Can anyone tell me in what year the original long, floppy gearstick on minis was changed for the factory remote one?
I really should remember as I had an early 850, originally raced by Christobel Carlyle Reg. CMC77, but she kept that plate! Sshe moved onto a big Healey, I think it was, and had a big moment at Silverstone when she hit a marshall's post just before the starting straight.. I think there was a fatality and she retired from the sport.
I later traded it for a 1071S, in which I fooled about in a few club races, after converting it to a 970 to get into the under 100cc class.
Ah! Happy days of a foolish youth!
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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As far as the Hornet and Elf were concerned, they gained the shorter stick in 1967, so I?d imagine the Mini did too.
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All Mini Mk2's introduced in 1967 had remote gear lever.
However it was also fitted to the Mini Cooper model from August 1961.
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And some people fitted aftermarket remote levers.
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Ah yes- the aftermarket remote gear lever, never worked well,
All learners shoudl be forced to learn to change gear with an early mini gear lever. That great long thing, that taught you how to match revs to speed if you wanted smooth changes.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I'm not sure if the long stick continued in the Van and P/U after it became standard in the car and traveller.
I can remember driving a Mini with the dreaded long stick. It also had a rotted bulkhead engine stabaliser bar mount so the engine would rock back and forth if you were rough with the clutch the rocking would move the gear lever from 1st to nuteral or if you were lucky into 2nd
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quote; 'if you were lucky into 2nd'
That would be a prototype auto with 'manual' torque convertor??
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I certainly remember the gear lever moving up and down a great deal when the engine stabiliser mounting was a bit worn.
The lever was not always where you left it!!
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Am I not right in thinking the Mini had a long straight gearstick for the first year or so of production, before that was replaced with the long, 'bent', lever?
JS
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Did the remote stick initially go with either the 998 engine or SDL trim?
My mother had a base model 850 bought new in May 72 (K reg) which had the original dog leg gear stick. Quite easy once you twigged that movement was up/down rather than back and forth.
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Am I not right in thinking the Mini had a longstraight gearstick for the first year or so of production, before that was replaced with the long, 'bent', lever?
Absolutley correct had a mini van with one
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My father had an "H" registered min van (his last one of about three or four), this had the old long type gearstick, but IIRC the old floor mounted windscreen washer pedal was replaced by the hand operated one from his previous model (an "E" reg.)
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The starter button was on the floor as well.
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I've just realised, I think it was the dipswitch that was on the floor (to the left of the clutch pedal), not the windscreen washers............anyone know for sure?
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At least up to 66 the dipswitch was on the floor ahead of the gearstick. Passenger could operate as easily as the driver.
Screenwash pump (if fitted, they were not a legal requirement until into the seventies) was initially fastened under the dash between the steering column and the central switch panel. After steering locks became mandatory the pump, still manual, migrated to the space vacated by the ignition switch.
My earlier recollection about direct/remote gearsticks being defined by engine or trim is supported by fact that while Mum's 72K 850 had the direct jobbie my L Mini 1000, acquired in 1982, had a remote setup.
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"The starter button was on the floor as well."
I think this was pure nostalgia on the part of Issigonis - the 1930s Austin 7 'box' saloon had a floor starter button. The original Austin version was called the Seven but this never caught on, and the Morris Mini-Minor soon became just the Mini.
Incidentally, the Morris version had a grille with far more slats than the Austin, and was better for keeping rain and road spray off the otherwise unprotected ignition.
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I used to rally and autocross a minivan in the early 60's, and remember having to fit an S.P.Q.R engine stabiliser bar to stop the gearstick waving about.
P.
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Minimalistic interior: although this is a 1967 Morris Mini Cooper 'S' MkII, it is still an extremely functional design. This Mini received a remote gearchange and more comprehensive instumentation over the original. Note the sliding windows and huge door-bins - made obsolete a year later by the later wind-up-windows Minis (known as the ADO20).
Above from the Austin-Rover website, suggests that the remote gearchange arrived in '67, certainly in tune with my memory.
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My father bought an Austin Mini in 1960; with it he also got a matching luggage set - a 'shopping bag' for the rear side bin and 2 lockable, long, thin cases (like school steamed pudding tins), which fitted exactly in the cubby holes under the rear seats...
How many times in winter on a freezing salty motorway do I wish that cars still had separate windscreen washers that weren't linked to the wipers.
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