How are your fiberglassing skills Jed ? I'd love a copy of the integral grille with it's wider openings for my van (or one cut from a dead van shell if you happen to see one ...) .

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If you have a van and long legs I wouldn't hack it into a ute- there's not much legroom really.
Can you say `claustrophobic'...

At least you can hack into the load deck in a van to make more seat room...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Rubbish to be honest...my glass skills that is.

BUT, they are available new, its just the killer shipping costs. I will keep a lookout though. They also look great on a salon!

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speed costs....how fast do you want to go...

Northern Mini Parts in Melbourne had an integrated grill front end hanging in their shop a while back. I don't know if it's still there though.

Having a solid grill is good for something different but makes it a PITA to work around. Trying to tidy up wiring and plumbing when you cant actually touch it is no fun!
Running an elec dizzy helps out a long way.

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'72 English Van...'72 Export Moke ...63' 850...KZ 750E1...'74 P76

Being some kind of pick-up anorak myself, according to me both vans and pick-ups had the fixed body-coloured grilles untill the end of production, Ian.

Thank's Bart , I thought vans up there changed to removable grille though or is it just that a lot of people have done it themselves ? We always had removable grilles on Australian vans .

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Yes, it's a thing people do themselves (unfortunately, most of us here prefer the original gril). It's new to me they were removable on Aussi vans though.

Yeah , not sure why but the designers here didn't like the integral grille (possibly to keep body stamping the same with sedans ???) so all local production was removable .

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Yep, that was it. UK vans and utes actually had a different front section to sedans, something to do with the floors. In Australia they were a bit cleverer and used the same front on both sedans and vans and had a new panel made that converted Australian sedan fronts to fit to the imported UK van panels at the rear.

Fibreglass van grilles are available in Japan.



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

Full history of the Aussie Mini van coming in Issue 21 of TME.

FYI - all UK vans and pick-ups (utes) had the integral grille. All aussie vans had the removable grille.

Yes, it was for cost reasons - the front of the van and the floorpan are the same for the Aussie van as for the sedan. In UK they re-tooled the entire van separately, so no panels were shared with the sedan. This was a strange decision in my mind, as the Estates had the sedan front!

One thing I am trying to find out is when the side windows were introduced on the Aussie van?

Does anyone know?

Early examples were converted at the factory or dealerships, with the original panels cut out. These are noticeable as they still have most of the interior side strengthening ribbing. Later window vans were made without ribbing - the glass window providing the stiffening. It is amazing how flimsy it all feels when the glass has been removed.

I also need to find out when this change took place.

All help appreciated.

Cheers,
Watto.

Watto, I have some details of optional window kits from a BMC Body Repair Guide...

850 Van (with sliding windows)


The Morris Mini Van with windup windows (that is how it is described!) has the later kit from the start.

I will check the BMC accessories book.

The BMC Approved Accessories Catalogue lists the same kits as dealer supplied accessories.

My '65 van (850 with windup windows) had the factory conversion. It didn't have the internal re-inforcing and there was no sign that it had ever had it.


I have a brochure that dates from around '66 or '67 that lists "fixed side windows" as a factory option.

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