given all the issues i seem to have with my nicely restored 66 deluxe body in primer that is missing the body ID plate (which I know I have been told is not as issue, but still It bugs me)

what is worth more, and that I should focus my attention on out of the three body's I have.

the 66 deluxe body in primer with missing ID plate (pretty sure i have the matching 998 engine for it but without the ID plate cannot confirm. will need a new front apron and spare tire well, also the inner under door sils are not the same each side and one side appears to be missing the seat bet bolt hole! needs work done on the seams also.

another deluxe shell asuming 67ish (will check numbers tonight) that is rusted pretty bad and looks like its had a repaired front end impact (also belive i have the matching 998 engine)

and my old faithfull 63/64 850 that currently has my 1360cc bolted into it with disc brake front end done up to look like a little cooper S replica but has more rust then real metal left (hence the purchase of the primerd body)

in reality I have enough parts two build two full cars. . . though I am only interested in building a single Sedan thatn aquiring a Van body for the second. . . so which body should I use? I am not 100% appose to cutting up the 'restored' primerd body to fix my 850. . . which has huge sentimental value to me but sounds like a lot more work than I am capeable of.

opinions?

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1967 Mini Deluxe bucket of rust and mismatched parts powered by a 1360cc and a destroyed gearbox missing second gear

I'd still go down this track. I'm not into cars to make money out of them - they are just a hobby for me so you'll have to decide what you want to do based on business prospects / disposable income etc. I have a matching numbers 1967 De Luxe that has been in my family since '73, I have all the original paperwork and know the history from new including where it was bought from and the owners. This to me is worth more than selling it as it has huge sentimental value and I'd be lucky to find another mini like it with a full history since new.

There are heaps of bitsas around already - which I guess your 850 is but a 1360 is bound to be more fun than going back to an 850 or 998. They are your cars to do what you please with. I'd say the 850 would probably be worth more than a De Luxe restored but I haven't been looking for a mini recently.

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"In two years time your car will be like a lady's clothes, out of date, my car will still be in fashion when I am dead" - Sir Alec speaking to Pininfarina

I am tempted to build the good body i ahve up with its 998 and use it as a daily driver then slowly tackle the rebuild of the 850. . it was my first car I ever owned and i sold it once and spent a small fortune (a lot lot more than it will ever be worth) to buy it back. so even if i dont build it first it will not be going anywhere though. . .

maybe thats a better plan, though I want a Van. . . and cannot really justify 3 mini's :S maybe I build the 998 deluxe then once the 850 is done sell the deluxe off for a van. .
as if I jsut build the deluxe with the 998 and no spiced up performance parts I can get it done pretty fast as I have all the parts needed already. . . hmmm. . .

hmm descisions. . .

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1967 Mini Deluxe bucket of rust and mismatched parts powered by a 1360cc and a destroyed gearbox missing second gear

If the 66 delux is near ready to go I'd susgest you slap it together and get it driving. BUT it dose sound a bit "dodgy" with mix match sills, half primed and still needing panels replaced unfortunately if you brought it already in primer you simply do not know what the body is really like. To be sure you need to strip it back to bare metal and do the repairs it needs, could be more work than it currently appears (but still worth it, it's a mini )

The 67 shell is still "original" so it's a bit eaiser to see what it needs to repair it.

It's hard to say without seeing the shells, can you post any pics of the two delux's
Do you have useable interiors
Dose either 998 run

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Respect mine and I'll respect yours.

The biggest regret most old car men have, is the selling of their first car. Since you've gone to the trouble of re-acquiring this car you know what that means.
So if it was me, I would either build it like it was when you first got it, but probably a lot better.
Or restore it faithfully with a few updates to make it fun to drive in modern traffic.

If the 850 has sliding windows, it would be worth more than a similar wind up window car. In my opinion.

Do them all up! It only takes time, skill and money!

the 850 has had its sliding windows replaced with windups. . . i did have a set of mint sliding window doors that I gave to a mate who sold them for $50 the pair

a little more info.
thanks to Morris 1100 on the forum I was able to identify one of my suposed 998 engines as a 1098

and after looking at my parts pile again I think I have chose the best course of action. . tell mw what you guys think.

Ill take my primers mini deluxe body, get it painted white (likely in my backyard) put the hydro subframes and drums under it and get the hydro setup working, source some 10" wheels for it and fit the 1098 I have which has a mc-stuffed SU carbie, so I will take the 45DCOE Dellorto off my 1360 and have it re-jetted to suit the 1098.
fit my center speedo cluster (the kind with two 50mm gauges also, one either side of the speedo) and get it registerd as my daily, the only real cost to me with this is the paint, this way I can have a registerd driveable mini on the raod nice and soon.

once this is done, take my little 850 body and cut out the rust, use the rust deluxe body I have for spare pannels for the 850 where I can and then order heritige pannels for the rest and restore it slowly in the back shed.

the 1360 already has a megasquirt and toyota ignition system sitting and waiting for it so its no loss to take the dellorto from it, and I would like to either 8port of twincam it aswell, so it will be a long term project.

I guess this leaves me with the questions a to, what will I need to do on the Dellorto to make it a godo match for the 1098 (which I am pretty sure has no work done at all, and I dont plan on puling it appart any time soon to do work to it) I have a set of 1100 extractors ready for it from a previous mini I owned once upon a time to go with it also.

Thanks
Leroy

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1967 Mini Deluxe bucket of rust and mismatched parts powered by a 1360cc and a destroyed gearbox missing second gear

the 66 shell isnt to far off, It doesnt NEED new pannels, I just dont like the repairs that were done so want to re-do them, I could just paint it and it would be hard to notice tbh, so as I jstu posted above this, I think ill go with the slap it together approach so i have at least oen mini on the road.

the 67 is so far gone Im not sure its repairable (maybe to somone with a big wallet and the time, but not for me)
it would need a new front clip, new floor, new boot floor, new rear section, needs doors and bonnet and boot lid and the roof has a few small dents in it, the rear quaters are rusting from the bottom also . . . but some of the pannles I need for my 850 seem to be in good enboguh condition on the 67 deluxe haha.

as i stated above turns out one of the 998's was a 1098, and jsut so happens that is the one that was recently rebuild by the previous owner (as in not even fitted to the car yet!) and ive had it coughing on the ground but i couldnt get the timing right, and the SU carbie on it is stuffed.

Leroy.

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1967 Mini Deluxe bucket of rust and mismatched parts powered by a 1360cc and a destroyed gearbox missing second gear