Author Topic: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)  (Read 21996 times)

Offline sbwhart

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3530
  • Country: gb
  • Smile, Be Happy, Have Fun and Rock Until you Drop
1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« on: January 09, 2009, 07:15:24 AM »
Hi Chaps

I would like to introduce Gavin he's our much loved 1989 Austin Mini Mayfair. We've had him from new some 20 years he is my wifes car that she bought when she went back to teaching when our Kids had started school themselves.



He's had quite an adventurous life our two kids both learnt to drive in him, and we only resently just found out that our son holds the record for number of pasengers carried:- seven, four in the back and three in the front, why is it that parents are the last to find these things out, if we'd know at the time he would have been grounded.  :hammer:

I've done all the maintainance and repairs on him, A real tinkerers car no electronic gismo, points and timing etc to be set. He had a complete body rebuild mainly due to rust and having an argument with a Chelse Tractor. We only use hin now in the summer for crusing the lanes of Cheshire.  :headbang:

So now you know ther's more to me than machining and steam trains.

Have Fun

 :wave:

Stew





 
A little bit of clearance never got in the road
 :wave:

Location:- Crewe Cheshire

Offline Bernd

  • Madmodder Committee
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3688
  • Country: us
  • 1915 C Cab
    • Kingstone Model Works
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2009, 09:18:19 AM »
Looking good for 20 years and constant use.

You'd be lucky over here to get that many years on a car. The way the spread salt on the roads here in winter it would have eaten the Mini in no time.

I did a few stunts with my Dad's VW Bettle when I first started driving. You can get the tires to spin in second gear.  :lol:

Bernd
Route of the Black Diamonds

Offline sbwhart

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3530
  • Country: gb
  • Smile, Be Happy, Have Fun and Rock Until you Drop
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2009, 11:22:47 AM »
Hi Bernd

We spread rock salt on the roads over her also, plays havoc with the body the front end of the Mini had vertualy rotted away that and the spead bumps we have on the roads over her, nearly caused the engine to drop out. When we had the yearly road worthy test we do over her, (MOT) the garage couldn't beleave how it was still in one piece.
 :scratch:

Cheers
 :wave:

Stew
A little bit of clearance never got in the road
 :wave:

Location:- Crewe Cheshire

bogstandard

  • Guest
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2009, 11:39:37 AM »
Bernd,

 :offtopic: But just a bit of info that might be of general interest to members.

Quote
The way the spread salt on the roads here in winter

The area where Stew and myself come from, supplies most of the salt for the roads in the UK and Ireland. Most of it is mined only a few miles from where we live.

http://www.winsfordrocksaltmine.co.uk/

http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/towns/northwich.shtml

At one time, even more locally, Elworth, Sandbach, hot water was pumped down into the ground, and the resulting brine was evaporated off to make table salt. This caused major subsidence of our local area, and there are now many man made subsidence lakes, and houses leaning at wierd angles. In fact, in certain areas, new houses have to be built on 'rafts' of concrete to counteract the effects of subsidence.

http://www.saltinstitute.org/symposia/symposium3/lewis.pdf

My great great grandfather, and later his son, used to own a small salt mine in Over, just outside of Winsford.

So we know all about what damage the salt causes, and not just on the roads.

John

Offline sbwhart

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3530
  • Country: gb
  • Smile, Be Happy, Have Fun and Rock Until you Drop
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2009, 11:56:28 AM »
 :offtopic:

Just like to add a bit more to Johns point about the salt in Cheshire. It was the foundation of a number of world class chemical firms such as ICI. Salt is the basis of a lot of chemical products clorine being one, it was the demand from the cotton industry in the 1800 for a cheap and quick way to bleach cotton white, that was the stimulus for these chemical industries to develop, this led to the field of organic chemistry.

Her endeth the history leson.  :lol:

Cheers

Stew
A little bit of clearance never got in the road
 :wave:

Location:- Crewe Cheshire

Offline John Stevenson

  • In Memoriam
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1643
  • Nottingham, England.
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #5 on: January 09, 2009, 02:44:46 PM »
I have a soft spot for Mini's - Romney Marsh  ::)

No seriously I have had quite a few, a couple of vans and 3 pickups, no cars thought.
The vans and pick ups were more basic than the cars, heaters were an optional extra [ no joke ] and they had rubber suspension and not the hydrolastic as fitted to the cars.

BTW you can get 17 people in a mini pickup if 14 of them stand up in the back holding on to one another, no mean feat as we were coming back from the pub to the paddock at a race meeting.

And you can get 14 one hundredweight paving slabs in one as well.

Not bad to work on.
remove the exhaust, a few wires, fuel pipe, clutch cylinder, front brake pipe, track rod ends, 8 bolts and lift the body up and walk backwards and put it down.
the engine and front subframe is still sitting there. Better with two people but it can be done with one determined guy.

