Hello,

Boy, I've been looking for one of these for almost two years without much luck. It took so long mainly because I wasn't willing to travel too far from the Dallas area but I found it and now it's home.







My boys LOVE it! I pushed them around in the garage while they "drove" it. They got a big kick out of it. I didn't tell my wife I bought it until an hour before it arrived. She was mad but couldn't help but smile. :D

I'm sorta new to restoring old cars and have been working on this monster car for two years with no end in sight:



This Mini is a '95 and I'm real surprised at the amount of rust on it. It's been in a storage building the last few years but I still see some rust bubbles on one door and other areas that need repaired. Still, there isn't much (comparatively) but for a 13 yr old car, it does seem unusual.

Second, I'm 6'0" and do not fit. The 6 yr old son fits great. How do you move the seat way back?

Thanks and I look forward to being a part of this forum.

Jeff

 

First, congrats on the new arrival!

As for seating, I'm just over 6' and found these items very helpful - they're usually the first MODs that people do on the Mini, and I was no exception:

http://www.gbcarparts.com/proddetail...d=SeatAdjuster



http://www.gbcarparts.com/proddetail...rod=ColumnDrop

 

Nice find Jemo. It looks like a project Mini for you and your boys. Do you have 1275 or does it have a 1300 engine?

 

Congrats!! Hope you and your boys enjoy it. It shouldn't take you as long as the Chev.

 

oooohhhh that looks nice! lots of potential! do you plan on building it up to specs or building it up for fun?

 

Nice looking '56 Bel Air! Congrats on the Mini!

 

Jemo

Finally some pictures of your Mini. Congratulations.

Is the a Vespa in the background? You never told me you had a scooter. I probably would have traded you my 89 Mini for that Scooter.

Angel

 

if i buy that off you... will the kids come with it? they can come in pretty handy for those tight places and handing me tools....

 

Nice car and cute boys. Come see us over here http://www.metroplexmini.org/

 

Im 6'11" and only use the seat extension bracets......no probs fitting.....nice mini and have fun !!!

 

JEEZUZ! your nearly 7 feet tall! how the F*** do you fit?

 

that seems to be everyone's amazement....here are some photos of me cramed into my old mini just to prove that you can fit a 7 foot 280lb guy in a mini





THIS IS THE HARDEST PART ABOUT OWNING A MINI AND BEING TALL

 

LOL Norm your pictures are awesome. You're like my dad sitting in one. Does everyone stare at you when you get out??

 

yep

 

Its looks like you're riding in one of those Little Tikes Toy Cars. Got any pics standing beside it.
Sweet new Mini too.

 

Methinks that quick-release bonnet pins are a must-have for you...

 

i agree, but anyways...lol......you can definatly fit in the car......just get the seat adjusters and you'll be good

 

BigNorm,
These are my alltime favorite photos that I've seen on NAM. Yep, I'm with ImagoX, quick release bonnet or better yet, quick release front end including fenders.
I hope to meet you someday and somehow get you stuffed into the cab of my pickup for a photo!
Jemo,
Congrats on the Mini. Nice contrast to the '56 in both style and resto. When you get tired of bumping your head on the hood, or doing Houdini tricks to reach mini components, you can take a break and play with the expansive sheet metal of the BelAir.

 

Thanks everyone for the warm wishes.

Those seat adjusters look like just what I need. I'll buy two sets.

I have a couple of questions:

Do those seat adjusters work with aftermarket seats or only the stock seats? How do folks usually fit Miata seats and others that are a little sportier looking?

Are minimania, 7 enterprise, and GBC parts the 3 big vendors or are there others? Are prices about the same between all of them?

I definitely want to get minilite or knockoff set of wheels and tires. They run about $1200 from minimania. Can you find them for less?

Last, what about buying parts from the UK where they seem to be a lot less. Is that cost effective or too much headache?

Thanks!
Jeff

 

Miata and other aftermarket seats require rails to mount up properly - there are kits available for rail-mounted seats if that's how you go. Being rail-mounted, you can simply slide them back to the most comfortable position. I believe most rail aftermarket kits must be welded in place for best safety, or at the very least they must be securely bolted through the floor of the car - there are no stock mounting holes for such a system.

Mini stock seats, however, attach only at the front and
hinge upwards/forwards. The brackets I linked to are for those stock fittings, and move the seat attachment back about 2 inches. Not much, but the extra leg room does help. Those brackets are not required with rail-mounted seats, of course.

As for purchasing form the UK - YES the parts cost much less, but after you add in the cost of shipping from overseas, the cost usually works out tho be the same if not a little more than ordering from Minimania or GBCarparts. The best thing to do is make a shopping list, put all the items in your shopping cart and get a shipping total - I think you'll find that the cost is abut the same domestically or imported. That being the case, I'd rather order locally - if there's a problem, it will be easier to get a replacement. Prices are roughly synonymous between the US vendors, but it's always a good idea to check all three in case one is running a sale. Moss Mini is another good classic accessory dealer - not as complete as GBCarparts or Minimania, but they have stuff...

 

Heritage Garage is another good one - www.heritagegarage.com
Mini City Ltd is also good - www.minicityltd.com
Minimal Motoring has some good stuff - www.vipernoir.com

 

@BigNorm WOAH! sweet! haha. i love it.

On topic... anywayz, ordering overseas is a bit of a pain, and there is a bigger chance of the merchandise getting damaged.

 

A good supplier for parts here in the US is also Djminis.com he is a US supplier for minisport.com so far his prices have been really good.......as far as the seat brakets working on aftermarket seats.....anything is possible with a little or sometimes alot of tinkering.......but ditto on what ImagoX said.....

 

Congrats! I would love to own a classic Mini one day. Also thanks for sharing Big Norm.

 

Congrats on the new Mini!

Love the pictures Norm,