Volume I, Number XII                                     July/August 2000

Hi All:

July was another fine month for MMPEAPSHA......beautiful Mini weather, a nice July Picnic In The Park, 2 new members, and we have a Wunnerful New Website.........

In This Issue... our Summer Schedule and other upcoming BritCar events, a report on our last meeting, details on our next meeting and 1st Birthday Party, info on our Wunnerful New Website, an article by Dave Piacentini on his and Tom Schramm's adventures at Mini Meet East, a bit of this & that, plus the usual fluff & fill.

As Usual.... our next issue will be coming out at the beginning of September (more or less), so, if you have anything you'd like to contribute to the newsletter...articles, news items, technical tips, helpful hints, Mini jokes, pix of your Mini, items for the "For Sale & Wanted" pages....send them to Jim Baumann at: cbaumann@lkdllink.net or call me at 1-320-963-5681. Deadline for the next issue is the end of August (more or less)

Our Last Meeting.....was on July 16th, our July Picnic In The Park, held at Lake Cornelia Park in Edina from 1 to 4 PM. We had four Minis, a dozen people, and Allstate motorscooter (don't know what category to put that under)! Karl & Margaret Jenstad got there early and presided as the King & Queen of Charcoal....lots of good food, good Mini stories (some, even true), and lots of benches raced. All in all, a good time was had by all.

Piggin' Out In The Park....Seated (L to R): Nathan & Jon Swanson ('60 Mini), Margaret Jenstad, Deena Swanson....Standing (L to R): Tommy Schramm (Moke), Bob Enquist (Allstate Scooter), Steve Kmetz ("Owen" '61 Mini Cooper), Dave Piacentini ("Babe The Blue Box" '64 Aussie Cooper), Caroline (Heather's sister) and Heather Kmetz. Photographer: Karl Jenstad.

Our Next Meeting......and MMPEAPSHA 1st Birthday Party will be held on Saturday, August 12th, '00 from 8:30 AM to 4 PM (Rain Date: the 13th) in conjunction with the MN MG Group's British Car Show & Swap Meet at Ellingson's Auto Museum in Rogers, MN.

Take I-94 West (toward St. Cloud) to Exit 207 (Rt. 101, Rogers, Elk River)....as you approach Exit 207, look to your right for an antique car on a pole on the service road. Take Exit 207.....turn right, and take another right onto the Service Road & go about a 1/2 mile.

Entry in the Car Show is $2.00. If you're bringing parts for the Swap Meet, To avoid conflict with Ellingson's auto sales business, it is required that any whole cars for sale are those in need of restoration, no finished cars please......(hey, with a Mini, how can ya tell?)

Pre-registered vendors receive a $5 discount on vendor space. A space is approximately the size of a parking space.

One or two spaces -- $5, Three spaces -- $15, Four or more spaces -- $20 Set-up starts at 8:00 AM

To pre register, call or e-mail to: Brian McCoullough, 651-462-0145, bmcmcc@hotmail.com

We'll cut the MMPEAPSHA Birthday Cake at about 1 PM!

Bring Your Mini To The Meeting!

Our WUNNERFUL NEW WEBSITE.......Thanks to generosity of Brent Peterson (who provided the Website space & URL) and much hard work by our "Wunnerful Website Weenie", Jen Muecke, we have a GREAT new website at: http://www.mini-sota.com/

Jen, our "Wunnerful Website Weenie" & friend

UPCOMING EVENTS

Aug. 12 (Sat.).....August MMPEAPSHA Meeting and 1st Birthday Party and "British Car Swap Meeting" at Ellingson's Car Museum, Rogers, Minnesota. Parts parts, parts. People, people, people. Cars, cars, cars. See "Our Next Meeting".

Sept. 9 (Sat.)......September MMPEAPSHA Meeting at "Wheels & Wings".....This is the Biggie! This is where MMPEAPSHA really got started! 7:30 AM Osceola, Wisconsin. Classic Motorbooks' annual car show and sale. Last year there were 900+ cars in attendance, many of them Minis, Triumphs, MGs, Healeys, Morgans, Porsches, Fiats, Lotuses, Alfas, etc. There's a tent with Motorbooks overstocks available in deep discounts and you can get a good discount on any of their books in the warehouse also. More information as the event gets closer but pencil it in on your calendar now.

Sept 22, 23 & 24 (Fri., Sat., & Sun.)....."Midwest Fest"....LaCrosse, WI....This will be the first multi-day, all British, regional event held in this part of the country. All cars can participate in the rally, tour, funkhana, autocross, and concours. This event is sponsored by MN Triumphs, but all British Marques are encouraged to attend. For further info on this full weekend of fun, contact Andy Lindburg at: andylindberg@earthlink.net or by phone at: (651) 227-3355.

