1966 Morris Mini 850 van
↑ This 1966 Morris Mini 850 van joined the Kelly St Classics restoration queue in November, 2021. The two drives to Hamilton (Victoria, Australia) were spectacular.
This Mini Van was made in the Australian assembly plant in December 1966, and first registered in 1967. It is a matching numbers original, with three previous owners through its history. The last owner, for approximately 7 or 8 years, was a very talented sheetmetal craftsman in Hamilton, Vic (see Peter Pollock Fabrications' Facebook page here) had started a restoration of the body shell, fabricating new floors, sills, and rear left quarter panel, as well as sourcing new (Rover UK) front guards and several other panels.
However, the pressures of life, business and now starting a new family meant that Peter decided to sell the van, and I was the lucky first responder. A drive to Hamilton confirmed the fantastic quality of the work done by Peter, and allowed me to check engine numbers and view all the other components, which confirmed this was a genuine, matching-numbers Mini van. A purchase immediately followed, and the mechanicals, interior (seats and headlining), bolt-on panels and bits and pieces were all loaded into the station wagon, its rooftop box, and a trailer, and returned to the Kelly St Classics workshops. A few days later, the same spectacular drive was done to pick up the body shell.
This classic Mini van is now stored safely on pallet racking awaiting its turn for a sympathetic restoration.
Enjoy the following photos of the body being forklifted into its high and dry position! There were literally just millimetres (about 5!) to spare.
↑ Lining everything
up. I'd carefully measured and prepared everything beforehand, so knew this
was a delicate operation!
↑ Very, very careful
here. Just a few mm between the forklift mast hitting the shed framing, and
the body scraping on the pallet racking! (Thanks for the photos, Trish!)
↑ Safely perched,
awaiting its turn for restoration.
↑ The all-important
ID plate. Points to a December 1966 build.
Watch this space!