Hi Everyone,

As many of you would know, the very first Minis in Australia, the Morris 850s, are typically known for their sliding windows, rubber-cone suspension and centre speedo, however there were differences amongst the 850s - they weren't all the same. The list below this post has been created to help with the identifying of what 'features' should be on an early 850 (ie ~1961-62). To get an idea of the sort of things I'm talking about, have a look at the next post...


If you know of an early feature not listed, or more information on a feature already listed, it would be greatly appeciated if you could please post details and a picture if possible/applicable.

If you have a Mini with a listed feature newer than the Mini currently listed as the newest, please say so and it will be updated (as long as you're happy for the number to be posted) This is so we have an idea of up until what age Minis came with certain things. Obviously, a list with only a few cars on it is not going to be very accurate.

NB: If you are sharing a picture, could you please try to keep it stored in its original location (i.e. particular folder on photobucket). It could become quite frustrating if there are many "Oops, this link is broken" images instead of half of the pictures.

--- If you notice a mistake anywhere, of any form, please let me know. ---

If you have any suggestions or input of any type, please do not hold back from sharing

Thanks, Evan.

The text in this post was updated Thurs, 20 Jan 2011.

_________________
Saxon Green 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62641
Nightfire Red 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66555

Please notify me if you have a newer car than the ones listed. Also, if you have a better photo of something that you are happy to share, please do so. Thanks.

The Current List (more details below)
- Distributor
- Drain Slots
- Engine Block Casting
- Engine Steady
- Front Seats
- Grille (White)
- Hexagonal Blank Plug (in Switch Panel)
- Kick Panels
- Number Plate Flap (Long)
- Number Plate Flap (Long & Black)
- Park Brake Button
- Radiator
- Rear Side Cards
- Rear Side Window Catches
- Rear Side Window Catch Mounting
- Seal Panel (Front of)
- Seat Mounting Brackets (welded)
- Seat Mounting Brackets (bolt-on, early style)
- Speedo Binacle
- Steering Column Cowling (Bakerlite)
- Switch Panel ('Black crackle')
- Switch Panel (Flat)
- Washer Bottle Bracket
- Welded Rear Arms
- Welded Trumpets
- Wiper Motor

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Distributor Early 59-60 cars had the cast iron bodies same as Morris Minor but stamped with mini code

Newest Car No. to feature: 1037
→ Date/Colour/Owner: / English Grey / david rosenthal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drain Slots instead of drain holes in roof gutters.

Newest Car No. to feature: 12178
→ Date/Colour/Owner: May-June 1962 / Saxon Green / mini_fanatic (Evan)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Engine Block Casting "850" is in different position to usual (later) blocks

Newest Car No. to feature:
→ Date/Colour/Owner:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Engine Steady Narrow engine steady.

Newest Car No. to feature: 12178
→ Date/Colour/Owner: May-June 1962 / Saxon Green / mini_fanatic (Evan)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Front Seats Seats with straight legs (and different mounting brackets).

Newest Car No. to feature:
→ Date/Colour/Owner:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grille Painted white instead of chrome finish

Newest Car No. to feature: 3808
→ Date/Colour/Owner: / English Grey / Alice Springs Museum
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hexagonal Blanking Plug LH side of switch panel

Newest Car No. to feature: 5173
→ Date/Colour/Owner: May-June 1961 / English Grey / mini_fanatic (Evan)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kick Panels Molded vinyl kick panels instead of aluminium.

Newest Car No. to feature: 6003
→ Date/Colour/Owner: November 1961 / - / min16i (Ian)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number Plate Flap English bootlid with long, thinner number plate flap. (V. early cars were black, see next 'item')

Newest Car No. to feature: 12178
→ Date/Colour/Owner: May-June 1962 / Saxon Green / mini_fanatic (Evan)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number Plate Flap (black) English bootlid with black flap [not sure if this is a feature, or just a number of cars had them]

Newest Car No. to feature: 8010
→ Date/Colour/Owner: 1961 / Araulen Blue / John Dellaca (TME, Iss. 25)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Park Brake Button Chrome instead of plastic

Newest Car No. to feature: 10131
→ Date/Colour/Owner: / Cherry Red / mini_fanatic (Evan)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Radiator Coventry/Newcell. 'Squared' front corner, rather than later 'sloping'.

