What's your Moke to you?

[Saharadust]

Hello folks - What does the Moke mean to us? Way back in dark times always wanted a sports car but only ever managed sedans - minis. Also associated with others who had Mokes but were usually ridiculed by others. But how much fun is 3 in the front with fish and chips.

Usual passage of time and need for a Moke persisted. So found one usual story few AUD and 18 years later still have it.

The difference now being the Moke is the catalyst for travelling to places may not have visited and met people who certainly would not have met - very good.

So the adventure continues with plans in place for a trip 2016 that will extend the Moke and us. But no less importantly have a trip scheduled in 2016. We are off to UK and other places August and September.

We will be in Suffolk first three weeks of September so if there are any events around that time we think they might enhance our trip. Have been watching the events post on the forum but cannot spot anything.

And yes another Poster from Australia

Cheers
S&G

[Nigel(no top)Sykes]

Welcome to what seems to be fast becoming the MokeAus forum and thanks for your story

[Mickey C]

Hi all
I've really enjoyed reading this thread. Odd that Sprite's came up in it as my 1st ever trip in car was as a baby in the boot of a Frog eye - apparently my mum and dad took out the stereo speaker in what is not a back seat and stuck my head through to keep an eye on me - which makes it ok! if I tried anything like this with their grandkids, they'd kill me! My dad has another Frog eye now (amongst a few other classics) and so I kind of inherited this odd car thing and love of a very average football team from him.

my first car was also Mini, although badged as Austin 7 so must've have been a really early one and I've had quite a few since but being 6"+; car looked great, I looked odd driving them. Onto Mokes, as a teenager in the 80's I was 1960's obsessed (I've had a lot of scooters) and at 17 my mate and I went halves on a British moke and restored it. We didn't pay much for it and I would have guessed a pretty average restoration by two fairly clueless lads. I've managed to find some photos but can't see or remember the registration, although it looks pretty good IMHO. we went everywhere in it but couldn't afford a roof or back seats which in Manchester (UK) did result in many a soaking.





My mate and I had on week on / week off rota when not all going out somewhere. This was around 1989 which I (just about) remember as Manchester's 'summer of love' and the moke took us to some great gigs and parties! Not sure the French 'thing' we had worked well on pale skinny Northern lads!

Unfortunately it had to go when we penniless students and I regretted it ever since. So when got some spare money, found another one, also white and in need of full resto.

now it means great fun, taking life a bit slower, someone always wants to have chat with you when out and about and my kids love going out in it!

[spider]

S&G - Really nice to see your faces around these parts guys, welcome aboard as they say

Welcome to what seems to be fast becoming the MokeAus forum and thanks for your story

Errr,,,, I tend to think it more The International Moke Forum

[MokeMyDay]

Another Aussie (actually Tasmania so a bit different) story.
Like many before me it all started with Minis, from 850 to Deluxe then a few Cooper S, the last now restored by my son.
With forced redundancy in 1999 and a few separation $$ a 1977 Moke was purchased for restoration and then another that had a good top was obtained to complete the project.
The Green and Yellow (Grumps) then found that there were other Mokes enjoying outings and off to the 2006 Australian Moke Muster.
From there as SharaDust mentioned friendships were developed and every major Moking event for the next 9 years saw Grumps, Faye and I cross Bass Strait to attend.
For Mokefest in 2013 in Perth Faye enjoyed the trip over and my son joined me for the return and during that 3 day rapid return many ideas where discussed regarding modifications to Grumps.
However within a few months and before the grinder attached Grumps, 2 Mokes were found in a chicken shed near Port Arthur (the convict jail that many of us Aussie families 1st saw Australia after departing UK).
A 1980 and 1975 had been sitting here for 15 years, luckily the 80 was galvanised and still in good condition. 15 months later M-ute was ready to lead Mokin Down Under around Tasmania in March 2015.
Grumps as moved on to another Moke family and we enjoyed our 1st trip to Mainland Australia with M-ute for 2016 Muster.
Now that I am about to retire (yes I did find another job) our home office is being modified to allow M-ute to enjoy a carpeted floor and air conditioning and in return provide Faye and I with many more outings.
Again as SharaDust mentioned maybe a trip or two to see parts of Australia that are rarely visited and to do in a Moke will be even more special.
There is nothing that equals the smile on peoples faces as they see you driving a Moke down the road, when there are 2 or more Mokes in convoy the smile turns into a wave. You don't get that with many other vehicles.

