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Cuban Minor, can you spot the modifications ?
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 4:41 pm
by goldfish
Just back from Cuba where I found this pre 56 Minor. In Cuba you have to improvise to keep your car on the road, how many mods can you. Spot?[frame]

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Re: Cuban Minor, can you spot the modifications ?
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:07 pm
by minor65
Oh dear
'For Sale' advert could read, 'to many modifications to list'.
Not many 4 door short bonnet minors about, must be a 1951.
Re: Cuban Minor, can you spot the modifications ?
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:23 pm
by bmcecosse
The Mini grille fits quite well - I may try that!
Re: Cuban Minor, can you spot the modifications ?
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:46 pm
by Chipper
Mods I can see are:
Beetle rear lights
Different bumpers
Mini(?) grille
Different front side/indicator lamps
Different door handles
Wooden steering wheel
Modern seats with headrests
Alloy wheels
Bonnet possibly from an earlier model, or missing its side mouldings
Different bootlid hinges
Re: Cuban Minor, can you spot the modifications ?
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:56 pm
by goldfish
Also most old cars in Cuba only have one wiper blade, the other being removed.
Re: Cuban Minor, can you spot the modifications ?
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 9:33 pm
by PaulTubby
Door handles and bumpers are lada riva! Rear lights vw bettle!
Re: Cuban Minor, can you spot the modifications ?
Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:55 am
by chesney
Bonnet hinges series 3 land rover?
Re: Cuban Minor, can you spot the modifications ?
Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 11:24 pm
by IaininTenbury
A bit too high tech for Land Rover but I see where you're coming from.
Not sure about the grill - looks American rather than Mini.
The non standard screen rubber may well be an improvement on the current new splitscreen rubbers available here...
As Minor65 says, must be a '51 model being a 4dr with the short bonnet. The side mouldings may have been removed to save weight to compensate for the hefty lumps of Lada etc...

Re: Cuban Minor, can you spot the modifications ?
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 11:00 pm
by mike.perry
minor65 wrote: Not many 4 door short bonnet minors about, must be a 1951.
4 doors started in 1950, high headlights, short bonnet, I don't suppose anyone got the chassis number???????
Re: Cuban Minor, can you spot the modifications ?
Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 7:36 am
by Suzukimorris
The interior looks really good! From what I can
Re: Cuban Minor, can you spot the modifications ?
Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 1:13 pm
by bjbrownie
I was in Cuba a few years back and saw loads of old classics pootling about,the majority seemed to have Toyota or Datsun engine and gearboxes in with bodywork 'adapted' to take lighting off much later vehicles which had a much shorter life. I went into their local car museum in Havana which had some brilliant early 60s American tin and British vehicles left behind by our embassy staff when they cleared out,an early Rolls Royce was in good nick, but the chrome was painted silver-the guy who worked there repairing and restoring the cars said that due to the trade embargo it was very difficult if not impossible to get stuff like chrome stripping chemicals,replating gear etc.
One of the gems that I spotted was a Cuban limo-taxi,it looked a lot better at a distance, up close the join looked very dodgy-a few taxis that we used had gaping holes in the floor.....[frame]

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