Hello,
Well off I went to the ACT authorities today to register my mini, after 17 years laid up. Licence in one hand, roadworthy certificate in the other, I was pretty pleased. But it wasn't to be - I had to go to another part of town (on a new, $50 unregistered vehicle permit) to undergo a vehicle identity check.
Now I'm curious as to what I've got, and what how it should all look.

Body number 32129 (stamped in firewall, right of the master cylinders). No radiator cowl is fitted. No body plate (and I can't ever remember having one, although screw holes are currently present). Wiper motor and boot latch have both been changed, as has engine and gearbox, so no clues there.

So my questions are:
Is it definitely the Mini Deluxe I've always said it is?
Is it possible to establish month and year (it's one of the questions on their form)?
Would it definitely have had a body plate fitted?

It seems at least some of their curiousity stems from the possibility that the car is a sneaky import. Mind you, anyone with more than just a passing knowledge of minis could tell you its not an O/s model, but the inspectors can't have detailed knowledge like that of all the cars they see.

Thanks in advance.
Matt

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'68 Deluxe w/Metro engine

My guess is late 68, considering yours is about 2000 cars after mine. Morris 1100 is the guru when it comes to dates

Thanks Womble.
What month and year is yours? Is this taken from your wiper motor?
Hopefully Morris 1100 comes in here.
I've been trawling the old posts but nothing quite answers these questions.

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'68 Deluxe w/Metro engine

I don't know how to read them, but the date is encoded on your window glass with dots above some of the letters of the branding. At least some of your glass is likely to be original, so that should at least give you a year.

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Simon

The adventures of an owner builder in the Tallarook Ranges

Thanks Simon. I'm pretty certain all of the glass is non-original too. I got the car as a shell back in 1995, and had to build it up from there.

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'68 Deluxe w/Metro engine

It has the older style wipers which park on the driver's side, and has full length hydro pipe covers under the car (unlike my dad's earlier deluxe).

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'68 Deluxe w/Metro engine

Sounds like a late-ish Deluxe.

If the front apron panels has the "cut-outs" and not just a radius like the early 850s then it's a Deluxe.

If it still has the earlier wipers then it's pre Dec 68 - I have a friend with a very late 68 - early 69 Deluxe with the later pressed wiper panel a-la mini K and later.

I would have had a "builders plate" fitted but this is no compliance or otherwise "plate". The number stamped on the firewall is what you need, tell them Oct 1968

cheers,

Jacob

edit: date is a *very* rough guess

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'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

Thanks Jacob.
I don't follow your description of "cut outs" in front apron panels. Is this the line that the panel follows on the bottom edge under the bumper?
If so, then it's got them.
If I'm lucky, someone will have car 32128 or 32130 and can say with certainty what the date is.
However I agree with you that it's looking like a '68 car.
Cheers.

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'68 Deluxe w/Metro engine

based on the above My Bet would Be 1967

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" A Hundred Years From Now It will not Matter what my Bank Acount Was,
The Sort Of House I Lived in, Or The Kind Of Car I drove ... But The World May Be A Better Place
Because I was Once Important In The Life Of A Child"

Wow here is a first - me going against Mr Guru and me mate JS!!!

I recently helped ID Deluxe YMA2S2 32434 and worked out fm the colour that it was 1968. But when they actually changed the paint? like probably not on 1 January, could make it '67.

If you want to PM me I can put you in contact with the owner of this car and you can go a bit further, it has its ID plate intact. I had advised him to go on the dot over 'armourglas', and the wiper motor, but when I sent him the colours / years he confirmed straight away it was a '68. That then of course relies on the accuracy of OzCooper etc (and the old paint post here on Ausmini) being accurate. And knowing BMC... well uno

Hydros are >March 1965. But dont overlook this car might be the lesser known Morris Mini Minor that was the run-on model of the ate fiddy.

Did you get the cutouts? 850s have the front beaver panel fully curved at the outer extremities and all Aus built deluxes and Cooper Ss were re-shaped, probably to obtain better airflow to the brakes. For want of a better expression they are cut-away. Can someone post a photo please [I dont do photos]

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

Hi,

I Have a Deluxe thats numbered on the firewall about 400 before yours, and when I bought it 16 years ago it was a stock standard matching numbers car. My rego certificate lists it as 1968, but everything I can find date stamped is '67

I still have most of the original dated electrical components, and they all seem to be dated between 10/67 and 12/67. Not too sure how long BMC had this stuff sitting around before assembly, but I'd hazard a guess its either late '67 or early '68 build.

Andrew

Earlier (our 63 model 850)


Later delux (our 68 minimatic mk1)


Hope this help explains the "cut outs"

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88 Rover 1.3i "Reggie"
99 Rover 1.3i “Grover”
12 Mini Cooper S "The shitter"
17 Mini Clubman JCW “Noddy”

MattE: What's the colour, or is the decal not there too?

We may be headed to a Jan'68 car...

Thanks Niceboy for the photos. That was nice.

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

Hmm watching this thread with interest, mine will be headed to Transport SA soon so they can determine its age etc. Be interesting to see if it comes up 67 or 68 (body number 300xx)

I have two "Passport to Service" books for late Deluxes here.

# 34738 was sold 25/2/1969

# 37512 was sold 7/3/1969 - this one still exists (in bits) and I believe it may the be youngest deluxe still out there - I've not seen a later number... edit: this deluxe has the pressed wiper mounts like K & later. Most stuff on it dated late '68.

So my original estimate looks to be a bit late - more likely early '68 as suggested.

cheers,

Jacob

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'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