"Summer Windows" for the Mk1 Mini
I wanted to share a small deep dive on a project I covered in one of my videos briefly. Quick-remove windows for the mk1 mini. Perfect for anyone in a hot climate. Let me show you what I did.
A Little Bit of Summer Relief
Although it's still February I wanted to show everyone a small project you can do on your mini to enable you to pop your early Mk1 Slider windows in and out on really hot days.
The early minis had a “slider-style” window in the front doors, which looks super cool, but unfortunately does not keep you super cool. In England where these were originally produced the ultra hot days over 39C/102F+ were not a common occurrence. However, when sold in hotter places of the world (in my case the American South) driving these cars in the summer can be nearly unbearable!
A little help from our friends…
One of my best friends also happens to be a mini guru and happens to own a mk1. All credit for this job goes straight to him, as it was his bright idea.
Justin Handy - @59jhandy on Instagram
How to do it:
It’s an incredibly simple mod that only requires a few things, some patience and steady hands.
Step 1 - Get your parts:
10-32 - Thumb Screws: https://amzn.to/3UQKmu0
Riv-nut Tool: https://amzn.to/42Q1rpK
Rivnuts: https://amzn.to/3OWRDEF
Flat Aluminum from the hardware store
Step 2 - Drill your holes and put the Rivnuts in:
This is obviously the scariest step and if your metal is weak in these areas, I would probably not try this job on your car. Essentially you drill two holes in each door. One at the front of the rail, and one at the rear. Follow the directions for the size hole to drill and then use your rivnut tool to pull it in place.
Step 3 - Create your tabs:
I bought some reasonably thick aluminum bar from my local hardware store. Something fairly substantial.
Cut it to length, so it reaches up the front of the chrome window strip.
Grind down the edges so they are rounded
Give it a little bend so it kinda “pushes into the rail”
Finally, drill a hole in the bar to allow the thumb screw to pass through.The original rails were held in via screws right through the base into the top of the door itself. You likely will need to remove the felt/gasket/gutter to get to those screws. My car was freshly repainted so my windows were already out. No screws to remove!
Step 4 - Remove the original gutter rail screws:
The original rails were held in via screws right through the base into the top of the door itself. You likely will need to remove the felt/gasket/gutter to get to those screws. My car was freshly repainted so my windows were already out. No screws to remove!
Step 5 - Screw in the new retainers:
Step 5 - Youre done:
And with that, the job is done! Just a simple set of 4 tabs, that hold the windows in. When you want to remove your windows, it's just two simple screws and then you lean the windows out. Be careful…they’re glass….
I hope you enjoyed and a huge thank you to Justin for helping me with this excellent idea. So excited for summer so I can give this mod its first run!