1964 Mini fell into my lap

Everything on this motor is crusty, dusty, or rusty so I'm sure that it needs a tear down, cleaning, and regasketing are a bare minimum. I'm 99% sure it needs the whole enchilada thrown at it regarding machine work etc. 

Pull cab and bed, shorten the frame, drop mini body onto it and secure with Grade 8 bolts. Youve got a RWD mini with A/C. Presto, done in an afternoon.

(Note: I may be oversimplifying the complexity of this build as I have no knowledge or experience in this area) 

The B16 sounds like fun if you want a little screamer, but if it were me I would probably swap in a Honda D16Z6/Y8 or preferably a newer R-series Civic engine into it.  It still makes for a very quick and fun little car, they're dead reliable,  dirt cheap, found everywhere, and easy to work on.   

In reply to Teh E36 M3 :

I'd pull the head and see what the bores look like.  After that I'd pull the sump /  the motor off the gearbox and take a look at the bearings. 

You could porbably do that in an hour.

If the inside looks better than the outside I pull it all apart clean everything and only replace what is out of spec.

As this is meant to be an around town runabout it won't matter if the motor is only 85-90% of a lovingly rebuilt motor.

Getting running and enjoy it.

Someone take a moment and learn me a bit of mini information.

The engine sits on top of the transmission?  And low and center in this picture is the differential?

Interesting.

I am also guessing that the intake and exhaust ports in the head are a creative design.

Went to pick up the rest of the parts today at my friends storage unit
 Notes:  

-Fiberglass bonnet and wings. No steel to be found. 
-four GB mini lite copies with a008's. 10" and super cool. 
-doors intact, and good glass.  
-box full of misc parts but no interior, seats, etc. I think most of the suspension is there.  
 

This is pretty overwhelming. I'm sure it's missing a lot. 

Noddaz said:

Someone take a moment and learn me a bit of mini information.

The engine sits on top of the transmission?  And low and center in this picture is the differential?

 

Interesting.

I am also guessing that the intake and exhaust ports in the head are a creative design.

The transmission is inside the oil pan. Yes that is the differential hanging out the back of it. Engine and trans share the same 20W50 oil.

It is a typical British cylinder head. Cylinders 1 and 2 share a siamese intake port as do 3 and 4. Cylinders 2 and 3 share a siamesed exhaust port.

Flathead fords did shared exhaust port thing too. 

We did a 1967 Austin Mini Cooper S over at Classic Motorsports. It was also came some assembly required. 

Noddaz said:

The engine sits on top of the transmission?  And low and center in this picture is the differential?

Yeppers, and the engine and transmission share the same oil. So an oil change has the added benefit of a transmission fluid change for free.  Very compact.

Hagerty has a neat youtube series where they rebuild the engine on a Cooper S and really get down into the weeds on how it's put together.

@Teh E36 M3 - No interior?  That kinda stinks, but makes me wonder if it's really a Cooper or just a standard Mini with a 998.  I think most of the panels and stuff are still available, but for things like seats, aftermarket is way more comfortable.  If it's not really a Cooper (or if it is, but the motor isn't the original), I'd lean towards a mildly built 1275 and just making the rest of the car nice for weekend fun.

-Rob

Not that this means anything but:

fun weekend/runabout town is my jam with this.  There's no way I can make this perfect within what it could ever be worth as a Cooper, much less a base mini. I think hipsters in gen x may be the last folks to give a crap about these (hello, my name is Brust and I like old unreliable British cars). 

In reply to Teh E36 M3 :

Look at it as a blank canvas.  Paint what you want.

Yeah- I think even the inner fenders had been cut at some point. Still working on a plan. 

Run the numbers and see if it's a real cooper , then decide what to do.....

VIN says mk1 Austin Cooper

CA2S7L500XXX

Teh E36 M3 said:

VIN says mk1 Austin Cooper

CA2S7L500XXX

Well your fate is sealed then isn't it.

Have you connsidered a Honda D series motor? Even at 106 hp, that's a lot for that little car. You could do a zc or some other d series frankenswap for a little more power.

honda reliability, not as extreme as the B series in terms of costs, and should still be able to get most parts you need online or from junkyards. 

Yeah, there's a little pressure to restore vice modify since it appears to be a Cooper - both from within and outside. Searching today, b series Hondas appear to be pretty available, but the d's seem thin on the ground- especially in any decent shape.  
 

b series- looks like you have to do a wide body? Like extend 3" per side. And, 13" wheels. Also appears the newest version doesn't require a nose extension. If I could figure out a 10" wheel brake setup and not make it look weird with massive additional width this would be the ticket - also seems like folks have done ac with this as well. 
 

a series- original and Dave seems like he has a good setup for a reasonable price. I'm concerned about age and starting it up after sitting for a week or so. 

