Well the photo's a bit hard to read (hadn't realised how filthy the plate was ) but the code is AKFPD19Y , which when you use the deciphering given before comes out as a 1979 build whilst being complied 8/81 ... If only the RTA would accept that and let me put it on club plates this year instead of waiting till next year



A nice , original engine bay (except for the colour of the new master cylinder cap .....) ,



The floor mat's ,



and the cut edge of the floor mat ,

_________________

The numbers do not indicate a 79 build. They indicate a model that was introduced in 79. That is how that code system works.
Looking at that plate I would say the car was built in 81 or maybe late 80.

Ian-Same as mine-AKFPD19Y Date stamp 3/81

_________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

No worries , thank's Morris .

_________________

A number of months ago I went and had a look at a late Californian moke that was for sale. Proce was over $20 large, but compared to the ebay car this looked like a bargain!
Owner claimed it to be a barn find from a deceased estate, or something. Real or not, this is what I'd expect for a car being sold as 'original' or 'immaculate'.

Interesting post this as I've been looking about for a "Californian"for my next car.

It's not as easy as you might think.

1000 +/- were created in 71-73 for a brief period to be exported to US Virgin Islands (export model but called Californian). All 1275 with drums and rear petrol tank.

Then in 77 they were relaunched again with Californian name. They came with both 998 (77 onwards) and 1275 (78 onwards) engine options. Disks came with the 1275.

In 79 they galvanised the body and essentially called everything a californian. They came with a myriad of options from poverty pack to fully optioned.

So....bloody hard to actually spot what we might think is a real one due to all the options and variants available!

Terry Pollard is President of the Moke club and he can also assist with body numbers if required.

But, you are all correct. The Cooper Tax is alive and well as the Californian Tax.

p.s. I forgot to mention - I enquired about getting a nuts a bolts restoration one and was quoted...wait for it...$35ks. Still choking....

_________________
Regards,

Mike
"He who dies with the most toys wins."

Yeap, that looks about as close as you would expect, down to the original (but dangerous when wet) tyres. Correct heater too for an 81 model. Grill Badge, Pretty good original soft top, seats, horn, radiator, wiper motor, demister ducts, floor matting (but it's been cut away around the base of the steering Column), correct type of Cali Bars front and back, correct type of Sunrasia Rim (there were 2 types fitted to Cali's - early and late), Rear Mud Flaps, Wheel Covers, Exhaust Pipe (what I can see of it), even the HT leads!

What has been changed / removed;-

Steering Wheel (that one is from a 78-79 Califorian),
Emission Controls (air pump etc)

That really is a very fine example. A real credit to the owner. A few years ago you would expect to pay $18 000 to $25 000 for something like that, but in the present market, around $14 000 to $18 000 would be about the right money.

I don't mean to try and throw a spanner in the works, but weren't all Mokes exempt from the dreaded air pump? Something about them being a "commercial vehicle" made them exempt? Thought i read that in a TME article. Could be wrong though.

_________________
88 Rover 1.3i "Reggie"
99 Rover 1.3i “Grover”
12 Mini Cooper S "The shitter"
17 Mini Clubman JCW “Noddy”

I must admit I've never seen a Moke with a gulp valve!

_________________
1967 Cooper S - new front bearings to do.
1965 Cooper S shell - Slow progress. No time or money!
1966 Deluxe- next rustoration!
Mk 2 & XJ6 Jags. Less said the better.

What is an air pump/gulp valve? Never heard of them...

_________________
Regards,

Mike
"He who dies with the most toys wins."

It was a 70's/80's(piss poor) attempt by the Australian Authorities to stop pollution and what the current Governments call the "Greenhouse" effect

_________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Commercial vehicles were exempt from ADR 27a for the first couple of years, but then commercial vehicles had to comply also.

_________________
Too many cars, and too little time.

You forgot to add that none (or very few) actually left, as the Virgin Islands order was cancelled. Hence the parts were built up in RHD and sold on the Australian market as the first Californians. IMHO the best of all Mokes.

_________________
Brett Nicholson
Greendale (near Ballan) VIC.
1971 Morris Mini Moke
1966 Austin Mini
1965 Morris Mini Traveller
1973 LR Series 3 88
2007 LR Freelander 2

Would you mind expanding on your opinion on why they are best? It might help me to narrow search.

Body was not galvanised.
Rear tank rather than side tank.
Seats?

_________________
Regards,

Mike
"He who dies with the most toys wins."

The pre october 79 were not galvanised, and all to often rusted to pieces... So keep a wide eye open for cancer.

The advantage to a pre gal moke is that the parts are ALL interchanable,,, every bit of it. The Gal bodies, well they aren't as much, they have a lot of different parts on them.

The rear tank is a Bug Eyed Sprite tank out of and A/H... I reckon it would be cool it you could put one of those in AND a side tank,, you could drive half way across the country in any direction
.
.
..
The only downer with the early models is RUST,, especially if its from a coastal area, you can garantee that some yuppy has had the romantic idea of driving it thru the sand at the beach at least once (once if your lucky!!)

Apart from the rust, I reckon that the the advantage with parts availablity is a huge bonus.

But, look, you don't need to buy a genuine cali,, they cost more, and you could easily get the cali parts you like and fit them to a base model... almost everyone has done it.

Growing up I have seen probably 500-600 mokes, and about 400 realy up close and personal.. and of them, only about 6 were really genuine ridgy didge. Its almost safe to say, that the most of the time, the difference between a cali and base model is ONLY the body number... everything else you can buy for them.