Are the 1275cc Mini's around 1970-1980 carberated, pretty reliable after getting an overhaul or do they require constant maintenance?

Has anyone gone through the import process from the UK?

 

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buy here, they are as reliable as any carbureted car.

 

Well I personally would love another of that period. Now I'd rip the entire wiring harness out, but I had some bad wiring issues in mine. Had I done that earlier I may have not spent the money on the V-Tec. That said, if I sell the V-tec I will get a 1275 within those years and replace the wiring harness.

Mine was in that range, and save for one tranny issue that is common at age (I am told) there were no non-electrical issues.

 

I've gone through the process of importing 3 Minis so far. If you do it right, the process isn't so bad. If you don't have someone you know over there to look the car over for you, for a small fee you can have a company like RAC do a full diagnostic and inspection for you. Money well spent.

Also, contact Emma at Phoenix Cargo. She can arrange for pick-up, delivery to the port, and shipping across the pond for you. I've used her for all my shipments and she has been MORE than helpful in all situations.

If you do import, I would NOT recommend using Phil Kruman at www.yourclassic.com.uk for any of his services. He did not do the work he was paid to do on two of the cars that I had shipped over and he's still sitting on my money for a third car that I have yet to see anything about. Sadly I may wind up taking him to court if things don't get resolved soon.

 

Thanks for the info. I've found a couple of renovators in the UK on Ebay that renovate and resell for a liveing. They sound ligit. Check these 2 out. Ebay store: scaliwagcollectables item #140199104392, also look at ebay listings for classics by carolb555.

 

Xanthus, not all Mini's have wiring issues. I only had 2 of the 5 I owned in Aus that had any wiring problems, though those problems were fairly serious. My current Mini's only electrical issues are that the connectors are loose and don't make nice tight connections. A bunch of spade connectors and a crimping tool have fixed all my electrical problems so far.

Back to the OP, a Mini with an SU carb is something you (or any decent mechanic) can work on and fix. An injected late model Mini, finding someone who knows how to fix it may be a challenge.

 

The wiring is NOT a big problem. Its blown (no pun) entirely out of proportion mostly by people that haven't had the patience to sit down and learn the system and figure it out (sorry, Lance) . Are there niggles? Yes. Anything insurmountable? No.

I have used Minis as daily drivers and found them as reliable as any other car from that period. It is important to go through the car and perform all missed maintenance and bring the car up to standard before trying to use it daily.

 

The Classic Mini is as dependable as the mechanic that maintains it! Lots of thoughts here: www.Minimania.com