ok i got my mini a few months ago and it was sold as an LS but i am not so sure.

it was sold as a 1978 but i think it may be a 1977 manufacture but first registered in 1978.

it has a 998 engine which is not original but i dont think it had a 1275 previously.

here are some pics. maybe someone on here used to own it. I thinkit came from the Queensland area.

let us know your VIN Number Number Number (prefix only)


it'll be something like this..

022X2S4M09 (if it's a 998)

or

XNFAD18Y (if it's a 1275)

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OK, a few things, on the compliance plate in the engine bay it should say a number, as said above, but under that it should say "Mini LS" anyway, so that's a direct give away there.

On the plate it should also say a compliance date. That is of course, if the plate still exists.

At this point it could be a "Leyland Mini S", basically a nice model but not as nice as an LS or SS (SS was a 500 unit short run model).

The LS was originally a vinyl roof model, but many of these have been changed over the years (mine hasn't and won't be. ). Mine is light blue, with original paint and side stripes (also original). But when rebuilt many owners change everything so it's hard to tell by your pictures.

On the plus side, it appears to have the correct seats/interior, pointing towards the car having a red exterior colour originally (as it does now). Mine is light blue and has blue/black interior.

Does it have an original AM/FM radio? Should be mounted on a little panel above the heater.

PS. Nice wheels.

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T

vin number is 021X2S1M09

it was previously an orange sort of colour but has been resprayed to red.

I am running megajolt ignition and hope to rebuild the engine i pulled and fit a K100 8V head to it after i have bored it to +80.(miniman matt feel free to help me out lol)

Ok well according to the number it's a Leyland Mini, nothing special. Not a problem though, it appears that the car has been upgraded to LS or S spec anyways.

021 indicates Leyland Mini (022 is Mini S and also LS, can't confirm for SS though)

Don't worry about X, 2S probably means 2 Door sedan, 1 indicates trim level 1 (S is 2 and LS is 4)

and M09 indicates a 998cc, M10 means 1100cc.

"Morris 1100" on here is the expert on here about body ID-ing.

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T

weird cos the seats and trim all look to be original and like they have been there forever.

i dont mind about it not being anything special. it is rare as far as i am concerned as you dont get many aus clubby's here or the UK so when i take it back there it will be very special.

does anyone know if the wheels i have will fit over a cooper s brake setup. i have ordered a kit and am now getting very concerned that they may not fit!!

Well that answers that. It's a January of 1978, complianced Leyland Mini.

Good luck with the head mods!

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T

As for the seats, who knows? Being at the end of Aus mini production they may have had extra LS interiors floating about and started putting them in anything they could find with the correct colour scheme.

An Aus clubby in the UK is very rare. I heard that they pay big bucks for them over there so either way, you're on a a winner,

And those wheels should. I haven't come across any 10inch alloy wheels which don't. However they won't fit over later 8.4 discs, only Cooper S (and Aussie GT ) 7.5 inch brakes.

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T

those rims look like the early dunlop rims and may not be safety rims ,any clues any one?

what do you mean by "safety rims"??

Late Australian Clubman seats are different. They are bolted down different and slide forward when you flip the seat forward.

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erm no i dont think mine do that. just the back of the seats hinge forwards. no movement from the base. the boot handle has 19-77 on it and i cant seem to find a date on the wiper motor.

seems like a real bitza car almost!!

Not sure how LATE though... could be last few months? (78 was the last year of Mini production in Australia). A 77 bootlock and others is consistant to your Jan 78 car I would say.

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Has anyone ever seen a boot lock with a 78 on it? Even the very last Aussie Mini in the Birdwood museum has a 77 boot lock.

Right, it is a "1978 Leyland Mini" It is the poverty model. There was no cheaper car than that one!
Those seats are not the originals. Leyland would not have fitted whatever seats that they had laying around, they never did anything like that. The original seats would have been vinyl.

The wheels are either Dunlops or Tasmans. If they leak they are Tasmans (a poor copy of the Dunlop). There are a couple of threads showing the difference. The Leyland Mini never came with flares.

The number on the compliance plate (it is not a vin plate) tells a story.
021X2S1M09
021 = YDO21 = Leyland Mini
X = Compliance code (not important!)
2S = 2 Door Saloon = Mini
1 = Trim level 1 = cheap vinyl. (The Leyland Mini was available in two levels of trim)
M = 4 speed floor change manual transmission.
09 = 998cc engine.