For a 1969 Mini MK2, I think it has the wrong front end on it. It’s also got 12 inch wheels rather than 10 inch. Pretty sure it’s also got the incorrect rear light clusters for a MK2. The doors are definitely MK2 and likely original, but the bonnet (hood) and the Mini badge on it are from a MK6 (1990-1996) as I suspect are the wheels. It’s a bit of a Frankenstein mini as it currently stands, with 30 years between some of the parts.
Pretty sure 69 still had sliding front windows ? My guess is its stolen.. those reg plates only appeared in Ireland from 1987 onwards.. it definitely has some kinda shady past
Learnt to drive i one of these. Fantastic cars, superb handling, took the rest of the industry until the end of the 80's to make front wheel drive cars that handled like this. Lots of good info in the comments. Not so sure about a turbo conversion, unless you get an Mg Metro turbo engine (also an A series). A 1380 conversion without would give you some serious power with reliabilty. There was a co. in the UK in the 80's called Avonbar, they made a very reliable and fast 1.4 litre (basically 1380).My dad's mate had a serious Cooper S back in the 70's that would hit 60 in under 7 seconds. Other things to check - rear subframe, notorious for rotting out & essential. Caused many a Mini to be scrapped back in the day, as it was expensive to replace. And the gearbox - they got caned in Coopers, worn ones were notorious for jumping out of 1st gear. So pay attention to that. Get the suspension sorted. It ain't a drag racer, but it's insane fun on twisty roads like in the UK. You don't have to slow down for corners much, and it's very communicative when driving. When it's done, head for the hills and the twisty stuff and you'll see what the Mini magic is all about. Remember - these babies won the Monte Carlo Rally more than once, and they competing against the likes of Porsche. Do the research! It's a fun rabbit hole to jump down, these are one of the most raced and rallied cars ever, and there's over half a century of know how to learn from!
Man, I felt it so much when the body filler came off. My brother in law and I bought a 1991 Golf MK2 about 18 months back. It was an abandoned project car and it just needed some love they said. Thank god we only paid 500 bucks because this thing has become such a money dump! It had (cheap) coilovers on it and it was so low the whole underside was trashed: oil pans from both the (automatic) transmission and the engine completely ruined, support frame dented and cracked open. Then there were parts missing which we only found out after wards including the electric mirrors which are around 300 bucks for decent used ones. I have to completely rewire the headunit because they messed with that as well. The only reason we bought it in the first place was the engine. We didn't want the very common 1.3 carburetor version. It has a 1.8l with 90 hp and ways around 950kg. And since everything is shit anyway we have a clean slate and can do whatever we want. Including switching to manual transmission, installing a stainless exhaust manifold, a full stainless exhaust, my dream wheels and the color we chose. Sadly, whenever you think you now found all the problems you turn around and find something new... We are about 3k in and realistically, it will be 7+ grand when we're finished. And this is with us doing every single thing ourselves - apart from doing the actual painting which a good friend of us will be doing as a favor.
they are awesome little cars, stick to the road like glue ! Back when i was fit and working as a mechanic i rebuilt a few of the engines same and of course LOADS of welding, the good thing is you can get all the panel's new :)
This channel used to have pawn quality acting episodes, classic rock flute covers. Now we know it’s all about Stevon. Rich, where is Stevon? We want him back.
***Rich Rebuilds...I have an idea! What about finding a retired jet aircraft APU and figuring out to get that to drive a vehicle similar to the ole Chrysler Turbine car! I don't remember but I believe it's a constant velocity transmission hooked up to a jet engine that can run on almost any fuel....Well...a LOT of liquid fuels. I'd love to see you do a video series on something that crazy! If not a CV trans like the turbine car maybe it drives the power for Tesla motors. You think people looked odd at your diesel Tesla, how about turbine powered Tesla! And maybe an aircraft APU is too big but perhaps smaller hobby market engines can do the trick. Typical aircraft APU drives a generator at 220+ volts AC at 400+ Hertz. I'm sure that can be used along with the ideals of the turbine running on simple vodka or whiskey and such. Good luck to ya....I want somebody on TH-cam to do a video on something like this that actually works. The turbine car got killed because it couldn't reach fuel regs using just gas. Have your team look into it..you might just break the internet again if you did it!
Love it! I owned 2 minis in the 80's & 90's, great little cars but absolute rust buckets. It's so strange to see Americans working on the little A Series engine. Pretty sure not a lot of the car is original, engine looks too new and that's an unusual carb. Looking forward to seeing the next instalment.
