My Mini

摘要

I was overdue for a new challenge. I've lost count how many times I've retired as the rocking chair just isn't that appealing to me and I don't count sheep when I'm trying to fall asleep. I build cars or planes or houses and, before you know it, La La Land. My latest thoughts were of a Mini. Not just another modified Mini but a resto mod to match the times. I had seen a few electric conversions on the internet and I thought such a build could keep me busy for a while. The search for a donor was on. I found a modified Mini Clubman Estate, in Florida, with round-nose front end conversion, and bought it sight unseen and got it delivered to me in Canada. She looked good from far in the pictures but, unfortunately, she was far from good. The old owner was kind enough to inform me that she was pretty much a polished turd but only after he had received my money. Oh well. Once I had her in my garage and stripped her naked I realised that he was being kind as she had wandered far beyond turd status. So I skewered her with a 12', 4"×4" post and rested her on two sawhorses to be used as my rotisserie. I then spent two months transforming the shell into something pretty and new. All the metal originated from British Motor Heritage, of course, and the rest from various parts suppliers. I also converted her to left hand drive so I fitted a new rack. Now that I was where I should have been two months before, it was time to start building the vision. I sold anything and everything that had to do with gasoline. I also bought one of Minitec's front clip hinge kits, which is nicely done. Since the front subframe was built to mount a Honda engine, I installed a Honda D transmission along with the supplied CVs. 1 bought an HPEVS AC electric motor and Curtiss controller as the power plant. The motor easily mounted to the transmission with the adapter plate that I got from British Columbia.