JS.
John Stevenson

Offline Divided he ad

  • WARNING: LIKES SHINEY THINGS
  • The Collective
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1950
  • Country: gb
  • Between Chester, Wrexham, ruthin & Holywell :-)
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2009, 03:39:04 PM »
Mini's  :D


My first car was a Mini convertible (Cabriolet)  it was the best 1000cc car a 17 year old could have. Metalic red paint, cream roof (with crappy plastic windows...But hey!?)  big fat GB alloys (the real macoy!) and a 4" oval tail pipe!!!   :thumbup:   :headbang:   ::) 

So much fun, driving down the duel carriageway in the summer to Chester at 4am with two of my friends standing up holding on to the roll cage top bar at 70Mph.... Your right Stew... The parents should always be the last to know!!!  :bugeye:  (no real reason... it was just fun  :D )


Fixed many of them in my time too.... 15 years in various garages saw to that.... Welding all  BL, Austin and rover vehicles was quite the norm!!

Got all the flywheel tools and everything you could want to fix one Stew... Just shout up if you ever think you need one  :thumbup:



I'll have to see if I can find a photo???? It was a long time before digital photography!! There may be one in the archives somewhere? Don't hold your breath  :lol:


Thanks Stew, you just cheered me right up  :)



Ralph.
I know what I know and need to know more!!!

Offline Bernd

  • Madmodder Committee
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3688
  • Country: us
  • 1915 C Cab
    • Kingstone Model Works
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2009, 04:03:36 PM »
John,

There are salt mines just south of where I live. They ship all over the place. It's one of the many salt mines in the US. The first one had a colapse in it a few years ago. Sink holes all over the place. So know what your talking about.

End of  :offtopic: subject.

Bernd
Route of the Black Diamonds

Offline SPiN Racing

  • Madmodder Committee
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 506
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2009, 02:35:00 PM »
GOD I loooove real Minis.

They are one of those cars that I want so bad I can taste it.

Im telling you guys.. Im gonna find one one of these days and spend a ton to hop pacross the pond and pick it up.

I remember looking through a British auto trader type mag.. and there were tons and tons and tons of them for cheap.. Not sure thats true anymore. But seriously want one.

Prefrably a cooper.. and early 70s. I think...  (But I am by no means a mini expert)


Scott
SPiN Racing

Offline sbwhart

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3530
  • Country: gb
  • Smile, Be Happy, Have Fun and Rock Until you Drop
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2009, 02:46:44 PM »
Mini in trouble.

Went to the club track to help on some maintainance work this morning, and passed a red Mini just like Gavin in the ditch

 :(    :(      :(     :(       :( :(      :(

Some one will be up set.

Stew
A little bit of clearance never got in the road
 :wave:

Location:- Crewe Cheshire

bogstandard

  • Guest
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2009, 06:42:38 PM »
Spin,

They are still readily available, and reasonable prices as well. The main advantage is that because it was such a popular car, there was never and still aren't any problems getting new bits for these motors. In fact, I think you could build a brand new one by ordering everything from the catalogue.

I used to have a accountant aquaintance, who was Alex Issigonis's right hand man when he was designing the very first minis, and he said that he was so hot blooded (Greek extraction I think) he would not let anyone deviate from his original drawings. It wasn't until after the initial ones were built and sold that they found major bodywork problems, with the outside seams being made to fit the wrong way up, and letting in copious amounts of water into the passenger compartment. So if ever you went for one, stick to a mark after 1965, by then they had most of the major problems sorted. I can't quite remember when I saw my first one, but it was either 1959 or '60, it was a 'tallyman' getting out of it, and he must have weighed at least 15 stone (210 lbs). Stew and myself had a little bit of a discussion on this dating of the first one when he came to visit, but now have found out that it was released late '59

I personally don't think the latest BMW version captures the spirit of the earlier versions. They are just too large.

John

Offline SPiN Racing

  • Madmodder Committee
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 506
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #11 on: January 11, 2009, 07:36:05 PM »
Ahh will take note.

Yeah the BMWs are just.. a little square brick of a car.

Under the hood they are the opposite of what  Mini should be. They have a decently sized motor shoe horned in there so tight its silly. They are sooooo cramped in there.
SPiN Racing

Offline Divided he ad

  • WARNING: LIKES SHINEY THINGS
  • The Collective
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1950
  • Country: gb
  • Between Chester, Wrexham, ruthin & Holywell :-)
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #12 on: January 11, 2009, 07:38:20 PM »
Told you I'd find a pic....



 :lol:  :lol:


This is meant to be me!!!(pretty close I suppose!)
My big brother drew it after I got arrested for driving without an MOT (well they read me my rights etc... but I was not taken in... Just had to go to court etc!)
.... Not good considering I worked in a garage and was an MOT tester the next year!!!

