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OIL - general rule, 10W-40 for manuals
20W-40 for automatics
1. DO NOT use oil that has "friction modifed" or "synthetic" on it. they are very slippery and only good for the Engine and it's Pistons.
a mini has its gearbox in its engine compartment/sump. they use the same oil. the new oils have special slippery additives which wont allow your gears to engage properly.
2. at first, i put Castrol 25W-60 "thicker oil for older cars". this was fine, i used it for about 3 months. because it was thick, i had trouble starting the car, once it was running, everything was ok. no harm in doing so. $17/6L.
- Anto makes a good point, use a safe cheap oil to top up-
3. oil in my car right now is Penrite Classic Light SAE30 or 20W-50 (good for automatics). its perfect, starts nicely, the sound is heavenly. i get this from a warehouse, no one sells it in the shops. $25.30/5L.
Penrite Classic Medium SAE40 (thicker) is what you'd want to use in a Manual, but it's $30/5L and pretty much no shops stock this.
4. if you want an oil thats easier to get, try Penrite HPR30, which is about $28/5L. some shops have started to stock this, its worth the wait.
you can see many people recommend Penrite, i havent met anyone (thats not too many) who have said a bad thing about Penrite.
5. automatics use about 5100 mL of oil,
manuals use about 4950mL of oil (im told)
RADIATOR
1. taking it out - is a pain to do, while its out, you can inspect it better. no real advantages there, unless you are determined you need a whole new radiator. thats if you know what to look for
2. Flushing It.
the radiator is not made of steel, probably Brass or something. it does not rust or corrode.
most of the gunk comes from the engine and within and clogs the tiny tubes in the radiator.
a) disconnect all hoses
b) use hose to flood/spray into top hole of engine block
c) use hose to flood/spray into bottom hole of engine block
d) flood radiator as well
e) connect all hoses again
f) get yourself some radiator/engine cleaning chemical
g) follow the instructions, leave it in for 30minutes, etc
3. while you're at it, check to see if there's a thermostat (on the engine block, under the triangular metal shield just after the top radiator hose). $7 thermostat plus gasket (remember the gasket and glue) and all my overheating problems were solved.
TUNING
im shithouse at tuning my carby, dad does it for me.
he adjusts
i) the needle depth
ii) the hole depth that the needle goes into
iii) the screw that pushes onto the accelerator cable (idling speed adjuster?)
a) fiddle with the needle mainly (push 0.3mm in at a time) IN for more petrol, OUT for less petrol.
b) start car and let idle for 1 minute. if it dies out then too little fuel.
c) check one spark plug. black means too much fuel
d) after its not black, then you can begin to adjust that little screw (no need for dismantling the carby, its a little phillips head crew with a spring underneath it and it relates to the acceleration cable somehow next to the carby bottle)
OUT for quietest, fuel economy, engine dying sometimes
IN for louder, faster, etc.
hope this helps, bloody oath i type too much
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Appreciation without Depreciation
forever chasing clearer skies...
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Made a good flushing oil... 