69-C-25 thats an irish import. 69 is the year of sale, C is the county of sale Cork or corcaigh (irish translation) and 25 is the 25 car sold in cork that year. Great history there
Left hand drive though and we didn't have that reg system until the 80's. She must have been imported into Ireland sometime after the 80's at which point it would get the new style registration but back dated to its build date. How she got to the states is anyone's guess !
You're a good guy finally doing your buddies restoration Rich. I've always believed in you bring back Steven once you guys finish paying out Doe ray me. Love you guys. As a certified forklift operator I would have had it down in less than thirty seconds. It would have been fully restored by the time the tires hit the ground because that's how I roll! That engine is so cute I want to buy it a kitten to try to stay warm on top of it.
I beg to differ! We pulled Mini engines up the top.Far far easier than faffing around dropping sub frames and lifting body shells.....2 bolts and nuts underneath the clutch housing the most challenging.Other than that,easy peasy and you can still move the car on i'ts wheels while faffing around with the engine/gearbox whatever.
You can literally lift the front of the car by hand - like a big wheelbarrow - it was the factory recommended method - no decoupling drive shafts. @@patbutete1722
I didn't expect to see a classic Mini restoration and modification when I subscribed to this channel, but I am not disappointed at all! I'm currently supercharging a Morris Minor which is an A series engine as well, but rear wheel drive. If it's any consolation you were going to be in for some engine work anyway to make it suitable for boost. Though I must admit I've 'cheated' and used a decompression plate between head and block to lower the compression ratio, rather than low compression pistons. Also it's great to see so much covered in one video. Many youtubers would have stretched that out to 2 or 3!
My first car was a Mini (but I am British) in the 1980s. A friend of mine back then had a Mini that he souped up, with a hugely bored out Austin Allegro engine that was turbocharged (and we're talking 1980s turbos). It was fucking frightening as it was of course fast, and had some lag which was .... interesting to the handling, and went way off the clock which topped out at 130. I never liked going in that car.
@@cognitivedissonancecamp6326yeah, nah...that's UK speed units so, it'll be 130mph. Quite frankly, the fact that they had the audacity to put 130mph on the dial from the factory back then even is simply ridiculous. 😅
My first was an 850 drop nose, plonked a 1380 in that for giggles. Got a slab nose 1275, dropped the 1380 in that. Ran these for ten years then realised I could've bought a brand new BMW in 1990 and spent the same money. But so much fun! :D
Love old mini's of all shapes an sizes. Craziest one i ever had a go in was an AWD 20B rotary swap only time you could actually drive it was idling which rotaries don't like so you basically could spin around in circles or do crazy burnouts. Have fun and keep having fun
Both those Tie bars going from the lower arms to the front of the front subframe are very bent, should be straight. Will make the steering pull badly if not sorted.
A classic mini is one of if not the most well catered for vehicles in terms of replacement parts, you can basically build a new car from scratch if you want.
I had a 1977 mini back in 1986 that had more rust on it than that. so you got a really good one. Definitely worth restoring I have a new one now the old ones are way more fun cheers from Atlantic Canada👍🏼😎🇨🇦
My first car was a worn out 67 Mini Cooper I bought for $300. I bought two parts cars for another $300 to get the first car running. Mine had twin SU carbs and a cast iron header. Unfortunately with three cars to work with I could not get the ignition system to work in the rain. I installed an aftermarket electronic ignition that helped a lot. You can straight pipe the exhaust or add a resonator but no muffler for extra noise. The rear motor mount near the shifter will self destruct if you add horsepower.i made a solid steel one to fix the problem. The front seats can be moved back two inches for more legroom by making a simple bracket. Then another bracket to lower the steering wheel and you have sports car seating and an unusable back seat. Have fun I know I did.
funniest thing in this vid is the constant 'its not bad' in the UK this would be considered near mint considering its age. thats a very solid shell, and an excellent base for a resto. pretty sure you can get all the panels and things you might need, just a case of importing them... for a period fruity upgrade it is possible to put a K100 BMW motorbike head on the bottom end which gives it 16v and use the corresponding carbs. you can also go fiberglass front end to add more lightness
There is a British channel called Bad Obsession Motorsport. They have been renovating/modifying their mini for about 8 years. They fit a Toyota Celica AWD system to it. And a turbo. But they made it look really good.
