SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB500/550
A big thank you!
McCabe-Thiele (Ted):
I too remember the Clive Trickey Tuning a Mini book I spent hours polishing up inlet ports etc on my first 850 (SFA 782) followed by my 1275 Cooper S Mk1 (DJC 323 E) then finally my 998 Cooper (LOV378F) that I converted to full S spec over 12 years of ownership. My best mate used to Rally his 1275 between us we re-shelled it twice due to major accidents when stage rallying - happy days. The fastest was DJC 323 E - I bought it in a closed trade only auction at Bristol Street Motors in Birmingham for around £400 in 1970 - it had a genuine special tuning straight cut gearbox iirc a 731 cam with a cylinder head you could see your face in. Downside was the floor looked like corrugated steel from Welsh forestry roads. Sadly most of my photos were lost in our house fire in 2017,
PICT0319 by Macabe Thiele, on Flickr
The red Mini photo was taken outside my parents house when I was a student circa 1965/6
PICT0340 by Macabe Thiele, on Flickr
The Kingfisher metallic blue S photo was taken at Clowne outside a Police House circa 1972. The red Mini was a 998 Cooper sprayed at great expese by my best mate Jerry in Rolls Royce Regal Red. Not very clear in the photo but both cars sported vinyl roofs - a fashion back then.
Trichcolour Cooper by Macabe Thiele, on Flickr
Photo was taken circa 1980 place forgotten but could have been somewhere in Burton on Trent area.
Laverdaroo:
Awesome Ted!
Love it! 8) ;)
Orcade-Ian:
Great pics Ted,
I lent my 'Tuning a Mini' and 'More Mini Tuning' books to a friend and never got them back but I have since got a copy from ebay of the first one. Apart from the racing guys, no one will be polishing, porting and gas flowing heads now. Not sure any insurance companies are instructing re-shelling cars either. I love the last pic with that Princess too!
Ian
McCabe-Thiele (Ted):
I gave my two Clive Trickey books away after I parted with my LOV 378 F he was a student at Derby University circa 1992 - it was never taxed again so I guess its long gone,
The Mk1 S DJC 323 E was written off within a few months of ownership by the young lad who lived in Sheffield.
Back in 1976/7 there was a chap in Nottingham who bought a load of BL special tuning parts all new from BL when they closed the Special Tuning Parts division down I think - he was our source for works front negative camber arms & competition displacers etc back in the day.
I know the when & where for first two photos were taken but the one with the Princess in looks like a park in the background just can't place it.
K2-K6:
Good memories Ted.
Having never owned a mini, but worked on friend's, family cars extensively, seem to have more ore less made a whole one out out welding wire with oxygen acetylene, or damned close to it :) I guess that could be counted as 3D printing in metal nowadays ;D
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