1978 Mini 1275 GT
Discussion
So after I received my PH sticker this morning I figured it was time to properly introduce you all to my little motor!
She's a 1978 built, late 1979 registered 1275 GT. I bought her in june last year after being off the road for 14 years. Spent the summer getting her road legal and have been driving her ever since. If people are interested I can put up the build photos as well.
Let me know what you think! If you want some pictures of some rust repair, or suggestions!
Joe
She's a 1978 built, late 1979 registered 1275 GT. I bought her in june last year after being off the road for 14 years. Spent the summer getting her road legal and have been driving her ever since. If people are interested I can put up the build photos as well.
Let me know what you think! If you want some pictures of some rust repair, or suggestions!
Joe
Edited by 1275 GT on Tuesday 25th February 19:41
Somnophore said:
Make sure you've upgrade the security. My nan had one of these a few years back and it was nicked and stripped a total of 6 times. Dumped, recovered, rebuilt, rinse and repeat. They once even craned it onto a low loader.
Bloody hell the relentless B*****ds, thats rediculous. I've tried to make it as secure as I can, I'm debating a crook lock. I have no idea how to protect it against the low loader though, I've heard its happening more and more.Trtj said:
Looks lovely. Just got hold of a 1275 myself, bit of a rally project. Needs weld reapairs at the back of the floor under the rear seat and a bit on the drivers side sill. Wack some pics up of yours!
Oh ok 
Honestly it wasn't that bad, which for a mini is a small miracle!I'll find the pictures
Oh and the Tyres are Yokohama A539's 12", 165 section.
Right so here I go.
So one weekend while perusing ebay I stumbled upon this ratty looking GT, nothing new, but then I spotted the wheels. I wasn't looking for a car as I already had a project on the go, but I did want wheels. My uncle had a GT in the 80's and I'd been after the same wheels for years. He didn't want to split, but he also didn't want an unreasonable amount of money for the car.
So after a lengthy phone conversation the car actually seemed in good nick, but had been left garaged since 1999. So the idea of buying it didn't seem so silly, so I did, turned up a few days later with a trailer! and this is what I found, the first few pictures are the ebay add.
This is what I found when I collected it.
So one weekend while perusing ebay I stumbled upon this ratty looking GT, nothing new, but then I spotted the wheels. I wasn't looking for a car as I already had a project on the go, but I did want wheels. My uncle had a GT in the 80's and I'd been after the same wheels for years. He didn't want to split, but he also didn't want an unreasonable amount of money for the car.
So after a lengthy phone conversation the car actually seemed in good nick, but had been left garaged since 1999. So the idea of buying it didn't seem so silly, so I did, turned up a few days later with a trailer! and this is what I found, the first few pictures are the ebay add.
This is what I found when I collected it.
lindrup119 said:
Lovely Clubman some build pics would be great.
Have you been pulled by plod yet for not having arches or do they just look further out in the pics?
Thankyou, I'll get some pics of what lurked underneath very soon.Have you been pulled by plod yet for not having arches or do they just look further out in the pics?
I have never been pulled in the 5 months it's been on the road, they only just stick out a teeny bit, and you only really notice when you look from directly above. I've been followed by a copper, I've even driven through a police checkpoint with not even a batted eyelid. Although I am prepared for it to happen.
So the journey back was interesting involving dead phones, a retaining strap coming off on the M25, and a lot of stress! But despite this my friend and I arrived safely at my home at around 1am and dumped the GT on the drive. My dad was in on it, but my mum was not, so the first she knew of it was leaving for work the next day and finding it on the drive! So then I had the decision of what to do with the car. I already had a long term project and didn't have the garage space to do a full rebuild. So I decided to do get it an MOT and sell it on. Few weeks tops.
So from a distance it looked reasonably presentable, but someone had started to rub down the roof and wing, and it had lots of areas where rust scabs had broken through the paint especially around the arches, door steps, and doors. So my first job was to assess the metal work. In hindsight i was probably a little heavy handed... it probably looks worse now than it did when I picked it up!
Productive first weekend! Sadly I then had to return to university, and leave the GT for a few weeks.
So from a distance it looked reasonably presentable, but someone had started to rub down the roof and wing, and it had lots of areas where rust scabs had broken through the paint especially around the arches, door steps, and doors. So my first job was to assess the metal work. In hindsight i was probably a little heavy handed... it probably looks worse now than it did when I picked it up!
Productive first weekend! Sadly I then had to return to university, and leave the GT for a few weeks.
Trtj said:
Good stuff. Where are you based? Would love those wheels on my clubman, painted gold!
Here is my beasty
Very nice, I do love a good Clubman and yours is an early one as well, my favourite! Everyone seems to want them gold, but I had them powdercoated silver and I very much doubt I'll ever sell them, I'd never find another set! I'm based near Leicester, so midlands. Here is my beasty
Edited by 1275 GT on Friday 28th February 18:33
So I'll continue with the progress I made on the car.
So After I finished uni for the summer I got to work. First was to relief the car of it's wheels for a powdercoat.
So then I was left with a car that hadn't run in 14 years to play with. At first I just wanted to put some oil in it ( it had been drained when stored) and give it a try, but the sensible voice (my dad) said to have a closer look first. So I pulled the plugs and got a torch beam down the hole, I could see a spider sat on the piston. So I took the sensible decision and pulled the head off. Sounds so easy but one stud was very attached to the cylinder head, in the end it took an entire day, various G clamps and a lot of brute force to liberate the head but this is what I was confronted with when I did.
So I went to work!
So all that it needed despite the first appearances was a damn good clean! I did a fine recut on the valves so they got a perfect seal,
then I dropped a new headgasket on and bolted it back together. Job done.
So After I finished uni for the summer I got to work. First was to relief the car of it's wheels for a powdercoat.
So then I was left with a car that hadn't run in 14 years to play with. At first I just wanted to put some oil in it ( it had been drained when stored) and give it a try, but the sensible voice (my dad) said to have a closer look first. So I pulled the plugs and got a torch beam down the hole, I could see a spider sat on the piston. So I took the sensible decision and pulled the head off. Sounds so easy but one stud was very attached to the cylinder head, in the end it took an entire day, various G clamps and a lot of brute force to liberate the head but this is what I was confronted with when I did.
So I went to work!
So all that it needed despite the first appearances was a damn good clean! I did a fine recut on the valves so they got a perfect seal,
then I dropped a new headgasket on and bolted it back together. Job done.
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