Mk1 Mini Cooper

Melvyn Best · May 20, 2020

Don’t know about 100 MPH , mine would reach 1/4 full on the fuel gauge, somehow I don’t think the speedo was accurate!

colnerov · May 20, 2020

Hi, I'm not saying it was attainable just that was what most of the questions in the mags were about.

Colin

KemppiFrog · May 20, 2020

I drove a Mini Moke in Portugal , had stage two engine and was quite entertaining. My mate bought it off some people who kept it on deck of their cruising yacht. After they nearly dropped it in the harbour, they decided to off-load it;, and he was nearby. I drove t back to UK in March. No sidescreens or heater. You really don't want to to try that...Loaded to the gills with with kit, I had just enough room to sit in it with bits up to eye level. Also had to dodge riots in Bilboa by following the railway tracks to the port. Quite interesting times..

Olderisbetter · May 21, 2020

Nice car i do love minis but mine tend to be taken to bits and put all over the house

minimutly · May 21, 2020

Lol at the 160mph, he must have had some imagination

arther dailey · May 21, 2020

I remember putting reverse rims and 145 radials on a 998, along with a peco exhaust , my first bid for freedom in this world , loved it

northwest · May 21, 2020

Triple 'C' eh! Mr Walker with his Emerald Cams and a workshop under the railway arches in Brixton, then his Engine Management System (I know someone on here has one, brave fellow). Articles by Dave Vizard the Wizard (have a couple of his books somewhere, just saw one the other day) and my journey into the (very expensive and heart breaking) world of Group 4 rallying. Sold my last MkII for £1750 over 25 years ago. I would rather the memories than the car.
How I wasn't killed I will never know. Along with Paul Nutter (look him up: Harewood Hill Climb) my idea of a flame proof suit was a boiler suit dipped in a bucket of water.
Learned a lot about dynamics and speed though. Not all of it the easy way.

Melvyn Best · May 21, 2020

northwest said:
Triple 'C' eh! Mr Walker with his Emerald Cams and a workshop under the railway arches in Brixton, then his Engine Management System (I know someone on here has one, brave fellow). I have an Emerald ECU on my Xflow powered kit car , great bit of kit, it was rolling road sorted by the man himself in Wooten Norfolk , nice guy and very knowledgeable
Articles by Dave Vizard the Wizard

His book on tuning the A series really was the bible when tuning Minis , my MG Metro powered Mini pick up was built using it for guidance, wish I still had it

Olderisbetter · May 21, 2020

Melvyn Best said:
His book on tuning the A series really was the bible when tuning Minis , my MG Metro powered Mini pick up was built using it for guidance, wish I still had it

The vizard book is full of great tuning knowledge but reading it recently i noticed the parts are becoming expensive , like trying to find MG metro big valve heads or the 12d295 head means deep pockets, which is why the 12g940 head is popular now with a few mods, i wonder if MR Vizard ever did a revision later than the 3rd edition.

chunkolini · May 21, 2020

Anybody remember Martin's Marvellous Mini?
Possibly The Eagle comic about a million years ago.
I vaguely remember a possibly crime fighting rally driver.

arther dailey · May 21, 2020

no but I remeber a guy malcom wilson (?) who rallied at that time ,ended up years later running the ford team I think, anyways better stop as will be on naughty step for off topic , sorry again mods... :doh:

minimutly · May 21, 2020

northwest said:
Triple 'C' eh! Mr Walker with his Emerald Cams and a workshop under the railway arches in Brixton, then his Engine Management System (I know someone on here has one, brave fellow). Articles by Dave Vizard the Wizard (have a couple of his books somewhere, just saw one the other day) and my journey into the (very expensive and heart breaking) world of Group 4 rallying. Sold my last MkII for £1750 over 25 years ago. I would rather the memories than the car.
How I wasn't killed I will never know. Along with Paul Nutter (look him up: Harewood Hill Climb) my idea of a flame proof suit was a boiler suit dipped in a bucket of water.
Learned a lot about dynamics and speed though. Not all of it the easy way.

I have one of his (DWs) early ecus here - it was rubbish, but it sort of worked. I also have a set of four carb ballancing vacuum gauges, and a write up from a motorbike magazine explaining how to use them - by who else DW, when hecwas writing for motorcycle mechanics 40 odd yrs ago?

minimutly · May 21, 2020

chunkolini said:
Anybody remember Martin's Marvellous Mini?
Possibly The Eagle comic about a million years ago.
I vaguely remember a possibly crime fighting rally driver.

Wasn't eagle, maybe beezer or topper?

KemppiFrog · May 21, 2020

chunkolini said:
Anybody remember Martin's Marvellous Mini?
Possibly The Eagle comic about a million years ago.
I vaguely remember a possibly crime fighting rally driver.

Stopped reading the Eagle before they built Minis...
IIRR, it was started by a reverand and some others in a garden shed in Southport(??) as a better read than the US pulp mags that were then flooding the UK market. They were worried about youth being corrupted :laughing:

It was quite good, far better than the 'super hero ' stuff in the pulps. Which are still rubbish..

After thought.. I was in Southport to pick up a GF about 30 yr ago. They had printed a limited comemoration copy of the Eagle. Like it, but not really stood the test of time. But what does.

DAPPH · May 21, 2020

chunkolini said:
Anybody remember Martin's Marvellous Mini?
Possibly The Eagle comic about a million years ago.
I vaguely remember a possibly crime fighting rally driver.

Check this out . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_(Fleetway)

chunkolini · May 21, 2020

Thanks Dapph
The Tiger
Not very relevant but I remember lots of the titles.

minimutly · May 22, 2020

chunkolini said:
Thanks Dapph
The Tiger
Not very relevant but I remember lots of the titles.

Yep, that was it - Skid Solo, what a title

500e · May 22, 2020

Keep onto topic or the Mekon will send the green men for you

Exuptoy · Jun 25, 2020

Been talking to a guy recently with a view to buying his 92 Cooper. Gotta shift the BeeEm first. Got my old Vizard book in the bedroom and one other if memory serves. Lots of hand drawn pics of the head porting.