Props to you fella. My 1st car was a mini. I see you got the Mk2 there with Mk3 rear lights! 100hp eh? That red block also means its quite likely to be a 1275 A+ block (possibly out of a austin metro). No way is that an SU carb on the engine either. Check with the mini cooper register to see if its a "real cooper" too. Oh yeh get a heritage shell. Unless you are making a series of videos as a creator... Its a typical rusty mini there. A-panels gone, rear valance, battery box, sills, wing headlight area, etc.
Likely this is a 1969 MK2 Mini that had a front end collision in the 90s, and the front end was replaced current parts hence the newer badge and grill. Don’t think it’s a Cooper though as it only has a left hand fuel tank - Coopers have two fuel tanks, left and right. I suspect there’s a high likelihood the engine will be a 80s or 90s Mini Metro lump being the front end is 90s.
They're the same as later engines and boxes. But only need the cut out if you're using a t3, which is old hat! GT1752 or the new gbc turbos are better on a series engines.
@@Dagowly83 interesting, I am a little “old school” as the kids say. It’s what we did back in the….well…longer than I care to remember… gonna be an interesting build!
Get a single 1.75" SU carb on it, which flows almost as well as twin 1.25" carbs, but without the balancing hassles. At 8:30 that is NOT a speaker hole. Later Minis had air vents in that location, but given you only have one on the right, that panel is out another car.
My first car purchased when I was a young lad of only 13 was a 1960 Morris Mini! I started restoring it immediately and it consumed all my time and money during my youth preventing all sorts of unmoral things I could have been getting into! My Dad was very smart! Glad you are doing a full restoration, they are super fun to drive.
I have a nut & bolt restored and customised mini in the UK. They are just fantastic fun to drive. You should have vented sills on each side, the car looks to have an oversill on one side (no vents). That needs removing and you will find rust underneath. They were used to get cars past MOT annual tests but encourage corrosion underneath.
Watching Legit Street Cars try to reassemble his DeLorean was hilarious. Nothing lined up, shims everywhere. Each car must have been "custom" built with love. 😂
PS I just had a flash back of a mate who de-seamed and restored a Mini in 1980 ish.. He drove that thing full throttle everywhere. It was a sight to behold. They are bonkers cars that are so much fun its crazy. I'd have one over a Ferrari, which is lucky for me because they are still... a bit cheaper...
When I was in England 🏴 I had a 1966 mini . The first thing I did was replace the front and back subframe. Dropped it low a beer can would not go under it. Put a 1275 cc engine header’s with twin 45 D.o.c webber carburetor a lot of fun to drive 🎉
one thing ive learned about mini's after restoring one, the rust, NEVER ends. if those front wings have starte to rot, then the rear section where the boot lid and the floor and the rear valance is fucked too, you joked about getting a new body, but honestly, you can buy them brand new for 17k, its not actually s bad idea
These are such kool cars.. glad to see you're restoring one. The newer ones are okay and cool looking but they're just not as iconic as the original ones. These were known to be quite the race car back in the day too
Lovely to see one over in the states, and it being a MK2! There is so much after market support in the UK so very easy to get parts for it, I've own many and still one two today, can wait to see how you do with this! Good Luck from the UK!
I have to agree with the other post about being a Frankenstein, the front clip is from the mid 70’s and body from the 60’s. Not a mini cooper either, just plain mini. I have 76, currently running and driving. Probably needs all the things you are doing, but scares me to even consider doing it. I am anxious to watch and follow your progress. Thanks for loving this Mini and sharing your project.
I did this last year on a 1969 Fiat 124 Spider. Looked great. Once sandblasted, had plenty of swiss cheese. Spent a bunch on metal work and paint, but it's a total beauty now and I will keep it until it falls apart (which believe it or not, it is not prone to do).
Rich. There's a car that might give you some inspiration, Bad Obsession Motorsport have Project Binky. I was thinking of things like central locking, heating, cooling and other things. I can't wait to see the car finished as they're a really good fun car. 👍
That will be a 1275 engine from a Metro. Look into bore to 1380 with plenty options available to get to your 100hp without turbo, which would be a very much better option IMO. Instant torque from almost zero revs makes it a super responsive drive.
Love to see the REAL Mini corner. The BMW versions suck eggs! Both my aunt and uncle had Minis from new in the late 60's. Grandparents neighbour had the station wagon and her hubby had a 1970 Land Rover from new. He died in 2007 & the Land Rover still ran.❤
I didn't know you were a cooper guy! I have always wanted a classic mini and busa swap it. But I can't justify 5-8k for a shell. Gotta respect your decision to keep the stock engine, though.
