By popular demand, I have now set up a Patreon page! If you enjoy my videos, then please do consider supporting Twin-Cam with a donation. www.patreon.com/twincam
I had until very recently a 1962 848cc Minivan smooth roof with factory fitted rear seat. Finished in Smoke Grey Had this in my family since 1965! My Father bought it from his best friend Derek from Somerset who had it from new who used to wax all the seams and never drove it over 50mph. Original bill of sale from BMC and my Father documented all the miles he covered as he used to claim travel allowance from Caernarvonshire County Council. He was a Peripatetic Music Tutor. In the 60's my Mother drove me and my Brother EVERYWHERE in this van from the school runs to holidays at the seaside all over the UK We even had to rescue our Morris Oxford once in heavy rain and tow the 2 tonne lump home with the van. Ownership was transferred to me in 1981 when I learnt to drive and pass my test in it 1st time! I then used it from 1982 to 1986 commuting from North Wales to RAF Locking Weston Super Mare. New genuine rear doors fitted and A panels. Dry stored ever since. Original owner still alive (just!!) but sadly my Father passed away 6 years ago never to see it's much needed restoration Recently put some pictures up of my Van on FB for a bit of nostalgia and my inbox went BONKERS with 5 figure offers !! It was with a heavy heart I decided to let it go to a well deserved owner who has already started a full restoration. We are keeping in touch........
What a gentleman you are, none of the ridiculous fake machismo of the Clarksons of this world, just a clearly intelligent, thoughtful young man. When cars were useful, small, efficiently designed utilities, unlike the monstrous ego-machines they are nowadays - and you get this, well-done! I learned to drive in a blue Mini pickup, like a dodgem car, and then drove an RAC liveried Mini van in my first job as a salesman for the organisation. I wonder if that's still on the road - HVP 139W? If so, must have a different engine as it blew up, having overheated! Great cars, great videos, thanks.
From 1980 to 1981 I travelled around South Wales in one of these doing electrical maintenance work, I was a passenger and never drove it myself. It sounded like a bag of nails but it never let us down. It was a 1972 van so it was far from new, great memories.
@@TwinCam I think I might be the abomination locked in Tubs and Edward's backroom. Quality review as per Ed, hope all's well over there in the North West, pretty standard here in the jewel of God's Own County (seaside version).
My first car was a van in blue, ex Granada TV rentals. "E" plate, nothing other than a speedo. Small switches for lights and wipers (rubber extensions) Best of all ignition key in centre but solenoid starter down by the seat. 4 of us went to Butlins in Minehead in it! Brilliant, some cars you never forget.
Out of the dozens of minis I owned, 3 were panel vans, the rest were wagons and sedans. For racing I preferred a Cooper S. If I were to ever get another mini, it would be a van with a Honda VTEC engine. 😁😉
Drove two. My 1962 van could be so hot in summer that I drove with rear doors open. Dipping headlights was by pressing a button on floor left of clutch. Changing gears could be a fight! Heavy rain made for a damp distributor. The sprays never worked so I had to take off distributor cap to dry the insides. Once, the van ground to a halt with, luckily, nothing behind me. My next van was more sophisticated. Both had brilliant road holding.
My first car was a very rusty mini van from the early 60s. It had the magic wand gear stick, no hazard warning lights, the tiny light and windscreen wiper switches that you couldn't reach with a seat belt on. The starter button was on the floor. Eventually a bus ran into the back of it and sheered the van bit right off the floor but it absorbed the impact. I put all the parts into a second hand saloon body and over time uprated that. I think all Minis ended up being modified one way or another. This is a very nice and interesting video thank you.
My first motor,1973 850cc DAW786L minivan in Teal blue. it was used and abused by myself for 3years! I fitted 4 1/2 J wide steel wheels a plastic dash🙈 saloon chrome grill and a 10" sports steering wheel. Wish I still had it😢 thanks for sharing brought back many happy memories
I had many years ago a 1965 model which was superb for my job then. I was a self employed odd job man, I had a roof rack fitted and on occasions far exceeded the weight limit with doors and timber loaded etc, The only trouble I ever had was that the single top engine stay pulled away from the bulkhead one day, that was fun getting home with an engine flapping back and forth and the stupid forward facing distributer which died when ever it rained until a rubber cover was produced, Fond memories of a great little car
What a treat! At the risk of condescending, it’s great to see and hear someone of your age/era talking with such knowledge and enthusiasm about such magical vehicles. As for gubbins!! 👌🏻 brilliant. A word I heard regularly growing up in the 70’s and 70’s. Nice work Ed and many thanks and keep em coming please.
Absolute beauty, and one of Alex's minis I think. As I said to him, my mother learned to drive in one of these in early 70's. My father , who was handy but not mechanically minded then striped it of all consumable parts before local travellers took the rest. I was gutted but my influence as a ten year old had little influence then...........unlike now!!!!
I had a 1966 Morris mini van in 1968 I paid £225. It had 6000 miles on the clock and a factory fitted rear seat. I absolutely loved slinging it round the country roads of Norfolk.
Consistently excellent, thank you. Really enjoyed viewing. Loads of info in a brilliant format. Love the way you live and breathe your passion. Regards Gareth Wiltshire UK. Gratitude. Quality. Respect.
Loved my N reg dark blue mini van. We used to carry 5 bags of cement or plaster. When bags were 50kg each. It was slow with that weight. Miss my Dads green Estate that was identical to this except with side Windows and glass in rear doors. And to open the doors from inside. Cord Wish we still had both.
Had one in 1964. Paid £200. De Luxe version, previous owner had stuck a strip of varnished wood down each side. Worked very well, apart from rain causing problems for the distributor, solved by encasing it in a rubber glove and wiper arms which had a habit of loosening on the spindles and dropping flat to sweep rain from the bonnet. A piece of shag pile carpet on the load floor cut down road noise. Had lots of minis. 89ARP - that number would be worth something nowadays. On G800 tyres could hurl round tight bends when posher car drivers behind went white knuckled and wished they’d worn the brown trousers. Robert Mark Police Chief said they definitely contributed to Road Safety. Dunno about that, just made you drive it faster. I read that the prototype mini had the engine installed the other way around, with manifold to the front and distributor to the back. Went 90mph on test but turning the other way to make for easier maintenance meant installing an idler gear which reduced the speed by 15mph. Greatest ever innovation by Alec Issigonis as followed by most manufacturers who adopted fwd. Although CItroen thought of it first.
