(Non) Motive Power

Well, I finally got to pulling the first engine last night, and it went rather smoothly overall. I had a good article with photos from Ausmini which made it pretty simple. I had received and installed a chain hoist, and centered the car under it--that helped a lot. But the reality is, there is no substitute for extra bodies and hands, since the engine/gearbox needs to be rotated, tilted, etc. during various stages of removal. I got it done, though, and it only took about 2 1/2 hours all told. I am again amazed at how much Sir Alec got out of such a small package--the engine and gearbox actually share a common oil supply, and the whole thing is very compact and efficient. It is easy to see why they were used for everything from commuting to rally racing in their day.


Kathryn and I have really been thinking a lot lately about the current economy, the mini plans, and what direction to go. In the beginning of the project, the intention was to do a more-or-less concourse level restoration on both cars, and sell one. I still have some "market research" to do with high-end auto brokers, but I fear that I may not have a ready buyer for such a high-end collectible right now. Such a restoration will cost in the neighborhood of $35,000 and so we must carefully consider the market.

This has led to another idea, which is to do a basic restoration of the '66--fix the rust, paint inside and out, do the interior/wiring/rubber bits/tires/etc. and then sell. This level would probably run closer to $25,000 total, which is a lot easier to recover upon resale. At that point, we'd just do the same basics on the '70 (keeping it), and let the full restoration take longer--nibble away at it over time and enjoy driving and working on that car.

We will see. I still need to make a comprehensive list of everything I think each car would need for either type of restoration, and price all that out. Gunnar Gordon is a local body and paint man who does nothing but minis, and his work is quite impressive. I visited his shop on Monday, and he'll be out next week to have a look at my cars and give a better idea of what's involved for the two levels of body/paint. At that point I think we'll be able to make a decision and press on. Gunnar will be ready for my cars in about four weeks, so that's good news also. I still hope to have one car ready for sale in the spring or early summer, which would be a good time to generate interest.

As I run out of garage space, things are getting cluttered. It's time to pause, put away tools, throw away old carpet, etc. I need to update the garage plan--and once I focus on a single car, that will help a lot.


Guess that's it for the time being. I'll post more photos when I get the next engine out, and we have a better idea of where we're headed.

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