An 'Ace' of a day

摘要

My plan for Mary the Mini is for her to be built to look, drive and feel exactly like a genuine 1965 Cooper S. To do this I always said I'd pay quite close attention to which parts I buy for the car and how they'll fit. So, as the bodyshell is nearing completion, I've begun looking into the working parts of the car. The gearbox of Mary is the original magic-wand type so, to suit the Cooper-like end result, this needs to be replaced with a remote-control gear change. I have the gearbox from a Vanden Plas 1100 that I originally planned to use but, having bought the correct Mini-type remote housing, I discovered that the way it's mounted is quite different. The 1100 has a rubber sandwich plate and bolts from the sides whereas the Mini type lacks the rubber piece and bolts from underneath.