3 replies to this topic

[Saffron]

Hello everyone:

By looking at these pictures, can you tell what year and series this Mini Van is?

My wife and I acquired my best friend’s Mini Van after he passed earlier this year.  He assembled it at the Mini factory personally, around 1975.  The van was registered in the US in 1976 as a 1960 Austin van with a first sold date of 00/00/60.  The shell was originally purchased from the factory brand new and had been in the “back of their warehouse stock.”  It has a ribbed roof, 7.5-inch disc brakes, and a Cooper S engine. The car was fully assembled prior to shipping it to the US.  The entire body was originally orange, and the VIN on the shell and on the registration reads as AAV746661.  There is also another identification number on the last picture (inside of the engine compartment), and it looks like 22625806.

What year do you this this van really is?  The shell vin number looks like it might be incomplete, though the registration in the States uses that as the complete vehicle identification number.  Any help with identification would be helpful. 

 

 

 

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[nicklouse]

Things to look for arevdate stamps on the wiper motor and the locks. The glass also has date codes in the makers logos.

 

the front panel is not original. Neither are the brakes. Nor the power unit. More likely to be a 70s build than a 60s.

 

the van and pick up did not have series they were just what they were with very little factory changes.

Edited by nicklouse, 24 April 2023 - 10:31 PM.

[Tupers]

Your bonnet hinges are wide gap so MK3 ‘69/‘70 onwards and you have a solid mount subframe with two tower bolts on each side which stopped in ‘75.

So it’s a MK3 anywhere between ’69 & ‘75.

If you can add a picture of the exhaust tunnel where the gear stick comes through we should be able to tell if it’s pre or post ‘73.

Edited by Tupers, 25 April 2023 - 12:06 AM.

[Saffron]

The Mini is now home in my garage and I have found some additional clues regarding the van.  There is an Identification number on the passenger side floor pan.

 

The number is: F046847

 

on the front stamped into the grill area is this number 00337

 

 

 

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•  floor vin number 1.jpg   76.28K   1 downloads
•  floor vin number.jpg   48.33K   1 downloads