This was my Birthday gift from him in my 20th year :)



Scott... The one I owned was re-conditioned and sent to the USA to it's new owner..... It could still be out there somewhere?
Apparently it's not that expensive to ship them... It just takes ages!!

The reg' on the drawing is correct... I wonder if it is traceable? ... It would be one car I would buy back.... I had so much fun in that car  :D



It's alright Stew... Mini's can be re-built in a matter of days.... It'll be fine soon enough  :thumbup:





Ralph.
I know what I know and need to know more!!!

Offline Brass_Machine

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5504
  • Country: us
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #13 on: January 11, 2009, 08:25:52 PM »
I am a huge fan of the classic Minis. Can't stand the new ones. Unfortunately we don't see a lot of the classic ones here.

Stew... I hope you plan on hanging onto Gavin for a long time. What a car!


On a side note, did anyone see the guy here in the sates that built a mini from scratch? Tube chasis, Carbon Fibre replica body and mid engine? I will post the link in another thread.

Eric
Science is fun.

We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.

Offline rleete

  • Madmodder Committee
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 534
  • Country: us
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #14 on: January 11, 2009, 08:43:37 PM »
A little off topic, but being a car guy I had to chime in.  A couple of years ago I told the wife I was going to buy a sports car.  I was looking for something small and zippy, having previously had a Corvette and a Mustang GT.  I was thinking along the lines of an old MG (my brother has a 1959 MGA) or a Triumph.  Problem is, here in this part of the States, the salt they use on the roads is a car killer.  They use so much, this section of the country is often called the Rust Belt.  So, the older cars were either basket cases or well beyond what I was willing to spend on a toy.

Cruising the car ads, I came across a 1994 Mazda Miata.  Small, 5 speed, in reasonable shape for it's age.  Amazingly, the wife said yes.  I got a great deal, because what kind of idiot buys a convertable with a bad top in the dead of winter?  Here's a pic taken just befor I bought it:



Hard to see from this angle, but the rear window is gone.  There are numerous scrapes and dings, and the interior was filthy.

Fast forward a year, and I've put a whole new suspension in it; lowering springs and performance shocks.  It sits about 1.5 inches lower now.  It also has a new top.  Then, while driving to work one morning, I decided the lack of power (104HP) needed to be rectified.  I found a used supercharger kit, along with a methanol/water injection setup.  Wife wasn't so thrilled with that purchase!  I also bought a standalone ECU (the computer, fully programable) and some other goodies like a larger fuel pump and injectors.  Final set up ought to yeild in the neighborhood of 220HP.  Not too shabby for a 2000 pound car.  It's all waiting for better weather to be installed and tested.
Creating scrap, one part at a time

Offline Rog02

  • Madmodder Committee
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 138
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #15 on: January 12, 2009, 01:02:44 AM »
Nice looking Mini Stew! :clap:  Those things are a blast to rip around in, just a bit too cramped for my 6'2" (mostly leg) frame though.  I always wanted to take the drivers seat out and drive from the back seat.  Not to worry though I can't fit into a MG midget without putting the top down first either, however I have owned my fair share of MGB roadsters and GTs.  All was good once I got in (my knees folded a bit better in those days). 

One Saturday evening several of our friends from the IAM asked Linsey and I to join them for an evening of racing at Cowdenbeath.  As an old dirt track racer with credentials as an ASA asphalt late model crew chief, an evening of watching cars whiz around a soccer pitch going the wrong way was intriguing so we joined them.  The first heat up was the Mini class.  What a HOOT!  There must have been 25 of those things in one heat.  Little 600 CC engines buzzing away like asthmatic bumble bees, cars bouncing off the wall and each other.  It was funnier than watching the dachshund races.

A couple of weeks after that, Linsey was given a new BMW Mini to do a drivers evaluation on for one of the motoring magazines.  We flogged that thing daily for a couple of weeks.  It was a decent enough car but was rather gutless in my opinion. 

I still kid Linsey about getting a Robbins Reliant.  They are just so ugly, they are cute.   :lol:
Roger
I'm OLD, I'm TIRED, and I'M GRUMPY!

Offline gilessim

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 7
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #16 on: January 29, 2009, 04:55:17 AM »
Hi there, I am also a great mini fan, I've owned 5 of them ,unfortunately they all ended up at the scrappers!

in about 1980 I worked for a while in an auto parts shop and one day, for something to do, we worked out how much it would cost to make a new mini just from parts, I seem to remember that it came to about £20,000! when a new one cost about £3000!

Giles

bogstandard

  • Guest
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #17 on: January 29, 2009, 05:16:20 AM »
Rog,

I rode about in Reliants for many years, and even drove about in one of these for a bit, when a mate would let me borrow it.

