Table of contents for August 2021 in MiniWorld

As the 2021 International Mini Meeting in Italy had to be postponed to 2023, organising club, Mini Owners Club Firenze, has come up with an itinerary for a tour in a Balmoral limited edition Mini. They want to ensure that there is a Mini presence on the roads despite them not being able to travel to an IMM. The tour hopes to raise awareness and funds for charity Caritas Europa which is helping those affected by the COVID pandemic. The Mini will leave Florence on 14 July and visit a number of countries including Austria, Poland, Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and return to Italy on 29 July. Most of these countries have previously hosted IMMs. The legendary ‘key to the IMM’ will be taken on the 8,900km journey.…

Our story starts just before the 2014 International Mini Meeting in Kent, England; not with the Mini you see before you but instead with a 1992 Mini Sprite which was, sadly, later stolen. “I had built it on my drive so I immediately put the house up for sale as I needed something with a garage so it didn’t happen again.” With that trauma behind him, and having found a warm, dry and secure environment for a Mini, he set about locating a replacement. He found a Mini 35 limited edition which quickly became his third Mini. “We moved in September 2014 and, by the end of December, I had the Mini 35. That’s how quickly I wanted to get back into it,” laughs Max but, frustratingly, he missed out…

Apart from some ultra-low-mileage Minis, most at some time will require an engine rebuild. Rebuilds can be to correct wear, for longer-term preservation or often for a power increase. In many cases it is for all three reasons. It is well worth paying the extra money (around £100) to have the crankshaft tufftrided. Tufftriding is a salt bath treatment that creates a hard, wear-resistant surface on the crank journals. This results in a much longer-lasting crank which is less likely to break through fatigue, is more resistant to corrosion and, because of the increased wear resistance, is much less likely to scuff or develop the ‘tram lines’ or ovality associated with a worn crank. Tufftrided cranks often only require a polish after around 80-100,000 miles provided that the engine has…

Sheldon Model: Reshelled 1990 Racing Green, 1293cc engine History: Donor Mini bought as a MiniWorld project and reshelled into BMH Mini bodyshell number 1 in 2003. Alive and kicking After way too long, Sheldon lives and breathes again as, finally, we start up his new 1293cc Rob Walker engine. Last month I mentioned that I’d started to restore STElf, kicking off what I hope won’t turn into a monster project (show me any Mini project that doesn’t). Before I get knee-deep in that, I needed to get Sheldon up and running so that we have a Mini to enjoy the summer with. As I did with Subby, the Clubman Estate, I called upon the skills of Ant Whitcombe from Antec Automotive, who is a skilled mechanic and Mini fan based…

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While the pandemic cancelled Mini gatherings around the world, John and Jackie Szweda decided to plan ahead for the next big Classic Minis United event in April, 2022. CMU holds events at different locations in the North Carolina to Virginia mountain range in the US. Their plan was to try out a new location of Asheville, North Carolina, with a small group of Minis. Following in the CMU event tradition, this gathering was based at a campground surrounded by mountains. While the scale was much smaller than normal, the never-ending twisty roads brought the big thrills as expected. Each of the three days of driving was about 180 miles long, which added up to about 550 beautiful and exciting miles. The gathering was limited to 13 lucky Minis instead of…

SPRING 2020 • Incredible seven-Mini collection • Modified Mini 40 limited edition • Mk1 Mini rear seat retrim • Rauno Aaltonen’s 2020 Monte MAY/JUNE 2020 • Restored 1071cc Mini Cooper S • 1970 Automatic Mini Clubman • Top tips for a reliable Mini • Memories of working at Cowley Pt1 JULY 2020 • Stunning Radford Cooper • Nissan LEAF-converted electric Mini • Turbocharged retro Mini Mayfair • Memories of working at Cowley Pt2 AUGUST 2020 • Early BMC Works rally Mini tribute • Turbocharged 998cc saloon • Mini Van restoration project • Superbly-modified 1275 GT SEPTEMBER 2020 • Restored Mini Pick-up • Paul Easter interview • K-series-engined saloon • Unique W&P shorty hatchback OCTOBER 2020 • 1967 Works-prepared Cooper S • Working Australian Mini Van • Mini 1000’s desert rally…

