…. I was close to finishing my Mini Cooper (Miffi) restoration. On Feb 11th 2020 the engine was fired up for the first time. Back then I already knew that the 2nd/3rd gear syncro-rings need replacement. But this is true for many Mini’s – some people say they are broken by default. So I accepted a gearbox exchange/overhaul as a future job. Over the last couple weeks I noticed that Miffi is starting to leak oil. First a some few drops – but now there is a significant oil leak on the diff again (despite having renewed the oil seals during the restoration).
Today, exactly one year later and rougly 5000km later, I got confirmation that I need to take the engine out again. The engine is currently only using 3 cylinders. Work kept me busy that last couple days until late evening so I only had time to check the sparkplugs, cables and the distributor tonight. They have no visible faults. While neither the coolant nor the oil show signs of a head gasket failure – there is now a good amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust. A quick compression test tonight showed slightly lower pressure on cylinder 2 & 3 though…
Time to share an ongoing inner conflict. Should I keep Miffi as orginal as possible or should I do some minor modifications to make it as much fun as my old Mini Cooper S? I bought the Mini because it was the exact same Mini I got in 1991. Some old pictures below show “SG-ZT 66” (the Morgan parked in the garage in the background). In 1992 (after roughly 15000km) my father & I did a great trip to John Cooper Garages in Worthing/UK – Ferring Street. All my savings were spend on the (smaller) Cooper S conversation kit. Basically a new cylinderhead, modified needle for the HIF44, LCB and Janspeed exhaust (which eliminated the catalysator with a piece of straight pipe). I was the 20th german customer so my car got the identification number 0020-S-GR.
It is really a coincidence that I found the orginal certificate along with some Cooper S stickers from the kit. The Mini was just a joy. Quick, great handling and fun all around. While rebuilding Miffi I tried to stay to keep it as orinial as possible. And it sure drives nice. You also get extremely positive reactions when driving Miffi – ranging from thumbs up, waving and smiling people. People that tell you stories about the Mini’s they drove in their youth, that want to take picture of the car – all up to attractive women that want to catch a ride.
But it is not really a racer….Would a bit more power hurt? I still have the Janspeed exhaust and the LCB. The original head of SG-ZT 66 that was replaced is in a box. And thanks to Ebay.co.uk I now own a dual HS2 carb. So the question is – keep the car standard or install some upgrades?????
Well, I first need to get the Morgan out of the garage and to Solingen for the technical inspection. Tonight I was test fitted the small panels that will cover the space between the new roll-bar and the bulkhead. Quite surprisingly they fitted perfectly right away. The back of the panel is held in place by a piece of plywood that has a cut-out for the rollbar. The front is then screwed to the wood of the scuttle post. This is the ideal location for speakers and I was able to reuse the ones my father got for the Morgan a long time ago. Not that they are any good if you drive fast…. 🙂
it wasn’t planned to do a full respray – but when the decision was made I had to go the the paint-shop to remove some remaining parts… (e.g. seat belts, door catch, etc) 
Feb 7th 2020 – windshield went back in the morning… 
the engine followed in the evening 
Miffi in March 2020 after full rebuild 
My old Mini – still close to factory standard… exhaust and bumpers already modified 
0020-S-GR – I really would like to know where this car ended up… 
my old Mini after a number of conversation changes…. it had 81BHP on the rolling road… The picture was taken in 1993 in Cuxhaven 
I also found this family picture of the day were my parents bought the Morgan… (license plate is still from previous owner – was changed a day later) 
This panel will be covered by carpet later 
The idea is to apply velcro to the roll-bar and wrap the carpet partly around it 
The fuel lines will be behind the carpet. I am still undecided if I will add 9mm thick Noico sound deading. It would help with the bolts and fuel line….
Fixing C6622 
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