| Find upcoming Classic Car events in your area |
| Ask the Experts, chat with members, ask questions, find answers |
| Tell us your stories & the journeys your cars have made |
Wanted Cars
Find your Dream Car here! Sell your car for FREE! |
|
|
1962 Austin Mini Cooper, Cooper S Return to Best Ride Main Page
|
|
| You never forget your first Mini. I bought this, my first Mini, a 1962 in 1980 and drove it for a couple of years until the rust took over. I was young and didn’t know how to fix so much rust. So, I stored it for about 22 years while restoring/building and driving my other Mini’s. About 5 years ago I decided to use everything I’ve learned over the past 25 years and build the ultimate modified Mini. Little did I know what I was getting into, neither did my wife!
My wife and I built what we call Minissan in our 2 car garage at home. It took a little over 4 years and 4,000+ hours to complete. The total build cost was only about $8,000. We started with the rusty Mini shell and hand made just about everything. We learned how to work with fiberglass and made the flares, boot/trunk lid, and air scoops. It has a nitrous injected 1980’s Nissan 300ZX 3.0 V6 (VG 30) engine, a 90’s Nissan 300ZX 5 speed, and a narrowed rear end from a Nissan 240SX. That’s why it's called Minissan.
The build not only took over our lives, but it took over our house for the final 2 years. The kitchen and dining room became the storage/staging area for all of the new, chromed, or powder coated bits. We both learned a lot and had a great time doing it together. The day we drove it out of the garage we both felt that in our eye’s we have the world’s greatest ride. Driving Minissan around (the nitrous tank comes out and a passenger seat goes in) is truly indescribable; OK, I’ll try…. It throws you back into the seat in every gear while capable of cornering with Supercars; it redefines the term “pocket rocket.” (With the radiator in the boot, it’s a 50/50 weight balance.) Then we started taking Minissan to shows. Wow, it really didn’t matter if was a classic, British, street rod, or tuner show, Minissan drew the biggest constant crowd. Quite often people would come back and look again to find more of the custom bits/additions. The best part for me is watching my wife answering all of the questions about the build, and seeing how proud she is for what we accomplished, she’s a keeper!
I knew someday I would bring my first Mini back to life, I just never dreamed it would be like this. To really appreciate Minissan you have to see under the bonnet. Go to www.classicminis.org/minissan.htm for a few before and after pictures.
|
|
| Join the Classic Car Community! Its absolutely 100% FREE! |
Add My Service
Search for restoration shops and classic car dealerships in your area |
| View our Car Clubs and register your car club today! |
| Find books on Classic Cars here |
| Find your Classic Car in our Encyclopedia! |
|