There is nothing quite like a really well maintained Mini. Regular servicing and maintenance are important on any car but older cars, and this certainly includes Minis, do generally require more frequent attention than more modern machinery. If you have the space, and can invest in some basic tools, just about every Mini owner can carry out their own servicing. Servicing at home is really very simple as there are no really complex jobs. Changing and adjusting points on carb Minis can be a bit fiddly but fitting a decent electronic ignition system such as Aldon or Lumenition will eliminate the need to do this. Going electronic also increases reliability and prevents some of the ‘going off tune’ that affects all all 'points' ignitions over time. Some later Minis and…

I have installed a fully reconditioned engine and transmission into my 998 Mini and have now fully connected everything up. Everything seems to work apart from the clutch. I have tried adjusting and bleeding but still there is no clutch. Is there anything I am missing? Harry Stewart There are two possible areas in which the problem could lie; either the mechanical components or the hydraulic system. The first thing to check is whether the hydraulic system is operating the clutch lever on the flywheel cover. Get an assistant to operate the clutch pedal and watch under the bonnet. If there is no movement, the problem is hydraulic, in which case it is possible that you have not bled the system sufficiently. If air is present the clutch will not…

OCTOBER 2013 ISSUE The issue’s main cover car was a motorbike-engined Pick-up built by Keith Masterton. The Honda Blackbird engine was mounted in the rear load bay and built up with a conversion kit from Z-Cars. “You keep looking for the motorbike you think you can hear,” said Keith about driving his amazing Pick-up. We also featured Mark Seligman’s time warp 1960 Austin Seven Deluxe which had been well looked after, covering fewer than 3,000 miles. MiniWorld’s Kay Drury was excited at the Mini’s originality, especially the vibrant blue interior trim. “The most amazing thing for me was seeing brightly coloured braided trim on the door rubbers.” Paul Annetts built a convertible Mini for his and Vicky’s wedding. He built it in secret so he could surprise her on their…

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Quick flash I have an issue with the indicators on my 1979 Mini 1000. On both sides the indicators are flashing far too fast, and I do not think the car will pass the MOT, which is due in a couple of months. The hazard lights seem to be flashing as normal. I have tried a new flasher unit, but this has not really improved matters. Do you think it is likely to be in the wiring? Craig Ward Direction indicators that are flashing too quickly usually point to a faulty flasher unit, or an incorrect unit, especially when the problem occurs on both sides. The fact that you have fitted a new flasher unit probably rules this out, but you could try another one to make sure. It is…

Most Minis benefit from a few extra bhp and tuning Mini engines started very early on in the production life of the car. The introduction of the Cooper models provided a huge boost to tuning; many owners wanted a Cooper or, later on, an S but could not afford one. Tuning packages for the average owner were soon launched by BMC and many other tuners and became popular. The Stage 1 tuning kit appeared during the 1960s. Today it is often associated more with the 1990s when interest in the Mini boomed again and Stage 1 kits re-emerged from many tuners. They then almost became a ‘must have’ for otherwise untuned Minis. Performance gains from most Stage 1 kits can be around 25% which does not make for spectacular performance…

1972 MODIFIED MINI CLUBMAN Owner at the time: Paul Fenech Issue: April 2005 Paul Fenech entrusted his friend Terry with rebuilding his Mini Clubman. Paul had ideas of turning it into a hillclimb car. To stand a chance of being competitive it would need a decent engine so Terry sold him a 1380cc unit which had been expertly rebuilt by Swiftune. While the rebuild was still happening, Paul drove the Mini around with multi-coloured panels while he saved up for a paint job. “It had a primer front, yellow wing and blue bonnet,” he told MiniWorld. Finally the Mini was painted in a Fiat yellow. The exhaust was blowing out flames until the engine was properly tuned and then it was involved in an accident. It took six months for…