Articles: 1973 Mini 1000 – The Mini and the Minor – 234

June 5th, 2010 by NZ Classic Car

Following from our Young Person’s Guide to Classic Cars (NZCC, January 2010), we talk to teenager Josh Kelly about his Mini

Some 14 years after the very first Mini Se7en — designed originally by Alec Issigonis — rolled off the assembly line, our striking feature car was built in Petone, on January 17, 1973.

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of this motoring icon, which basically remained unchanged until 2000, while the BMW version has since become a popular choice for more modern Mini enthusiasts.

Over the years Minis have become a favourite among young and old, male and female, those affluent, those who scrimp and save every cent to buy their favourite little car and, no matter what part of the world you live, there’s a Mini story or enthusiast lurking somewhere.

Josh Kelly, like many people, was smitten by Minis from an early age and has been nuts about them ever since. But of course as a kid he couldn’t own a real one, so his family would often buy him Mini models until eventually, he could start buying them for himself.

Josh knew from a very young age that his first car would be a Mini, even though his father wasn’t so keen on the idea. This wasn’t enough to deter Josh’s obsession to own one. That obsession finally became reality in 2009, when he purchased his first Mini after a couple of months seriously looking around to see what was available.

It was a dream come true for Josh as he had loved Minis all his life, and finally at 17 years of age, he had his first one. Until then, all his Minis had been small toys!

This Mini was the third one he’d looked at in the space of three weeks, the first being a 1976 Mini 1000, then a 1980 Mini 1275GT (NZ version). However, the asking prices were beyond his budget.

Then Josh went to look at the car featured here. The previous owner, a local police officer, knew his parents and told his mother that he was contemplating selling one of his Minis. Naturally, Josh wasted no time and jumped at the chance. Within 15 minutes of test-driving the Mini, Josh was parting with $4000. An absolute bargain, Josh reckoned, as it had been valued at $5000 for insurance purposes. He has since been offered $10,000 for this little gem.

Trusty Runabout

After serving as a trusty, reliable runabout for most of its life and for a number of owners, the Mini was starting to show its age, so the previous owner — Mal Parker — decided to do a complete rebuild in 2002/’03. Apparently Mal just needed something to occupy his time on cold wet nights. That sounds familiar! The restoration took three years, with the emphasis on keeping the car as original as possible; there were no modifications whatsoever.

The car was totally stripped down, with every single nut and bolt coming off. The complete body was bead-blasted, and, as luck would have it, the only rust located was where an aerial had been mounted on the right front guard.

The sub-frames were stripped, sand-blasted and marine undercoated. All wheel brake cylinders were replaced, as were the shoes. The only panels to be replaced were the door skins and the driver’s side A-panel.

The 998cc four-cylinder engine was also completely dismantled, which really confirms the ‘every nut and bolt off’ teardown. The motor was rebuilt with brand new pistons, timing chain, and many other parts. The valve seats were also hardened so the car can run on unleaded fuel without the use of an additive. A new clutch was fitted, whilst the gearbox remained standard.

Originally, Mal had taken the motor out and replaced the engine seals. Once it was reassembled, he tried to start it and there was an almighty clatter deep within the motor. Mal took it out again, removed the head and discovered a couple of pieces of a piston skirt in the top. The bore was also badly scored, along with three burned valves. As Mal did not have the equipment to do the job himself, he had a professional engine reconditioner complete the task of installing new pistons, rings and hardened valve seats, as well as refurbishing the oil pump. Once reassembled and nestled back in its right place, the engine fired up perfectly and it hasn’t missed a beat since.

The radiator was also re-cored, and the starter motor and alternator were completely overhauled. A recent addition to the motor, which Josh fitted himself, is a conversion to electronic ignition. This makes the Mini much more reliable as a daily driver. The exhaust system comprises the standard manifold (which will be changed to genuine Cooper extractors soon) and free-flow exhaust pipe, and it ends in a genuine RC40 muffler. This definitely gives it a nice sound.

Holden Racing Green

After the panel work was finished, the Mini was painted in Holden HSV Racing Green. It is very similar to British Racing Green, a colour Mal liked, except on the Holden it is metallic. On the Mini it is a solid colour, which suits it perfectly. Bonnet stripes, roof and rims have all been painted in Glacier White, so it resembles the Cooper racers of the ’60s. Mal just couldn’t bring himself to paint a Union Jack on the roof.

The complete underside, including sub-frames and the inside of the boot, has been under-sealed throughout for total protection against the elements.

The interior is still factory Mini, bar the replacement of the old bus-style steering wheel for a sportier Wildcat-racing version. All the door cards, parcel tray, and seats are original and have been re-sprayed in black vinyl paint. The chequered seat covers are a one-off, giving this Mini a very unique interior. Carpets were replaced, and a recent addition is the wood-grain gear knob, a nice touch to complete the interior. The boot interior has an owner-fabricated carpeted boot-board as well.

New bumpers, headlights and tyres put a finishing touch to the restoration.

Minor Improvements

Since owning the Mini, Josh has slowly continued to make minor improvements by adding his own touches to get it 100 per cent to his liking, such as the seat covers, electronic ignition, gear knob and steering as mentioned earlier. He has travelled over 8000 enjoyable kilometres in the nine months he has owned the car, which includes club runs with his local Mini club. Josh has also made a couple of road trips to Naseby and Roxburgh to attend classic car shows, and drove to a wedding in Invercargill where the Mini was used as a wedding car, and to Oamaru for the Best of British Day. Josh reckons that these days most teenagers around his age are into Japanese ‘pocket rockets’ but he prefers classic not plastic.

In Josh’s own words, his superb little Mini — “Has a habit of making people jealous of me for having such a nice car.”

The car is his daily driver, yet still has the ability to turn heads and fits in perfectly at car shows, where it is proving itself to be very popular — and as far as Josh is concerned, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

1973 Mini 1000 – Specifications

Engine Original 998, rebuilt with new pistons, timing chain, and hardened seat valves, electronic ignition conversion, standard manifold, free-flow exhaust pipe and RC40 muffler
Bore/stroke 65x76mm
Max power 29kW (approx) at 5250rpm
Max torque 72Nm at 2700rpm
Compression 8.3:1
Fuel system SU carburettor
Transmission Four-speed manual
Steering Rack and pinion
Brakes Drum/drum