SD1 V8 EFi VDP renovation & Morris Minor Restomod

Rover 200 coupe seats in the moggy?

Back to the SD1. It doesn't look so smart from this angle! Wings, bonnet, spoiler, doorframes & bumper all need paint. In addition, the sunroof doesn't work and those foglamps need replacing with recessed originals. And the tyres are 18 years old!

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And talking of 18 years, my 04 Z4 3.0i is that much younger and the Minor the same older than the SD1. Buying a brand new car this year would complete the pattern, and an i3 appeals as another guaranteed future classic to complement by growing fleet (I'll await the challenge on the Z hitting that brief! ) - but whilst supporting our son through 2 more years studying Medicine, unless I win big on the pools that ain't gonna happen!

Definitely going to be following this!
And love the Moggie, you need to do a thread on that even if only a summary of the build.

I could do worse than a Momo 4-spoke wheel - is this a Ghibli

I’ve decided I’ll continue it here, in part because I can’t photo the SD1 for a while as I’m working away at the moment to pay for the carport I need to build to protect the SD1 and I from the elements (as the Minor owns the garage!). So, the Minor

This project started because I wanted a hobby to occupy and challenge me from a creative design and manufacture perspective. It HAD to be a project as I grew up observing then helping my father, an electrician by trade maintain his Minor Traveller and later Citroen DS21 himself. Sadly, the Goddess overwhelmed him somewhat and it spent its latter years decaying forlornly in our small garage and then the back garden. But that’s another story, although its registration lives on as my PH username

My ambition was to redefine every facet of a vehicle, so quickly decided it should be to design and engineer my own vehicle at an affordable cost which meant I would need to re-imagine a car rather than build one from scratch. I was also keen to evolve something familiar, which lead me to contemplate several popular cars as donors. The Minor became the favourite because it satisfied the following criteria: Classic, practical shape. Big enough to use every day. Light enough to be fun. Cheap, plentiful and not too precious to modify. Great parts backup. Lots of potential to improve!

I always thought there was a more attractive vehicle hiding under the Minor – something Issigonis himself tried to address by widening the vehicle by 4 inches very late in development (hence the raised belt in the bonnet when the stamping press was modified). But to my mind the glasshouse was still too tall for the width and length of the vehicle (presumable to accommodate top hats!). When I studied Craft and Design at school, one element I really related to was ‘Golden Mean Proportions’ where the width, depth and height ratio are subjectively pleasing.

To resolve this, I planned to remove 75mm from the window height, rake the standard screen backwards and widen the rear arches by 50mm. Another facet of design particularly relevant to car proportions is ‘stance’. I believe the wheelarch to wheel ‘air gap’ must be smaller than the depth of tyre sidewall to avoid the vehicle looking awkward. The wheel and tyre size was therefore carefully chosen to match the suspension modifications to lower the ride height, whilst respecting the propensity for the front suspension roll centre to plunge quickly below ground if taken too far.

My decision to build a convertible was actually a pragmatic one; it is a virtually impossible task to make a modified classic car feel quiet and refined enough for relaxing everyday use. However, removing the roof is very effective at isolating you from these NVH issues and adds an extra layer of enjoyment to a journey. I was however determined to brace the shell sufficiently to remove scuttle shake and steering kickback using strategically placed CDS tube behind the interior trim. I planned this to be part of the rolling development when the car was first run in a primed, raw state.

Interesting car. What engine/box/back axle combo did you use?

That rot looks about par for the course with old Minors tbh. When I was briefly in the business of fixing them up back in the early 90s they were all there or thereabouts. Even the nice looking ones were pretty rotten somewhere, and that was over 30yrs ago!

The project plan gradually evolved over the months as ideas formed during the rebuild; every time I was ready to refit an item, I looked for ways to improve its form and function. The engine choice was driven by my desire for a simple, characterful and affordable unit that would fit without moving the bulkhead and losing the rear seat space. Although now a little old, I admired the Lampredi designed Fiat/Lancia Twincam which sounds great on twin carbs and has been a popular Minor swap for good reason, helped by the tough Fiat 5 speed ‘box.



I chose a Mk2 Escort live axle for its lightness, strength, ratio and parts availability. I followed standard competition practice and designed my own trailing four-link with watts linkage location to minimise roll steer and tramp.





Coil-over dampers matched were selected with 80mm bump and 100mm rebound travel although I soon moved the upper mounts inboard to give more stiffness and wheel clearance. Although I initially fitted a plate LSD I have now installed a Torsen ATB as it provides good traction and goes about it silently (unlike the rattling plate type!). I fabricated brackets to accept Escort Mk3 front discs with MGF calipers and handbrake cable attached to a Mk2 Escort lever.





Although I spent what seemed like weeks grit blasting the underside and engine bay before hand-painting with the amazing POR-15 grey marine paint (smooth, tough paint, but tricky to prepare). Absolutely no regrets as it looks the same 10 years later!

Although amusingly slated by Retropower on their recent build, I saw no reason to replace the front double wishbone and torsion bar spring arrangement because if well maintained, offers good steering feel and handling behaviour. However, I removed the lever arm damper valving to make them just a pivot, and re-positioned their mounts lower and more inboard to increase both static camber (-1deg) and bump camber to complement radial tyres and boost cornering capacity. Bumpsteer was then tuned using shimmed spherical bearings to replace the standard track rod ends - I later fitted chunkier van steering arms and shorter M10 bolts to cope with the cantilever loading.

Adjustable GAZ dampers replaced the pictured ones, stronger adjustable-castor Mini tie-bars and an MGF ARB were also incorporated. I also established the Marina Van had the stiffest OEM torsion bars and could be made to fit which measured at a wheel rate of 100 lbs/in. With a predicted final unsprung front mass of 500kg, this equated to 80cpm axle frequency which was close to my target of matching the Citroen AX GT I had at the time.

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In the Minor I wanted to re-position a smaller steering wheel at a more comfortable reach and rake, so modelled a Fiat Strada steering column and it’s compact switchgear around the driving position of the Citroen AX GT (yes, I liked that car!). I connected the steering gear with two universal joints on splines to allow adjustment column velocity variation should it need to tune out either nervous or lazy on-centre steering response.



As with the rear bulkhead I added hidden bracing where the front parcel shelf normally fits and tied in the column to the structure. Early photo of the green and gold colour scheme I later rejected as too dated. So back to primer and finish the seat mounts and gusset sills to wheelarch to stiffen the floor.





A combination of the original speedo, a Citroen GSA tacho, XJ auxiliary dials, and a battery alarm clock were stripped, re-painted and detailed with Letraset transfers during evenings in my hotel room on a work trip.

All valid suggestions, thanks. One thing that quickly becomes apparent when stripping an SD1 is that the build quality of even the last of line Series 2 cars is really poor (compared as an example to BMWs of the era) with questionable fabric fitment and missing fixings. However, with a sympathetic rebuild this can be overcome allowing the true style and character of the car to shine far brighter than any Germanic product I’ve experienced!

Passenger front seat removed to reveal carpets look in good shape….









However, under the sodden carpet foam is hiding signs of windscreen leaks…



And corrosion due to sodden engine bay insulation




In addition, rear hatch is leaking on the upper edge, which looks at least partially due to ageing/distortion of the seal - replacement with additional sealant will be first step


However, no choice but to remove all carpets and interrogate the damage