Time to pick your collective brains

[sparetimetoys]

So I'm at work talking to a guy who does nut and bolt restorations on mustangs. He is asking my plans with our car. I am telling him I was doing the disc brakes because they came with the car and some larger wheels. But basically stock. He went nuts telling me don't do the brakes and find stock wheels and tires. Make it just like it came from the factory. My question for the group is do you really think better brakes and wheels "still 10 inchers" will big a big ding on future value?

[94touring]

You could do any wheels and have stock wheels available to put back on to be concourse.   The brakes, you may take a ding on, but then again brakes are easy to convert back also if the time came.   Plus didn't you say the engine is a transplant already?   

[sparetimetoys]

It's an 850 and going by what one guy on another forum sent me I do not think its the original engine. He sent the info for his heritage cert and my car was before his vin wise and his engine is before mine serial #wise. Although they are in all likelihood within a week or so of each other. My trans serial number is around the end of the ones the guys at 59 mini list for 59. I don't know how close they paid attention to grab engines in order??  I have my cert coming for the car so that will clear up the engine question.   But either way I think it should stay an 850 and I'll look for the small head and carb. I think I can sell the dual carbs and big head to cover that.

[Jims5543]

What is your goal with this car, to have a perfect #'s matching time capsule for concourse and investment or is it to be a driver for your enjoyment?

If it is an investment then I would take painstaking steps towards keeping the car completely correct down to every detail. The extra effort now will pay back if you ever want to sell it down the road.

If for fun and driving then do what you like.

Dam makes a good point some of the items that are easily changed could be kept in storage and changed onto the car if there is a moment when it is important that the car be completely correct.

[Mudhen]

It's such an early car I'd go for original all the way.

Still use it of course...but within the specs that were set forth by Sir Alec...

[sparetimetoys]

We want to do an original but I know it's not going to be the factory engine. I can build a 850 from 1960 serial # wise and know I can find correct date parts. I guess what I am wondering is the non factory engine going to devalue the car by 20% or more.  If its going to kill the collectibility value ill stick the disc brakes on and the wide 10 inch tires and go basically stock/fun weekend car. Oh the dilemma of it all.   

[94touring]

Another consideration with these brakes, bare in mind an 850 is pretty slow.  Properly setup drums will get the job done.

[sparetimetoys]

If I stay with drums I could sell the disc upgrade to buy parts. I also could get the dual shoe drum upgrade and unless you took the drum off you would never know.

[94touring]

Dual shoe drums are said to be just as effective as disc.   

[tsumini]

It's an 850 and going by what one guy on another forum sent me I do not think its the original engine. He sent the info for his heritage cert and my car was before his vin wise and his engine is before mine serial #wise. Although they are in all likelihood within a week or so of each other. My trans serial number is around the end of the ones the guys at 59 mini list for 59. I don't know how close they paid attention to grab engines in order??  I have my cert coming for the car so that will clear up the engine question.   But either way I think it should stay an 850 and I'll look for the small head and carb. I think I can sell the dual carbs and big head to cover that.

I think I may be that guy.  I had the same questions when I acquired my Austin 850. It was missing the engine and ancillaries, front seats, fuel tank, wheels, jam jar, fuel pump and  a broken left front window. I considered a VTECH but quickly rejected that as being impractical and too much work. I studied the parts I had with 59 mini Registry as a valuable guide to period correct parts. I kinda decided that finding period correct parts for each part would take more time and money than it was worth. My sense from the attitudes on the forums that "correctness" had value only to the honest to goodness British 59 minis. My plan now is to replace those parts with a reasonable upgraded part. Also I don't think there is a so called 1960 mini build definition like there is for a vintage Mustang. The fun may be more to show how close your car is to a 59.
I do plan to add my car to the restoration forum one of these days. I escape Texas about May and live close to South Fork Colorado for the summer and am in the middle of packing up to go there so it may take a while.
More later

[jedduh01]

Once you start to deviate from those factory options 59/60 your stepping simply into the normal mini world - Everything and every one is different.     Even off of factory colors ( I think there were only 3) and interiors- Only 2 choices.) I could be wrong.


I applaud your commitment to keeping it a Mini - and not a Vtec. but a 850 - with wide 10's will struggle to even travel very far and the comfort will be minimal to enjoy. At a slow pace The simplest- early 850 Minis were a family car- sparcely equipped intereior - and the standard wheels and tires were 10 x 3.5 . that the 850 for sure could not overwhelm with those drum brakes.  As you incrase speed  998- 1275 lumps- then the brakes and tyres needed improvement.

Any local other mini's aroudn you could test drive ?   Building a 850 is going to cost the same as a 998 or a 1275 if you can find one.

Once you step to the Custom build world - might as well make it useful.   

Or stick the 100% concourse path and keep it 850 on skinnys- two roads to take.

[sparetimetoys]

I'm not sure it would be all that bad building the 850 I have.  It's bores don't look all that bad. I don't want to use the big head and dual carbs. I can sell them to fund the correct head and intake. I have no idea why someone would put the big head on this engine just from looking at the gasket mismatch.

[Mudhen]

 :-\

That's awesome...  :D