A grey minivan was my first car. A great learning vehicle all the creeks and banging as you drove over the potholes of seventies Glasgow. I remember I had initial problems getting used to the ‘magic wand’ gear lever (sometimes called the pudding stirrer) I think it’s the only car I still miss!!
My first car was a 1970 minivan. It stood out in all weathers and would always start first time. This car looks as if it has been lowered. Also the instrument panel is an extra with the two gauges. Great work Ed.
Thanks Phillip :) It's a lovely little van. The carpets are really thick, the leather is sumptuous and absolutely stinks. When you get going though, that smell is overridden by fuel! :)
I used to be married to an English woman, we would go back to see her family once in a while and do some touring. We bought one of these, did some little upgrades, it was cheap to do in the early 70s. 12" wheels, a foam mattress, couple of other things. With the seats tipped up it was just big enough to sleep in, though we once almost suffocated when we kept the windows closed one cold night. Outside of Zandvoort. Always keep right on the Autobahn!
We used to have one these converted into a camper. You could comfortably sleep 4 (or 5 at a push) It only had the basics; sink, stove and chemical toilet but it never let us down
That's one posh mini van. When I was a student my Dad provided one for me to drive. It was a 'V' plate (1979) and I'm pretty sure it didn't have those flashy triple-dials; just the standard single speedo. Even being from 1979 it still had the sliding windows, basic grill and static seat-belts. But it was usable transport.... until I hit a tree. Fortunately the van was already on its side BEFORE hitting the tree so the force was spread across the whole of the front end, otherwise the outcome may have been different! Earlier in life, in the late sixties, we had a mini van as my dad's work van which doubled as our family car. It must have had a seat in the back, but even with three boys there was no argument about who had to sit in the middle because there were no windows to look out of anyway! After the mini we progressed to the relative luxury of a Bedford HA van.
Yes, all 850 Minis had the single instrument, and 1000 Saloons had the full cluster. Alex and I didn't know between us whether the 1000 Vans (like this one was when new) had the whole cluster or made do with the single gauge though. Alex certainly bought the van with that cluster already in it, along with the MG Metro 1275cc A+ engine.
I worked at a local engineering firm and the works van was a Mini van just like this but in the works colours. She was a little flyer! I often got sent out to take stuff to places or collect stuff and bring it back. One day I'd just picked up a heavy Pressure Die-cast Mould Insert from B'ham, I duly threw it in the back on the metal floor and set off back to the factory. In a traffic Jam near Spaghetti Junction, the traffic moved off and I dropped my Clog so to speak, wheel spinning away the die insert slid to the back hitting the doors with such a bang. Boy was I glad those doors held shut and I didn't lose a very expensive die on the M6 motorway... I think my P45 would have been waiting for me else...lol - Happy days! - and I love the Mini van to this day.
I had a very beat up 72 mini van in the late 80s.I drove it one day jn extreme rain and floods from St.ives cornwall to plymouth.The water was coming in the footwell about 3inches deep she got me there and the next morning i had to push start her as starter was flooded this dried out on the way home. Driving through the flood to plymouth i passed many high end cars stranded by the road,
My uncle gave me his 1968 F reg He was a plumber and roofer, with ladders twice as long as the van. I had a morris engine fitted, I think it was 1200cc, the mechanic had to cut part of the floor away to get the travel for the gear lever. I ended up with the van my uncle brought to replace the 68. A 1973 mustard colour. Both were responsible for my career sucsess as a jobing carpenter. If I saw one today for sale, I would probley buy it! Another chippie I knew had a pick up version, .And when he became a multi millionare he had it restored and kept as a reminder of where he came from.
Drove to Spain 3 up in a Mini in 1967. Had to have the heater on full blast in hot weather to stop engine overheating, but it was fitted with an 1100cc engine, the owner worked at Longbridge and acquired the engine....
My Mom had a Mini Van [Olive green colour]. She bought it brand new in the late 1960's - and I was at home when the salesman delivered it and she handed over 460 GB pounds for it. It was a smashing little van - nippy, very versatile and practical. [we could get in 4-5 of my mates when we went to football practice] I remember she actually got stopped by the police for speeding too!
Always loved the mini van grille, it had a great utilitarian look. I happened upon a mini van a few weeks back parked up on a residential road in Muswell Hill & I had to keep looking at it from various angles as I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me… it looked SO small I couldn’t quite believe it! With many of today’s cars being really large your perception gets accustomed to it, like “that’s the normal size of a car”. So when you are suddenly confronted by a cute little mini van it gives your perception a reality jolt… “yes, it really IS that small!”.
I recall that as a commercial vehicle, there was no purchase tax added. A mate of mine had one and I can still hear the boom as you slammed the door shut!
I remember the Mini van from the sixties as being very popular with the mods once they had reached 17 and passed their car tests, most of the Mini vans round my area were ex-fleet vehicles with 'FK' registrations.
It seems to have been tarted up a lot internally compared to the way I remember my Dad's slightly older one in the sixties. I don't remember a headlining and do remember a funny little roof vent in the middle of the roof. It also looks a lot more comfortable in the back than I remember, when three of us boys had to endure 50 mile trips to North Wales! A brewery in Liverpool still uses one for deliveries!
As a proud owner of a 95L mini van, like your angle on this one. People just love to see them. Found myself following a grey sixties one the other day with a wooden dingy strapped to the roof, not often one gets out classed when diving a mini van. Personally an A+ lump has made life a lot easier over the years but would prefer to have the earlier toggle switches and variable rheostat fan speed control of my earlier vans. Lowering the front must make route planning to avoid speed humps a nightmare or is there an app for that now ;)
A+ engines are great. Its such a reliable little van and very very usable. I do appreciate a completely original van but they are no way near as capable as a 1275 lump
Oh! That brings back memories of my Dad, and is 1969 grey mini van. He moved the number plate up to help protect the distributor from water! It had a single dial with fuel gauge within. Gear stick was the wand style. It was a Morris, with 850 engine! It carried all sorts! Thank you Ed, lovely to see this!
