1967 Austin Cooper S - Will It Run?

[@grayfool]

You can never have too much Mini content. Especially a genuine Cooper.

[@tonysheerness2427]

The picture of the fuel pump also shows the rear subframe and it looks rust free, for a car of it's age it is in extremely good condition.

[@nikolaslarson6891]

That's a pretty well equipped Cooper S for a '67. Sweet!

[@88SC]

That was one of the easier first starts after years! Loving the color and the Minilite wheels.

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

I am wondering if the DOT 5 ended up saving the hydraulic system and is why I didn't have any problems with it.

[@88SC]

@@ThisWeekWithCars if DOT 5 is less moisture permeable and doesn’t react to older hydraulic system materials, then it’s the stuff to use. I’m not that familiar with it yet, however.

[@bmwoutlander]

@@ThisWeekWithCars it is much better. Piss off those old tyres. It is illegal in Australia to use tyres more than 5 years old.

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

@@bmwoutlander Australia is ridiculous on so many levels…. definitely not the Land of the Free….

[@amnril]

@@bmwoutlander five years!!, is the sun that damaging over there? The tyres on my Pug 205 are probably six years old, have less than 2000 miles on them and look like new but the car is garaged and UK weather is kind.

[@madhampster]

I love it. Fuel gauge says empty, lets go for a drive.

[@robleary3353]

Love seeing old bits of kot bought back to life!. Noce one!. Nuff said!. 🙂

[@ianmcgee9945]

Hi Steve, as a 1959 Mini owner of course I love this and want to see more. Please let us know how the rest of the restoration works out.

[@brianhaw9398]

A buddy of mine had a '71 mini when I had a Sunbeam Alpine('64GT). Lots of fun.

[@titanus49]

I had one of these Cooper S cars. Same year as this one, but mine was the Morris version. Right hand drive built in Australia. Mine had the fuel pump inside the trunk (boot), between the fuel tanks. The 1275 engine has an additional head bolt near the head water inlet pipe. Great little car, so much fun to drive and incredible handling around corners.

[@peterduxbury927]

From memory, the Tail Lights (as shown here) were changed to that pattern in 1968, by BMC. Perhaps this '67 Mini has had a rear lights upgrade. Back in 1971, these were the car to own! They used to be labelled as "The Jaguar Eater", as they outperformed many Jags. Also, the real enthusiasts that owned the Austin / Morris Cooper S would take out the 1275cc block, and bore-out to 1340cc. I cannot imagine just how quick the little Mini became! Sadly, I had the bare bones 850cc Mini, but longed to own a 1275 Cooper S. The value of these cars continue to sky-rocket, a solid investment if you could take this car back to a factory Standard, on both interior and exterior. I would also remove the Contact Breaker Points, and fit a Hall-Effect Electronic Ignition Unit - inside the current Distributor. Just changing the Ignition System in this way improves the starting and also the performance, and it's cheap and easy to do! Greetings from Australia.

[@lloydgreen4091]

Maaaannnn, you made that one look easy. lol *Thanks Again Steve* for showing us Noobs about giving the fuel pump-- the starter medicine -- with Love Taps from the hammer. Something none of us would think of, to get the engine started up & running for evaluation. Yepper show us more Mini.

[@awalk5177]

Wow, A 1275 S. These I have rarely seen as this car was supposed to be the "one to have". If I remember correctly they had a 3.44 diff which meant they had a faster top speed than other minis, consequenty the speedo goes up to 120 mph. Front disc brakes to stop with the additional power. These cars are now super rare.

[@ratman9802]

The S has a 3.65 to 1 Diff

[@Radfordperson]

@@ratman9802 I believe that the 3.44:1 was an option for the S. In the 70's I fitted an MG 1100 engine to my 1962 Mini, changed the final drive to a 3.44. It would top 100 MPH easily, In fact it would cruise (noisily) at 100 MPH (in Germany). Still have the car. I did change the rear lights to Mk 2 ones, had to cut the aperture and make mounting brackets.

