"I'll write a longer article about my car, But for the quick rundown, basically I got "it" and another America for Free from a guy in the Mini Club who only got the cars for a title for his Mini which is WAY common in these parts. There's a Lot of title-less Americas around that have mysteriously turned in to Canadian spec Minis. Anyway, the guy even delivered the cars. I ended up cutting up the 71 because the floors were rusted out, and it was an Automatic like 90% of the Americas out there. I had picked up a spare 1100 engine and trans a couple of years back in a group deal on the purchase of a Mini where five guys walked away with at least One part of the Mini. I knew that some day I'd find a use for that engine. When word got out in the Mini club that that engine was about to be used to put an America on the road, there were more than a couple of people who were horrified. I painted the car in my driveway which you will see later, I two toned it and deleted all the side trim in an attempt to de-America it, and make it look more like an 1100, through e-bay I got the two tone tail light lenses and NOS rear wheel cylinders as well as brake shoes and pads. The car has only been on the road for a few weeks now and I've been hesitant to venture too far from home until I get all the bugs worked out. I have no plans to "restore" the car, I figure the fact that I took an engine-less car from a pasture and got the damn thing running and on the road with a 50 footer paint job is restoration enough. I also have another title-less America Automatic that runs great and goes forward fine, but won't engage in reverse. A buddy of mine has it at His house and swears he's going to attempt to figure out how to make reverse work. The hydrolastic is low in one corner on that car, The Club has a factory hydrolastic pump, but I'm not 100% sure that Automatic will ever get back on the road."

Todd Flitch

Seattle, WA