I am a bit confused (easily done). You say the car was originally registered in the UK, but others on here are suggesting it could be an ex NSW police car. If the latter being the case it would have been manufactured in Australia. Wind up windows are a pointer to this, plus all the other pointers to a Cooper S. All English Mk1 & 2's have sliding Windows.
Also there were only two types of Cooper S in Aust. YKG2S2 = Mk1. ('65 to '69) YG2S4 = Mk2 ('69 to '70). The experts on here will correct me on the Mk2 production dates.

If you go back to the first post in this thread you'll get the original history as I knew it at the time, that the vehicle is an Australian Mk2 Cooper S. Since then I've discovered it was originally sold in NSW, later went to Western Australia, then New Zealand, then the UK, then CA, then CT where the car is now. Sorry some of this dialog is confusing as I am discovering facts about this car as I work though the car and with the fabulous support of the people in this forum!

viperrwk

Where would the switch for the siren be located in the police Cooper S? I had this switch installed in the middle of the dash where the key was located - the switch didn't do anything and I never bothered to chase it down before the car was disassembled.

I'm also wondering if when the car was in the accident that's when the steering column was replaced and maybe they moved the switch for the siren to the center position. I'm pretty sure the car was in an accident while it was still white and it was painted red after the accident. Only question is what is the approximate date for when that steering column was first manufactured...

viperrwk

(a) Three holes at the top of both front seam covers where a mesh sunscreen was installed.
(b) Three holes in the leading edge of the front subframe and two holes each side near the drive shafts where a steel sump guard was installed.


No, unfortunately. I have tried and am still trying to get access to old motor vehicles records held by NSW Police, if indeed they still exist.


As best I can work out the siren was activated by a Hella push-pull switch located on the right hand side of the car on or near the parcel shelf. The steering column is a later modification. The standard Mini ignition switch was located in that middle position.

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

Would these be the holes for the sunscreen?

These holes were hidden under the seam covers. The car was blasted with the old seam covers on and were only taken off as we started the body work. I believe when the car was painted green new seam covers were installed so there was no evidence of the holes being there.

Also any idea why there are two holes in the roof drip rail on each side? Were these also used for mounting the sunscreen?

The front subframe is in a different location and with a different person. I've asked them to check that and will report back when I find out.

viperrwk

Yes, they are the sunscreen mounting holes. You can see the sunscreen on my ex-NSW Police Cooper S below.



The two holes in the drip rail are to let the accumulated water out. They are a standard feature of all Oz Minis.

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

Certainly appears to be an ex police car. Will this change the direction of your restoration?

I don't have pictures but can confirm the subframe does have the holes for the sump guard.



That's a great question. This new information does given me pause to think what I want to do next.

For now there's still a lot of body work to do. Here's today's work as an example.

viperrwk

In case it's of interest here's what I've been doing to my ex-NSW Police MK II Cooper S.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=98057

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

Wow - just read the first post in your thread - great story! I look forward to reading the whole thing - and I'm sure it will spark many more questions!

The first one that comes to mind is does anyone make a reproduction of the sunscreen?

Thank you!

viperrwk

The repro sunvisors are not the same. They do a solid steel and mesh type but they are 4 bolt. The repro mesh type also has a centre support.

There is an original one on Ebay Aust but i would hate to see the postage to USA. https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=ht ... are_type=t

I only see about one original type per year for sale. They either appear on Facebook, Gumtree or Ebay.

Why not get a genuine original one? They come up for sale from time to time. Of course getting it shipped to you so it arrives in one piece might be challenging.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mini-Cooper ... ctupt=true

Edit: gtogreen1969 beat me to it.

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

Your thread has already answered another question I had.

The seats that were installed in the car when I bought it were a reclining set but the car came with its original seats as well. The one thing I couldn't understand about the original seats was why the seat tube frames were cut. And then somewhere along the way, one of the seats had a section of tube put back! With your help it's all making sense now!

viperrwk

Yes, lowered seats so the tall driver didn't hit his head (no her's driving police pursuit cars back then) on the roof. Special Production Order 16.

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

Does someone make replacement exterior sill panels that are rounded like the originals? The ones from Minisport are straight and don't seem to be the same. I'm wondering if someone has a source for the correct sills.

BTW I love the hydro floorpans from Minisport - will save a lot of time and effort. Plus shipping was super fast - was shipped out last Friday and received them here in the States today!

viperrwk