics.  Though not strictly adhered to, Mini (with only the M capitalized) generally means the original, classic car.  MINI (with all the letters capitalized) generally applies to modern car being built by BMW.

Doug L.
 Posted: Feb 21, 2019 02:45PM
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New to Mini's but not new to British cars,have had lots of midgets, MGB, MG TC and TD Morris travelers and others.
I am looking at a 64 Mini with a 1275 transplant the owner has had it for several years but not a real MINI person. 
The gearbox does not have the "magic wand" shifter and I dont really know what that is. The shifter looks like a normal shifter in a midget? I will get to drive the car this weekend, any questions or things I should look for??

Any help is appreciated,

Martin