Teh E36 M3 said:

Everything on this motor is crusty, dusty, or rusty so I'm sure that it needs a tear down, cleaning, and regasketing are a bare minimum. I'm 99% sure it needs the whole enchilada thrown at it regarding machine work etc. 

Some of those A models will fool you.  They may have ponies with very skinny legs but they are so much fun  compared to Honda's.  Sort of go-cart fun. 
     Plus we used to thrash the heck out of them.  Really flog them.  They are not delicate.  Just respect the red line and change oil if you flog it hard for a while.  Yes,  oil coolers save that.  But it's not complex or difficult.     
       You need an old guy to show you how the first time and it's real simple from then on.  I mean really simple. Plus it's fun.  ?!?!? Yeh,  like playing an instrument well is fun.  
     Nope,  few can pick it up and do well off the bat or by reading the manual.  But with the old guy showing you how, it is fun. 
     What you will gain is confidence. Knowledge is power and if you are willing to learn  this will puff your chest up.  

In reply to Teh E36 M3 :

Honestly at this point, I think most D series are going to need a refresh anyway. But I am surprised they are hard to find them seem pretty plentiful and cheap around me.

I will say with the D series, the ignition module in the distributor seems to flakey and the aftermarket replacements are trash. I am going to do individual coilpacks on mine with Hondata.

It's not a BIG $$$ Cooper S as there is no right side gas tank filler hole in the rear quarter panel.

Find an Austin America in a junk yard and pull the motor for your build.

There are 2 styles of transmission, a "rod change" and a "remote". The rod change is much more desirable.

When finished, get ready to smile every time you sit in the car, there is something magical about an original Mini rolling around on 10" wheels. Also, plan extra time whenever you take it out and especially when you stop for gas. It will attract a lot of curious onlookers.

When it comes to pig in a poke engines, "if it spins, it wins"

Assuming it spins, I would give the engine a leak-down test, and if it passes, do a rattle-can rebuild and call it a day. 

Video of me practicing what I preach with the Bugeye engine. I had bought it as "rebuilt" many years ago and with no documentation.  It spun, it had compression, so it had to run if I fed it fuel and spark, no?

Minia Mania has a forum with some pretty bright people, along with a lot of gas bag 'experts', but you'd do well to post this over there for more educated opinions. Anything that is a legit Cooper is $$. 

You may be wise just to bolt together what you have and sell it on to a real enthusiast.

I am sure that a Mini Cooper guy would love to have a blank canvas like that to start with , 

it would make a great Rally  car  !

In reply to californiamilleghia :

Can you use an AA motor?

Yes, sorta.....the motor is pretty much the same tho it may have an air pump and associated plumbing. All the AA's were remote shifters, but it was different than those used on the Mini - tho it will fit. If you're talking about swapping it to a Mini gearbox, sure...no problem. Far better to use the later model rod change gearbox tho.....

Be aware that to pull the motor off the gearbox requires removing the flywheel/clutch assy, and for that you need a special puller - the ones you rent from the auto parts store will NOT get it off. The end of the crankshaft is a taper that the flywheel mounts to.....you need the correct puller. don't forget to remove the keyed washer under the big bolt and turn the crank 90* from TDC - there is a c shaped retainer on the end of the crank, if you go to pull the flywheel with it in the wrong position, it can fall out and if you can get the flywheel off at all it will really mess things up.

You can usually borrow the puller from someone who has one, just be prepared to buy them a new one if you screw theirs up. If you decide to buy your own I can put you onto the BEST one in the world. Of course it's doubtful you'll ever need it again unless you start building classic Mini engines on the side or something.  

Fiberglass front end is not a killer on the value of the car, but it doesn't help. Front end sheetmetal is not expensive and readily available. 

Edit: Ft. fenders (wings) £100 each, ft panel also about £100, bonnet about £200, so about £500 in sheet metal and probably £100 to ship. If you need inner panels those are also available - in fact all the sheet metal is......you can even buy a complete shell these days, not that this car needs one.

Interiors are out there too, keep an eye on MiniManias "Parts for Sales - classic" and also Ebay and Craigslist. 

For that matter I have a set of late model seats (F&R) in great condition, but shipping might get spendy only because they're large and ungainly to ship