[@ratman9802]

@@Radfordperson I have a Mk1 mini that I'm working on and it has a 1275GT engine and an A+ Metro box, the Diff is 3.44. I knew the ratio of the S as I'd previously checked it in the tech pages of my official BL Mini Workshop Manual. I don't know if it was an option or not. I had a Mk2 1275 Cooper S back in the day AND it was a Radford (any relation?) I wish I still had that along with my Lambretta GT200.

[@Radfordperson]

@@ratman9802 If you do a search on the internet, the 3.44 final drive is mentioned quite a lot for the S. I believe that the Mini HL had a 3.44 fitted, mainly to improve fuel economy. My name is nothing to do with the Radford car company. But I used to work for Janspeed. Hope that you power unit swap goes well. I assume that you will do something to improve the brakes. My 1962 Mini has not been used for about 15 years, turned the engine over the other day, fortunately, not seized. Want to get it running soon!

[@ratman9802]

@@Radfordperson I just had a look at the WSM, 3.65 was standard on the 4 speed synchro. 3 speed synchro had a range of ratios available as options so I assume it was down to what the customer ordered - 3.44 was the standard ratio for 1275 with a 3 synchro box. It was intended as a competition car out of the box. Anyway, that pleases me because my car is to be Cooper S tribute etc so it will be the correct ratio with Cooper S Brakes and all the other period correct bits but with a few mods later on. Good luck with yours. Mini Spares has a lot of good info on their site so useful to identify what is what - there were so many variations over years

[@martinwarner1178]

We had mini cars in the 1970s. Never was a fan, every time we hit a puddle in wet England, you crossed your fingers, and prayed that it would not conk out. But, I really like your videos, and impressed with your skills. Peace be unto you.

[@daveshongkongchinachannel]

This car looks to be in such good overall condition and deserves to be put back to a close as reasonably possible to its original condition.

[@billwalters4794]

I would love to own a mini like that. That has been on my bucket list for over 50 years. Maybe some day.

[@johnvender]

Those minis are my dream car, have been since the late 60s. Here in Australia the Morris labeled Cooper S and other minis were a lot more common than the Austin badge ones.

[@eggy1962]

Love the old minis, the A series was such a good old unit

[@SCREECHTRUMPET1]

This is a great 1967 Mini Cooper S. It has been sitting for 8 years and it runs well with some new fuel.

[@garycorbin2789]

Universal spanner is the Hammer 🔨

[@JRattheranch]

We actually started making those Mini's in 1967, with the squared back lights! But..... There was always a bit at the factory.... Somebody forgot to make sure that we had both LH and RH rear lamps. So we made over 6000 vehicles with only the RH rear lamps fitted. Eventually Lucas managed to produce the LH lamp and we apprentices were dispatched to fit said lights! This worked out really well and cars were removed from the outside of the parking lot, only to reveal hundreds of cars in the centre that had had their wheels stolen.... 😂😂 Needless to say! Another fine mess at the Longbridge.... 🤣🤣🤣🤔

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

Great story thanks!

[@colinvos4443]

I had a 1969 Mini MkII. 1000cc and my friend had a 1969 Cooper S. He bought those mini wheels shown on the 67 Cooper and gave me the 'S' hubcaps and some interior fittings after he installed a roll bar. Me, I blew up my engine. Oh the youth of me... I paid 1000 $ for the car in 1971.

[@billcunningham8485]

Love this car! I even like the color. Might even fit in my garage behind or in front of my R53 Mini.

[@parrotraiser6541]

Whoever stored that car seems to have done a nice job.

[@EJP286CRSKW]

I love the note on these things. What a growl. My brother had one in early 1970s, Australian built Morris version. It went like the clappers and handled like the stripe on the road.

[@graemelliott3942]

Great Video! I would have been scared to start it after sitting so long. Keep the mini videos coming!

[@stefancucos2416]

Great film, Steve. Please continue your work on this Cooper S. Thanks.

