Hi guys, been a while since i posted something mostly because my mini project "Tadpole" has been put on hold. But as my circumstances have changed I am looking at getting it on the road with full reg again and not club reg as i had planned.

My question is this, if i put my mini on the road and keep up with the maintenance on my 998, will it be reliable enough to drive to and from work? its about 85-95 km round trip 5 days a week but I only hit traffic on a friday other days i start later and it's always a straight run. It still needs work to get it to rwc standards but as my car just blew an engine I need to look at other avenues and this is one of my options. Any advice would be helpful thanks in advance.

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Regards Kermit (TadPole)

its approaching 50 years old. The odds arent good.

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1970 Cooper S ex-Bathurst & ATCC
1964 Austin Cooper S ex-Group C race car
1967 Morris Cooper S ex-Group B
1962 Mini Speed sports sedan
1968-71 ex-Peter Manton Shell car

And that's a lot of k's at what I can only imagine to be high revs... The noise would drive me mental.

Then again mine doesn't have carpet which makes it loud as hell.

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But he's thriving and striving and hugging the turns.

A car in good condition correctly maintained will be reliable, but in an older car, with known past engine issues and high usage: you're quite likely to get yourself in trouble unless you spend all of your time off under the bonnet keeping up with things.

It's not for everyone. But you can do it if you keep up the maintenance. Expect a few breakdowns at first but once it settles down it should be okay.

I've driven a 40 year old car daily for two years and the only problems I've had were minor. But I put a lot of effort into it upfront to make it reliable before I started using it daily.

However, I also have other cars on club permit I can use if I need to, which is nice for peace of mind.

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Brett Nicholson
Greendale (near Ballan) VIC.
1971 Morris Mini Moke
1966 Austin Mini
1965 Morris Mini Traveller
1973 LR Series 3 88
2007 LR Freelander 2

the engine is in pretty good nic, runs well just needs a few little bits and pieces to get it to a standard id be comfortable with. i do have another car i can drive if i have to if it does break down on me. the noise is actually quite low, I've driven it a few times and drove almost 70k's to the mechanics and back and never missed a beat. the car is 50 years old but the engine is out of i think a 77 model so it's not as old as the car. I do plan on getting a rebuilt engine put in it at a bit of a later stage i just need something that's cheaper to run than my big v8 car that only runs on premium to get me to and from work in the mean time?

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Regards Kermit (TadPole)

Just do it. I ran my current Mini as a daily with a 1310 in it, for nearly 15 years without much hassle.
If the motor needs a rebuild, do that first though.

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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.

I used Minis and Mokes as my dailys for years, but its does take a fair bit of commitment. I found it useful to have a spare for when things did go wrong and there were plenty of occasions where I spent late nights working in the cold and dark so that I'd have a car to go to work in the morning.

On the positive side, its great fun, very satisfying and you learn heaps about car maintenance and diy.

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

I use mine most days and treat it like $hit. I never do maintenance when i should and even then it's only broken down 3 times in 6 years and had maybe 3 'failure to starts' while parked at home, so 1 incident per year where it's left me stranded in some form or another isn't all that bad i reckon.

So do all of the above, but also:
1) Join RACV, it'll be the best $100-odd you spend on the car in any year
2) Be aware of your back up plan/alternatives if the car lets you down and you still need to get somewhere. Know the bus routes or train options.
3) Carry some critical spares like spark plugs & leads and a spark plug wrench.

With a project mini you may come across a few small issues when getting it back on the road.i had a few teething issues at first. Once I sorted them out I drive my mini long distances with no issues so far

Dan

I drove my mini daily for 2 and a bit years
I never serviced it, never knew how
The car rarely ever had acceptable brakes
Leaked oil all over the place and the alternator didn't work.

But it got me from A to B and everywhere inbetween.


Drive it daily
Expect some things to break, and things to wear out and need replacing

Once all the issues plateau, you will have a well sorted daily that only requires normal maintenance.

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You're so square
Baby I don't care

My experience is you will have a lot less issues if it is a stock engine.

True dat

Mine's a daily (well, weekdays) and has been getting nothing but routine maintenance for YEARS and has never let me down. I on the other hand have let IT down once or twice, but that's another story

Oil change every 1500mi, oil filter change and chassis grease every 3000, air/fuel filters when it needs them, brakes adjusted when they need it, brake/clutch fluid & coolant change every 10000.

Aside from that, keep it full of coolant and oil and just drive it. As Adam said, it'll fail once or twice until you get it reliable, but just be prepared for that and enjoy it as a daily.

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Simon

The adventures of an owner builder in the Tallarook Ranges

If this was a restoration project, and you did the restoration right, you should be fine. As said earlier, expect a few teething issues, but once that's over, it's all good.

Well kept minis are quite reliable, just make sure everything is in good order. I'd suggest the usual mods like electronic ignition and relayed headlights. I bought my mini in 2009 with not mechanical knowledge at all, and I've since done 25,000 km or so without breaking down. I've had to fix plenty of things, but it's never broken down.

I think the whole "reliability" thing is rubbish.
If you've got a mostly standard and UNSTRESSED engine, it'll last for yonks and yonks without 'intervention'.
Sort out a GOOD electronic points kit (not the 50 dollar ebay rubbish), and you're half way there.
Make sure your fuel mixtures are fine - this will prevent excessive fuel use (or dangerously lean for motorways) and will also give your spark plugs a better life.
And drive it.
No more maintenance than what is normal.

source: daily driven Minis for 3 years - regularly driven Minis for 8 years.