Keys for early Mk 1s?

[BritBits]

I'm just curious for those with what they think are original (kind of original?) Mk1 Minis....  My '63 Cooper has an "FS" door key and an "FP" ignition key.    Was that a standard split of key types, or was it more random for door vs ignition?


Thanks,

Jim
McKinney
'63 Awesome Cooper

[MPlayle]

Kind of hard for me to help, ... Mokes don't have doors.

My ignition key is a FS code.  Moke is a 1967 - technically a  MK-II.

[John Lieberman]

Those would appear to be the correct key codes -- one for the ignition and the other for the doors and boot.  I don't have either on my '65 autox car because I made them all go away many years ago.  But I did have to buy key blanks to have a second set of keys made for the '71 that I sold to a guy in Denver earlier this year and those designations look right for it. 

I had a bee-itch of a time trying to find a key blank for the locking vented gas cap on my '65.  Turns out that a US-made JMA PJ-2 is perfect for that application.  I had one made by a company in England, using the code on the original key.  But, even though the notches were correct, they were about 1/16-inch away from where they should have been.  I finally found a US supplier that had the blank and took it to my local key shop to have it cut.  That one worked just fine. 

[BritBits]

There is a 64 Cooper S on Bring A Trailer (https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1964-austin-cooper-s-2/) from the good people at Mini City in Rochester NY that says it has a matching key for both doors and ignition.   It made me curious, although I only have one car to judge things by.

I suspect they're closing shop, sad for me to see as when I bought my '63 Cooper in 1992 it came with a Mini City catalog.   2 months later I was in the USVI and was outside the shop in Christenstead where Laurie was checking out swimsuits chatting with her father in law about Minis as he was wearing a Mini City t-shirt.   Laurie sent Grover Mauer to me when he was building his car in 1996 as a local Mini owner to help with his build.

It's a small world.

Cheers,

Jim, Diana and Jimmy
Too many toys, not enough room.... soon

[John Lieberman]

It sure is a small world, Jim, and we Classic Mini owners need to stick together.  Our numbers are getting smaller every day but some of us still love our Classic Minis, along with all of their potential, and we need to stick together to exchange thoughts and ideas as well as spare parts.  I have a ton of spare MkI and MkII parts here in Shreveport and I know that you have an even bigger supply in your barn in McKinney.  So we need to make those parts available to anybody who might want or need them.

[Wings]

There is a 64 Cooper S on Bring A Trailer (https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1964-austin-cooper-s-2/) from the good people at Mini City in Rochester NY that says it has a matching key for both doors and ignition.......   

Did anyone else follow the auction? I watched the final half hour today and was stunned when the bidding passed $50K. When the hammer fell at $80K I was speechless. WOW!

Paul

[BritBits]

On BAT patina over looks has gone over the top on some of the recent auctions for classic Minis.   Another car had the paint worn down to almost bare metal in spots, the owner clear coated it to protect it but left it as is.

Not my preference, but if presented with a box stock original car warts and all I might consider leaving it that way.  Most of my cars have come to me well modified.   My '60 Morris has a Grant steering wheel direct welded to the steering column, not going to leave it that way.

Cheers,

Jim