[@1chish]

If that is a genuine 1967 car then its a MkII Cooper S and those rear lights are correct but then it should have the later grille. Maybe its just confused! The wheel spats are not OEM but correct for the period and totally right for those wheels which are just gems. And VERY rare! You Sir have once again found an absolute beauty of a Mini.

[@FairlyOldGit]

I am not sure (at 1:53) they are Original Minilite wheels - the wording says "MINI LIGHT". ISTR the originals were Magnesium alloy, these look to be Aluminium copies. EDIT : just checked , real Minilites have text "MINILITE" lettering on the wheel rim.

[@richardguse3410]

Hope we see more of this 1275 Cooper S!

[@donaldhalls2189]

Excellent little rig looks quite nicely looked after, all the best to you and your loved ones

[@donryan4453]

My 1974 Mini enjoyed watching this.

[@windronner1]

Wow!!! Is that stinker complete...beautiful. This may be the most straightforward resto in your garage in a while.

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

Should be complete soon the original seats have been found.

[@themightyimp08]

The 'fender flares' are cosmic aluminium arches. Really very rare. I have them on my car, they were brand new old stock in box, and I had some on my first mini 35 years ago!!

[@subieracer005]

Sounds pretty dope for a car sitting for 8 years!

[@geraldharkness8830]

brilliant to hear her run again for ages smashing vid more please steve

[@iggymac3473]

Very cool Steve nice car

[@strokenumber3]

Yes, more of this little beauty.....A Cooper S is a worthwhile car.

[@timlocke8588]

Interesting number plate. IIRC ADO 50 was the factory designation for early minis

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

Yes it was!

[@mikepelz7004]

the Tapometer works every time😁

[@FedUpCanuck]

Love those Mini Cooper's but expect valve jobs to be a frequent issue

[@thomasgiglio7475]

Great job, I am going to start working on the MG TF next week to see if we can get it started. Admire your work.

[@neilbarnes3557]

Aw sweet! I haven't had a 1275 mini since about 1980 :)

[@geraldbly4903]

A very nice mini Steve! Wish it were mine. One of the cars I aspire to own one day.

[@JeffCrowell11]

Hi Steve I like your common sense explanations for all things mechanical. Thanks for sharing.

[@BMC1100]

I'm glad the oil pressure came up, my 1968 Cooper S gets an air lock when it's parked for too long and it won't get pressure until I prime the oil gallery.

[@BMC1100]

Those wheels are "Mini Light" wheels and not the real "Minilite" wheels. Not that it matters these days.

[@keystonekid7451]

Nice work Steve! Since I own a 59 Bugeye, I love all your British car content! But I obviously like the channel and watch all your vids! Keep up the great work Steve! Cya on the next one!

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

Thanks 👍

[@milliewilkie1969]

in UK I always had minis when we retired and wanted a classic cars about 5 years ago I decided on a Morris Minor and husband got a MgbGT ..mini prices now are through the roof

[@howardjones725]

Excellent video Steve. I cut my teeth on Minis, never managed a Cooper S but ran a 1275GT for a couple of years from new. It had the useless Dunlop Denovo tyres, terrible things!

[@heckmacbuff]

Great colour, I think finding original front seat may prove difficult!

[@paulhall170]

A bit of a disappointment, Steve, nearly everything worked, it only needed the faithful hammer to the fuel pump??!! I was 18 when this model came out here in Australia, and everybody wanted one. For a couple of years, the NSW Police used 1275 Cooper S models as highway patrol pursuit cars. Plenty of bigger-engined cars could outrun them, but very few could stay with them when the road got twisty.

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

Still plenty to do. Getting the power brakes to work again could get interesting.

[@RichardSmith-um4js]

Love the car and definitely want to see what else you are going to do with it.

[@mundanestuff]

You need to dub over some Incredible Hulk walking music theme song of you walking for a fuel can. And then just reuse the same scene in every video you walk back to get fuel. Great car. A life long family friend is rebuilding his Cooper S that his folks used for everything from grocery getting to autocross, hill climbs, drag racing and ice racing. His engine is out at a shop on the east coast, his head in Ireland, and he's doing the chassis.

