Hello all, I'm in central Vic and have had two minis in the shed that have been waiting for me to mate them together for too long. A Leyland with a 1275 with a bit of a cam by the sound of it, and large dent behind drivers door and a Morris that's been in primer since painted by the previous owner maybe 20 years ago but seems to be rust free. Unfortunately he was a fan of black jack sound deadener and has painted the engine bay and interior to speedo level with it. I was a mechanic for about 18 years but avoided Minis so will have many questions when the work begins which will be soon as I'm running out of bikes to restore. Just a couple for now, where should I go for parts? The car has hydro suspension that's not leaking, should I just leave it alone? Does the standard speedo fit OK into the three hole unit? Thanks for now, Jonesy.

Welcome.

Here is a list of mini shops. viewtopic.php?f=41&t=83593
My personal favorites for new parts are http://minikingdomonline.com.au/ and http://www.karcraft.com.au . For second hand parts try the local shops to you, Ebay, Gumtree or Facebook.

I would keep the hydro if its working ok. You can always do some mods to the hydro suspension at a later date if you want it a bit stiffer. You can add shockies to the front and competition bump stops to the rear.

The speedos are physically the same size but can have a different TPM depending on the final drive ratio. Most smiths speedos have a small number on the front face that tells you the TPM. eg (1280, 1376 or 1408). There is a bit of info here. http://www.guess-works.com/Tech/speedo.htm . This website also has a ratio calculator that you can play around with TPM Vs Final Drive Vs Worm and pinion ratio.

Thanks gtogreen69, I guess with the speedo I was wondering if I have to replace it when fitting a 3 hole dash or keep it and just buy the dash and two gauges.

If you are upgrading a deluxe to the Cooper S style binnacle then you have 2 options.

The first one is to keep the speedo and pod that you already have and add on the cooper S bits. This can be very expensive and hard to find the parts. The binnacle mounts to a hidden backplate by chrome 4 screws.



Or purchase a MK2 style binnacle. These are readily available new from the mini shops but you will need to add 2 extra screw holes in your bulkhead. The binnacle mounts directly to the bulkhead with 6 screws.

Thanks this is just the sort of information I need.

Welcome first mini, you will find all the info you need right here!!
some banter, laughs, and oh no moments.
Happy building. cheers Scott

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Why is it the things that make me tick, are also the things that make me go boom?

Welcome Jonesy,

Re the Hydro, if you have the time and inclination then stripping the front and rear suspension might be a good thing to do just for peace of mind and to ensure everything is right...even just flushing and re-pressurising the system might be worthwhile after checking all the lines for corrosion etc

Enjoy! Mick

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"Show me the Mini!"

I've had it on my hoist (luxury) and I think everything looks pretty sound and it wont be getting a lot of use so I will hopefully be doing a "what is necessary" type build.

Welcome mate! I hope you find ausmini as helpful as I do and the rest of the fellas and gals. There is a wealth of knowledge and know how on this site so if you don't know something don't be afraid to ask we will be more than happy to help good luck!!!

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1964 smooth roof panel van
1967 Mk 1 X-Police cooper s
1970 mini k
1975 leyland