Hey NAMers,

So a friend of mine has two classic '71 Minis. I went and looked at them today and here is what I gathered.

I would LOVE any more info about this model year and its issues, perks, etc.

One is Red with a White roof and the other is Yellow with a black roof.

They both have Mini 850 on the boot. Yellow has the Mini badge on the front and Red has a Morris Badge on the front.

Both Right Hand Drive and from what he says, they are from New Zealand.

The Red has circular side mirrors and the yellow has none.

Both have British Leyland badges on the A panels.

Red's interior is pretty bad, needs carpeting. Rust on the floorboard.

Yellow's interior is great, but the exterior is kinda faded.

I will post pics when I go see them again. Here are some camera phone pics that i quickly took.

 

Hi, they look great for restorations, all old mini's have issues, i had mine now for 7 years, but they are fun. The 850 is fun to drive if you are not in a hurry. also fairly rare down here, don't know about numbers where you are. some general issues are rust on the doors, in the boot, floor and sils. On the mechanical side, the brakes are a joke until you renew about everything then just set them regularly. If you like getting your hands dirty go for it, i love mine and it still make me feel like a kid everytime i drive it.

 

So they are not that fast? I read somewhere that some top speeds are like 72. True for this model?

 

Are you planning on buying these? or are you just looking for more info?

From the pictures it looks like they probably have been sitting for a long time which may cause issues

 

The 850 engine is the smallest Mini engine (it's less than a 1 litre engine...) It will do 70 but it will take it a while to get there and that is it's top speed so not really recommended for the highway...

 

I had a 1962 Austin 850 back in the day. It was just barely adequate on the highway. Replaced the 850 cc engine with an 1100 (and changed the final drive ratio) and top speed went up to about 100. Agree with brake comment. If I hadn't been in the Navy with access to free auto shop I'd never have kept it running. But it was a blast when it ran right.

 

Hey, they're 38 years old...they all have "issues"

The 850 is slow and 55-60 is about it. OTOH, they're pretty bulletproof little motors. A classic Mini isn't something to go bombing down the freeway in anyway unless you have a really late model that is designed more for it.

 

Agreed they are not made for the highway, rather driving to your favorite park on a Sunday or taking it to shows or just down to your local pub or shop. They do look like they have been sitting but i found on a few similar looking situations that you just clean the plugs(or new ones) and make sure there is spark and fuel and they will go.

You can make them more highway friendly with bigger motors and gearing as there are quite a few final drive variants. also a lot of parts still being made in the uk and they also share quite a few parts with other Leyland and rover cars from the era.

I think and may be corrected that after 70 the had better gearboxes, you will be able to tell from were the shifter comes thru the floor.

I would go for it if i were you. they are fun and as long as you keep your hand on it, you will be rewarded.

 

He said they both drive and work fine. The shifter comes out of the floor up under the dash.

 

Ah, the "magic wand"! They're likely 4 synchro later style boxes. No big issues there. If you like 'em, buy 'em. They don't look bad from the limited pics.

 

Yes the magic want, takes getting used to but if the box is in good condition, you can shift with one finger. They only have synchros for 2,3 and 4 but it is fun and realy mechanical, My dad has a 1100 Pickup with a magic wand and i must say it is a good setup. Go for the red one. red is always better for a mini.

 

I'll take the yellow for you. LOL

 

is your friend selling off all the cars in this barn? i would be interested in finding out more about the jag in front of the one mini? please send me a pm if you know more, thanks