[@MGMan-ce7sf]

Does anyone else just love the fact that Steve just set out with a hammer? Love me a car you can fix with only a hammer! 😉

[@keithbronson9777]

If you can't fix it with a hammer, it's time to call an electrician.😁

[@mikego18753]

Thumbs up Steve.Nice Mini. Thanks.

[@stephenricketts7764]

Very nice I hope we see more of this one soon. Thanks Steve. 👍

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

More to come!

[@Radfordperson]

@@ThisWeekWithCars Excellent, love to see more about Minis. I have a 1969 Riley Elf Mk 3 Automatic, a 1969 Mini 1000 Mk2, and a 1962 Mk 1 Mini.

[@manuelstarr3602]

I can't fault these little cars.. (Not a fan of suspension). Thanks Steve.

[@AndyMarsh]

I've got both wet and dry cars.... Standard the hydro cars are a bit crap, yompy and under damped but add a pair a dampers on the front and progressive bump stops on the rear and it's awesome, you get the comfort over rough roads and still good handling on the turns.

[@johnquilter7620]

Been driving an Austin America with Hydrolastic for 51 years, works great, love its handling. John Quilter, Eugene, Oregon

[@bobmanzi7712]

Great stuff Steve thank you

[@ticktown2783]

"the only tool I'm bringing with me is a hammer." Hahahahahahaha!

[@bmh67wa]

That's a good looking car. The fender flares make the stance look aggressive.

[@johnrussell5245]

That Mini's body is in a wonderful rust-free state. Imported to the UK the car would fetch probably around £25,000 in that condition.

[@16rumpole]

the car is in amazing condition; it looks great

[@deep6thisdeep6this92]

knew a couple of shop owners back in the late '60s that lived to rally these cars. the the cockpit was completely filled with electronic gadets. ...all analog. :)

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

I had one of those cars, I show it here in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGqqgoeXibuKp7s

[@robertcallahan4065]

Chrome boot hinges? Must be after market itwm.

[@jjtaylor6380]

More Mini videos please!

[@axiomist4488]

Thats a real beaut. Love all the upgrades and it looks good. Cant imagine what is in that long list to do, but Im looking forward to finding out .

[@joeg8186]

Got to love the mini, I put a Cooper engine into a moke loved it

[@fisshayemezgebu8858]

How match did you bay it?

[@kj4unxpondosinatra937]

Great video

[@christophersandoval1490]

I'm new to this, Ive got a '67 Cooper S. If the fuel pump doesn't stop clicking, is that an issue?

[@johndavey72]

Well that was easy ! I had my doubts on the sticky valve ! I restored a 1275 some years ago and the additional tank wasn't factory , my goodness it must have been knocked up by a complete amateur , it was shockingly dangerous . Coincidently it was also in lsland Blue with the Old English White roof . The spare was a standard non-vented mini wheel and in the day we all tried to make our minis look more modern by fitting the later rear lamps !!! The rear panel did indeed need cutting to fit those lights. It would be interesting to see if that panel has been cut , if it hasn't , that may indicate a later shell has been employed . I also noticed the extra anti-roll bar fitted to the rear subframe . (Sway bar ) So is this a recent purchase ? Thanks Steve .

[@ernieleithes6545]

In uk it depended on what year it was but twin tanks were fitted by factory.

[@BritIronRebel]

Was that initial start up using the 2014 fuel?? I'd be afraid of fuel that old...

[@markmurphy3578]

The mini videos are excellent 👌

[@Oyvind88]

Great video and car, love mini😎👌🇳🇴

[@jacquikowalewsky7691]

I believe what you have is a mk2 S . Hence the hydrolastic suspension and rectangular taillights

[@MikeAarset]

Yah more mini vids please. So is the max rev limit really 7000RPM? Saw that on the rpm gauge.

[@barryphillips7327]

If it genuine it is WORTH a FORTUNE!!!!!!!!

