1969 Austin Mini MK-II

I bought my Mini in February of 2014 — kind of a birthday present to myself. It’s a 1969 Austin Mini MK-II. I bought it for the condition of the body and underside from a young man in San Diego. My daughter drove me down to pick it up and followed me home. On the way home the engine spun a rod and started knocking. I managed to find a factory “Silver Seal” GT1300 engine still in the crate — over 40 years old but unused. I stripped it and repainted it the original factory color (BMC “MOWOG” green). I was helping the family with my two grandkids and needed to drive them around, so I put five-point seatbelts in the back for them.

This has always been my only car, but I don’t put a lot of miles on it since I’m retired. It’s not my first Mini — it’s my fourth. I brought my daughter home from the hospital when she was born in 1976 in my first Mini, a 1967 Austin Cooper.

Ever since I bought this one, I’d been looking at a company in England that makes superchargers. I tried different carburetors but could never get it to run the way I wanted; geared for freeway speeds, it lost its low-end power. So I decided to buy myself the blower as a birthday gift this year. I ordered it in early January but didn’t get it until mid-February, then had to get the crank pulley installed — which meant pulling the radiator and engine mount. There was a lot I could do myself, and I installed and tuned the blower with the help of my 18-year-old grandson, Noah. There’s still more to do, mostly around heat: it stays normal on cool or mild days, but I’m wary of hot ones.

I’m so happy I found this car show. Being local means I can talk with people who are actually close by. The biggest challenge is finding a mechanic for the things I can’t do myself — maybe I’ll find one here. All I can say is it’s been so much fun.