It is based around the Reliant chassis and engine, and was a classic icon in the early 70's.

http://www.bondbug.com/gallery/general_gallery.asp#

The engines could be tuned up to race performance, in the early models, 700cc all Aluminium. In later Reliant models they were bored out to 850cc.

It wouldn't look too far out on the roads today.

Bogs

Offline sbwhart

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3530
  • Country: gb
  • Smile, Be Happy, Have Fun and Rock Until you Drop
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #18 on: January 29, 2009, 05:46:02 AM »
Hi Giles
 :wave:

Pleases you like our Mini we keep him in the garage through the winter to protect him from the salt that they spread on the roads. I can't remember what we paid for him new it must have bin £3000 to £5000, I do know it cost us in total £3500 to have brought up to good condition, this included a complete new front, new doors skins, new right hand rear wing, new boot, new bumpers, and a loads of new trim, we had the work done by a company in Stoke on Trent called Mini Mine that specialise in renovating mini's. Mechanically he was in good condition the problem was with the body work rusting.

Reliants wouldn't have a rusting problem as they had fiberglass bodies.

Cheers :wave:

Stew

A little bit of clearance never got in the road
 :wave:

Location:- Crewe Cheshire

Offline gilessim

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 7
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #19 on: January 29, 2009, 06:52:22 AM »
I remember that my mate had a reliant robin (known affectionately as the plastic pig) you could drive them with a motorbike license so he didn't bother with his car license for some time, we all had souped up minis and such like and we used to take the p**s out of him all the time, great little cars though, when he eventually crashed it ,it exploded into a million little pieces!

another mate had a bond bug, remember those?, I think it had a 500cc villiers engine and to start it you had to open the bonnet and put your leg in to kickstart it!

Giles

Baldrocker

  • Guest
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #20 on: January 29, 2009, 07:24:32 PM »
Brilliant design the Mini. Loved the way the engine got washed
when you drove in the rain, particuarly the distributer.
BR

Offline sbwhart

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3530
  • Country: gb
  • Smile, Be Happy, Have Fun and Rock Until you Drop
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #21 on: January 30, 2009, 12:49:47 AM »
The fix for stopping damp effecting the distributer was a washing up rubber glove  :thumbup: the cables simply went through the fingers and were sealed with tape, the rest of the glove was pulled over the distributer:-

 Job done a fix thats worthy of  :mmr:

   :D   :ddb: :)    :ddb: :D    :ddb:  :)

Cheers
 :wave:
Stew
A little bit of clearance never got in the road
 :wave:

Location:- Crewe Cheshire

Offline NickG

  • Madmodder Committee
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1890
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #22 on: January 30, 2009, 04:58:19 AM »
Like the Mini Stew. I used to have a J Reg Mini Neon, 998cc but it later had MG metro engine, then a semi-race 1380cc ... it was great fun!  :) I reckon I will have another 1 day!

Forgot to mention another 2 projects of mine, a 1989 Escort RS Turbo and a 1989 Renault 5 GT Turbo ... the 5 is running, I use it a couple of times a week for work, but the Escort, unfortunately is far from running!  :doh:

 :proj:

Nick
Location: County Durham (North East England)

Offline Brass_Machine

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5504
  • Country: us
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #23 on: January 30, 2009, 02:45:51 PM »
...
Forgot to mention another 2 projects of mine, a 1989 Escort RS Turbo and a 1989 Renault 5 GT Turbo ... the 5 is running, I use it a couple of times a week for work, but the Escort, unfortunately is far from running!  :doh:
...

Hey Nick

Could you start up a thread about that Escort? Back here in states they didn't have a good reputation... we had a GT model but I think that was as good as it got. Never heard of a RS Turbo.... Sounds interesting and would like to learn more. I remember hearing of a cosworth engined one.

Eric
« Last Edit: January 30, 2009, 02:47:26 PM by Brass_Machine »
Science is fun.

We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.

Offline SPiN Racing

  • Madmodder Committee
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 506
Re: 1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)
« Reply #24 on: January 30, 2009, 09:29:48 PM »
Ohhh Escort Turbo!!!!

For those of us on this side of the pond.. Escort=Mercury Capri..... with a real engine.

I always thought it was wierd that my brother had a Capri... I think it was a 74? or 73? Had a manual and a 6 cylinder. He ended up putting a header, cam, and carb(s) on it. ANd I always thought he was silly. I was of course 10 years old, and riding around in my mothers 1969 Grand Prix SJ with a 428, and power mods by Dad.
Oh and there were various other big block muscle cars on our street, like a GTX, 70 Chevelle SS, the next door neighboy had a 1969 Mach 1 with I guess a 429? It had the big block shaker hood.


NOW...... I realise it was very likely equal to most of those big lumps on a road course, if not superior.


Would love to see pics of the Renault and Escort.
SPiN Racing