Hey there mini'ers... Please enjoy (or not) a tale & time line of my mini...
2002 - I purchased a pretty sad looking 1965 Deluxe with great intent of fixing it up, the front panel was smashed in and torn, the rust holes were too big for me to do much with, I had no direction on how to get it sorted & I felt pretty out of my depth. Youtube wasnt really a thing for tutorials back then for DIY assistance & I didnt really know anyone that could help.
2003 - My dad purchased this mini for its 1275 engine & brand new 7.5inch disc set up for his 63 850. He took the brakes and left the engine in it, At that point he didnt need another mini as he had 2 at the time and no place to store another, this was too good to be disposed of I'd given up on my deluxe, so he handed this to me with the intent of him being able to take the 1275 back when he was ready. The deluxe that I gave up on became my mums project that she finished and still has to this day.
2006 - This mini came off the road due to some random gremlins - Life happened and it sat around for a bit at my mum & step dad's place for a while.
2008 - Dad decided it was time for his 1275 to be returned to him to put in his mini, at this point a 998 was dropped in mine to keep it a 'runner'
2009 - Mum & s/dad went traveling and the mini was left stored dry in shed while they rented the house out to family 'friends'.
2015 - Parents returned from travel to find the mini had been moved from the shed & placed down the side next to a shrub - which at some point in that 6year timeframe grew a little bigger than a shrub & engulfed the mini, to the point that when you walked into the backyard, the mini could barely be seen. This was also the time that the mini was loaded on the trailer and took the long trip north from Victoria to Qld where it was stored with friends (better friends this time round)
2017 - The mini was brought back to my parents place (as they now reside in qld)
2018 - Decison made to leave the body & paint work rather than repaint/restore it and potentailly be off the road for another decade.
2019 - Plan made to get the car in a drivable start to be able to drive into the 2019 Qld Mini Muster safely under its own power - which it did pretty successfully. Additional plans of it being back on the road for Rylestone Classic 2020 were also set.
2020 - That dirty 5 letter word start with C hit & trying to get certain parts locally was difficult so I ordered brand new suspension & tyres out of the UK. Over the following months I managed enough time between starting a coffee shop with my partner & changing full time jobs. Sadly no 2020 classic was held, so dead line wasn't met. But 2020 was a bit of a write off year, so it just flowed into 2021.
2021 - Continued on the path of fixing bits and pieces over time with the new dead line of July 24th as we had a 'Cars & Coffee planned for our coffee shop (it was also my birthday the week before).
2021 - 13th July After a small amount of hassle with Qld Transport getting the car registered (even though i still had the original Victorian rego papers (in my name) from 2006. We made it, we got there and the car was offically registered on Australian roads once more. Sadly losing the original Vic issued plates of MINIRO to be replaced with standard issue Qld plates.
2021 - 24th July After 15years off the road, my mini drove into our own cars & coffee event to much fan fare (by me - Mum had driven it down as i had been working) Persoanlised plates arived in the days following so as dissapointing as it was to remove my old plates, it now wears a new Qld identity - RPG850
Weeks following After being able to drive the mini around on my days off, I worked out that there was a few things that I hadnt thought of while fixing the suspension & brakes.... Like the door & boot lock... which didnt work.... oops.... Once again, lock barrels not available in Aus (or companies didnt get back to me) So new barrels ordered out ok UK along with a new ignition barrel. I had already been to a locksmith to get the locks sorted & keys cut, but when they were pulled apart, they were pretty munted (not really salvageable)
Driving along, the speedo/speedo cable started squealing aaaand eventually stopped working altogether.. It had been running fine, but then started being a bit of a pig to drive as it was coughing and running rich so is booked in for a look over and tune in 2 weeks time. Oh, and my biggest gripe with it, is that the starter motor spins nice and fast, but doesnt throw out (or in i suppose) so its a pain to actually get it turned over.
Despite being a 57yo car that really has had a pretty average last 15yrs & continues to have issues and battles - I am so stupidly happy that it is finally back on the road & somewhat driveablePart of the time line that i had left out was the year 2012. As you should remember from above, my dad had given me this mini, we had worked on it together in my late teens to get it to the point of being on the road & we went to mini shows together. This is something that I loved then & love the memories of now. Sadly in 2012, Dad passed away. Even before this time, people had made me offers to purchase the car - of which i wasnt interested. After Dads passing, the idea of selling this or letting it just rot seemed unfathomable.
I love this car,
I love what it means to me personally, I love how it makes me feel, I love the memories that it brings up for me, I love the new memories that i have been able to make with my Step dad working on this together. At no point, will this car ever mean as much to anyone else as it does to me right now. The paint looks like trash, it has rust spots and marks all over it - yet i could not be prouder of the fact it is my mini and that it looks the way it does. Sure i will tidy it up over time but for now, it will stay as is; Rough, Registered & Rohan's!
Pete... 
