Happy Holidays 2017, A Mini Mark Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a bright and shiny Bremen Mini Mark

Merry Christmas to all! 

Remember those who are less fortunate, 

and those who keep our country and us safe.

May your holidays be safe and your wishes come true!

Deja Vu,
Did you ever wonder, if even for a second, what the Bremen Mini Mark might look like if made today, half a century later? 

I stopped by DeWayne Creighton's home a few weeks ago to drop off a magazine article on the Mark. I didn't stay long, but one of his comments as I was leaving was. "All this interest in Mini Mark's lately has inspired me. I bought one and it is in my barn waiting restoration". 

Wow, what a unique opportunity we might have? Will it be restored to the original splendor, or will it have a few of the modern touches as seen thru the eye of the creator. 

As of now his plans are unknown to me, but hopefully as he finds time, he will put his special touches on it, and even more hopefully, he will share his vision with us.

Hope you are enjoying your summer, seeing many new Mini Mark's visiting the site and even a few being posted for sale. Hopefully this renewed interest and data base for information will help keep the cars on the road for many more years.

In The News- May 2016

Region Rides, a car publication in Northwest Indiana just printed an article on our Mini Mark in their May issue. I know it may look wrong, but "Home-Built" in this article refer to the car still being close to the home it was built. They took some great pictures, and the article was right on point. We were lucky with the unpredictable spring weather, cold and rain, that the day they picked for the shoot was sunny and warm. 

Just a little notoriety for the stylish and sporty Bremen Mini Mark. Hats off the the Region Rides crew for a great article and putting the car in print.

Winter Upgrades

Here it is March and the weather is finally starting to feel like spring. Along with the third brake light during the winter I also made these new modifications. The English roadsters have a badge bar up front. There was a small piece of real-estate in front of the grille which was the perfect spot for the bar. Along with mounting the bar, I balanced off the face of the car with amber fog lamps. The fog lamps took a major redesign out of the box, (Tail Light King- my advise pass on  buying from Al, not quite the quality you pay for.) but the size was what I wanted and the only ones I could find in that size, and with amber color. Replacing the bulbs with LED's lowered the amps drawn and I could wire in line with the headlamps. Stainless steel braiding to cover the exposed wiring and it was almost ready to go.

The new badge bar needed a badge to call it complete and authentic. Since there weren't any badges which covered a Bremen Mini Mark, it was time for some creative design work. Some .125" Aluminum and a "B" with a smaller "M"s inside of the center of the "B" was the custom look I needed. What do you think?

The last modification was the addition of two small wind/ sun visors. The visors are made from smoked Plexiglas with hand crafted aluminum brackets. Hopefully this will reduce some of the over windshield wind at highway speeds. It also can eliminate some of the sun glare at sunset and sunrise. 

Now all I need is the sun to try them out, well, actually sun and warmth to get the car out on the road and enjoy the days! I hope you have had a productive winter as well, making a few upgrades and getting your car ready for 2016. 

A little off season work on the Mini Mark. I have always had concerns with the small brake lights on the Mini Mark, so using modern technology and LED's I was able to find two high intensity red LED bars. Taking the bar apart I was able to get some clear acrylic tubing, slide the LED bars inside, and seal the tubing. I drilled thru the chrome mounting bracket to route the wires down into the read compartment and spliced them into the brake light wiring.  End result, very bright additional brake lights giving me a bit more security from being rear ended while out enjoying the road!

Did you know? Identifying your Mini Mark

I had a once in a lifetime opportunity recently, first to learn of one of the co-founders of Bremen, and then secondly to be able to sit down face to face and discuss these wonderful cars with him. 

While discussing the production of Mini Mark's with co-founder DeWayne Creighton, he shared some insights on what period of the company's production your car may have been built in. I will break these down to early, mid and late production units.

The very first Mini Marks did not have an operational trunk in front. The "trunk" had no doors and you could only gain access to the area through the passenger compartment. 

