Of Mice and Minis

I have been noticing some discrepancies in the '66 lately (replaced fenders and bonnet, etc.) and so have decided that I need to tear down both cars before I can decide which one to keep, and therefore which one to restore first. Spent this evening getting the interior out of the '66, and it was a bit trickier than the '70. First, the most recent carpet (which is probably 20 years old) was glued down really well. As I ripped it out, it could come apart into little pieces instead of big sheets, so spent a fair amount of time just pulling out bits. The next fun detail is that this car has been a home to something like 200 mice at one point, so there are dried mouse turds everywhere. Charming.

When the carpet and gearshift boot came out, I was very bummed to find that the gearshift hole is really ragged. When a Cooper S is counterfeited, one telltale sign is that the hole for the gearshift is usually hacked out, instead of being a nice smooth factory hole. This one is strange--it is ragged, but if you line up all the ragged pieces, it was originally a smooth hole. So I'm confused on this one. The gauges that were under the dash are indeed original, and after pulling the homemade wooden dash insert out, I was pleased to find the original metal gauge mount behind it. So to restore the gauges to original look and location, I'll only need to find the plastic surround and fascia. In my box of parts, I also found an original Smith's tach, positive ground even, that will be a perfect finishing touch for the instrumentation on this car!

The side cards (doors and rear) are rough but salvageable. The rear seat is also faded to grey (from its original light green) but in great shape otherwise. The front seats are redone in a green color that is noticeably different from the others. The headliner is badly waterstained all around, and the dash cards are pretty rough. The dash itself isn't too bad, with some tears here and there but original vinyl. The inserts for companion boxes front and rear are pretty much trash. So this one may need more work on the interior, but not to worry as most of this stuff is available still today.

I also found some Oz change in this car; 1x20cents (from 1967!), 1x5cent, 1x1cent. 26cents, none the richer? My favorite find of the night, however, was this. There was previously a stereo in the car, and some of the wiring is still there. In the left rear companion box, I found what I think is an amp, basically just a circuit board with no case. It was wrapped in bubble wrap and laid on metal. Soldered points pointed down. I can only imagine the fun that would have ensued once the vibration finally let the circuit board short across the metal of the car...
So with visions of Hanta Virus dancing in my head, it's off to bed.