[Pandora]

After a couple of minis, and having watched the prisoner on C4 (1990 ish?), I saw a Moke for sale in my grandparents local paper and went to view it. It was ROUGH, and the lack of brakes made for an interesting test drive down the sloped drive of the large country house where it was being sold. I decided to pass, but days later changed my mind, but it had gone - sold to a local collector who had a few mokes.

Over the years I've tried to track it down, and recently found a name and location in the South west of Scotland, but so far still to find him. I understand he may have scrapped it, along with couple of others quite recently.

It's always been 'one that got away', and I will get an English moke one day.........

Al

[spider]

Mickey C - loved how you came home from the hospital, how times have changed.

MMD - I remember Grumps all too well, a deceptively quick Moke that one. I know you and Faye have many great memories around that Moke , it must have been difficult to part with it. I've heard lots of lovely things about your M-ute and looking forward to seeing it - along with you and Faye - sometime soon. You guys enjoy your UK adventures and be sure to keep and eye on that S & G, they are a rowdy lot

Pandora - that eternal search! The one you knock back is the one you missed out on! Given that there was less than 1500 retained in then UK, I'm amazed that there's any left at all.

[Doug G]

Just thinking (that's dangerous!) and wondering;-

What's your Moke to you ?

What drew you to them in the first place ?

Has that initial attraction changed (for better, worse or just different) ?

When I was a lot younger, there were Engish Mini Mokes around, then the Australian Mini Mokes arrived. They were bigger and badder (so it seemed to young eyes) and better. I loved them then. Nevis, the island next door, was inundated with them.

Many years passed then I had a mid life crisis (is that what you call it?) and I was in Nevis and got a lift in one. Bought it without haggling. Put another +/-US$9,000.00 into it and enjoyed it to the max.
Initial attraction is still there.

During the 'improvement phase'





after

[yellowmoke70]

it started in 1984 a bloke i worked with had a 1977 998 californian .i asked if it had a heater and could go off road ,he said yes . i bought a 1979 998 californian shortly after.all of my friends loved it when we go up to the central coast for summer .i joined the new south wales moke club in about 1985 and met people with the same problem.we would go away on trips near and far .weekends were often taken up playing on my moke because i had little idea on what i was doing but in the end good friends helped me out. in june 1985 queens birthday long weekend i wrote the car off .i bought a1979 1275 californian in july i really dont have amoking problem do i.1987 sold moke bought 1981 mazda 626 to keep up with the joneses .1988 get 1970 moke made from many bits .do many moke trips with the club and without.sell moke 1996. moke bug bites again in 2006 at a place called wee jasper ,the same place i really did fall in the l word with my wife.i hounded the farmer for years before he sold it to me. not the l word the moke .after 5 years of playing with wires brakes wheels and everything we have a moke that our 2 sons enjoy going in .to me its fun to drive up to the mall with the wife or to work monday to friday.close moke trips in the summer for the 4 of us in our 1970 yellow moke are in the plans.

[spider]

Doug - great story there mate. A lot of work but they only give love back

And seems the love affair continues.

Dave - been a long haul this last one and great result. I know pretty well how you've toiled long and hard. I also know that the household doesn't always approve, but hey, just seeing the lads in the Moke and the smiles they have would be enough to brighten any day

I've yet to up-date and correct the story, but here's a link to the final and sad demise of Dave's first Moke

http://mokespider.wix.com/spiders-moke- ... mokes/c9pe

And I think this is the 26 000th post!

[Dacjac]

New to the forum,

Hi Spider.

I had a few minis as a teenager and loved them, I had a heap of spares so forever swapping bits over as they broke.
So I was looking for a cheap run around when my second child was born ( mum was taking time off work and had to surrender the company car) Joel is now 11 years old, born June 2005 so not long before then I stumbled onto Morgan, my Moke.
She was only $3000 AU running and with rego so this "cheap"car 11 years later has had a full rebuild with a new 1275 engine. Engine broke and she sat in the shed for about two years feeling in loved.
Now at the pointy end of a Honda engine transplant using an all speed subframe
My Moke is a lot of things to me firstly she is a memorial to my late niece that was killed in a car accident in her mini.
She is some thing that keeps me busy in the shed.
She is something that puts a big smile on my kids faces, I have two Boys and they are already discussing who gets the Moke when I die.
She is also a money pit, but I don't care
So lastly she is a permenant part of the family.

Al.

[spider]

Lovely story and history there Al, I didn't know that.

Maybe throw up a photo?

[Dacjac]

Here goes for an attempt at adding a photo








Cheers,

Al

[Nigel(no top)Sykes]

That's all very good but how do you get to anything on the engine ? Mind you, it is a Honda so it won't do breaking down much