There were also two different versions of door latches and interior handles. The early cars had a slide rod for the door catch. DeWayne indicated the early latch actually had to be built into the doors. The interior fiberglass door panel was installed after the latch was installed. (May be one reason I wasn't able to fully remove my latch during my rebuild.) As years progressed cars moved to a conventional door lock mechanism as on current production cars. The inside handles were different on these units as well. Early versions had a push post and later versions had a pull out interior latch. 

The last items 0f distinction were the bumpers. early cars had a solid one piece flat bumper front and back. mid years had two piece flat steel bumpers, and later years had formed steel bumpers.

Working with these three "keys" you may be able to determine if you have an early, mid or late production car.

We also discussed the molds that were used in production. The molds and tooling were destroyed in the fire of January 1975, Bremen rebuilt all of the tooling and he stressed that it wasn't cheap tooling. Some companies made molds which were held together with he said,  but our molds were all braced with steel tubing, giving consistent bodies each and every time.  As I had mentioned in an earlier post, the sad ending is that he believes the molds were hauled to dump after production stopped in 1984. The bodies were madeof chopped strand rather than laid mat, and DeWayne was confident you could pick up the car from the lip of the fender. (not sure I want to try that to prove him right or wrong)

Going Home- Bremen Indiana

 I know it has been a while since I have made a post to the blog, the blog is still getting many views and I have been busy enjoying our Mini Mark and conversing on the Facebook page. The weather has been a bit cool, and rainy, but while not necessarily out driving I am busy looking for new car shows to attend this summer. Recently I came across something that just seemed ironic to say the least. 

The Bremen Indiana Fire Department was hosting a Car Show July 2, 2015 as part of their Summer Fair. Bremen is only around an hours drive, and as long as the weather held this was a show I was looking forward to. This would be the first trip our car had made back home, and it was being hosted by the Fire Department, which worked the fire that destroyed the production plant and put the nail in the coffin for the Mini Mark. 

As it turned out the day was beautiful, mid 70's and barely a cloud in the sky. I had been in contact with Adam who was in charge of the show with a few emails and he knew we were coming. I had also asked him for ANY information he could dig up on the car or the plant. 

Adam was able to get me a name before the show, but that wasn't the end of it. He spread the word and during the show I made contact with around eight people familiar with the cars and the factory. I will be following up over the next few weeks with the contacts made to see if I can put the story in a little better verified format than what I have posted. 

The Mini Mark didn't bring home any awards at this show, but the contacts made far outweigh any award. One thing for sure, the car did get allot of attention and comments during the show. There were also a group of people who didn't know a car was built in Bremen. 

There was a rather interesting story that one of the ex police chiefs shared. There was a Mini Mark in Bremen and it was driven in the local parade. After the parade the owner took the car home and parked it in the driveway. A few hours later the owner came out and the car was gone. Now mind you Bremen isn't a big town by any means, but someone had stolen the Mini Mark. Police reports were filed, and a few days later the local police were contacted by a department in Alabama, as it seems they had recovered the Mini Mark. Two teens had stolen the car and driven it to Alabama to a buyer. Well, on their way, an office was intrigued by the car on the road. The car hadn't broken and laws, but he pulled it over for a look. One thing led to another and the thieves are apprehended and the car returned home. 

Hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to correct and update previous posts on the Mini Mark, Hopefully I will be able to piece together more of the history of this great car.

Until then, enjoy the summer and getting your car out on the highway.   

The Houston Chronicle's Post by Heidi Van Horne

February 12, 2015, Our Bremen Mini Mark has been honored to have Heidi Van Horne post an article on her Houston Chronicle Blog about it. Here is the link for your reading pleasure: 

http://blog.chron.com/heidispics/2015/02/bremen-mini-mark-is-a-rare-and-sophisticated-model/  

Heidi did an excellent job of capturing the uniqueness of this car and sharing it with her reading audience. She has a series of other fine articles on her blog so why not take the time to save it to your favorites? 

