I need some help with a decision! As some of you might know. I own Don's old
sky blue show Van.. Its a mini K but runs a stock 998 with less than fantastic
drums up front. Cost me 9k and is still in fantastic nick.

(will post pic here when I figure out how)




one of the great appeals when I bought this car is that it was *unhacked*
The whole thing just wreaks nostalgia! And 3 shades of awesome for getting looks as its *cute* not an aggressive sporty stance like a normal minmin.

However Que

problem 1# I need to sell my bike (cant say why but looks in wifes general direction)

problem 2# I need a van still to do my work as a PT. I carry bobcat tyres & sledge hammers and kettlebells and all sorts of physical torture devices.

problem 3# Also need to carry 2x great danes in the back now and then.

problem 4# With the bike gone.. I need some hps.. heck the guzzi is 100@200kg so the stock donk and drums arent cutting it.

problem 5# Im old.. I want aircon and a heater that works!.. hell I want comfy seats too!


So my immidate thoughts are.. meh ill get a rover engine/breaks/aircon.. sub them in and ive got a daily runner with my van!.. mm but ive always wanted 13 inch mags.. oh I would have to hack the front guards for that.. Oh I definately want more power.. might be a bit of hacking for that too....................
WAIT, didnt I get this car because I didnt want to hack it to bits?
Wife has insisted I keep a mini Van.
sooooo should i

Hack current Van to upgrade or look for one thats done?

Bike will sell for 10kish, and I should expect simmilar to 9k for Penny.
Are people flogging Vans with say engine conversions or hotted up for around
that? Any advice more than welcome.


WOOT finally worked out posting picys

There aren't many unhacked minis around now. I'd leave it and buy a rover mini sedan.
Won't cost all that much more than modifying your van anyway.

You could very much do what you need to without messing up the style of the car at all.

7.5" Cooper S discs up front and keep 10" wheels (will need non-standard wheels, but Cooper S steel rims will keep the same look).

1275 in there... still look factory (Cooper S style?). Can't remember if that car had a magic wand or not... either way you can plonk a 1275 on the same gearbox that is in there.

Air con might be a problem. You could use the under dash type air con unit that the Rover's had. Obviously the engine bay will look a little different...

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I need a van for work, so sedan out of the question.. Also I have had a stroked 1425 before.. truth be told I was thinking more along the lines of buying someones project build thats been registered/engineer checked *if they are sick of it* with like an engine conversion or such.
im really on the fence with this one. I guess If I stayed A+ I could put some 10inch mamaba's or something on.

With that car, I'd definitely leave it alone and with the bike $$ buy a van either with a Jap conversion, or with a big A-series.

No way I'd mod that car.

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Simon

The adventures of an owner builder in the Tallarook Ranges

You cant fit a 1275 onto a "998" 3 syc gearbox, the crank will hit the case, you need to make sure its a wide case "1100 or 1275" gearbox to fit a 1275. If its a 4 syc remote or rod change it will be fine.

I would leave the van the way it is, as soon as you start using it as a work car it will wear out. Go and buy a Hilux.

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Have a Nice Day.
If already having a nice day please disregard.

It's a Mini K van so would have had a Mini K g/b new.

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Yeah but now it has a 998 & who knows what gearbox, just check the number on the front of the gearbox case first, if you decide to to a motor swap.

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Have a Nice Day.
If already having a nice day please disregard.

1 sell bike before you /someone else kills you
2 as pooee says buy hilux/hiace
3 DON'T MESS WITH THE VAN. or a extremly large foot will decend from the sky and squash you.

Their is not a lot of moded vans around, basically because their ain't a lot of vans around to start with Keep your eyes open and you may find what your after but I'm not holding my breath.
I reckon your best bet would be to sell the bike, buy a project van (preferably one that's already road worthy, around $5000) then add your 1275 or engine conversion and your 7.5" disc brakes (their still very good and cheaper than 8.4" discs) and then wack on your 13" wheels then sell the K van. or something like that.

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Respect mine and I'll respect yours.

It sounds like your after a van like mine.
Go out and find a van that is in good nick body wise and track down a 1275 Rover half cut.
Swap the sub frame over with everything attached and you'll have yourself a good daily driver. (as long as the front cut motor is in good order!)
Expect to pay around $4k for a 1275 A+ Spi with air con.
Apart from a few small engine bay mods (cutting inner guards for thermos etc) it's a fairly straight forward job.
Fitting the extra fuel lines and pump for the spi (if you go that way) can be a pain so $$$ may have to be spent there if you get someone else to do it, same goes for the grafting of the wiring loom.
The dollars will add up by the time you fit wheels and flares for the wider wheel base etc if you use the 8.5 disks from the front cut but as long as the van itself is fine then the swap shouldn't set you back a fortune.

I reckon I spent around the $6k mark on the mechanical swap but spent a hell of a lot more $$$ on the vans build in general.

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

Damian, I suspect yours is the route I will most likely follow. I am looking for a low miles rover half cut and will use that as my starting point.
I chatted with the wife and we looked at some car maths. Like the fact that in 2002 a bini was going to cost around 40k *wife wanted one for a little while* and you can find them in the traders for around 20k. A 20k drop in 6 years! Even if I have to spend 5k every 5 years on bodywork alone, I would still be ahead.
The look of the car will change, decent rubber will require wheel arches to cover and a new paint job will be on the cards to use as an opportunity to kill any rust before it becomes major. (im just hopeing who ever did the last paintjob eliminated rust at that point) However I am going to aim for a clean looking mini. In the end I will swap rover 8.4" discs for cooper s 7.5 and go from 12" down to a pair of 10" (and start looking for those cosmic ribsters or mambas) that I think are the best looking 10" wheels .. like ever
I will update trim.. im too old and too grumpy to be happy with current seats/comfort level. But again, I think what comes through is *keep it as mini as possible* and that will be my aim inside and out.
Thanks for your replys, the wife was stoked that most comments went her way! But I felt I had to play devils advocate, lol should have seen the look on her face when I said how about just buy a Kia Cruise *or what ever that shibox is called* lol priceless.

If your going to mod, sell it to someone who will keep it Std....
Buy something modded with the money. Cheaper in the long run. And it keeps a great little min looking great.

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Sell the dogs and the wife.

Win win.

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Yah, but its a bit like Uncle teds old axe. Unless you have the original handle and the original head.. its not original. Its running a different engine to the one it rolled out the factory with, a different binnacle and trim is different and so on. If I can keep it within the spirit of a classic mini I think I will have preserved it well enough. I guess this whole post was to get me past a moment of doubt *when I did the costing*. As I remember the statement I made on my first post, when I became a mini owner again.

Actually watching Classic Resto's on channel 31 atm.. and some guy pipes up *these cars were ment to be driven, weve made tin gods out of them and no ones willing to risk them due to dollar value's*
/doff cap to the people on this forum for keeping mini's on the road and alive.