New kid on the block

[xu1nut]

l'm sorry to say that yes the car is decidedly 2nd hand looking now that l've got it back with some good bits robbed off it too unfortunately , but l knew all that and l guess it was my choice to hand over the cash for it in the end : ) . The auxillary radiator under the drivers side guard is actually a 25 row serick oil cooler plumbed just as you've said . This head was an ex Reg Cook head off his 970 and did have CMR1 stamped on it behind the thermostat housing till motor preps at Otorohonga machined it off . l did also have the complete tj injection setup that originally had been run by Reg but when l fitted it and went to start the car some 25 years ago now , petrol leaked EVERYWHERE ! , all the seals had gone dry and hard . Needed the car so tossed the injection setup under the bench and fitted the carbs back . Then sometime later on bought our first farm and had to have a big cleanup and all excess mini junk , including the injection setup got sold offf DUHHHHHHHHH ! : ( aint hindsight a great thing .

[AMCO72]

Yeh, but don't beat yourself up about it. we've all done stupid things like that. Different priorities come along, like farms, and we think we are doing the right thing. Well mostly we are, and stuff that has lain under a bench gathering dust and rust becomes just so much junk, to be disposed of at the earliest opportunity. I have often wondered how much extra grunt you get with a TJ setup. We competed, as you know against Doug Erskine in the 'Coppertone' Mini last year, and while we couldn't match it with the engine we had then, the Arden conversion certainly gave the car a LOT more get up and go, and with a decent driver behind the wheel, ie not me, could really turn in some quick times. Reliability is going to be the issue I think. These heads seemed to be fine on the small-bore engines, but on the 1360's things start to get a bit temperamental.
I wonder how many 'performance cars' get sold with bits, good bits, robbed from them. Seems to be a common problem, though as you said you knew this had happened, and knowing you there is probably more stuff under that bench that will come in handy one day.

[xu1nut]

You are correct of course Gerald , different priorities in life come along and we needed the money too , way back then 25 years ago we were paying 17.5 percent on our farm morgage under Rogernomics so every dollar counted , including the measley $250 bucks l got for the complete injection setup l think !! ! lol god it makes me wanna cry sometimes . Then about 1990 we got REAALLLY short of cash so l had to sell off a brand new/unused , still in the box MK 2 Arden head that l had ....now that REALLLY makes me wanna cry still to this very day !!! lol . Yes , still have more junk under the bench that l've been carting around the country for years thinking that one day it might come in usefull and who knows , it possibly will too

Cheers John A

[AMCO72]

John, are you going to tell me where that Arden head is now, or is that a trade secret!!!!