Austin Morris Mini Van - 1963 - Full rebuild with a twist! 180Hp 1800cc Twin cam

Description for Austin Panel van 1963

Hi and welcome to my Auction. You are looking at my absolute pride and joy which has taken many hours to create and a lot of money!!This auction is for my fully rebuilt 1963 Morris Mini Van. the car has had a full restoration over the last 18 months. there is absolutely no corrosion in this van at all. PLEASE NOTE THE LISTING SAYS DANIA FLORIDA - THE CAR IS IN THE UK AND NOT CURRENTLY IN THE USA - SHIPPING OVER IS NO PROBLEMHere is a breakdown and a little history. This van was once used by the Royal Navy as a utility vehicle. after it ended service it was put into a farmers barn for many years. After sleeping in the barn for over 20 years I bought it and stripped it completely - there was not one nut or bolt left on the van. I then. due to work commitments left the van in my storage for another two years. When time allowed I sent the van to a well known specialist car builder in the UK called "Watsons Specialist cars" Geoff Watson is the brainchild of the K series and VTEC minis and is credited to being the best converter in the UK for Minis. In the past Geoff has built me 4 conversions and I had no hesitation in sending him my van for the 5th conversion!At this point I decided that I wanted to maintain the classic look and feel of the Mini van but bring the mechanicals to a more modern day standard. We agreed that we would modify the van to take the Lotus Elise VVC K series motor and 5 Speed Transmission to obtain a scary 180BHP in a very light van!To do this Geoff had to supply and create his conversion kit and to fully modify the front fenders by a further 4 inches to take the new sub frame. The Lotus Brakes and running gear was also drafting in to ensure the van stops!The engine was sourced from a wrecked car with about 30. 00 miles on. The engine had the head taken off and an upgraded head gasket fitted and all belts changedOnce the modification was done the rest of the van was restored. the van has had all new floor pans. sills. fenders. front panel. doors. valences - in short its pretty much a new van!The load bay at the back was in good order with a few dents so it was cleaned up and painted - there was no need to cut it out. Now the van's metal work was all completed and very strong it was sent to a professional paint shop to apply the several coats of high gloss gray - I have done a few cars in this color scheme and it seems to work well!The paint work is amazing. I had all the chrome items painted black to match the brand new wheels. A brand new custom professionally built wiring loom was created and fitted. A full custom exhaust was also created - what a great sound!A brand new gas tank with the injection return line was installedBrand new sub frame and rear brakes fittedI had the interior re trimmed and to bring the van to an updated standard I installed a later steering column I left the interior as standard as I could. At first glance nobody knows that this little "stealth" van has an astonishing 180hp hiding under the hood!It looks very standard - which was my aim. I have used the van for about 150 miles since completion. mainly for shows. This is the only van of its kind in the world. The van is currently in the UK and is RHD - I import and export cars and trucks all the time and can assist with the export - I have done it many times. Watsons will at a charge convert the van to Left hand drive if this is preferred. I have spent easily over $20. 00 on this van and I am only selling as I need to buy a new house and. well. sometimes the toys have to go first!!The driving experience of this Stealth Van can only be described as Amazing. easily cruising down the highway at 80-100mph without even trying!The 5 speed manual transmission and new style engine allow this little van to be a reliable regular commuter or simply an amazing toy!The only thing we couldn't get working was the speedometer - the standard mini speedometer is not compatible with the K series transmission so I always use my iPhone app for speed. I think this description should allow you to understand the time. effort and money invested in this little gem. Clear UK title in my name - nothing outstanding. owned outright - never damaged. Please ask any questions - I will answer as quickly as possible. World wide shipping available upon cleared fundsEnjoy