early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

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Expand view Topic review: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by Jemini » Fri Sep 17, 2021 2:35 am

what a coincidence, I saw this car just last Saturday, and was speaking to the person who built the flares just yesterday!

The flares were done by Les Green of Palmerston Nth and the shell is sitting in the loft at PD Automotive in Wellington.

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by Steve Holmes » Tue Sep 14, 2021 9:31 am

Time to resurrect this old thread. Here is a period photo of the car in the opening posts. Love those flares!
241843793_4742197015812690_727681514884368996_n.jpg

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by rf84 » Tue Oct 21, 2014 6:49 am

Have you checked with Reg Cook yet? I remember Reg well when he, John Provo and I were all students at Massey University in Palmerston North in the late 60's. He had an orange Mini in those days. It was a road going car but he used it for the odd Massey University Car Club and Manawatu CC event. It was orange BUT was a "matte" orange-not a shiny enamel. I suspect he had painted it with what was known as "Seachrome primer" a paint that was commonly used those days as an anti-rust primer paint. Also seem to recollect he had a blue/green coloured Mini-what some would describe as "duck egg blue" or tourquoise colour. Maybe they were one and the same cars repainted. It was always hard to keep track of Reg's cars and engines. It was rumored on campus that Reg went through 8 motors in one year!

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by minihaha » Tue Oct 21, 2014 6:10 am

Just giving this another bump to see if there are any fresh leads or pics for this car. The current paint scheme is from AC Delco sponsorship. Original colour for the car is similar to the Austin Horizon Blue colour. Then lime green. Then Orange. the car must have run with the large flares in both orange and white. The car is still running the original brass door hinges. After looking at the cage today it is obvious that the car had a rear roll hoop and stays fabricated out of tube and bends. This actually looks gas welded. The front legs, bar across the top of the windscreen and side intrusion bar (missing) are roughly bent out of a slightly larger diameter tube and are attached to the main hoop via a D clamp arrangement. The rear bins and door bins are still there. The cage feet are bolted in.

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by minihaha » Mon Jan 28, 2013 8:59 am

Thanks, Steve. If he has a look at the photos on page one, hopefully he may recognise some details in the car.
The owner has started to make contact with some of the people on the entry list above as he already knows quite a few of them. These things take time though. Fingers crossed the trail continues!

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by Steve Holmes » Sun Jan 27, 2013 7:24 am

Any luck with this yet? At the NZFMR this year I was chatting with Colin Warrington who was racing in NZ with the Australian Trans-Am cars in the Historic Muscle Cars/U3 races. Colin is an ex-pat Kiwi who has lived in Queensland for several years. But back in the late '60s and early '70s when he was a young bloke he raced a Mini in the 1,000cc class against Barrie Phillips, Rod Collingwood, Jim Richards etc. He visits this site regularly in the hope some old photos might appear on here of him in the Mini.

Anyway, I asked Colin what colour his car was, and if it had any special features that made it stand out from the other cars of the era. He said the car was painted white, then had the hood and boot lid painted orange. But, he said because he was a young bloke racing on a tight budget, he couldn't afford to buy bolt-on flares, so instead welded on steel ones! His was a bit special in this respect, as most of the other cars had the bolt-ons. He also said because he couldn't afford disc brakes, he raced with drums.

It could be a long shot, but this could be Colins old Mini. He will be making his way back home after the NZFMR and will take a few days to settle, but I'll flick him an email and see if maybe this is his old car. He usually raced as #21.

There are pics of Colin at this years NZFMR racing his '69 Camaro, which by coincidence, is also painted white and orange, on the HMC thread.

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by minihaha » Wed Dec 26, 2012 10:38 pm

WOW, thats awesome info!! We didn't know when it was last raced. This will help fill a small gap. Lots of familiar names on there!

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by Powder » Wed Dec 26, 2012 8:09 pm

minihaha wrote:The car was last raced by Mark probably around 78/79 and sold to a new owner who dismantled it to this state and it's been in dry storage ever since.


It looks like the car was entered at Manfeild, 28 Oct 1979. Possibly its last race?
Manfeild-28-10-79.jpg

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by minihaha » Wed Dec 26, 2012 9:11 am

Just letting you know that the original 850 engine is machined and waiting for assembly once the body is done. All the original bits will be pieced back together. We are still hoping for pics or info on who ran it and the colour schemes that were used. This will dictate how it finally ends up. Thanks for the info so far.

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by minihaha » Sat Sep 01, 2012 10:18 am

Just giving this another bump to see if there is any new interest.

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by Paul Wilkinson » Mon Mar 19, 2012 12:52 am

Looks like a pretty solid start to a cool project for only $500!

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by Steve Holmes » Sun Mar 18, 2012 5:25 am

Wow! Thats cool.

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by Paul Wilkinson » Fri Mar 16, 2012 7:36 am

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/austin-rover/auction-457395157.htm
Any history attached to this old beast with a roof-chop on trademe?

130487492_full.jpg


181912609_full.jpg
Attachments
181912609.jpg

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by seaqnmac27 » Sun Mar 11, 2012 6:03 am

Yeah mate. Realised after I had posted them. But hafn't had a chance to modify the post

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by Oldfart » Sun Mar 11, 2012 6:01 am

Isn't the "mishap at the hairpin" photo also at Puke hairpin?

My Dads pics of Reg's Minis

by seaqnmac27 » Sun Mar 11, 2012 3:27 am

Reg Cook - Flagmen under Threat.jpg
Reg Cook Spins at Cabbage Tree.jpg
Reg Cook - Mishap at Hairpin.jpg
Reg Cook, Mini-Cooper, January 1973.jpg


so 100 is at Levin Jan 68, 200 is Pukekohe Jan 73

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by minihaha » Sat Mar 10, 2012 10:29 pm

Just giving this a bump to see if anyone has had any thoughts about it. Also in case there are any new members that may have some ideas.

Thank you for all contributions so far, they have been very helpful.

Heres a random pic to say thanks...

bct2006018ic.jpg

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by minihaha » Sat Feb 18, 2012 1:37 am

Found out today from the owner that this car was run by Mark Spargo in the bright green colour with the steel flares before he painted it the colour scheme in the photos.

And yes Adrian that is the petrol tank from the car. It is a very early tank and has fittings to match the pump etc mounted in the boot.

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by Marty » Wed Feb 15, 2012 8:35 pm

MY CMR Support Team photo on the lunchroom wall has John Provo owning the 200 car, 1973/74.

I don't know how many minis Reg had but there must have been a few as he also raced one at Waikaraka Park for a short while.

Re: early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

by minihaha » Wed Feb 15, 2012 5:46 am

I have studied the pictures of that car Steve and I think it's a later shell as you can see the indentation for the windscreen rubber in the surrounding panel. 59 shells don't have this. I have also studied the other earlier car that is in the Mini and Imps thread with the 12" wheels and number 100 on the side. This one looks like an early shell with similar bonnet pinning but no rollcage at the time. Does anyone know what happened to that car? Did it become a CMR car later on?

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