Oct. 7th (Sat.).....October MMPEAPSHA Meeting and "Mini Monte Carlo Fall Sceinic Criuise to Mankato".....a scenic back-road drive from the South Metro to Dave Wintz's New Life To Classics in Mankato, MN. More info later.

Where To Go For A Sunday Drive?......The Detroit Iron guys have their Drive-Ins, but what about us BritCar Folk? Well, now we've got a place to go.....it's SHERLOCK'S HOME at the Crosstown and Shady Oak Road in Minnetonka. The premise is to provide a place of BritCar enthusiasts to meet every Sunday afternoon during the warm summer months.....so why not pop over for lunch Sunday and hobnob with other BritCarNuts.....leave a few oil spots in the parking lot.....etc. For further information call 952-931-0203 or e-mail sherlock@citilink.com

Welcome To Our New Members.....

Tom & Kathleen Strombeck
Mendota Heights, MN
Looking for a Mini

MMPEAPSHA AT THE MILLENIUM MINI MEET EAST

by Dave Piacentini

Well for those of you from Mini-Sota Minis who did not make the festivities in Magog Canada (And I know who you are) here is a report (sort of) on the event. I had all but given up the idea of going when Tom Schramm told me of his trip to deliver two Porsche's to a fella in Connecticut. Tom had one Porsche in a 24 foot Ryder truck leaving not enough room for the other Porsche, but ample room for "Babe The Blue Box". He had the second Porsche on a trailer behind. So.......Off we went. No need to recount the adventures up till the time we dropped off the cars and offloaded Babe, as that is when the fun really started.

Had to do a little maintenance before we could depart for Magog as having previously given up on the idea of going, I hadn't fully prepped for the trip. Flushing the radiator was first on the list. The rad looked like the head on a Guinness stout when I pulled the cap, really, ask Tommy! Got that flushed then greased the CV and installed a new zip ty on the right CV boot and we were off. Had to be a "little off" to trust that this car would make it all the way. The car ran cool enough now, but still (as ever) wasn't quite right. As soon as we got to Magog there would be plenty of Miniacs to assess the problem.

The first day is usually the concours day and Babe was displayed with her "noo shooz". I had only had the "new" alloy wheels on the car for a week before we left. I was so proud of the wheels as I figured that they would be kinda rare, being from Australia. Looked at the wheels on the car next to Babe. Damn, same wheels! There she was with this gray "goiter" on her roof. We had the rooftop carrier so we would have room for the stuff we bought at the mini meet on the way back. Traveling with "stuff" in a mini can be a challenge.

"Babe The Blue Box" with "Goiter"

Day two was rally day and though the car wasn't quite right, and against advice of my copilot Tommy, I decided to drive the car in the rally rather than delve into the thing to fix it. Tommy didn't tell me until this day that he has had a tradition of head/head gasket problems. With every trip he took to a mini meet "someone" in his group had a head or gasket problem.....He might have mentioned that to me ahead of time. My car being the only one on this trip sort of narrowed down just who would be the victim of his curse!!!

Well, the car didn't choke in the rally, though I cannot say the same for my navigator, who got us lost after the first checkpoint! But, truth be told, we both got a view of some beautiful Canadian countryside. The rally course ended up in a winery where we all had lunch and "posed" our cars for the traditional panoramic picture. I was glad I had not tried to fix the car or I'd have missed getting it in the picture. 121 cars showed up just for the picture, @50% more than all that showed for last years central mini meet!

Got back to the hotel and immediately started to dismantle the engine as we had determined by that time that the head gasket, at a MINI-mum, was in need of changing. Got rained out though and had to button the car up for the night before getting the head off. Early the next morning found out that was not the problem, it seemed that #1 exhaust valve had receded into the head too far to be adjusted. No wonder I could never get the carbs to sync and adjust just right. Sunday morning now and I needed to find a replacement head. What better place to find mini parts than when surrounded by 147 minis and their crazy owners. No worries mate, I gotcher head right here! One of the promoters/organizers/local mini guru's said I could have the head he had just redone for his latest engine rebuild project. He had only gotten as far as doing the head but that was far enough for me and bang zoom I was now gonna get to be a full fledged MINI MECHANIC...or so I thought!?!

