Table of contents for September 2021 in MiniWorld

In this issue you can enjoy reading about Garry and Derek Wadey's trip to Wales in their Minis. They packed a tent and went looking for brilliant, twisty driving roads to drive their Minis on. They spent quality father and son time together and took in some stunning scenery. If you have been on a road trip in your Mini, took plenty of photos, and are inspired to send in a Road Trip article then we'd love to hear from you. Simply email mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk I am now half way through the 500 miles I need to cover in my Mini, Sheldon, in order to run in the new 1293cc engine. It's fantastic to be driving a Mini again and I have so far enjoyed a couple of lovely sunny trips…

London & surrey MOC ran its 16th tour of London Bridges on 1 August. This year the route took in bridges outside central London. They met at Kew Green and started the tour with Kew Bridge and followed a 38-mile route to Runnymede, via Windsor where they convoyed through the streets and entertained onlookers. Find out more about the organising club at: www.lsmoc.co.uk…

Sam Elliott’s entry into Mini ownership started two years before he could legally drive on UK roads. The 1995 SPi Rover Mini Cooper was a present from his parents, Katrina and Andrew. “It was a surprise present for my 15th birthday but was meant to be for my 16th. Dad got a bit excited about the idea and got it a year earlier,” explains Sam, who is now 21. Luckily, neighbour and friend Aaron Chalk is a big Mini fan so parking the new acquisition on Aaron’s drive wouldn’t have raised any alarm bells until the big reveal to Sam. He may not have been able to drive the Rover Mini Cooper initially but the family still enjoyed using it, although they were aware that it would need attention fairly…

“I don’t like the modifications to shout at you. Less is more.” Mark Deakin was only 14 when he bought his first Mini. “It was a genuine Mk1 Mini Cooper. I bought it as a restoration project. I’m the youngest, with five brothers who are all into cars and motorbikes, so my passion came from them. One brother had a Mk1 Mini and it was a car I always liked. During school I wanted to do a bit of a project. A Mini came up in the local paper, a genuine Mini Cooper Mk1 in Island Blue with a Snowberry White roof.” Sadly, once Mark started to work on it, it became apparent that it was too much for a novice to take on. “It was rotten. I ended up…

In the 1960s and 70s, converting from front drums to Mini Cooper S disc brakes was expensive and all the parts had to be ordered separately from a BMC/BL dealer or, alternatively, a second-hand set of discs and shafts could be obtained, assuming you could find one. Most people had to be content with improving their drum brakes and one way of doing this was to fit a set of Minifin alloy brake drums all round. These standard-sized drums were manufactured in Tamworth, Staffs., by J V Murco. and Sons and were made of alloy with a steel insert in the shoe-contact area. Better cooling performance of these drums helped to reduce brake fade, especially when repeatedly slowing or stopping from higher speeds. JVM advertised Minifins with the slogan: ‘How…

16V MODIFIED MINI PICK_UP Owner at the time: Mike Cole Issue: April 2010 Richard Cole built up this Mini Pick-up in 1979 using bits from his Mini rallying days and set it to work on his family farm. In the 1990s his sons Phil and Mike learned to drive in it. Mike, who was 14 when he first drove it, decided to rebuild it as his road car. It was given an MG Metro engine and used as his daily transport to commute to college. After an incident with an electricity pole the Pick-up was repaired and given a K-series engine and plenty of ICE. In the following years another K-series motor was fitted and then an engine from a MG ZR160. "I bought a scrapped car off eBay for…

Despite potential COVID restrictions and lockdowns, the Hay Mini Nationals motorsport event in Australia went ahead this year. Victoria, the state with the smallest contingent, managed to go home with a host of trophies, including first outright in the motorkhana. The annual Hay Mini Nationals event in Outback New South Wales, Australia, has only been cancelled twice since its inception in 1968; once, in 1989, due to floods and in 2020, due to the COVID pandemic. This year’s event was on the razor’s edge of being cancelled as Australia fluctuated between COVID outbreaks, lockdowns and state border closures. Luckily, the stars aligned and the event was able to go ahead as planned on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend (11-13 June). Sadly, most Victorians were unable to attend because Melbourne had…

The Mini Moke was originally designed for use by the military so MOKE International, which started making its MOKE tribute vehicle last year, has developed a special military-inspired edition. The press release says: “The MOKE Military Spec evokes the original brief to design legend Sir Alec Issigonis to create a vehicle robust enough to be thrown from an aeroplane for behind-enemy-lines operations.” Customers wanting a MOKE Military Spec can choose from three colours of Army Green, Air Force Blue and Special Ops Black. They all come with colour-matched wheels and hood, lights behind the grille and other military-themed design features. "There is a new visual treatment to the vehicle’s roll bars and canvas to further evoke the utilitarian and tactical origins of the original Moke’s design brief." Updates over original…