My Dad taught me the rubber glove trick. You cut the fingertips off of a Marigold rubber glove, then stick one ignition lead down each finger and pull the glove over the distributor itself. Mine never once misfired in the rain with that mod on it.
Hi Ed Aged 18, I was fortunate enough to acquire a 12 month old ‘S’ Reg Mini 1000 in ‘Vermillion ‘ red. Though not the utilitarian van, it took me safely, (albeit noisily), along with a University friend through France, Belgium and Luxembourg on holiday AND to work / Uni each day. Upon the launch of the BMW (not so mini) Mini , I had three back-to-back factory fresh ones ..... guess you could say that I have history with the marque! Great vlog, as always. Mike
My first memories were of the Mini van in 1968, when I was just about to turn 4 years old. I think ours was either grey or pea green. No seat belts then and my Dad put cushions down in the back for my sister and I to sit on. I have no idea why he bought the van (And both of my parents are no longer around to ask) He was a nurse! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
First vehicle I owned, 1966 Austin version. SPU 446D. So wish I still had it. 848cc. Austin Healey valve springs let it rev to 8200. rpm. Wheel spacers. So small compared to cars now. If you met someone coming the other way down a narrow road, you aimed for the gap and shut your eyes!!
Neighbours had a red Mini van with a black roof as ex works. Letters after numbers were KTO, so she was obviously called Katie. Rear seat, which may have been a works option. Loving your channel.
Although I don't remember it, my dad had one of these as his first vehicle in the mid-1960s. I would have been two years old and I guess I would have been on mum's lap. When my brother came along 11 months after me, dad still had the van. It never occurred to me to ever ask him where we sat but I'm guessing in the footwell if mum was in the car. Quite incredible to think of now. Indeed, he once got stopped by the police and me and my brother burst into tears so the policeman sent dad on his way with us sharing the front seat. I can't imagine why they invented health 'n' safety.
I remember being taken to a children's party in a bright orange Minivan when I was about seven; there were about six of us kids piled in the back, but nobody thought that was strange or dangerous......
My Dad tells me we had a Austin mini van when I was born (in Yeovil). He says he used to toss me in the back where I'd roll about on the floor while driving along.
Had one of these when I meet my future wife, told I had a sporty two seater, later when we had kids and I'd converted to an estate it was a handy four door. Had it for years and did over 100k in it. Great fun.
I went to an event last year where a Mini Estate was pitted against a new BMW "Mini Clubman" by measuring the space with the rear seats folded down, and to everyone's surprise, the old mini triumphed! It was so strange seeing how huge the new one was next to the classic, yet the tiddly matchbox car had more room inside than the BMW behemoth.
Excellent video. This van is just about the perfect spec for a usable classic Mini. A bit more go and stop and the proper level of all you need and nothing more. Lovely. I would love a pickup with the same cobinaction.
As always, thanks mate :) It really is a lovely little van. And suitably noisy! Alex says he would like a Pick-Up in identical spec and the signwriting on the doors. Expensive dreams though! hahaha
Beautiful example sympathetically retromodded. The inner geek in me wants to point out the steering column, stalks and switches above the heater are all from a mini at least 3 years younger.
It certainly is. You're right, though I thought that style of switches came in for 1976. Anyway, it wasn't worth mentioning because it wouldn't be interesting. This van was a mash-up of loads of parts when Alex bought it.
@@TwinCam You're right that it wouldn't interest others and yes late 75 or 76 would be about right. Many refer to the Mk4 which was when the front subframe bolting arrangement changed in 76, but I seem to recall the other changes around the same era as being more incremental. The switches I think around late 75 and reversing lights on the 1000 and Clubman in 77. The 850 and early City in to the 80s still didn't have a reverse light in the rear clusters, though many have been retrofitted since.
I will always love the base spec, utility variant of any vehicle. Shame we didn't get much of this genre in the US past the early 60s. I'd kill for a Datsun 120Y van, a Chevanne, one of these...etc. Guess I'll have to settle for my 1968 Chevy G10.
Love these wee vans.. Used to see loads when I was a wee lad as the local district nurses and hospital used them right up till the early 90s. There was also and old boy who had a pickup which seemed to have RAF markings on it, not sure if it was a genuine ex RAF van but it may have been.. Cool vans great review as ever...
Must add. One of the many we owned had a fibreglass front end after my missus had an altercation with rear of a Vauxhall Viva. Fazaplas at ,Fazakerly, Liverpool made fibreglass body parts for many vehicles and this fitted well. Lasted a month before it got nicked from the local rail station car park. Was the only decent part of the car. Insurance paid out £75 which I thought was very fair.
The sliding windows with the clip you pressed to open them. Now we need another type of button to press to open the window, which is attached to a motor inside the door, and they're expensive to replace when they break down. It's only a window.
My late Grandad had a grey mini van in the 1970s. He had retired from coach driving and was running local deliveries, exactly as described by yourself 👍
Love the color and of course the van. I owned one back in the 70’s for a few months, it used to get me to school! Really enjoying your channel, keep up the great work, it’s so nice to see someone your age appreciating these wonderful older vehicles.
Great presentation and what a fantastic restoration! That leather... Most unfortunate that we have fallen into the monster SUV arms race that currently curses the road when this size of vehicle has shown to be so very capable. I do feel that I have to take a toothbrush to those stalks on the steering column and get those crumbs out, but still - what a beautifully restored vehicle. Nice touches with the disk brakes and the larger engine - even the Russian judge would not hold that against them.
Another great one Ed. Well done. Love the engine bay on this, so meticulously restored. Beautiful. My friend got one of these off his Dad as a first car when he passed his test in the mid 80's. A little blue van. We used to pile about 4 or 5 of us in it and bomb along the M62 to Manchester where a friend was at Uni...ha, crazy things you do when you are 18!
As an apprentice for Post Office Telephones( later BT ) in the mid 60s, 2 ' experimental ' Mini vans were on the local fleet, YXF 640 & 694 FYM and always found them far more exciting to be taken out in them rather than the ' restricted ' Morris Minors and allocated to 2 younger engineers who drove them ' enthusiastically ' .!.Memories of the whine from the intermediate gears of these early vans with minimal insulation and concern for the occasional flicker of the green oil pressure warning light at speed in the centrally mounted silver faced speedometer which didn't concern the driver as the van just kept on going !.Great review Ed as always of a tastefully customised example.