I wouldn't put a turbo on it but then I'm a dinosaur. A mildly breathed on 1275 Cooper 'S' engine is a hoot in that tiny shell and you won't miss the lag.
Nice! Never had a Cooper, but used to love driving the family's 1966 Mini we had since new, sold it on in the early 1990s. It was my first car, and all the family drove it. Holes in the floor...rear sub-frame broke...such fun...
@@Dagowly83 Ahhh yeah, you're completely right. That one used the engine from the MG Metro Turbo. There were a couple of Mini racecars though using superchargers.
My dad has the same year mini cooper that he bought in the 70's. It is about to get a full restore to get rid of all the rust on the body. I love driving that car.
Awesome, back to content again! Loving it.....Also fun to see as a 60+ year old from the UK who grew up with this stuff, the incedulity of the young guns 🙂
For a 1969 Mini MK2, I think it has the wrong front end on it. It’s also got 12 inch wheels rather than 10 inch. Pretty sure it’s also got the incorrect rear light clusters for a MK2. The doors are definitely MK2 and likely original, but the bonnet (hood) and the Mini badge on it are from a MK6 (1990-1996) as I suspect are the wheels. It’s a bit of a Frankenstein mini as it currently stands, with 30 years between some of the parts.
Awesome info. This makes it that much more interesting.
165/60r12 will fewer rotations per mile. it's about 2% larger
Pretty sure 69 still had sliding front windows ? My guess is its stolen.. those reg plates only appeared in Ireland from 1987 onwards.. it definitely has some kinda shady past
Thanks for identifying license plate. I was curious.@@waynecaulfield-gk6sv
@@waynecaulfield-gk6sv didn't Rich get it from marketplace 😉
Learnt to drive i one of these. Fantastic cars, superb handling, took the rest of the industry until the end of the 80's to make front wheel drive cars that handled like this. Lots of good info in the comments. Not so sure about a turbo conversion, unless you get an Mg Metro turbo engine (also an A series). A 1380 conversion without would give you some serious power with reliabilty. There was a co. in the UK in the 80's called Avonbar, they made a very reliable and fast 1.4 litre (basically 1380).My dad's mate had a serious Cooper S back in the 70's that would hit 60 in under 7 seconds. Other things to check - rear subframe, notorious for rotting out & essential. Caused many a Mini to be scrapped back in the day, as it was expensive to replace. And the gearbox - they got caned in Coopers, worn ones were notorious for jumping out of 1st gear. So pay attention to that. Get the suspension sorted. It ain't a drag racer, but it's insane fun on twisty roads like in the UK. You don't have to slow down for corners much, and it's very communicative when driving. When it's done, head for the hills and the twisty stuff and you'll see what the Mini magic is all about. Remember - these babies won the Monte Carlo Rally more than once, and they competing against the likes of Porsche. Do the research! It's a fun rabbit hole to jump down, these are one of the most raced and rallied cars ever, and there's over half a century of know how to learn from!
Man, I felt it so much when the body filler came off. My brother in law and I bought a 1991 Golf MK2 about 18 months back. It was an abandoned project car and it just needed some love they said. Thank god we only paid 500 bucks because this thing has become such a money dump!
It had (cheap) coilovers on it and it was so low the whole underside was trashed: oil pans from both the (automatic) transmission and the engine completely ruined, support frame dented and cracked open. Then there were parts missing which we only found out after wards including the electric mirrors which are around 300 bucks for decent used ones. I have to completely rewire the headunit because they messed with that as well.
The only reason we bought it in the first place was the engine. We didn't want the very common 1.3 carburetor version. It has a 1.8l with 90 hp and ways around 950kg. And since everything is shit anyway we have a clean slate and can do whatever we want. Including switching to manual transmission, installing a stainless exhaust manifold, a full stainless exhaust, my dream wheels and the color we chose. Sadly, whenever you think you now found all the problems you turn around and find something new...
We are about 3k in and realistically, it will be 7+ grand when we're finished. And this is with us doing every single thing ourselves - apart from doing the actual painting which a good friend of us will be doing as a favor.
So nice to see a simple car restoration, rather than the mclaren porsche and ferrari's that most of us can never own.
Man, that's the best episode in a long time, seeing a full takedown like that is awesome
they are awesome little cars, stick to the road like glue ! Back when i was fit and working as a mechanic i rebuilt a few of the engines same and of course LOADS of welding, the good thing is you can get all the panel's new :)
Project Binky almost got a whole new shell when they were done with it.
