Hokaay.. he's finally out of the shed and running after a 5 year break.

I've given him a service, the brakes work and are firm, the clutch works and is firm.

What should i be checking before I put him on the road..

(Aesthetics aside.. )

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Bonnet, headlights & blinkers

Its running - good. The whole cooling system if you are taking it more than on and off a trailer. Drop the water fm the radiator, reverse flush and firstly put fresh water in the system (coolant later - it probably has a cooling system problem). drop the oil before too long replacing it with appropriate oil for its condition. get the fuel out, or severely dilute it with fresh 98. use valve saver. Safety: your brakes have pedal but what about leaks? check em. Then also your tyres - not the tread depth as much as the side walls for cracking and if its there ping them off. all i can think of off the bat...

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..still waiting for the Italian Job sequel to see if the bus went down

You noticed it was a show car.

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Your brakes probably have a good pedal because all the wheel cylinders are seized up.

You can check the condition by taking the drums off, and getting a big screwdriver and push on the brake shoes in a way that should push the wheel cylinder in. If the wheel cylinder doesn't budge then it is seized. If it does move then it will probably start leaking as soon as you go for a decent drive.

If it were me i would pull the whole hydraulic system apart and visually check the condition, rather than chasing problems later down the road.

Check headlights are working. (edit: just realised someone beet me with that one)

Nice side trim/stripes. They were a dealer option I believe.

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68 Morris Cooper S Mk1 (*ex 78 1275 LS 4th last built, 70 Morris 1500 OHC & 70 MiniMatic)

Yeah... for 10 pounds.

I've got two sets and one with the corrugated metal filler.

When I say the brakes /clutch are firm, they also work (up and down the driveway)

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I still think you should remove each brake drum and inspect the brake wheel cylinders as they will most likely have started to corrode and seize.
I have a Cooper S on club plates which gets very little use each year and after 3 years the rear brake cylinders had seized on one side, and when driven it felt fine.

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1969 Cooper "S"
1967 Mini Deluxe
1973 Clubman Van (the fleet spare)
1978 ex 1275 LS ("Wizard" Eaton Supercharged)
2015 HSV GenF GTS(occasional drive & tow car)
2019 MINI F55 Cooper S

Come on peoples, You guys have forgotten the most important items!!!

STEREO!!! Gotta make sure that works!!

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It never had one.

Actually, It had a Nokia 6100 at Minis at the Mill..

It got 72 dB, I think

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I always check dizzy cap for build up, rotor and points/condensor, or actually just replace them. If you havn't replaced spark plugs do that too. Check over all the elcectrical connectors and wiring under the bonnet to be safe.

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1975 1310cc Street Mini Custom
1974 Leyland Mini daily driver
2008 Cooper S R55 Clubman

Also check condition of fan belt (cracks) and both crank seals for leaks.
These two seals go hard & leak if not run regularly, but the one one the clutch end you will only tell if it is leaking badly by the weep hole in the bottom of the wok.

Good to see both you and Astro back in action.

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Too many cars, and too little time.

If it's not been used for years I'd check the water pump condition.
It might look like this one... haha

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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.

Just took it for a run up the driveway about 6-7 times.

Got it up to 20mph

It's a little smokier than i'd like.

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