Haynes Bee Manual

[pargyle]

I think that the strategically placed electric fuel pump in behind the sub frame where it picked up all the wet and muck of the day was one of the Mini's most enduring traits, as well as the starter motor which on occasion needed a tap with a hammer on the end to disengage it from the teeth on the fly wheel. I had an incident in Royal Avenue in Belfast right in front of the City Hall requiring such a fix - my mother was horrified in case someone she knew saw me with her in the car........

Not to mention the rubber bypass hose which required removal of the cylinder head when it failed (as it did about every 12 months).. So, some clever person introduced the 'easy fit' bypass hose that eliminated removing the cylinder head but left you with knuckle scars for life and which, because it was so much more flexible, split every 6 months rather than a year ... usually when you were dressed to kill and ready for a night out or in the middle of nowhere ! Another essential bit of mini kit to be kept in the boot... along with the spanner, screw drivers and Swarfega ....

 

[Amari]

Fortunately, though, bees usually sort themselves out.....unlike cars.


As a student in the 70s I used to spend the odd weekend in Arran. Parking the car in Ardrossan, I used to take the rotor arm out of the Mini distributor.

My first car was a 1949 Morris 8 Series E. After a while (c.1965) the clutch went so I replaced it single handed - this was with the car parked on the road in font of the students' hostel in Whitechapel, E. London.
The car had no heater but I spotted a derelict Morris with a retrofit heater a few streets away. After dark one night I tried to salvage the heater but was interrupted by 'Allo, Allo, Allo'. The obliging Bobby held the torch for me while I completed the task.

 

[Erichalfbee]

puddle

Absolutely. Plenty of times I had to get out in a downpour with a can in my hands

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Not to mention the rubber bypass hose which required removal of the cylinder head when it failed (as it did about every 12 months).. So, some clever person introduced the 'easy fit' bypass hose that eliminated removing the cylinder head but left you with knuckle scars for life and which, because it was so much more flexible, split every 6 months rather than a year ... usually when you were dressed to kill and ready for a night out or in the middle of nowhere ! Another essential bit of mini kit to be kept in the boot... along with the spanner, screw drivers and Swarfega ....

Despite having both a minivan and a mini saloon I never had a failed bypass hose. Maybe I was just lucky?

 

[pargyle]

Despite having both a minivan and a mini saloon I never had a failed bypass hose. Maybe I was just lucky?

I just wish I still had my Aunties original 1959 Austin 7 MIni that she allowed me to drive, or the 1071 Cooper S that belonged to a (wealthy) friend of mine and I could have bought for £250 when he got tired of it ... Have you seen the prices of early minis of all variants !

 

[JamezF]

I actually spoke to someone about a swarm last week who told me they still drive a 1970s Mini pickup.

James

 

[Newbeeneil]

My first car was a 1949 Morris 8 Series E. After a while (c.1965) the clutch went so I replaced it single handed - this was with the car parked on the road in font of the students' hostel in Whitechapel, E. London.
The car had no heater but I spotted a derelict Morris with a retrofit heater a few streets away. After dark one night I tried to salvage the heater but was interrupted by 'Allo, Allo, Allo'. The obliging Bobby held the torch for me while I completed the task.

My 1st car was a 1963 mini (reg GWC8) which I bought off my brother. It had been fitted with a 1100 engine and went very well, although my mate had on occasions had to bale the water out of the footwell.
In our family we had my mini, my eldest brother had an Austin 1100, my middle brother had a Wolsey Hornet and my dad had an Austin 1300. We also had a spare 1100 engine that was used when one of us had a problem.
I think all of us used it at sometime including me when I broke a crankshaft along the web and drove home after dropping my date off keeping the revs up to keep the oil pressure high!!!
If we had to change the engine lengths of 4x2 would be produced to make an A frame which was attached to the side of the house fitted with a Halfords Haltrack pulley to extricate the engine. We had it down to a fine art and could take one engine out and put its replacement in a couple of hours.

 

[pargyle]

It was arguably easier to take the engine out of a mini to do ANYTHING rather than shin your knuckles trying to do things with the engine in the car !

My first car was a Mark 1 Austin Healey Sprite (Frogeye) 883 HBH ... I could have the engine out of that and back in under 2 hours on my own with a Haltrac hoist attached to a beam in my Dad's garage roof. Mind you, it took three blokes to get the bonnet off first !

 

[dafyddcoch]

Ahh, the 'good old days', when it was easy to look clever as a roadside mechanic working for an RAC/NBRC (later became Green Flag) etc agent. You turned up, did some simple bits-n-bobs (making new HT leads, hitting a fuel pump, cleaning points, clearing carb. jets etc) and you were suddenly a hero, as you'd "saved our holiday".

Yes Minis were crap in the wet if you didn't have a Durex type affair to put over the distributor and or a splashguard behind the grill.

 

[blackcloud]

Still got the Austin A35 that I learned to drive in.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

I actually spoke to someone about a swarm last week who told me they still drive a 1970s Mini pickup.

James

Followed one out of the supermarket car park the other day. Tiny car by modern standards.
You'd only get one National hive in the bed.

 

[dafyddcoch]

Still got the Austin A35 that I learned to drive in.

I would imagine that if well maintained, and perhaps just slightly updated, it should still perform well as a daily-driver. The A-series engine is excellent and had a long production life. As it happens, I think a Morris Minor pick-up or van makes a good local work vehicle and around here, there are a couple still working, also, a local printer still uses an A35 van for local deliveries. Great to see them working still.

 

[blackcloud]

This ones for a goldseal engine that's been round the clock in a previous car...

 

[enrico]

I think we may have to have a separate thread for who owned what car

 

[dafyddcoch]

Ooops. apologies, I'm a little obsessive about my 'special interests', but then it seems that being a little obsessive is a good thing for beekeeper, and those that I know, certainly are.

Nicely brought back to bees! lol

 

[manek]

Fortunately, though, bees usually sort themselves out.....unlike cars.


As a student in the 70s I used to spend the odd weekend in Arran. Parking the car in Ardrossan, I used to take the rotor arm out of the Mini distributor.

Dead easy, right at the front. Where rain could and did get in...

 

[Beemum]

Part of the reason I’m selling my ‘67 Morris Minor is that I can’t fit a poly hive on the back seat

 

[pargyle]

Part of the reason I’m selling my ‘67 Morris Minor is that I can’t fit a poly hive on the back seat

https://www.carandclassic.com/list/33/traveller/

 

[Beemum]

https://www.carandclassic.com/list/33/traveller/

Mine’s a saloon so a lot less room in the back

 

[pargyle]

Mine’s a saloon so a lot less room in the back

Replace it with a Traveller ... preferably one that has had a conversion to disk brakes and a 1275 Austin Healey or MG Midget engine ... some decent shock absorbers and slightly wider wheels - very usable classic if you can find the right one. No road tax, no MOT requirements - cheap spares and so easy to maintain. Lots to be said for them if you can find one that's already been done ...