As a kid in the early 70s on the eastern side of London I remember north Thames gas using mini vans with a sign on the roof. They used to treat them like rally cars on the side roads. They were grey too. And I see this one has an Essex plate on it. Who knows ......
When I first started work I used to get a lift in a very early Mini van. I'm not sure how it passed the MOT. The rust and grass growing in the window frames were major features. But boy did it handle! I'd spend most of the trip trying to find something solid to hold on to when going round corners. Then the owner swapped the 850 for a 1275 and wrote it off 4 days later.
I really enjoyed this video. Always been a Mini fan. Especially the different variants. I remember when I was a boy a friend of my father had a Mini van. He was a tall man. 6' 7" tall. How he ever managed to fold himself up small enough to get behind the wheel and actually drive it I do not know.
Thanks as always Richard :) Small cars with dodgy driving positions seem to suit taller people better than shorter people really, as the steering wheel angle makes it hard to drive for small people!
The Mini van was in production for 23 years from 1960-1983, and early ones don't look much different to later ones. I am aware of one van that has a different dashboard and seats from a luxury Riley Elf or Wolseley Hornet.
I see this van has the short gearlever, I remember my mate had an 850cc van in 1970 when he did his plumbing apprenticeship, but it had the long 'wand' gearlever. I was 16 at the time and used to drive it on secluded roads. I really enjoyed riving it. Later on I had minis of my own (saloons), brilliant in traffic.
Great video. When released the Morris variant was marketed as a Morris 850. BMC resisted the Mini designation fearing that it would be equated with mini value. BMC eventually gave in and adopted the mini designation. The Morris 850 wiper switch was originally below the speedo and was a stretch to reach without a rubber switch extension. The van shown has the Cooper S central gauge cluster and either a 1972 updated or modified indicator and wiper arms. The original 1959 Morris 850 indicator arm had a green light on the end of the stalk. This van desperately needs head rests. Adding Aeon bump stops at the rear will improve the suspension. Obviously I owned Minis back in the 1960s. I would love to know where your brake booster is. I put mine under the right hand wheel well.
Depends on territory. The car was badged as the Morris Mini Minor in the UK from the start. That’s where the Mini name originated, from BMC themselves! This van does not have a Cooper S binnacle, it has a Mini De Luxe binnacle, as was available on all cars at least as an option (and standard on the 1000) by this point. Indeed, Mk1 and 2 Minis had the blinking green stalk, though that was deleted for the Mk3 in 1969, when a simple black stalk was fitted. However, Minis should have a switch panel mounted wiper switch up to 1975. This Van has had later stalks and a later switch panel fitted at some stage. But no Mini had head restraints until the mid-1980s.
My first vehicle was an identical mini van of 74 vintage with an 850cc engine in Beige , i resprayed it one afternoon and used it for years as a work van , brilliant little thing , and was even better handling than the standard mini imo due to the extended length body
By popular demand, I have now set up a Patreon page!
If you enjoy my videos, then please do consider supporting Twin-Cam with a donation.
www.patreon.com/twincam
I had until very recently a 1962 848cc Minivan smooth roof with factory fitted rear seat.
Finished in Smoke Grey
Had this in my family since 1965!
My Father bought it from his best friend Derek from Somerset who had it from new who used to wax all the seams and never drove it over 50mph.
Original bill of sale from BMC and my Father documented all the miles he covered as he used to claim travel allowance from Caernarvonshire County Council.
He was a Peripatetic Music Tutor.
In the 60's my Mother drove me and my Brother EVERYWHERE in this van from the school runs to holidays at the seaside all over the UK
We even had to rescue our Morris Oxford once in heavy rain and tow the 2 tonne lump home with the van.
Ownership was transferred to me in 1981 when I learnt to drive and pass my test in it 1st time!
I then used it from 1982 to 1986 commuting from North Wales to RAF Locking Weston Super Mare.
New genuine rear doors fitted and A panels.
Dry stored ever since.
Original owner still alive (just!!) but sadly my Father passed away 6 years ago never to see it's much needed restoration
Recently put some pictures up of my Van on FB for a bit of nostalgia and my inbox went BONKERS with 5 figure offers !!
It was with a heavy heart I decided to let it go to a well deserved owner who has already started a full restoration.
We are keeping in touch........
What a gentleman you are, none of the ridiculous fake machismo of the Clarksons of this world, just a clearly intelligent, thoughtful young man. When cars were useful, small, efficiently designed utilities, unlike the monstrous ego-machines they are nowadays - and you get this, well-done! I learned to drive in a blue Mini pickup, like a dodgem car, and then drove an RAC liveried Mini van in my first job as a salesman for the organisation. I wonder if that's still on the road - HVP 139W? If so, must have a different engine as it blew up, having overheated! Great cars, great videos, thanks.
From 1980 to 1981 I travelled around South Wales in one of these doing electrical maintenance work, I was a passenger and never drove it myself. It sounded like a bag of nails but it never let us down. It was a 1972 van so it was far from new, great memories.
I feel like I was there. Fond memories, good times. Thanks for sharing that story of a great vehicle. Small in stature, big in heart.
"Local vans for local people, we'll have no trouble here", I like how you shoehorned a bit of League of Gentleman in there.
It literally took 5 minutes from upload to ARE YOU LOCAL?!
@@TwinCam I think I might be the abomination locked in Tubs and Edward's backroom. Quality review as per Ed, hope all's well over there in the North West, pretty standard here in the jewel of God's Own County (seaside version).
Thanks Stephen! :)
It's a great review of "A carriage of no horse drawn"!
This brings back some happy memories. My first car was a 1970 Minivan XVK 121H. 850 cc only, I paid £300 with 32,000 miles in 1973.
My first car was a van in blue, ex Granada TV rentals. "E" plate, nothing other than a speedo. Small switches for lights and wipers (rubber extensions) Best of all ignition key in centre but solenoid starter down by the seat. 4 of us went to Butlins in Minehead in it! Brilliant, some cars you never forget.
Rubber extensions.... Ooof suits you sir!.....