They're also amazing for pulling donuts in the snow too 😉
This channel used to have pawn quality acting episodes, classic rock flute covers. Now we know it’s all about Stevon. Rich, where is Stevon? We want him back.
I'll give a thumbs up to this channel no matter what the content. Rock on Rich!
simp
How did an Irish mini end up in America and not re registered? Would love to heat the back story
it's left hand drive as well which is really odd. stolen or an unusual history?
It also has very little rust for an Irish car, we salt our roads and Minis dissolve...
@@callumw9067seriously odd makes no sense at all.
I doubt we'll ever hear the full story. It's clearly a collection of parts from more than one car...
@@kieranjamieson A 69 for 5k that's cheap.
***Rich Rebuilds...I have an idea!
What about finding a retired jet aircraft APU and figuring out to get that to drive a vehicle similar to the ole Chrysler Turbine car! I don't remember but I believe it's a constant velocity transmission hooked up to a jet engine that can run on almost any fuel....Well...a LOT of liquid fuels. I'd love to see you do a video series on something that crazy! If not a CV trans like the turbine car maybe it drives the power for Tesla motors. You think people looked odd at your diesel Tesla, how about turbine powered Tesla! And maybe an aircraft APU is too big but perhaps smaller hobby market engines can do the trick. Typical aircraft APU drives a generator at 220+ volts AC at 400+ Hertz. I'm sure that can be used along with the ideals of the turbine running on simple vodka or whiskey and such. Good luck to ya....I want somebody on TH-cam to do a video on something like this that actually works. The turbine car got killed because it couldn't reach fuel regs using just gas.
Have your team look into it..you might just break the internet again if you did it!
If you're re-painting put the earlier rear lights and the mustache grill on it! 🙂
Love it! I owned 2 minis in the 80's & 90's, great little cars but absolute rust buckets. It's so strange to see Americans working on the little A Series engine.
Pretty sure not a lot of the car is original, engine looks too new and that's an unusual carb. Looking forward to seeing the next instalment.
I had a few of these. Put an mg metro turbo engine in one of them. It was stolen, never to be seen again. Loads of fun they were.
69-C-25 thats an irish import. 69 is the year of sale, C is the county of sale Cork or corcaigh (irish translation) and 25 is the 25 car sold in cork that year. Great history there
Left hand drive though and we didn't have that reg system until the 80's. She must have been imported into Ireland sometime after the 80's at which point it would get the new style registration but back dated to its build date. How she got to the states is anyone's guess !
@@rapidrick Christ i didnt even think of that you're dead right. I did think it was odd alright seeing 69 on the numberplate
You're a good guy finally doing your buddies restoration Rich. I've always believed in you bring back Steven once you guys finish paying out Doe ray me. Love you guys. As a certified forklift operator I would have had it down in less than thirty seconds. It would have been fully restored by the time the tires hit the ground because that's how I roll! That engine is so cute I want to buy it a kitten to try to stay warm on top of it.
No way, Stevon is raised from the dead. Just uploaded to his channel!
@anonymouse7074 what's the name of his channel?
@@nashvilleslim Box Eclectic
My first car was a 1970 Mini Clubman - any engine work - you just drop the front sub frame and lift the body off - you made this hard work!
I beg to differ! We pulled Mini engines up the top.Far far easier than faffing around dropping sub frames and lifting body shells.....2 bolts and nuts underneath the clutch housing the most challenging.Other than that,easy peasy and you can still move the car on i'ts wheels while faffing around with the engine/gearbox whatever.
You can literally lift the front of the car by hand - like a big wheelbarrow - it was the factory recommended method - no decoupling drive shafts.
@@patbutete1722
this channel doesnt get much done without stevon. i miss him
No way, Stevon is raised from the dead. Just uploaded to his channel!
I SAW THAT. He lives! and crushes it
I didn't expect to see a classic Mini restoration and modification when I subscribed to this channel, but I am not disappointed at all!
I'm currently supercharging a Morris Minor which is an A series engine as well, but rear wheel drive. If it's any consolation you were going to be in for some engine work anyway to make it suitable for boost. Though I must admit I've 'cheated' and used a decompression plate between head and block to lower the compression ratio, rather than low compression pistons.
Also it's great to see so much covered in one video. Many youtubers would have stretched that out to 2 or 3!