Took most of the next day, whilst everyone else was awaiting their turn at the autocross and funkhana I was wrenching on Babe, with Tom's help. Thanx Tommy for giving up the auto cross event to help me. It was raining most of the day so a lot of 'em got rained out anyway and it was a challenge to do the work in the rain, but one of the vendors (Mini City, thanx guys) let us use their tent to stay dry while we wrenched. The highlight of my day (if you can call anything about being forced to take your engine half way apart a highlight) was when I looked up from adjusting the valve lash only to find I was being watched by Keith Dodd!!! Talk about intimidating! Sort of like having Eric Clapton watch you play guitar... Then as I got that bit finished he walked away before I could ask his help/advice on setting up the carbs. Drat!!! Oh well, as it turned out they adjusted up just fine. Seemed like all the reading I had done on adjusting 'em had paid off after all, I just had a flow problem with that bad valve and it mucked things up enough to frustrate me in all previous attempts. Once the head was right, I had no problems adjusting the carbs, even got 'em in sync with no trouble at all!!!

Sure beats a "Goiter"

Enough of my personal drama, on with the meet. There were lots of nice cars in much better condition than anything I had ever seen before in my life. In fact Babe was almost the tattiest mini there! I would have been ashamed to be there with her, but then again....I at least had a mini! There was even a tractor there that had been equipped with a BL "A" series engine and transmission. Lots of variants too. Some of the cleanest woodies and vans I have ever seen. I cannot guess how the judges did their job 'cos I could not pick one over another. Picture an eighteen wheeler Mini Mack Truck, well actually you don't have to because I did, which won a first place trophy for "best modified mini" (I think). I also got inspiration to do a cabrio out of my parts car by some of the beautiful convertible minis there. Some cool mini trailers were there too. One mini had been converted to run on an electric motor, never could find the owner to ask about that one though and didn't get to see it run.

The Author with a "Mini-Mack"

The three or four days that we were at the mini meet were a true adventure and I don't see how I can ever miss another mini meet. This one was far larger than last years "Minis in the Mountains" event, which had only 80+ cars but then it was in Canada and they got minis shipped to them for 12 more years than we did here in the good ol' USA. There were lots of Canadian cars there and I must say that Canadians sure love their minis. They were also very gracious hosts and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there. My thanx to Denis and Debbie and all the others who worked so hard to make their event a smashing success. Hope to see more MINI-Sota Minis at the next Mini Meet!

MINI FOR SALE......Only driven on weekends

WANTED & FOR SALE

A BIG THANK YOU!: To Mini City Ltd. for allowing our member Dave Piacentini to repair his Mini in their tent (during the downpour) at Mini Meet East! If you're in the market for Mini parts (and who isn't), visit their website at: http://www.minicityltd.com/

WANTED: Hosts for MMPEAPSHA meeting. If you'd like to volunteer your home or place of business to host a club meeting, contact Karl Jenstad at: jenstad@pro-ns.net or call: (612) 869-7611.

WANTED: Scott Maxson is looking for a project Mini to make into an autocrosser. The engine isn't important, but he'd like as little rust as possible. Call him at: 1-507-356-4965 or e-mail him at: smaxson@us.ibm.com .

SERVICE OFFERED: New member Philip Roberts from Brighton, England writes: "I had a thought....If there is anything I can pass on, i.e..send you copies of the 'Mini World' Magazine, spares catalogues, or even act as an agent to get things, even full working Mini's....then I would be only too happy to help. Maybe you could print that, and my details in your next Oily Edition. If any of you fellow Mini nuts need a break and want to visit the good old blighty, then my sofa bed is always available...:o) I live in Brighton, about 50 miles from Central london, and not a million miles away from the Cooper garages....let me know , if you know anyone is after anything in particular, and I will gladly help....." Philip can be contacted at: Funky.Duck@virgin.net or by phone: +44 (0) 1273 235 059

SERVICE OFFERED - Website Design: Our "Wunnerful Website Weenie", Jen Muecke, is a freelance website designer. Our Wunnerful New Website at: http://www.mini-sota.com/ is an example of her fine work, so if you need any website work done, contact her at: rhen@roadkill.de or at: 1-612-414-5205

SERVICE OFFERED - British Car Repair: Member Brian Mc Cullough is now in business full time in the North Metro Area. "BMC specializes in all British vehicles from minor repair to full chassis and drive train restoration to the customer's specifications. With daily driver, full show, autocrosser, and race experience, I will help to build the car you have been wanting. Contact Brian Mc Cullough at: bmcmcc@hotmail.com or by phone at: (651) 462-0145.

SERVICE OFFERED - British Car Restoration: Honary Member Dave Wintz owns a full restoration facility specializing in classic British Cars. Contact Dave Wintz at New Life To Classics, 1101 N. Riverfront Drive, Mankato, MN. Phone (507) 387-2277.

FOR AUCTION: Member Mike Priest has an auction site on eBay with some real neat Mini items up for auction: http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewListedItems&userid=minisota

FOR SALE: Mini Pickup top bows.....Good used wood for a Woody Wagon. Contact: Denise Anderman at: 612-483-0821.