My first car was an Austin Mini with with an after market rear seat fitted which folded away for load carrying .
My first car was a Mini van with side windows and a 1275 motor. The air cleaner was in the glovebox for some reason!
Brings back memories of working the mini van construction line in Sydney '74.
My first car...1979. I had a 1970 Mini Van with the long gear lever...loved it!
Out of the dozens of minis I owned, 3 were panel vans, the rest were wagons and sedans. For racing I preferred a Cooper S. If I were to ever get another mini, it would be a van with a Honda VTEC engine. 😁😉
Nice piece, well written and presented. Great vehicle too!
Thank you so much :)
Drove two. My 1962 van could be so hot in summer that I drove with rear doors open. Dipping headlights was by pressing a button on floor left of clutch. Changing gears could be a fight!
Heavy rain made for a damp distributor. The sprays never worked so I had to take off distributor cap to dry the insides. Once, the van ground to a halt with, luckily, nothing behind me.
My next van was more sophisticated. Both had brilliant road holding.
Love it. I had a white Australian assembled 1968 van with an 850 cc engine and non syncro on first. You have brought back a lot of memories.
My first car was a very rusty mini van from the early 60s. It had the magic wand gear stick, no hazard warning lights, the tiny light and windscreen wiper switches that you couldn't reach with a seat belt on. The starter button was on the floor.
Eventually a bus ran into the back of it and sheered the van bit right off the floor but it absorbed the impact. I put all the parts into a second hand saloon body and over time uprated that. I think all Minis ended up being modified one way or another.
This is a very nice and interesting video thank you.
Thanks Andy :)
I have done a video on a 1960 Mini, though it was a long time ago!
My first motor,1973 850cc DAW786L minivan in Teal blue. it was used and abused by myself for 3years! I fitted 4 1/2 J wide steel wheels a plastic dash🙈 saloon chrome grill and a 10" sports steering wheel. Wish I still had it😢 thanks for sharing brought back many happy memories
Thanks mate :)
I had many years ago a 1965 model which was superb for my job then. I was a self employed odd job man, I had a roof rack fitted and on occasions far exceeded the weight limit with doors and timber loaded etc, The only trouble I ever had was that the single top engine stay pulled away from the bulkhead one day, that was fun getting home with an engine flapping back and forth and the stupid forward facing distributer which died when ever it rained until a rubber cover was produced, Fond memories of a great little car
What a treat! At the risk of condescending, it’s great to see and hear someone of your age/era talking with such knowledge and enthusiasm about such magical vehicles. As for gubbins!! 👌🏻 brilliant. A word I heard regularly growing up in the 70’s and 70’s. Nice work Ed and many thanks and keep em coming please.
Thanks Pete, that's very kind :)
@@TwinCam ...credit where it’s due Ed.
Great van. I just got back from Sainsbury in my 1963 Morris Mini Minor. Still the best shopping car and way more fun than my 'moderns'.
Can u give me that van
Absolute beauty, and one of Alex's minis I think. As I said to him, my mother learned to drive in one of these in early 70's. My father , who was handy but not mechanically minded then striped it of all consumable parts before local travellers took the rest. I was gutted but my influence as a ten year old had little influence then...........unlike now!!!!
It really is a wonderful little van!
What a lovely van. Thanks for this excellent presentation.
I had a 1966 Morris mini van in 1968 I paid £225. It had 6000 miles on the clock and a factory fitted rear seat.
I absolutely loved slinging it round the country roads of Norfolk.
Hi
My dad in 1980 was a electrician and he use to drive a white Leyland Mini Van at his work! He love driving about in it and little fast.
Consistently excellent, thank you. Really enjoyed viewing. Loads of info in a brilliant format. Love the way you live and breathe your passion. Regards Gareth Wiltshire UK. Gratitude. Quality. Respect.
Thanks so much Gareth :)
Loved my N reg dark blue mini van. We used to carry 5 bags of cement or plaster. When bags were 50kg each. It was slow with that weight. Miss my Dads green Estate that was identical to this except with side Windows and glass in rear doors. And to open the doors from inside. Cord
Wish we still had both.
Love the “spiders” he put in the headlamps - nice touch. Yeah, nice tasteful resto-mod. Great vid, thanks Ed.
Cheers mate :)
The spiders would give you the chance to use halogen bulbs, originally it would have had sealed beam headlamps.
@@davidboult4143 Not sealed beams, bulbs and reflectors separate!
Had one in 1964. Paid £200. De Luxe version, previous owner had stuck a strip of varnished wood down each side. Worked very well, apart from rain causing problems for the distributor, solved by encasing it in a rubber glove and wiper arms which had a habit of loosening on the spindles and dropping flat to sweep rain from the bonnet. A piece of shag pile carpet on the load floor cut down road noise. Had lots of minis. 89ARP - that number would be worth something nowadays. On G800 tyres could hurl round tight bends when posher car drivers behind went white knuckled and wished they’d worn the brown trousers. Robert Mark Police Chief said they definitely contributed to Road Safety. Dunno about that, just made you drive it faster.
I read that the prototype mini had the engine installed the other way around, with manifold to the front and distributor to the back. Went 90mph on test but turning the other way to make for easier maintenance meant installing an idler gear which reduced the speed by 15mph. Greatest ever innovation by Alec Issigonis as followed by most manufacturers who adopted fwd. Although CItroen thought of it first.
A grey minivan was my first car. A great learning vehicle all the creeks and banging as you drove over the potholes of seventies Glasgow. I remember I had initial problems getting used to the ‘magic wand’ gear lever (sometimes called the pudding stirrer)
I think it’s the only car I still miss!!
My first car was a 1970 minivan. It stood out in all weathers and would always start first time. This car looks as if it has been lowered. Also the instrument panel is an extra with the two gauges. Great work Ed.
My first motor was a Mini Van way back in 1967... PTB 698C... What a passion wagon that was... Happy Days...
Superb content once again Ed. What a great restoration, especially the leather interior.
Thanks Phillip :)
It's a lovely little van. The carpets are really thick, the leather is sumptuous and absolutely stinks. When you get going though, that smell is overridden by fuel! :)
I used to be married to an English woman, we would go back to see her family once in a while and do some touring. We bought one of these, did some little upgrades, it was cheap to do in the early 70s. 12" wheels, a foam mattress, couple of other things. With the seats tipped up it was just big enough to sleep in, though we once almost suffocated when we kept the windows closed one cold night. Outside of Zandvoort. Always keep right on the Autobahn!