My first car was a Mini (but I am British) in the 1980s. A friend of mine back then had a Mini that he souped up, with a hugely bored out Austin Allegro engine that was turbocharged (and we're talking 1980s turbos). It was fucking frightening as it was of course fast, and had some lag which was .... interesting to the handling, and went way off the clock which topped out at 130.
I never liked going in that car.
Yep power to weight small car fassssst
130km/h 😂
@@cognitivedissonancecamp6326yeah, nah...that's UK speed units so, it'll be 130mph.
Quite frankly, the fact that they had the audacity to put 130mph on the dial from the factory back then even is simply ridiculous.
😅
Looking forward to watching this project. Great editing btw.
My first was an 850 drop nose, plonked a 1380 in that for giggles. Got a slab nose 1275, dropped the 1380 in that. Ran these for ten years then realised I could've bought a brand new BMW in 1990 and spent the same money. But so much fun! :D
Super stoked to see this restoration - you're making me want to restore my '66 Fiat 1500 now.. it's been so many years. I think it's nearly time.
Hands down my favorite montage music on youtube always makes me smile
I’ve heard that a bmw k100 motorbike head will fit onto the block of the minis and that makes them dual cam and a lot better apparently
Love old mini's of all shapes an sizes. Craziest one i ever had a go in was an AWD 20B rotary swap only time you could actually drive it was idling which rotaries don't like so you basically could spin around in circles or do crazy burnouts.
Have fun and keep having fun
You need Joshua on this project. Get him a copy of "Bondo for Dummies" and he'll be all set for his nap.
Both those Tie bars going from the lower arms to the front of the front subframe are very bent, should be straight. Will make the steering pull badly if not sorted.
Oh man, my dream car, thank you for this!!
You guys always have fun working on cars. Great team effort 👍🏼
Make sure to put a new fuse box in. They go rusty over time and cause all kinds of random electrical gremlins.
A classic mini is one of if not the most well catered for vehicles in terms of replacement parts, you can basically build a new car from scratch if you want.
I would recommend an all engine build as opposed to a boosted setup. It's such a small, light car that they generally behave better with NA .
A man named David Vizard is seemingly one of the most hardcore N/A tuners when it comes to Mini (BMC A-Series) engines.
He had a great book about tuning them
I had a 1977 mini back in 1986 that had more rust on it than that. so you got a really good one. Definitely worth restoring I have a new one now the old ones are way more fun cheers from Atlantic Canada👍🏼😎🇨🇦
Anytime Rich is speaking to a Bostonian, half the conversation has to be censored due to gratuitous profanity. It makes me proud 🥲
My first car was a worn out 67 Mini Cooper I bought for $300. I bought two parts cars for another $300 to get the first car running. Mine had twin SU carbs and a cast iron header. Unfortunately with three cars to work with I could not get the ignition system to work in the rain. I installed an aftermarket electronic ignition that helped a lot. You can straight pipe the exhaust or add a resonator but no muffler for extra noise. The rear motor mount near the shifter will self destruct if you add horsepower.i made a solid steel one to fix the problem. The front seats can be moved back two inches for more legroom by making a simple bracket. Then another bracket to lower the steering wheel and you have sports car seating and an unusable back seat. Have fun I know I did.
funniest thing in this vid is the constant 'its not bad' in the UK this would be considered near mint considering its age. thats a very solid shell, and an excellent base for a resto.
pretty sure you can get all the panels and things you might need, just a case of importing them... for a period fruity upgrade it is possible to put a K100 BMW motorbike head on the bottom end which gives it 16v and use the corresponding carbs. you can also go fiberglass front end to add more lightness
There is a British channel called Bad Obsession Motorsport. They have been renovating/modifying their mini for about 8 years.
They fit a Toyota Celica AWD system to it. And a turbo.
But they made it look really good.
Props to you fella. My 1st car was a mini. I see you got the Mk2 there with Mk3 rear lights! 100hp eh? That red block also means its quite likely to be a 1275 A+ block (possibly out of a austin metro). No way is that an SU carb on the engine either. Check with the mini cooper register to see if its a "real cooper" too.
Oh yeh get a heritage shell. Unless you are making a series of videos as a creator... Its a typical rusty mini there. A-panels gone, rear valance, battery box, sills, wing headlight area, etc.
Huge rabbit hole ya got. If you do decide to rebuild the body, I'd definitely like to see it returned to the original British Racing Green color.
Best project in years this Mr Rich, hoping you bring this Mini back supremely well!
Really nice project Rich. Can wait to see more of this!
