We have just arrived home with this car in bits, which includes some windup window bits. (Mary Loo)
On the ID plate...YMA2S1
Car Num..9/28832/756
Engine Num.....8AM/U/H/104632
Colour...1/ORIENT RED/3

Mary Loo would like her right glass. As we can not read/date the glass, hoping someone can do it for us.
The fuse holder is the only dated part we can fined with the bits.






While we are looking for help. This horn came out of the bits. It has a mounting bracket which would fit a Mini, but horn is different and part plastic, Is it likely to belong to a Mini.

pretty sure it's a 61 850

Congratulations!

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You're so square
Baby I don't care

Looks like an early one.

I recently discovered that early brake drums are number stamped on the inside too.

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

Congratulations. One of the the oldest Australian assembled 850 existing. In fact car number 251 if I'm not mistaken.
Probably a sister car to mine (also Orient Red) and assembled at the same time from 1960 UK CKD kits or semi completed cars. See date of August 1960 on fuse box. It will have many of the very early features like the front floor pan pressing which allows water entry, slotted holes for the front roof drains, early seat mounts, thin rear quarter light catches, brass door hinges etc etc. I still believe that these early cars may have been delivered to Australia part assembled and not necessarily in kit form and used to test the market and press release cars (see Modern Motor May 1961). Either way 850s were here well before their release in 1961 to assist BMC Australia with their assembly/production facilities and training. That didn't happen in a matter of months. Early cars must have arrived here in late 1960.

Should definitely have sliding windows not wind up. Dates on steering rack, radiator, all Lucas bits incl switches.
Let me know if you want more info about these early 850s.

BTW
Dot above X in Triplex shows 4th quarter ie Oct to Dec
No dot below Toughened is 0 ie 1960
Good luck

Yes, a big congratulations! That is certainly a very early 850! Where did you manage to find it?

This thread ( here ) has quite a lot about identifying early 850s. I think I saw about Triplex glass on page 2, a post by watto.

Is there any possibility of more photos? I'm interested in the early 850s.

Is the body among the bits somewhere? It definitely looks like a puzzle!


Evan.

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Saxon Green 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=62641
Nightfire Red 850: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=66555

Are you saying that the early brake drums have a date stamped in them?

We got it off Ebay, which everyone should have seen.
Mary Loo the Car is not off the trailer yet, so when she comes off I will take more Photo's and post them on here for you.
No the body is yet to be revealed.

There are lots of bits not there. We did not get any of the thing that you have listed, but we have 62 replacement bits, but would prefer the right bits
Seats that would suit the 61 would be fantastic

The seats should be the ones with the funny rear legs yes?

Make sure your switches are clear! (or at least, used to be clear and now very yellowed..)

_________________
You're so square
Baby I don't care

Yes, sorry I meant date stamped. I cleaned up the ones from my Traveller to have them skimmed and three of them had late 1960-early 1961 dates cast into them. Now all I need is a 4th one to replace the newer one that was on one wheel.

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

It may sound weird, but I'm pretty certain the switches were originally black and that they actually 'fade' to clear in sunlight. Most of the clear ones you'll see are busted off at the base because they also get brittle when they fade.

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

Yep they were all black, I had a `61 and its switches were black too. Back in the 60s...

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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.

Yes, the Funny rear leg one's are the one's that we would need. You don't happen to know of anyone that may have some.

As for the switches we have lots of the Black one's.

Here you go!

Watto's article on a 1960 850, with clear switches and clear speedo needle to match (now yellowed from UV)

I have a very hard time believing that plastic would fade from black, to yellow - Sorry, it just doesn't work that way.

My 850 (12/63) also has clear switches. I can assure you, they were NEVER black.

But, like with mokes, i'm likely wrong - so is that concourse 850 up above.

_________________
You're so square
Baby I don't care