We used to have one these converted into a camper. You could comfortably sleep 4 (or 5 at a push) It only had the basics; sink, stove and chemical toilet but it never let us down
Great car and great presentation. Polished, smooth, well-informed.
Thanks mate, that’s very kind ☺️
That's one posh mini van. When I was a student my Dad provided one for me to drive. It was a 'V' plate (1979) and I'm pretty sure it didn't have those flashy triple-dials; just the standard single speedo. Even being from 1979 it still had the sliding windows, basic grill and static seat-belts. But it was usable transport.... until I hit a tree. Fortunately the van was already on its side BEFORE hitting the tree so the force was spread across the whole of the front end, otherwise the outcome may have been different!
Earlier in life, in the late sixties, we had a mini van as my dad's work van which doubled as our family car. It must have had a seat in the back, but even with three boys there was no argument about who had to sit in the middle because there were no windows to look out of anyway! After the mini we progressed to the relative luxury of a Bedford HA van.
Yes, all 850 Minis had the single instrument, and 1000 Saloons had the full cluster.
Alex and I didn't know between us whether the 1000 Vans (like this one was when new) had the whole cluster or made do with the single gauge though. Alex certainly bought the van with that cluster already in it, along with the MG Metro 1275cc A+ engine.
@@TwinCam Aha. It never occurred to me that the vans would come with different engine sizes. Obvious really!
It would make sense that the 1000 still had the single gauge like the 850, with them being the commercials!
What an exceptional little vehicle.
I worked at a local engineering firm and the works van was a Mini van just like this but in the works colours. She was a little flyer! I often got sent out to take stuff to places or collect stuff and bring it back. One day I'd just picked up a heavy Pressure Die-cast Mould Insert from B'ham, I duly threw it in the back on the metal floor and set off back to the factory. In a traffic Jam near Spaghetti Junction, the traffic moved off and I dropped my Clog so to speak, wheel spinning away the die insert slid to the back hitting the doors with such a bang. Boy was I glad those doors held shut and I didn't lose a very expensive die on the M6 motorway... I think my P45 would have been waiting for me else...lol - Happy days! - and I love the Mini van to this day.
I had a very beat up 72 mini van in the late 80s.I drove it one day jn extreme rain and floods from St.ives cornwall to plymouth.The water was coming in the footwell about 3inches deep she got me there and the next morning i had to push start her as starter was flooded this dried out on the way home. Driving through the flood to plymouth i passed many high end cars stranded by the road,
My uncle gave me his 1968 F reg He was a plumber and roofer, with ladders twice as long as the van. I had a morris engine fitted, I think it was 1200cc, the mechanic had to cut part of the
floor away to get the travel for the gear lever. I ended up with the van my uncle brought to replace the 68. A 1973 mustard colour. Both were responsible for my career sucsess as a jobing carpenter.
If I saw one today for sale, I would probley buy it! Another chippie I knew had a pick up version, .And when he became a multi millionare he had it restored and kept as a reminder of where he came from.
Drove to Spain 3 up in a Mini in 1967. Had to have the heater on full blast in hot weather to stop engine overheating, but it was fitted with an 1100cc engine, the owner worked at Longbridge and acquired the engine....
Great to meet you mate, excellent video as always.
Thanks for letting me film it. It really is a beautiful little van.
Gotta agree lovely wee van love the subtle upgrades, love the tan seats
My Dad had one of these, bought new D reg, with rear seats fitted. As kids I was 10 before we got a view of the passing countryside
Can u give me that van
My Mom had a Mini Van [Olive green colour]. She bought it brand new in the late 1960's - and I was at home when the salesman delivered it and she handed over 460 GB pounds for it. It was a smashing little van - nippy, very versatile and practical. [we could get in 4-5 of my mates when we went to football practice] I remember she actually got stopped by the police for speeding too!
Always loved the mini van grille, it had a great utilitarian look. I happened upon a mini van a few weeks back parked up on a residential road in Muswell Hill & I had to keep looking at it from various angles as I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me… it looked SO small I couldn’t quite believe it! With many of today’s cars being really large your perception gets accustomed to it, like “that’s the normal size of a car”. So when you are suddenly confronted by a cute little mini van it gives your perception a reality jolt… “yes, it really IS that small!”.
I recall that as a commercial vehicle, there was no purchase tax added. A mate of mine had one and I can still hear the boom as you slammed the door shut!
Indeed. Lots of people bought them and rigged up some rear seats!
Love toonies van. Can't understand why 18 people have given this a thumbs-down !
Because they aint got one lad 😉
@@classicminidetails8887 err, I'm old enough to be your dad, lad.
@@stevestone4346 sorry Dad 😂
@@classicminidetails8887 ok son.
In '59 when the Mini first came out you often saw a crowd of people gathered on the pavement looking at a MIni. And yes I had one later.
I remember the Mini van from the sixties as being very popular with the mods once they had reached 17 and passed their car tests, most of the Mini vans round my area were ex-fleet vehicles with 'FK' registrations.
It seems to have been tarted up a lot internally compared to the way I remember my Dad's slightly older one in the sixties. I don't remember a headlining and do remember a funny little roof vent in the middle of the roof. It also looks a lot more comfortable in the back than I remember, when three of us boys had to endure 50 mile trips to North Wales!
A brewery in Liverpool still uses one for deliveries!
Very tasteful restoration, love the period signwriting too, excellent little van. They did a great job restoring it.
It really is wonderful. It's a credit to Alex and the lads that helped him get it restored.
My dad used to own one of these when I I was a kid. He was always working on it and I loved being around it.
As a proud owner of a 95L mini van, like your angle on this one. People just love to see them. Found myself following a grey sixties one the other day with a wooden dingy strapped to the roof, not often one gets out classed when diving a mini van. Personally an A+ lump has made life a lot easier over the years but would prefer to have the earlier toggle switches and variable rheostat fan speed control of my earlier vans. Lowering the front must make route planning to avoid speed humps a nightmare or is there an app for that now ;)
A+ engines are great. Its such a reliable little van and very very usable. I do appreciate a completely original van but they are no way near as capable as a 1275 lump
Oh! That brings back memories of my Dad, and is 1969 grey mini van. He moved the number plate up to help protect the distributor from water! It had a single dial with fuel gauge within. Gear stick was the wand style. It was a Morris, with 850 engine! It carried all sorts! Thank you Ed, lovely to see this!