Great build series
My 2 cents
Id swap a gsxr engine track widebody kit vintage racing paint and stickers
Likely this is a 1969 MK2 Mini that had a front end collision in the 90s, and the front end was replaced current parts hence the newer badge and grill. Don’t think it’s a Cooper though as it only has a left hand fuel tank - Coopers have two fuel tanks, left and right. I suspect there’s a high likelihood the engine will be a 80s or 90s Mini Metro lump being the front end is 90s.
Yeah it's about 8 different cars stuck together and none of them were Coopers....
Cooper S had twin tanks. Regular cooper a single tank.
This Jenga game has high stakes.
Good to see that the prior owner installed the orange Powerade conversion kit for the carb.
If you are gonna turbo it, you need the engine and box from the MG metro turbo! You just need a box welding in the firewall, and doom turbo mini!
They're the same as later engines and boxes. But only need the cut out if you're using a t3, which is old hat! GT1752 or the new gbc turbos are better on a series engines.
@@Dagowly83 interesting, I am a little “old school” as the kids say. It’s what we did back in the….well…longer than I care to remember… gonna be an interesting build!
I have a turbocharged classic mini! It makes 155hp @ 9psi so that's your benchmark 😉
The irish registration.from county cork. that car has done a lot of travelling
The guy's are very interesting working together, they make me laugh lol. Good sence of humor & doing what car enthusiast do best.
Get a single 1.75" SU carb on it, which flows almost as well as twin 1.25" carbs, but without the balancing hassles.
At 8:30 that is NOT a speaker hole. Later Minis had air vents in that location, but given you only have one on the right, that panel is out another car.
Can’t wait to see who out of Project Binky and Rich Rebuilds never finishes their mini first
My first car purchased when I was a young lad of only 13 was a 1960 Morris Mini! I started restoring it immediately and it consumed all my time and money during my youth preventing all sorts of unmoral things I could have been getting into! My Dad was very smart! Glad you are doing a full restoration, they are super fun to drive.
Drop the front and rear subframes too, they will need attention as well. Rust can hide at the connections!
Also, take off the metal trim over the seam at the A pillar, rust hides there at the clips they used at factory.
Hey Uncle Rich. I would be interested in that weber carb if you end up replacing it.
This was a great video Rich. Love seeing so much progress in one. Can’t wait to see the body after blasting. Oh wait yes I can wait bc I’m worried. 😂
Being from the UK it's fantastic to see one of these OG mini's getting fully restored, cannot wait to see this one come along... 🙂
Has Rich finished a car since Stevon left?
Love to see more classic restorations
Changing the steering rack to a quick rack is a great upgrade
did you guys distastefully mention the Daytona? We miss Stevon.
Is he coming back ??
It's like he never existed
still missing my main man stevaughn!
I have a nut & bolt restored and customised mini in the UK. They are just fantastic fun to drive. You should have vented sills on each side, the car looks to have an oversill on one side (no vents). That needs removing and you will find rust underneath. They were used to get cars past MOT annual tests but encourage corrosion underneath.
Taking apart old cars is great fun. Putting them back together SUCKS! Its great to be a scrapper! 😂
Watching Legit Street Cars try to reassemble his DeLorean was hilarious. Nothing lined up, shims everywhere. Each car must have been "custom" built with love. 😂
PS I just had a flash back of a mate who de-seamed and restored a Mini in 1980 ish.. He drove that thing full throttle everywhere. It was a sight to behold. They are bonkers cars that are so much fun its crazy. I'd have one over a Ferrari, which is lucky for me because they are still... a bit cheaper...
If you need any help turboing your classic mini I have done a couple now and I am doing another right now on my channel. Happy to chat! :-)
This 👍🏽
There is nothing as fun as watching these mad little cars race!
When I was in England 🏴 I had a 1966 mini . The first thing I did was replace the front and back subframe. Dropped it low a beer can would not go under it. Put a 1275 cc engine header’s with twin 45 D.o.c webber carburetor a lot of fun to drive 🎉
There's a reason water is used for machining 😄 with enough pressure it will blast through anything!
how come it's a left hand drive mini with Irish number plates? Ireland drives on the left and so cars are normally right hand drive. curious.
one thing ive learned about mini's after restoring one, the rust, NEVER ends. if those front wings have starte to rot, then the rear section where the boot lid and the floor and the rear valance is fucked too, you joked about getting a new body, but honestly, you can buy them brand new for 17k, its not actually s bad idea
The wiring guy has the toughest job. Protect him at all costs.