Alice and Alex Nightingale live in Bradwell-on-Sea with Labrador Bea and Dalmatian Atlas. They were married on Sunday 27 June in Bradwell-on-Sea. “We’d already pushed the wedding day back three times so it was a long time coming! Alex drove our Mini, Baz, to the church and we drove o. in him once we were married. It was one of the best parts of my day, getting in and everyone waving us off, although it was a bit of a squeeze with my dress. My nephew painted some tin cans that were a. ached to the back. The cans and the rev of the engine meant the whole village heard us leaving!” Baz is a 1984 Mini Mayfair that the couple bought last year. “After a very rough 2020 it…

As this is an expensive process choose a reputable plater, with experience in re-chroming car parts, because they will produce the best finish for you. The first stage is the stripping process which includes pickling (rust removal) and, if your parts are very rusty, media blasting. The bits are then dipped in an acid-based electrolytic stripping liquid known as ‘Laybere solution’, that removes any grease, paint and dirt and allows the old plating to be removed without damaging the base metal. Next, polishing and repairs are undertaken which are the most important and labour-intensive part of the process and this is where most of the cost of the job goes. There are numerous sanding belts and mops employed for this process, starting out with very abrasive belts to progressively finer…

Minis have always responded well to improvements in the suspension department but, due to the evolving classic status of Minis, with certain models too much modification becomes more problematic to justify. In fact, assuming that you are not intending to show the Mini in a concours original class, as long as the mods are easily reversible there is nothing actually wrong with them. Many modifications make the Mini safer to drive and it is worth remembering that a great many Minis were, in fact, modified in their day. It is because of this that we have such an incredible array of parts and improvements available. Having said all of that it is vital to keep any mods in period and subtle; in the case of suspension, lowered slightly, uprated dampers…

Mr Ikeda of Garage Minimum of Kanazawa City, Ishikawa, Japan, has created a striking fastback Mini as part of his Trafalgar series. This is the seventh Trafalgar and the first coupé-bodied version which has a different rear. This one is based on a 1994 Rover Mini Monte Carlo LE. The profile curves down from the middle of the roof to the rear and was inspired by the ‘long-tail’ Broadspeed GT Minis of the 1960s. Mr Ikeda, chairman of Garage Minimum, explains: “the Trafalgar series comprises customised Minis mainly featuring interior and exterior modification but I decided to try to build a new bodywork design.” He says that this project was the culmination of a dream that he has had for a long time. “I love the Mini-based fastback Broadspeed GT,”…

“A picturesque venue set in parkland landscaped by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown.” On 1 August Minis met for British Mini Club’s event at Himley Hall near in Dudley, West Midlands. It’s a picturesque venue set in parkland landscaped by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, with the Minis parked up between the stately home and the lake. Wet weather threatened early in the morning but, luckily, Mini owners were able to enjoy a dry day of meeting up with friends and checking out some fantastic Minis. There are always wonderful Minis to see at BMC events as many compete in the Premier Concours and the Show ‘n’ Shine, in which Minis are displayed according to decade of their production. Fab trophies were up for grabs for both contests. Elsewhere around the site there were…

List your Mini or classic car event for free: Email: mw.ed@kelsey.co.uk Post: MiniWorld, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL, UK Check with event organisers for any last-minute changes CORONAVIRUS NOTE: Please be aware that these events will only be able to take place if government guidelines allow. 2021 August 22 Brands Hatch Mini Festival Motorsport event at Brands Hatch, Kent. Mini racing (including Fastest Mini in the World race), trade stands, club stands, track parade, track walk and go-karting. www.mini-festival.co.uk 22 Tewkesbury Classic Vehicle Festival Multi-marque event at Tewkesbury School Playing Fields, Gloucestershire. Classic cars and motorbike displays, live music with dance floor, traders, autojumble, bar, cras. https://tewkesburycvf.org 28-30 Legendary Grand Tour Excellent annual Mini event in North Devon to raise funds for…

I have had my Mini engine rebuilt and fitted it to a reconditioned gearbox and lowered it into the engine bay of my Mini. I am having great diffculty in getting the engine to sit down far enough in the subframe to align the engine mounts with the holes in the subframe. I can get one side to line up but the other is at best about 10mm too high. The engine is fitted with new mounts, which look identical to the originals. The old engine fitted perfectly so I cannot believe that there is a problem with the subframe. Were there two different sizes of Mini gearbox? Jerry Thomas Excluding automatics, all Mini gearboxes and flywheel housing assemblies are the same width. It is absolutely normal to have to…

This year Silverstone circuit, in Northamptonshire, hosted the 30th Silverstone Classic over the weekend of 30 July to 1 August. Over 100,000 spectators attended over the weekend. It was a wet and windy Friday afternoon for 26 Minis to start their qualifying session, including Mark Burnett's Mini Countryman. Bill Sollis took pole by almost two seconds from Nathan Heathcote with Ian Curley qualifying in third. The Countryman qualified in 16th position before the two weekend races. It was still wet and drizzly for the race on Saturday. Bill Sollis won ahead of Nathan Heathcote with Chris Middlehurst finishing third. The Mini race on Sunday was the last race of the weekend, with better weather than the previous two days. Nathan Heathcote won with Endaf Owens coming in second. Unfortunately, Bill…