It really is a lovely van. I've seen it on video a number of times before, but you need to see it in person to understand just how nice it really is!
My Dad taught me the rubber glove trick. You cut the fingertips off of a Marigold rubber glove, then stick one ignition lead down each finger and pull the glove over the distributor itself. Mine never once misfired in the rain with that mod on it.
First van I ever drove when learning, Dad had a 73 same colour. Reg EOI 3550 followed by a blue one KOI 1275 then moved over to Bedford Chevannes.
@Lester Piglet yup
Saw one today. White with castrol decals. Chap lives round the corner from me. Cool little thing.
My first car as well, registration GRC708N. Wish I'd put it in storage so I could have a project
Mark Jordon's PC Bellamy drove this in Heartbeat. I love the classic British series so much and the Mini van.
First class review. Wonderful detail. Excellent factual presentation. Well done mate!
Thank you mate, that's very kind :)
Perfectly presented. Hope you make the big time with this line of work. You've got it.
Aww thank you Paul, that's very kind :)
Hi Ed
Aged 18, I was fortunate enough to acquire a 12 month old ‘S’ Reg Mini 1000 in ‘Vermillion ‘ red. Though not the utilitarian van, it took me safely, (albeit noisily), along with a University friend through France, Belgium and Luxembourg on holiday AND to work / Uni each day. Upon the launch of the BMW (not so mini) Mini , I had three back-to-back factory fresh ones ..... guess you could say that I have history with the marque!
Great vlog, as always.
Mike
Thanks Mike :)
My first memories were of the Mini van in 1968, when I was just about to turn 4 years old. I think ours was either grey or pea green. No seat belts then and my Dad put cushions down in the back for my sister and I to sit on. I have no idea why he bought the van (And both of my parents are no longer around to ask) He was a nurse! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Thanks Phil :)
At the time commercial vehicles had either lower or no purchase tax on them, so he probably bought it to save a wedge of cash!
First vehicle I owned, 1966 Austin version. SPU 446D. So wish I still had it. 848cc. Austin Healey valve springs let it rev to 8200. rpm. Wheel spacers. So small compared to cars now. If you met someone coming the other way down a narrow road, you aimed for the gap and shut your eyes!!
You forget the Gas Boards also used them for their Gas fitters. I drove one for a few years and forgot how small it is. 👍
Thats one of if not the best Mini van in the Country IMO, Alex has 3 awesome Minis and I couldn't choose between the 3 of them of which is best.
That’s beautiful, a great restoration and awesome video again.
Thanks John :)
The van is absolutely beautiful. A real credit to Alex and the lads that helped him get it restored!
Neighbours had a red Mini van with a black roof as ex works. Letters after numbers were KTO, so she was obviously called Katie.
Rear seat, which may have been a works option.
Loving your channel.
Thanks Simon ☺️
Although I don't remember it, my dad had one of these as his first vehicle in the mid-1960s. I would have been two years old and I guess I would have been on mum's lap. When my brother came along 11 months after me, dad still had the van. It never occurred to me to ever ask him where we sat but I'm guessing in the footwell if mum was in the car. Quite incredible to think of now. Indeed, he once got stopped by the police and me and my brother burst into tears so the policeman sent dad on his way with us sharing the front seat.
I can't imagine why they invented health 'n' safety.
I remember being taken to a children's party in a bright orange Minivan when I was about seven; there were about six of us kids piled in the back, but nobody thought that was strange or dangerous......
Big up toony
My Dad tells me we had a Austin mini van when I was born (in Yeovil). He says he used to toss me in the back where I'd roll about on the floor while driving along.
Had one of these when I meet my future wife, told I had a sporty two seater, later when we had kids and I'd converted to an estate it was a handy four door. Had it for years and did over 100k in it. Great fun.
I went to an event last year where a Mini Estate was pitted against a new BMW "Mini Clubman" by measuring the space with the rear seats folded down, and to everyone's surprise, the old mini triumphed!
It was so strange seeing how huge the new one was next to the classic, yet the tiddly matchbox car had more room inside than the BMW behemoth.
I remember my dad having one of these for awhile as his work van. Painting contractor. It was great.
Great video thanks, brought back loads of memories. My dad had one in the 60s
Cheers Andy :)
I love this van I saw it at the London to brighton mini run last year and have been following the resto👍
It's a gorgeous little thing. Even better since the restoration!
Excellent video. This van is just about the perfect spec for a usable classic Mini. A bit more go and stop and the proper level of all you need and nothing more. Lovely. I would love a pickup with the same cobinaction.
As always, thanks mate :)
It really is a lovely little van. And suitably noisy!
Alex says he would like a Pick-Up in identical spec and the signwriting on the doors. Expensive dreams though! hahaha
those switches look like they've been updated at some time.
Beautiful example sympathetically retromodded.
The inner geek in me wants to point out the steering column, stalks and switches above the heater are all from a mini at least 3 years younger.
It certainly is.
You're right, though I thought that style of switches came in for 1976. Anyway, it wasn't worth mentioning because it wouldn't be interesting. This van was a mash-up of loads of parts when Alex bought it.
@@TwinCam You're right that it wouldn't interest others and yes late 75 or 76 would be about right. Many refer to the Mk4 which was when the front subframe bolting arrangement changed in 76, but I seem to recall the other changes around the same era as being more incremental. The switches I think around late 75 and reversing lights on the 1000 and Clubman in 77. The 850 and early City in to the 80s still didn't have a reverse light in the rear clusters, though many have been retrofitted since.
Had one the same colour great little van.
I will always love the base spec, utility variant of any vehicle. Shame we didn't get much of this genre in the US past the early 60s. I'd kill for a Datsun 120Y van, a Chevanne, one of these...etc. Guess I'll have to settle for my 1968 Chevy G10.
Love these wee vans..
