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Flatwater Newsletter Archive
1998 to 2002

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A book entitled Mini Coopers The Real Thing by John Tipler gives a lot of good hints on determining authenticity. It lists correct numbers for the carbs, head, engine, distributor, transmission, body and engine. As I subsequently found out, the original engine and transmission for the car had been stored on a porch and they proved to be Mini Cooper along with the distributor and carbs. I also checked the manufacturer dates on the safety glass and they all indicated third or forth quarter 1961. So the car was early in the production run which started in July of 1961. Since most Mini Coopers had a dual paint scheme, the respray had covered the original black top which was revealed through a few chips in the paint!

So where I head from here has yet to be determined; but my close encounter with a Mini Cooper has proved to be most challenging and educational! I have a nice start for an SCCA GT-5 club racer or a car to drive to future A-H club events.

PART II

What do I really have? Or from the significant other's perspective - Why did you buy that?

It took nearly half a day to sort, identify, assess damage and wear, note missing, check manufacturerõs numbers, clean, tag, and bag all the parts that came in the seven boxes. The 997 head was missing. It had been taken to a machine shop 15 years ago. A check with Ace Mead, the owner, turned up nothing! The rear subassembly was rusted extensively and must be replaced. A quick call to Mini Mania got a quote of $200 for the Sheet metal only. The generator had been loaned to an Austin owner - it might turn up.

I checked through my collection of books and literature on Austin Minis and turned up the following:

• Mini Cooper the Real Thing! by John Tipler
• How to Modify Your Mini by David Vizard
• The Austin Seven Driverõs Handbook
• 1100/1300 Workshop Manual by BMC Service
• Vintage Racing British Sportscars by Terry Jackson
• The Complete Catalogue of British Cars by David Culshaw and Peter Horrobin.

While BMC 1100/1300 Service Manual had the most pertinent information for a restoration project, I decided to obtain an original Mini workshop manual. In Hemmings Motor News (HMN), Voss Motors of Michigan lists a factory original for $40. They also had mechanical and body parts books at the same $40 cost each; but Iõll wait for these! I got the manual in less than a week and much to my disbelief it also contained the Australian 7Supplement. That sure brought me back from my doldrums of a Nebraska football loss!