FOR SALE: 1960 Austin Mini Mk.I....1275 Engine, Cooper transmission, Minilight wheels and Patty Hopkirk seats. It is red and runs real well. Recently driven home from Pennsylvania. We are asking $6500.00 or we will consider an offer. Car is located near Hudson, WI. My home phone is 715-425-2580 I am at that number after 5:30. My wifes work # is 715-386-8332 ....any interest just call. I can also be reached at: triumph@pressenter.com Thanks Bob and Sue Lee.

FOR SALE --Collector Reduction Sale: Austin Mini Mokes from $1500. Australian Mini Moke, Datsun 2000 Roadster, '74 MGB Roadster, Bugeye Sprites, BMW Isetta, Moretti Coupe, NSU Sport Prinz, Glas 1700 GT Coupe, '71 Austin Cooper 1275 "S", '71 Lotus Europa racecar, Austin & Morris Minis, Austin Cooper project car, Austin Cooper "S" body shell (ex-racer), '70 Lotus Europa project, Austin Healy 3000 (BT-7), Austin Mini Van (new paint & interior), Austin Mini vintage race car, Austin Mini Van project, '82 Austin Mini 1000 low miles, '71 Jag XJ6 for parts or restoration, '84 Toyota Starlet, '91 Honda Civic hatchback......................and..............

PARTS & EQUIPMENT FOR SALE: 5hp air compressor (horizontal w/new motor), 165 amp wire feed (220 volt, still in box), TIG Welder (250 amp Marquette), Panasport Wheels for most cars, 2 steam or water unit heaters (2' x 2'), Lotus Europa Renault engine, Mini 1000 & 1275 engines & assorted parts, Window Air Conditioner (large, 220 volt), BMW 2002 Ti Engine & Transmission, MGB engine, Victorian Furniture. Contact: Tom Schramm at Tommytoyota@aol.com or phone: 1-612-937-2337

FOR SALE: 1980 Scirroco S....Alpine White, 5spd, rare fuel injected model w/105k original miles. Car is in pristine shape and is 90% original, never driven in snow, and has original alloy rims--new tires, CV joints, timing belt. Needs nothing...No disappointments -- looking for $3500 but bring me your offer. Contact: Brian Burkart...1-612-299-0335 (Pager) or e-mail at: brian.l.burkart@ac.com .

FOR SALE: Greg Wold still has a nice Mini tow bar for sale for $100 and now has a Mini gearbox for sale. 3 syncro, straight cut, close ratio with or without diff. Wold Racing prepared. All safety wired and rebuilt for race or street if you want noisy gears. $600. Contact Greg at: barbfw@aol.com or phone 1-612-420-4503.

FOR SALE: On consignment: Accepting offers on a 1969 Mini "K" 1100. Australian car imported in August of '99. Wet suspension car with 1098 engine which died in transit from California only 130 miles from the Colo. Springs Mini Meet. Engine needs complete rebuild, but would be better to swap for a new 1275. Has a remote type transmission, not rod change. Drum brakes with twin leading shoes, original paint in Camino Gold (an Oz exclusive). Mark1 trim and Cooper type grille and this car is a Morris as are most Oz cars. And the best part is the Oz Doors! Roll up windows with 1/4 vent windows. Car is original and rust free. I need to cover the over $1500.00 in shipping costs as well as the price of the car so please consider this in your offer. This transaction must meet the approval of the owner who is still in Oz. Contact Dave Piacentini at: davanan@msn.com or phone: (612) 242-1729 (cellular w/voicemail).

FOR SALE: Mini MkII, needs total restoration, ready to roll [on trailer], have most parts. $675. New set of replacement floors, rockers, batt.box, misc. $175. Old style dbl. snowmobile trailer....$150. Please call Dean at: (612) 938-2281

FOR SALE: 1972 Mini 1275...has had a complete teardown and rebuild....$12,000. I'll have more Minis for sale in the future. I can find Minis in England for anyone. Prices start at $5,000 for an "as is" RHD Mini. I also have a number of Citroens for sale. Call Brent Peterson at: (612) 545-2020 or e-mail at: brent@minisforsale.net

FOR SALE: 1969 Austin America 1275cc, 4-speed, 37,000 original miles...runs and drives. $1,000. E-mail Kristen and Alan Albrechtsen at: kalbo@home.com.

Any Comments or Suggestions? Any ideas for improving "The Oily Edition"? Give me a call at: 1-320-963-5681 or e-mail at: cbaumann@lkdllink.net ..........

BRING YOUR MINI TO THE MEETING!