Used to see loads when I was a wee lad as the local district nurses and hospital used them right up till the early 90s.
There was also and old boy who had a pickup which seemed to have RAF markings on it, not sure if it was a genuine ex RAF van but it may have been..
Cool vans great review as ever...
Thanks Paul :)
Must add. One of the many we owned had a fibreglass front end after my missus had an altercation with rear of a Vauxhall Viva. Fazaplas at ,Fazakerly, Liverpool made fibreglass body parts for many vehicles and this fitted well. Lasted a month before it got nicked from the local rail station car park. Was the only decent part of the car. Insurance paid out £75 which I thought was very fair.
The sliding windows with the clip you pressed to open them.
Now we need another type of button to press to open the window, which is attached to a motor inside the door, and they're expensive to replace when they break down.
It's only a window.
I loved this video which appealed to my nostalgic and nerdy nature. Fantastic review. Pete 🇬🇧
Thanks Pete :)
My late Grandad had a grey mini van in the 1970s. He had retired from coach driving and was running local deliveries, exactly as described by yourself 👍
I do love the stamped grille.
Looks more utilitarian, and I like that.
Love the color and of course the van. I owned one back in the 70’s for a few months, it used to get me to school! Really enjoying your channel, keep up the great work, it’s so nice to see someone your age appreciating these wonderful older vehicles.
Cheers Nick, thanks for watching :)
Owned a 1962 model many years ago. Push button floor starter etc. Fitted an MG 1100 engine in her. Same top speed but acceleration great for the time.
I forgot about the floor starter button . I remember now that my dad had occasional problems with it
There's something irresistible about it. From any angle, it's just wonderful. At 1:42 you look like a giant next to it 🙂
Can confirm - car is small rather than I'm tall hahahaha
Great presentation and what a fantastic restoration! That leather... Most unfortunate that we have fallen into the monster SUV arms race that currently curses the road when this size of vehicle has shown to be so very capable. I do feel that I have to take a toothbrush to those stalks on the steering column and get those crumbs out, but still - what a beautifully restored vehicle. Nice touches with the disk brakes and the larger engine - even the Russian judge would not hold that against them.
Another great one Ed. Well done. Love the engine bay on this, so meticulously restored. Beautiful.
My friend got one of these off his Dad as a first car when he passed his test in the mid 80's. A little blue van. We used to pile about 4 or 5 of us in it and bomb along the M62 to Manchester where a friend was at Uni...ha, crazy things you do when you are 18!
As an apprentice for Post Office Telephones( later BT ) in the mid 60s, 2 ' experimental ' Mini vans were on the local fleet, YXF 640 & 694 FYM and always found them far more exciting to be taken out in them rather than the ' restricted ' Morris Minors and allocated to 2 younger engineers who drove them ' enthusiastically ' .!.Memories of the whine from the intermediate gears of these early vans with minimal insulation and concern for the occasional flicker of the green oil pressure warning light at speed in the centrally mounted silver faced speedometer which didn't concern the driver as the van just kept on going !.Great review Ed as always of a tastefully customised example.
Thanks Roger :)
As a kid in the early 70s on the eastern side of London I remember north Thames gas using mini vans with a sign on the roof. They used to treat them like rally cars on the side roads. They were grey too. And I see this one has an Essex plate on it. Who knows ......
To be fair, this one sounds like a rally car from inside!
When I first started work I used to get a lift in a very early Mini van. I'm not sure how it passed the MOT. The rust and grass growing in the window frames were major features. But boy did it handle! I'd spend most of the trip trying to find something solid to hold on to when going round corners. Then the owner swapped the 850 for a 1275 and wrote it off 4 days later.
I really enjoyed this video. Always been a Mini fan. Especially the different variants. I remember when I was a boy a friend of my father had a Mini van. He was a tall man. 6' 7" tall. How he ever managed to fold himself up small enough to get behind the wheel and actually drive it I do not know.
Thanks as always Richard :)
Small cars with dodgy driving positions seem to suit taller people better than shorter people really, as the steering wheel angle makes it hard to drive for small people!
@@TwinCam that makes sense when put like that. And you are very welcome. I look forward to all your uploads.
The Mini van was in production for 23 years from 1960-1983, and early ones don't look much different to later ones. I am aware of one van that has a different dashboard and seats from a luxury Riley Elf or Wolseley Hornet.
I see this van has the short gearlever, I remember my mate had an 850cc van in 1970 when he did his plumbing apprenticeship, but it had the long 'wand' gearlever. I was 16 at the time and used to drive it on secluded roads. I really enjoyed riving it. Later on I had minis of my own (saloons), brilliant in traffic.
Great video. When released the Morris variant was marketed as a Morris 850. BMC resisted the Mini designation fearing that it would be equated with mini value. BMC eventually gave in and adopted the mini designation. The Morris 850 wiper switch was originally below the speedo and was a stretch to reach without a rubber switch extension. The van shown has the Cooper S central gauge cluster and either a 1972 updated or modified indicator and wiper arms. The original 1959 Morris 850 indicator arm had a green light on the end of the stalk. This van desperately needs head rests. Adding Aeon bump stops at the rear will improve the suspension. Obviously I owned Minis back in the 1960s. I would love to know where your brake booster is. I put mine under the right hand wheel well.
Depends on territory. The car was badged as the Morris Mini Minor in the UK from the start. That’s where the Mini name originated, from BMC themselves!
This van does not have a Cooper S binnacle, it has a Mini De Luxe binnacle, as was available on all cars at least as an option (and standard on the 1000) by this point.
Indeed, Mk1 and 2 Minis had the blinking green stalk, though that was deleted for the Mk3 in 1969, when a simple black stalk was fitted. However, Minis should have a switch panel mounted wiper switch up to 1975. This Van has had later stalks and a later switch panel fitted at some stage. But no Mini had head restraints until the mid-1980s.
You nearly sold me a mini van! But as I am now on my second all electric car I had better wait for the electrified version.
Fantastic! I had one. Great fun!
My first vehicle was an identical mini van of 74 vintage with an 850cc engine in Beige , i resprayed it one afternoon and used it for years as a work van , brilliant little thing , and was even better handling than the standard mini imo due to the extended length body
Always look forward to your postings Ed great content on a lovely little van
Thanks Ian :)