When cars were FUN!

rockylizard · Guru

When cars were FUN!

aussie_paul · Guru

It sure does John, one of my younger sisters had a couple and having to change the exhaust gasket was a pain. Fortunately she was very mechanical on the farm and her smaller hands could reach spots mine wouldn't!!!! We put an 1100 engine in it and gave it a bit more go.. biggrin

Aussie Paul. smile

hako · Guru

My big brother bought one new just after they were released - bright yellow with sliding windows, salt and pepper upholstery and floor starter button. Anyway we took it on a run up from Sydney to Bourke then across to Kingaroy and back down the coast freecamping all the way. Naturally it attracted heaps of attention on the way. Only spot of bother we had was when camped on a sandy creek bed and the 10" wheels and front wheel drive could not move us - had to enlist the aid of other campers to lift us out.
Good Luck.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

I had a orange one many moons ago. I won't tell you I had bathers like that bloke getting out, nope, no way.

sufil · Guru

We have a 66 bull nose one sitting in the shed.

Happywanderer · The Master

My first car was a Morris Minor 1000. Same colour as the one in the first photo.

ST391GQ · Senior Member

I had 3 ..

First one was a sliding window 850...which I converted to a key start...extracters ....2 inch exhaust ...and 2 spring washers in the suspension to give it clearance on dirt roads.

Next one was a 1000 cc mini cooper ...went like a shower of........ ! ...Same thing again as the first one as far as mods go.

Third one (wish I had kept this one ) was a 1971 Morris Cooper "S"...1275..twin carbies ...extracters...2 inch exhaust ...next to no muffler.. Candy Red with a white roof and Contessa mags ...would do 100MPH in third....115 in top ...and I loved it!!! But things change (Kids!) and it went .

I hear that 20000 bux would only get an average one these days...if it can be found.

Cheers Keith

-- Edited by ST391GQ on Wednesday 24th of June 2015 09:18:01 PM

capricorn and pisces · Senior Member

I had one of those too with a new baby! Second hand, in pretty good condition. It was much the same colour as the one in the add.

That must have been some time ago as the baby is in his forties now!!!!

Capricorn

The Doo crew · Senior Member

My favourite Dad helped me buy when I was 17 was a British racing green 69 Cooper, 1275cc bored to 1310cc, twin su's, electronic ignition, 2" system with a Lukey muffler, neighbours hated when I came up our street late at night exhaust burbling all the way to the driveway.
An odd "S" bend on beginning of our street, the mini went through it at speed like it was on rails, nothing could come close to matching it. We were a real Mini family, between mum, myself & my 3 brothers we owned a total of 16 of these little gems in sedans & panel vans.
Many an hour cursing over skinned knuckles repairing exhausts & replacing CV joints, have a photo album somewhere full of photos, including a few we crashed.

Desert Dweller · Guru

This is a TRUE story! I failed my licence test in a Mini, failed the parking component.
They moved the beacons in closer, but I couldn't get close enough to the kerb. blankstare

sufil · Guru

We also had a 69 Cooper S, when we married 45 yrs ago. Kid came along and we couldn't get the bassinet in it so it had to go!!

Joe50 · Guru

Sighhhh ... one of my life's regrets is not owning a Mini, closest I came was my first car, a Morris 1100. Memories of the time include highway police in unmarked Cooper S's (don't think it was called Highway Patrol in the late 60s) - they were easy to spot as they all had metal sun shades across the top of the windscreen and were all registered in March. Also was fascinated watching them race at the old Warwick Farm circuit in Sydney where the Mustangs and Camaros would blast past them on the straight and the Minis would sail past them under brakes into Creek Corner and pull away through the esses.

Joe

-- Edited by Joe50 on Thursday 25th of June 2015 01:17:09 PM

done dreaming · Senior Member

I had a Cooper s but traded it in for my ford panel van as i wasn't a contorsinist.

WollyandPete · Veteran Member

First of three Minis we had, a 61' 850 then 69' panel van (our shaggin wagon) then a brand new Mini S in 1976. My wife pines for another one these days but I don't.
Pete

03_Troopy · Guru

capricorn and pisces wrote:
I had one of those too with a new baby! Second hand, in pretty good condition. It was much the same colour as the one in the add.
That must have been some time ago as the baby is in his forties now!!!!
Capricorn

Was did a second hand baby set you back in those days? confuse biggrin

aussie_paul · Guru

Was it a Mini that they used to lift with one drop of Supaglue when Supaglue first came out?

Aussie Paul. smile

Ontos45 · Guru

Remember this Joe50?

Delivering papers round Sydney suberbs with a Rottie sitting on top of the papers...no thefts. biggrin biggrin biggrin

aussie_paul · Guru

An Auntie of mine won a Mini Moke in a local raffle, and her mother, had a couple of mini's after her retirement.

Aussie Paul. smile

Joe50 · Guru

Ontos45 wrote:
Remember this Joe50?
Delivering papers round Sydney suberbs with a Rottie sitting on top of the papers...no thefts.

Ah memories, colour is a little different from the pink one we had (must have been a refugee from the Think Pink cement company). Would have made a great float for the Mardi Gras along Oxford Street!

capricorn and pisces · Senior Member

Thank you 03 Troopy....read that and couldn't stop laughing!

Like all of one's off spring he was cheap to start with but the expenses grew as he fast as he did!!!!!!

The second hand mini was definitely cheaper to keep!

cheers Capricorn

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

We started our travels around Australia together in Minis.
We drove an 850 to Darwin and back to Adelaide in 3 weeks for our honeymoon in 1967.

The 1968 'Deluxe' did several bush trips including driving west from Coward Springs on the Oodnadatta Track in 1970.

The "Mini K" went to Uluru a couple of times.

When our son needed his first car, I gave him an 850 with the engine in pieces in the boot and told him that if he could fix it he could have it.
He always looked after his cars after that.
Great cars.

Cheers,
Peter

Cheers,
Peter

-- Edited by Peter_n_Margaret on Sunday 28th of June 2015 12:20:06 AM