I have had an extensive search but it seems I am going against the trend on here. I am converting a UK mini from sliding windows to Australia wind up windows but trying to figure out what parts I require exactly and to minimise the amount I need to import as I am based in the UK.

I know the nylon and bracket are the opposite way round (i.e my mini has the nylon on the door, but it needs to be on the B post).

1 - There are two striker plates available (14A6832 - Sliding windows, HYA2805 - Wind up windows). Will I need the HYA2805 regardless, or can the 14A6832 be used? I believe not, but why not? Perhaps the throw of the latch is offset on the UK doors vs Australian doors but hopefully someone here knows!

2 - The nylon buffers are reportedly wider and deeper on the Australian ones; dol? In theory could I just cut off the bracket on my current Australian doors, weld/bolt on a UK bracket, and then fit the UK nylon buffer, or did it need to be larger and more substantial to cope with the increased weight? I would rather not cut it off as it will likely cause fitment issues later, but bolting it on may allow future adjustment. *Photo now below to show a UK bolt on/850 one which actually fits inside the Australian one, I thought worth adding a photo to this thread.

3 - Can the UK nylon buffers be modified to suit Australian doors effectively using their standard bracket? They are $5 AUD in the UK so a notable saving and easier to source.

4 - As the UK uses a bolt on bracket / nylon buffer, and the Australian buffer has a different distance between the fixing points, surely this would mean I cannot simply bolt an Australian nylon buffer to my B post in its current state as many have posted on here?

Hopefully some of that makes sense...



Thank you!

Hi Louis, I must admit it was many years ago but when I did the reverse (replaced the Oz windups fitted to my (UK) Traveller with proper sliding window doors) I just unscrewed the buffer and bracket and swapped them over. While Oz cars have the buffer on the body and UK cars have them on the door, the screws are in the same place so one just attaches in place of the other.

I don't know if Oz brackets/buffers are different from the UK version but I would suggest that as long as you have a matched pair (buffer and bracket) it won't matter.

I didn't know that Oz cars have fixed brackets ... how would you adjust them?? Unfortunately the only Oz car I have is an 850 - with sliding windows. I shall have to go down to the shed to check.

As for the latch, I just used to one on the car.... So same latch works with windups or slider doors. I can measure the ones I have if you want ...say bolt hole to the locking ridge(s)?? Casual observation suggests they're the same as the ones on 1071.

Let me know if I can help.

Cheers, Ian

Hello Ian,

Thank you for your response. If you recall; when you fitted the buffer to your traveller did the nylon/bracket bolt on without issue (presuming you used an 850 sliding window buffer)? If the distance between the holes is different, and you replaced your body mounted nylon with a body mounted UK bracket, would the holes not be out of alignment? (I hope that makes sense) unless infact the screws (UK Vs Australian) are in the same place, it is just the outside profile which is different? *Ah, apologies I just re-read that, being a UK traveller does this mean someone fitted the windup doors before your ownership?

I do not have a buffer to compare, but based on what others have said here historically and seeing how one bracket fits inside another, they must be substantially different (enough to matter that is). I will likely change the pair for ease of replacement.

I only have my doors to go from, they are spot welded into the door itself..I presume the striker does most of the adjustment and the nylon has some movement on it?



Regarding the striker plates; if you have the type as below and could get a dimension from the holes on the orange line, to the two ridges that would be great please. An overall width and height would be nice to know too? I thought swapping the strikers would be just the 3 screws, however it appears the the UK ones (14A6832) are vertically aligned fixings, whereas the Australian (HYA2805) is horizontal...



Thank you,

Louis

You say you want to fit Australian designed wind-up window doors to a UK body with sliding window doors.

Do you already have a pair of Australian doors to fit?

If so you should be able to see the difference around the lock area which would prevent you from simply fitting them to the UK body door aperture. The B pillars were modified on the Australian body to accommodate the different profile. You will need to do the same on your UK body. The usual method is to cut this section of the B pillar from a donor car and fit to the sliding window body. In my view only a brave or skilled body repair person would attempt to make this modification in any other way if a neat and original-looking factory result is the aim.

Here are photos of a UK sliding window door and B pillar (green paint), and the same for an Australian wind-up window car (white paint). You can see the depression in the Oz B pillar and the style and position of the striker plates and buffers. I would suggest the position and fitting of the latter is the least of your concerns when doing this modification.

_________________
ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

Here is my input

Cooperess; Thank you for that comparison photograph, I found one on MiniSport which showed only the new buffers but yours shows more clearly, I will consider that matter resolved for now!

Winabbey, I will admit that this is unwelcome news to me, however the photos to compare are very useful thank you. Just to clarify, this is for the earlier handle type (i.e. the ones which droop over time), not the later flappy handle burst proof type? I have read multiple times that the burst proof lock doors cannot fit an earlier shell but have not found a clear explanation why?

From researching before, I believed that the doors were interchangeable between from wind-ups to 850 sliders (aside from the buffers etc), however is this only the case when considering Australian bodies? Not many have converted the way I plan, perhaps this is why (and the sheer cost). I found this photo before but did not register the variation in recesses, as I was of the mindset that it would be fine



I do have some Australian doors yes, and a UK shell which has UK doors fitted. I have not removed the current doors to offer the Australian one up to the aperture at this time, as above, I believed they would fit so had no reason to check. I do not have an Australian B pillar to compare (no chance of finding one here either!). I gather they are not available as repair panels etc? Perhaps i'll be able to find someone cutting up a shell, at least this area is not one of the regularly corroded areas (not as much of an issue for you I suppose).

Do you know if the surface that the buffer is mounted on is the same level and it is just the latch recess which differs?

I think I will have to pop one of my doors off as soon as possible to assess the actual situation.

Thank you

Yes.

_________________
ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

So I managed to get my UK door off and the Australian door does at least fit in the aperture, albeit with alarming gaps and an almost interference fit against the current striker plate.



Would anyone be able to tell me the depth of your striker plates (wind-up window size) please? (that is the height of the "peak") As my latch is almost touching the body, I may be able to reduce the plate height but do not want to reduce excess amounts of material

As a side note, does anyone know what the South African builds were like? I have seen them with the Australian style door, but the B post appears the same as the UK body, i.e. one flat panel. Were their doors different perhaps?

Winabbey, if the green mini is yours, would it be possible for a photo showing the other face of the striker plate from inside the vehicle? I am trying to gauge how much the latch engages against the striker plate based on paint wear.

Thanks again

No, not my car, so I can't take other shots. And my own car is in storage. Hopefully someone else can assist.

_________________
ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43