Going through a box of old stuff and came across some old receipts, they are a bit moth and silverfish eaten but might give you an idea of prices back then.
I realise it is all relevent as we earn heaps more these days but interesting to see what things were costing then.

in 1993 i paid 700 dollars for a V8 to be line bored, decked, heads fitted with new valves, and blanaced bottom end. i also paid 350 to have my mini gearbox overhauled by some ruff nutts at manly sydney . $ 120 for a 295 x 50 x 15 inch bf goodrich was the going rate too around 1990
i think we paid more back then for stuff if u work out the average wage ect to now.

_________________
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying "Damn...that was fun!"

1984 I paid $180 for a set of 1275 +.030" Mahle pistons

Ah, that brings back some memories. A Wade 240 camshaft was very popular for fast road use and Brownriggs were the bees knees at Mini tuning. They sorted out my Weber in a flash. What was the name of the guy with the goatee beard who worked there?

Later on Rick Scott in North Melbourne (Scottune) was the man to go to in Melbourne for Mini work.

_________________
ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

The guy with the beard was Ian Ruffley, he was into Rileys in a big way,
he was a pretty good tuner.

$80 for a weber is pretty cool - 10 times that now for a new one

$12 for a cam grind, GR charges $140 or so

I paid $150 for a new Morris 1100S (1275) short motor from BMC in 1968. A 1275S one was ~$200 then.

_________________
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.

Why does the gearbox one have "cancelled" across it?

I love "Rocker Shaft : $6.38"

cheers

Jacob

_________________
'72 Clubman Van - 1022cc, 295 head, 731 cam - Daily Driver
'69 Morris 1100 S - Dinged by a bus, in shed under repair
'64 Morris 1100 - Early 1100, long term project

I started my mechanics apprentiship in NZ in 1967 taking home $16-35. Had to pay $4-00 board.After paying for beer smokes & fuel would take a long time to save $200-00 for a 1275

I used to buy heaps of stuff from there and had a running TAB or Account, from memory there was probably too much to write up on that receipt so the office girl probably added that one up then cancelled that one and transferred the balance over onto a new receipt, and continued on with the tab. I used to go in every pay and put something off the account. Hate to think what I spent there over the years.

Motorlab in Adelaide rebuilt my Mk1 S motor in 1970 for $400 - quite a lot of money back then. In the same year I purchased a 731 cam from Peter Manton Motors in Elizabeth Street for around $110.

In 1972 I bought a 45 Weber from Norm Beechey's Speed Shop in Sydney Rd Brunswick for $85 and a set of Brownriggs from Ron for about $120 I think. A new fibreglass bonnet from Errol Platt cost $40.

Rick Scott did an S head for me at his North Melbourne Scottune in 1974 for $180. And a complete respray cost $800 in 1976.

Of course you were lucky to earn $5,000 a year in the '70s which is almost what I got as a teacher.

Even then some things were cheaper to import from the UK but because there was no Internet and international calls were so costly, it meant writing and posting letters, then waiting sometimes weeks for a reply.

In 1973 I ordered 2 sets of sccr gears from ST - all up around $300 landed.

_________________
Slide
1965 Mini Van (1360)
1970 Mk2 Cooper S (1310)
1978 Rover SD1 V8 (4.6)
1996 Land Rover Discovery V8 (4.0)

Late 60's I used to fill my tank for $1

_________________
David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

I can clearly remember back in 1971 I paid $800 for a pristine low mileage deluxe - my first car. It was perfect in and out, and suffered greatly at my youthful exhuberance! (If anyone knows sa REW505, then let me know!)
I was given $5 a week pocket money (very generous in those days), and I'd put $2 of fuel in it a week, buy a packet of Escort 10s, and still have change to spend on drink or food.
Man I loved the 70s!!

Peter.

_________________
1969 Mini Cooper S MKII (1330)
1972 Honda 750/4 (his),1976 Honda 400/4 (hers)
1982 Honda CB1100RC (ours)

Assuming it was a Cooper S, did that include the mandatory gallon of methyl benzine?

P.S. I think I used methyl benzine mainly for the smell and not the performance improvment.

_________________
ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

Ahhhh Methyl Benzine that brings back memories...
I remember pumping that out of the local service stations 44 gallon drum that sat inside their workshop and pouring it into a big funnel to get it into the S's fuel tanks. It was a clear liquid if I remember correctly.
I was running a pretty high compression S then and I really did need the stuff.
Reading about Methyl Benzine today it is a pretty toxic brew, there was no health and safety stuff in those days.