A bit of a find ...

As some of you know my old 87 mini is off the road for some major
welding, the heelboard, battery box, half the boot floor and more some
plus a few other bits and pieces including new clutch.
As it's a tad cold at the moment and we're due snow at anytime now it
seemed a bit obvious me and the missus would need to get a cheap run
around so I can get to work if it was going to be impossible to bike in
and so the other half can get to wherever she needs to go (stables etc)
So we were after something dirt cheap that had between 9 and 12 months
MOT we could potter about in while I welded up the 998. ANYTHING with 9
months or more MOT !
Looked on ebay the other day and somehow found a 1990 RSP Cooper
BRG/White on buy it now for £600 !!! I just hit the button and wondered
where I could find £600 out of nowhere.
Borrowed the missus Punto and drove up to Bradford yesterday and got the
missus to drive the Cooper back.

First off I had to put 2 litres of oil in it
Fill the rad up with anti freeze
Fill the brake reservoir with DOT 4 (brakes worked fine but was
completely empty)
She didn't miss a beat for the 200 mile trip home !

Just had a good look over her this morning MOT runs out in September so
no great rush to sort most problems

Going to need radius arm bushes both sides
Choke cable
Rear Subframe soon
OS Front A panel
OS scuttle repair panel
Engine stabilizer bar bolt
and that seems to be about it
apart from some paint for the repair panels and she does tend to smoke a
little bit on start up (valve guides or oil seals I'm hoping)

I'm just going to pop back out and get a compression tester on there.
Whatever it is the engine is staying no matter what, it'll justget
repaired so I can keep the original engine (and number) with the car

At least now I can start work on the other one and it's great excuse to
get a new MIG

"Jim" <me.TakeThisOut@here.com> wrote in message
news:o4Ksh.41177$RL5.37153@newsfe2-gui.ntli.net...
> As some of you know my old 87 mini is off the road for some major welding,
> the heelboard, battery box, half the boot floor and more some plus a few
> other bits and pieces including new clutch.
> As it's a tad cold at the moment and we're due snow at anytime now it
> seemed a bit obvious me and the missus would need to get a cheap run
> around so I can get to work if it was going to be impossible to bike in
> and so the other half can get to wherever she needs to go (stables etc)
> So we were after something dirt cheap that had between 9 and 12 months MOT
> we could potter about in while I welded up the 998. ANYTHING with 9 months
> or more MOT !
> Looked on ebay the other day and somehow found a 1990 RSP Cooper BRG/White
> on buy it now for £600 !!! I just hit the button and wondered where I
> could find £600 out of nowhere.
> Borrowed the missus Punto and drove up to Bradford yesterday and got the
> missus to drive the Cooper back.
>
> First off I had to put 2 litres of oil in it
> Fill the rad up with anti freeze
> Fill the brake reservoir with DOT 4 (brakes worked fine but was completely
> empty)
> She didn't miss a beat for the 200 mile trip home !
>
> Just had a good look over her this morning MOT runs out in September so no
> great rush to sort most problems
>
> Going to need radius arm bushes both sides
> Choke cable
> Rear Subframe soon
> OS Front A panel
> OS scuttle repair panel
> Engine stabilizer bar bolt
> and that seems to be about it
> apart from some paint for the repair panels and she does tend to smoke a
> little bit on start up (valve guides or oil seals I'm hoping)
>
> I'm just going to pop back out and get a compression tester on there.
> Whatever it is the engine is staying no matter what, it'll justget
> repaired so I can keep the original engine (and number) with the car
>
> At least now I can start work on the other one and it's great excuse to
> get a new MIG


Sounds Like that Cooper has put a whopping great smile on your face Jim,
great find, con grats,
Enjoy
Fitzy