Not mine, etc, and I know it's a little over the limit for the challenge (hey, just sell off some parts, right?). I'd be all over this though if I didn't already have 5 or 6 projects. Someone on here should check this out though.
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/cto/3539577943.html
"Classic 1960 Austin Cooper aka Mini Cooper - $2500 (Atlanta)
Very rare find. Car needs restored, but is in very workable shape. Lots of rare, original parts, especially with the high spec cooper S engine. Mini forum members were drooling over the engine. Needs to be rebuilt, but was easily a $10k engine when new
Both transmission and Engine are very valuable and easily worth 3x the amount of the for sale ad if cleaned up and rebuilt if needed
The engine is a 1275 Cooper S from 1966 or slightly later. The block is a COOPER S with AEG312 casting. Transmission is remote gear change with flange output shafts to use with Hardy-Spicer driveshaft coupling. Some kind of weird heater valve remnant on the cylinder head, which is also probably Cooper S since it has 11 studs total. Looks like Isky aluminum valve spring retainers. Keith Dodd 1.5 rockers. Spacers on the rocker shaft and forged rockers, possibly lightened as they look very thin on the spine. Some parts are painted gold, maybe it had some Gold Seal rebuilt components."
Oh God, that engine spec made me weak in the knees.
The guy sounds like he knows his stuff.
DrBoost
PowerDork
1/12/13 8:55 a.m.
TAftonomos wrote:
Turbo busa swap?
No please. As the owner of a classic mini, a vtec or busa or anything else modern really ruins the character of the car. Part of the character is the high-strung sound of a british powerplant popping and burbling on overrun. Swapping a modern motor in a mini is like doing your hot cousin; it's going to be pretty hot at first, but in the end you're going to wish you hadn't.
midknight wrote:
Oh God, that engine spec made me weak in the knees.
+1.
Also, DrBoost, thank you for that bit of insight, I am on the fence about keeping the 1275 non-cooper or ditching for vtech.
In reply to JohnInKansas:
If you do, you really need to address subframe mounting. Additional power causes a lot of chassis flex and therefore torque steer. Front subframe needs to be tied in better to the main body to help prevent this issue.
The seller has been trying to sell that car now for several months.
...where's that jerry seinfeld "atlanta!" pic when you need it?
Holy E36 M3, that's rough, for $2500. 1960 Minis are nothing special; there was no Cooper until '61. Very optimistic about $10000 motor. The block's value is only for correct restoration and it's a 'thin flange' block, don't bore the hell out of it for a 1380.
Quasimo1 wrote:
The seller has been trying to sell that car now for several months.
That's because he's asking way to berkeleying much for it.
I'm no expert on Minis or a GrassRoots Super Dork, But I wouldn't sell the engine for anything less. 1275's are not going cheap on the Mini sites. We sold one last May for about that price.
Seriously? 
Complete pre-A+ cores from MiniMania are about $1200. Tested units are $1700. Rebuilts are $4000-6000. As the motor pictured in the ad sits, it looks woefully neglected.
But then again, I haven't been paying attention to what Minis are going for these days, and finding one that's relatively sound is getting harder.
