I've seen in a couple of different places on the web Mini pickups. Are these original cars or are they modifications. I guess what I'm asking is did Austin/Morris ever build a pickup variant. If so, what could anybody tell me about them?

 

They were built from the sixties to 81, stlye never changed except for the tail lamps.

 

Here an original 1974 Mini Pick-up imported from UK to the USA.
Mini Pick-up

 

This was my pickup...it's actually Leyland rather than Austin, but no one seemed to know what a Leyland was. It's since been sold. The pickups are great little cars, but a bit more pricey as they are considerably more rare.

 

2phun (or anyone else), what would you estimate the cargo area's dimensions to be, with the tailgate closed? I don't recall seeing that in any of my Mini books. Widest dimension, narrowest (wheel well to wheel well), and front/back?

 

Anyone know a good example for sale at a good price?

 

Turkys.com has one ....

which is not to say it is a 'good price'

but he has one ...

 

You could fit a 3'x3' hobby board in there, but don't plan on toting a full sheet of plywood (or even a half-sheet)! Although with the tailgate down, I did haul a queen mattress, box springs, a desk, and a load of other stuff to the Salvation Army. I also was pretty impressed to see how many bags of mulch and topsoil I could pack back there...until I noticed that the back tires were touching the wheel wells! Guess a sportier suspension isn't necessarily conducive to hauling landscaping materials!

 

Don't know of any for sale right now, but I found mine here and shipped it using Phoenix Cargo. Spent about 8 months shopping for it to find just the right one. Avoid any that have wooden beds, as they are likely masking rot. Check the other standard areas for rust as well.

 

Oh, another thing to consider for any prospective buyers. The pickup may be a bit tight for taller drivers. I (6'1") had to practice my Twister moves to get in around my steering wheel, and when driving I wasn't able to extend my legs the way I normally would since the seat isn't able to be moved back as far. It wasn't uncomfortable, but not the kind of position I'd like to be in for extended drives.

 

I DO NOT FIT.......lol......6'11" and i wont even attempt to get in one (again).....lol

 

Hey cadfael_tex,

The interior body height inside the bed is 17". Interior length of bed floor is 54.75". Tail gate opening width is 39.2" wide. The inside bed width is a bit more than 39.2, but the fender wells protrude out into the bed a few inches on each side.

Pickups are 130.2" long, bumper to bumper, which makes them 1 foot longer than saloons, but equal to travelers/estate wagons/vans. Pick-up spec. sheets claim they weigh in at 1375 lbs., which is 100 lbs. lighter than saloons.

Here's the address for a UK-based mini-pickup forum that offers lots of great information: www.minipick-up.com

During my search for a pick-up, I also found that many of them are well used. Lots of them were actually used on farms and in commercial use for hauling tools, chipmunks , whatever. The beds are single ply metal and dent easily if there's a load shift.

Actually, chickens can peck their way right through the sheetmetal, hence, the 1982 class action lawsuit in the UK where the Royal British Poultry Producers won a multimillion BP settlement against Leyland Mini, forcing them to end production of the pickup in 1983.

Ok, that last part--about the chickens and the lawsuit... it never happened. Just my wise-**** humor... sorry. Back to reality, about 58,000 pick-ups were made between 1961 and 1983 and they remained basically unchanged during their 20+ years of production. There were some engine, transmission and smaller upgrades throughout the years.

 

Cadfael_rex,

I forgot to mention, if you haven't seen it, I posted a build thread for my pick-up, which is undergoing restoration right now. Anyway, there are a few pictures of it in the thread. https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=113991

 

Thanks all for the info