Newest Car No. to feature: 12178
→ Date/Colour/Owner: May-June 1962 / Saxon Green / mini_fanatic (Evan)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rear side cards Held by screws instead of steel/chrome trim.

Newest Car No. to feature: 5173
→ Date/Colour/Owner: May-June 1961 / English Grey / mini_fanatic (Evan)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rear Side Window Catches Narrow catches instead of later wide catches

Newest Car No. to feature: 1037
→ Date/Colour/Owner: / English Grey / david rosenthal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rear Side Window Catch Mounting Rear catch mount flat rather than raised (Right in picture. Left window Mini's from late 61 on)

Newest Car No. to feature: 2874
→ Date/Colour/Owner: / - /Flapper
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seal Panel Different front of seal panel

Newest Car No. to feature: 1037
→ Date/Colour/Owner: / English Grey / david rosenthal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seat Mounting Brackets Spot welded brackets for early seats with legs

Newest Car No. to feature:
→ Date/Colour/Owner:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seat Mounting Brackets Bolt-on brackets for early seats with legs

Newest Car No. to feature:
→ Date/Colour/Owner:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speedo Binacle Made of cardboard/paper mache

Newest Car No. to feature: 3808
→ Date/Colour/Owner: / English Grey / Alice Springs Museum
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steering Column Cowling Made of Bakerlite

Newest Car No. to feature: 3808
→ Date/Colour/Owner: / English Grey / Alice Springs Museum
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Switch Panel 'Black crackle' finish on cars with black speedo binacle

Newest Car No. to feature: 3808
→ Date/Colour/Owner: / English Grey / Alice Springs Museum
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Switch Panel Flat switch panel (outer holes, choke and plug)

Newest Car No. to feature: 5173
→ Date/Colour/Owner: May-June 1961 / English Grey / mini_fanatic (Evan)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Washer Bottle Bracket Wire 'clips' used to hold bottle, rather than later strip of steel

Newest Car No. to feature: 12178
→ Date/Colour/Owner: May-June 1962 / Saxon Green / mini_fanatic (Evan)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welded Rear Arms Rear subframe arms

Newest Car No. to feature: 1037
→ Date/Colour/Owner: / English Grey / david rosenthal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welded Trumpets Welded suspension trumpets.

Newest Car No. to feature:
→ Date/Colour/Owner:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wiper Motor Early wiper motor, different shape

Newest Car No. to feature: 5173
→ Date/Colour/Owner: May-June 1961 / English Grey / mini_fanatic (Evan)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last updated: Saturday 12 February, 2011

_________________
Saxon Green 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62641
Nightfire Red 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66555

(reserved for list)

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Saxon Green 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62641
Nightfire Red 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66555

Do you mean things like push buton floor start, magic wand gear stick, sliding windows, single speed non-park wipers, round center consol speedo
green light on end of indicator stalk

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

yes, in a way, but i was thinking in particular things only on very early 850s, such as different seats and brackets, flat switch panels, speedo binacles etc.
although, the list could expand to all 850 features...

I'm working on getting some photos up now to start the list off..


sorry if i was unclear. I often get ideas in my head and don't explain them well, as if everyone else already knows what i'm thinking


EDIT: This is the thread where I got the idea....there's alot of things listed if you were wanting to know about some 'features'
http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=63104

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Saxon Green 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62641
Nightfire Red 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66555

Are these brackets original or home-made? I thought the 'legged' seats had welded brackets and the others had black bolt-on brackets.

Evan.

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Saxon Green 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62641
Nightfire Red 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66555

have a look HERE.