Hopefully her post will enlighten her readers and others to what we have know as owners, the Mini Mark IS Rare and Sophisticated!

2015!

January, 2015! Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2014 was a very good year for you and that you were able to spend some time behind the wheel of you Bremen Mini Mark.
Even though it is snowing outside as I sit here writing this I am already making some "drive to" plans for the upcoming year. 
I am finding less and less to do on the car during the winter months, so it must be finished. 
Still getting many views on this blog as well as the Facebook page, and still finding a few cars that I haven't seen before. 
Keep posting the questions, pictures, and just what you are doing with your Bremen Mini Mark. That is the only way we can keep them alive! 

Purdue North Central Car Show.

Purdue North Central hosted a car show Saturday September 13th. It was a COLD and over cast day, and not many cars came out. Being a Purdue alumni I braved the weather spent the day bundled in a winter coat of all things. Rather than hand out awards at this event the decision was made to post the cars on the 2015 Purdue North Central Student Government Calendar. It looks like I will have June, an appropriate month for a small red Mini Mark roadster. Here is the link to the Purdue Facebook page on the Car Show. If you are in the area next September stop out and bring your car!

Join us now on Facebook

After posting to this blog and not being able to have other owners easily share their experiences and photos I decided to finally start a Facebook page as well on the Bremen Mini Mark.

Just put Bremen Mini Mark in the find box and you should pull it up. I have taken all the photos I have found from owners all over the world and shared them on Facebook and also added some of the marketing literature I have been able to find on the Bremen Mini Mark.

Facebook I hope will also allow owners who want to find a new home for their Bremen Mini Mark to post information and pictures, getting that info to others who are interested in buying this great car.

             

Give it a look and a LIKE and lets see where it goes!

Orak Shriners Car Show

 

Saturday, August 16. The weather was overcast but beautiful and the possibility of rain held off as I took our Mini Mark to the local Orak Shriners Car Show in Michigan City, IN. Lots of cars of all ages, and brands with even more car enthusiasts out enjoying all the cars. At three o'clock when the awards were announced the Mini Mark was fortunate to receive a "60-76 Custom Class" award.
This show was a bit different than most the car has been to in the last year as the Shriners had a panel of judges inspect the cars (it was not done by popular vote). This meant that the cars were judged on condition and merits, not by popularity. Our record book of each phase of the rebuild helped I think to show what condition the car was in when purchased compared to the beauty it is now. I think it also helped that we did all of the work ourselves except for the paint. There were many compliments on the car, and as usual a new group of people who up until today were not aware of the Bremen Mini Mark.

The Wind Wings

How many of your Mini Marks came with Wind Wings? How many still have them and they are solid to the windshield frame? Unfortunately when we bought our Mini Mark they were on the windshield, but had been mounted numerous times and had the holes to prove it. They were just "hanging" and I wasn't sure how to revive them. During the restoration I made sure to weld all the holes shut on the frame, but it just didn't seem like this was a design that worked well over time. Also, the original design was just stainless butt hinges, not very stylish. We finished the restoration without Wind Wings, but I still toyed with a design that would do them justice and would be streamline, firm and last. Finally I came up with a design which I think fits the car. Making use of the groove already in the windshield frame I set out making a set of brackets out of 6061 aluminum. I fabricated frame brackets and then glass brackets, finally polishing them to make them shine. New Plexiglas  wings which have the edges polished as well for the clear glass look. Stainless acorn nuts with stainless threaded rods join the hinge halves, and a plastic high durometer bearing between each hinge half. I did drill some small holes in the inner side of the frame to mount the new hinges, but they will hold up over time, and because of the design they will not loosen from wind resistance. It gives the windshield the finish look for a roadster, and should keep a bit of air out of the passenger compartment, another finishing touch.  