[@bmwoutlander]

See if you can fit a front disc brake kit to it. Plus the modernised fuel pump and it will hum.

[@davidjones332]

All Mini Coopers had front discs from the start. The S had larger servo-assisted discs.

[@bmwoutlander]

@@davidjones332 my ignorance! But get it humming in the 1960s these cars raced big Fords at Bathurst in the Hardie Ferodo 500. A 500 mile race up and over a mountain.

[@willgrime]

@@davidjones332cooper and cooper S discs are the same as each other.

[@davidjones332]

But they weren't from the outset. The Cooper introduced disc brakes in October 1961, but the Cooper S wasn't introduced until March 1963 and had larger servo-assisted brakes. At the same time, the ordinary Cooper was changed to the bigger discs, and I suspect that by now any surviving earlier Coopers will have been modified to the later type. Merry Christmas!@@willgrime

[@willgrime]

⁠@@davidjones332 you’re right, my error - 7” on the Coopers, 7.5” on the Cooper S. Not sure the Coopers were ever upgraded to 7.5”, I seem to recall some confusion at the time as to the fact that BL didn’t simplify matters by fitting the larger brakes to both versions; but then, my memory is clearly not what it was…

[@lambrokedrc5998]

That's a nice mini barrel maker(cooper)😺🌽🪕 Thnx👍💪🍻🦅🦅🦅🦅

[@ragnarocking]

I know that you occasionally list cars for sale on your site - will this or other MINIs be one of them? Thanks

[@andrewdoubtfire4700]

What is that rattling noise? Like keys jangling when revving on the road?

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

It was the passenger seat belt

[@micheltebraake7915]

How are the two petrol tanks connected?

[@Radfordperson]

Not owned an S with dual tanks, but I believe there is a balancing pipe between the two tanks.

[@davidjackson5732]

More please!

[@robertwenzell9510]

More!!

[@shauntvr4312]

That's a very nice mini

[@gafrers]

Fantastic car

[@SonOfAnders73]

any 60/70s Mini is like Trigger's broom . look after your broom

[@markhealy9361]

Is the ADO 50 plate a genuine registration number? Cool if so! ;-)

[@chrisgibbard6332]

Since when were authentic Minilite wheels spelt Mini Light? 2.00 minutes into the video. Wonder where they are from?

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

They are made in England you can get them from Mini Spares in the UK.

[@chrisgibbard6332]

@@ThisWeekWithCars I love what you can do with old British cars, but apart from the wheels, wheel arches, steering wheel, gear knob, rev counter, rear lights, seats etc, etc, how much of this car is wrong? But, keep up the good work, this one looks pretty rot free. Unlike every Mini I ever owned.

[@tombryant4518]

They aren’t authentic MiniLite wheels. Cheap copies with the same sounding name.

[@simoncampbell-smith6745]

Naughty that has an old British Number plate. Is that legal in the USA? I love the sound of a old mini.

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

It is legal in most if not all states.

[@r1lark]

Steve, the fuel line connected to the fuel filter does not look very good, has cracks in it.

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

I will be replacing all of it.

[@AudiophileStooge]

Very nice car! So what “doesn’t work?”

[@hughbishopnh]

That bumper chrome looks like it needs a good polish, know anyone who can help?

[@cliffwood4610]

I don't think there was any doubt that you would make this car run...

[@bobbates7343]

Do I ever wish that was my car and I was driving around on all sorts of trips with my dog

[@tiporari]

How much does a car like this cost? I'd love to have one, but I just never see them.

[@1701_FyldeFlyer]

Even here in the UK, the original Mini now looks tiny compared to modern cars. Must seem like a micro car in North America!

[@toma3472]

This is the only car i would daily drive (S and non-S

[@hammerandhatchetengineerin4967]

Hi Steve. How can I contact you privately ?

[@ThisWeekWithCars]

[e-mail]

[@ulrich.hoffmann]

All you need for these Minis is a hammer to fix them 😁

[@16rumpole]

a 1275 engine? awesome

[@vicmabus1532]

Well, that was easy!