It lists all the differences of the very early cars...

cheers

Kevin

Early Minis with the tube style seats were attached to brackets welded to the cross member, however later British Minis that were built for disabled drivers were fitted with the early style tube seats and used adaptor plates that bolted on to the later style standard mounting holes. I couldn't say if these brackets are that type though.

Tim

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1951 Morris Commercial J Type Van
1955 BSA C11G
1961 Morris Mini Traveller
1969 Triumph TR6R
1977 Leyland Moke Californian

Thanks Kevin, I hadn't looked at that site before.

I'm actually after details of early Australian Morris 850s, which I'm fairly sure have differences, although some details are the same. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm more after dates of the items on Australian Minis to help work out what certain cars should have. For example, my English Grey 850 has had a hard life and has lost alot of it's original bits and pieces, and if I were to restore it I'd like to have some idea of how it should look, if you get what I mean.

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Saxon Green 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62641
Nightfire Red 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66555

The Mini Experience issue one has a pretty good article on the first 850s to come out to australia, and some details on the early Australian 850s i believe. Have you seen that?

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince

there are a few other things that might be carried onto the first ckd cars here from the stock piles sent from england.
Brass door hinges phased out early 1961
welded type rear trailing arms- phased out early 1961
welded type trumpets - phased out 3/61
speedo binical original one was cardboard -phased out 11/60 ????
radiators [I will ad a pic of the early type later] this type was phased out around 10th or 11th month 60
distributors - early 59-60 cars had the cast iron bodies same as morris minor but stamped with mini code
front hubs -were changed around mid 60 but have been found on later original cars.[ evedently there is a date stamp on them]
drive axles, the spline was changed from square profile to envolute profile around mid to late 60's
Bonnet stay bracket in different location
two round indents in bonnet catch panel for spot welding position. jigs were changed mid to late 60's ?????
rear window catches . smaller type phased out end of 60

Many of these bits could be fitted to aust made cars . I will get some pics of various items when I can.
speedo housing

welded rear arms

rear window catches


front of seal panel

distributor

radiator. top tank did not have slope and not pressed with strengthing recesses. originally coventry made . plate attached to tank top


I have compiled much of this info from 59 heritage and others with 59,60 cars in england. As these people said many of the superceeded items would have been sent to Aust for initial production

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Research is the difference between speculation and investment. Anyone who copys some one else will always be second
www.minisprintgt.com

Thanks for all of those details and pictures david, i'll add some of them now....

I'm really looking for owners on the forum to add details of their own cars, rather than info on the net - which of course is still helpful.

_________________
Saxon Green 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62641
Nightfire Red 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66555

Whilst far from perfect the relevant factory parts catalogues are also a good source of the technical specification of these cars. The original Morris 850 parts manual for Australia is the UK produced AKD1153. The second edition was issued in 8/59 and the third edition in 6/61. For Australian cars two supplements were issued - supplement 1 (27 pages) on Feb 61 including all Australian part changes to Jan 61, and supplement 2 (7 pages) that is not dated.

Then came HYL2980 (unknown issue date) covering the Morris 850 and Mini Van. This is the first full version of an Australian Morris 850 parts list as identied by the letter Y in the prefix (all Australian parts have a Y as the second letter of the prefix).

Issue NL13 of BMC Parts Newsletter dated March 61 (see below) contained details of the Australian accessories for the Morris 850, such as seat covers, radio, sun visor, heater and number plate frames that all had Australian part numbers as they were sourced or manufactured locally.

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

Drain slots in the roof instead of drain holes would be another one. It's also probably worth asking what style of upholstery as well - there are at least thee different patterns in the two-tone vinyl.

_________________
66 Deluxe, 07 Cooper

Thanks winabbey. I've never heard of them, how rare are they?



Thanks Paul, I'll add the drain slots now. Were they on all 850s or only fairly early ones?

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Saxon Green 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62641
Nightfire Red 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66555