The Gilmore Auto Museum and a Mini Mark

Thursday July 17 was a beautiful summer day, temperature in the mid 70's, and just a few wispy white clouds in the sky. We left the house around 7 AM and headed to the Gilmore Auto Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan. We took the scenic back roads rather then the interstate, why not, it was a beautiful day?
 
 In just under three hours we pulled into the parking lot at Gilmore. There had been many changes to the museum since our last visit including a new Visitors Center and Library. I had some business in the Library with Dick B. and after I asked if we could get on the grounds to get some pictures of our Mini Mark.

Dick made a phone call and when the call was concluded advised we could get the pictures, however Hemming's Motor News was also on the grounds that day and doing a photo shoot for an upcoming issue. We drove onto the grounds and found their crew taking pictures at the filling station. There was an immaculate blue Tucker, (number 47 of 51 produced) getting pictures. I talked with the museum helper with the crew and was told that they would be shooting for a while, but I could get a few shots as they changed locations on the grounds. We then drove over to the Diner and started taking pictures there, (yet keeping an eye on the service station).

Around twenty minutes later the crew packed up and moved to another location on the grounds. This left the Service Station open with the Tucker still there. We quickly moved in and started shooting the Mini Mark, in the company of the Tucker. It was rather ironic, I had wanted pictures of just the Mini Mark, but I could never have arranged a photo shoot with the Tucker.
For around the next half hour I took photos from every possible angle. Then a driver came and took the Tucker away. This gave me the opportunity now to do some solo shots in the same spot. I spent the next 45 minutes getting solo shots at the station, in front of a barn they have on the museum campus and the Ford museum.
 It was funny, all the while we were there waiting and taking pictures, people seemed as inquisitive of the Mini Mark as they did the Tucker and other classics there, stopping and asking questions, wanting to find out more about it. Not one person I talked with had ever heard of the Mini Mark. After taking all the pictures we toured the museum and then headed back home. The ride back was just as pleasant, and the weather just as enjoyable. Made one or two stops along the way (we found a Sinclair Museum in Cassopolis, Michigan) taking a few more pictures and then finally back in the garage. The Mini Mark did over 300 miles round trip and performed wonderfully.

If you are ever up around Gilmore it is worth a visit, and keep an eye on Hemming's for their shots without a Mini Mark!

Buy, Sell, Trade, Barter, Exchange, Recycle

The blog has been getting quite a few posts from owners and sellers looking for a way to buy or sell a Mini Mark. There have also been many questions on parts for the Mini Marks. With that in mind I thought it might be a good idea to have just a single post on the blog where that information can be exchanged. If you have your Mini Mark and you want to find a new home, or are looking to add one to your garage; you need a part, or have one to share, post it here. If you are having trouble finding a part, another owner may be able to put you on the right track.

IF YOU HAVE PICTURES PLEASE LEAVE YOU E-MAIL ADDRESS SO VIEWERS MAY CONTACT YOU AND YOU MAY EXCHANGE THEM.

The only fine print I will post along with this is that I take no responsibility for anything that is sold, bought or other. This post is merely to connect people who have the interest of keeping the Bremen Mini Mark alive. Buyer beware!

Good luck to all!

May 2014

The last days of May and we have finally seen some warm weather, warm enough to take the car out and have some fun. We took a long drive over the Memorial Day weekend and had lots of waves and thumbs up as always. Since the weather was COLD before Memorial Day I was able to put another coat of wax on ours, and get a polish on the chrome. It really does shine when you get it out in the sun. Even the smallest part of the car, like the headlamp can create quite the photo effect when the sun is shining on it.

So many owners have found the blog and left great comments. With all of the cars that have been found so far, an owner of a Ford Pinto Mini Mark, just shared his cars information. I knew Bremen marketed a Pinto version with an automatic transmission, but never had run across one yet. I must admit the thought of an automatic transmission is appealing, but it probably isn't as much fun as a stick shift!

4th of July and parade days are coming soon, so get your Mini Mark polished up and show it off!