These are such kool cars.. glad to see you're restoring one. The newer ones are okay and cool looking but they're just not as iconic as the original ones. These were known to be quite the race car back in the day too
Lovely to see one over in the states, and it being a MK2! There is so much after market support in the UK so very easy to get parts for it, I've own many and still one two today, can wait to see how you do with this! Good Luck from the UK!
As an engine suggestion….. what about a turbo triumph 3 cylinder bike engine, different than say a hyabusa swap and retains the British theme
I really like your channel. I enjoyed this classic car restoration more than damaged sports cars or EVs too
I have to agree with the other post about being a Frankenstein, the front clip is from the mid 70’s and body from the 60’s. Not a mini cooper either, just plain mini. I have 76, currently running and driving. Probably needs all the things you are doing, but scares me to even consider doing it.
I am anxious to watch and follow your progress. Thanks for loving this Mini and sharing your project.
My dad's first car was a Mini during the 60s. Legendary thing glad it's getting restored 👍
Should paint it in Mr Bean's colors 😂
Look at that beautiful pup, where's Chocolate uncle Rich? We want more dogs in the videos.
You got almost all the classic rust spots of a Mini
and they were surprised with the amount of bog on the body, once you start digging you wish you didn't start !
Call Nick Swift. He is the man when it comes to making a Mini go fast.
I did this last year on a 1969 Fiat 124 Spider. Looked great. Once sandblasted, had plenty of swiss cheese. Spent a bunch on metal work and paint, but it's a total beauty now and I will keep it until it falls apart (which believe it or not, it is not prone to do).
The doggo is so 🥰 cute
Rich. There's a car that might give you some inspiration, Bad Obsession Motorsport have Project Binky. I was thinking of things like central locking, heating, cooling and other things.
I can't wait to see the car finished as they're a really good fun car. 👍
Don't tell him how many years Project Binky soaked up!
That will be a 1275 engine from a Metro. Look into bore to 1380 with plenty options available to get to your 100hp without turbo, which would be a very much better option IMO. Instant torque from almost zero revs makes it a super responsive drive.
Yep. Definitely a 1275 non S motor.
I had several mini`s in my life and the are the best for custom builds. So lets go for it Rich!
Love to see the REAL Mini corner. The BMW versions suck eggs! Both my aunt and uncle had Minis from new in the late 60's. Grandparents neighbour had the station wagon and her hubby had a 1970 Land Rover from new. He died in 2007 & the Land Rover still ran.❤
My grandma had an Austin Mini. I loved everything about that car.
I didn't know you were a cooper guy! I have always wanted a classic mini and busa swap it. But I can't justify 5-8k for a shell.
Gotta respect your decision to keep the stock engine, though.
I wouldn't put a turbo on it but then I'm a dinosaur. A mildly breathed on 1275 Cooper 'S' engine is a hoot in that tiny shell and you won't miss the lag.
Like 6 bolts and the whole front subframe comes out with engine and Gearbox . You can get the whole front end of a mini out by yourself in 45mins.
Nice! Never had a Cooper, but used to love driving the family's 1966 Mini we had since new, sold it on in the early 1990s. It was my first car, and all the family drove it. Holes in the floor...rear sub-frame broke...such fun...
Rich totally needs to get Look Mum No Computer over to help him on this one
😅
In Sweden the Mini is also known as doghouse (hundkojan), perfect size for Fenix!
I've often wondered how many old classic mini's are sitting around in the USA. They are such great cars.
For the Mini you're better off using a supercharger rather than a turbo. Some factory models even came with one, I think?
None did. Only the ERA mini was boosted, and it had a metro 1275 turbo engine in it, making 92bhp.
@@Dagowly83 Ahhh yeah, you're completely right. That one used the engine from the MG Metro Turbo. There were a couple of Mini racecars though using superchargers.
Never thought I'd see a Cork reg. on Rich Rebuilds. Nice.
I see the Stevon finder 2000, it's time to upgrade to the 3000 model.
My dad has the same year mini cooper that he bought in the 70's. It is about to get a full restore to get rid of all the rust on the body. I love driving that car.
Awesome, back to content again! Loving it.....Also fun to see as a 60+ year old from the UK who grew up with this stuff, the incedulity of the young guns 🙂
That’s a nice Irish reg car you have there!!
channel hasnt been the same since the recorder music stopped
Speaker holes in the front 14:13 are actually the air Vent holes (which you'll need to buy) 😉