Evil Len's 1968 Morris Minor Rolling Restoration
Discussion
Yup, it's another one of those types of thread from me 
A car that's been on my bucket list since I was about 17 (looooong time ago) is a Moggie, and last year I thought it was time to scratch the itch. Also, another itch that's been brewing is wanting to own a vehicle the same age as myself.
Now this story goes back to June last year ... I've been a bit slow in putting up a thread for this new vehicle, but hey, here it is. Budget was tight ... I didn't want to splash out a huge amount, partly because I wanted a project car, but also partly because this car would be my Winter vehicle. Remember I only have (now) the Moggie, the Scirocco and some motorbikes, and the Scirocco is way too nice to use over winter ... also it's off the road now to have the suspension replaced over winter. So, summer = Scirocco main car (with Moggie off the road being worked on) and vice versa at winter time.
After the usual searches, this car turned up about 24 miles away from me ... made in the same month as my wife was born, and in the same year as myself (yes, I'm a toy boy ... by 3 months !)
Good Points :
- Cost £1750
- Age link
- Structurally solid in the right places, needs welding but nothing too scary
- Receipt for £2000 for engine/box rebuild 10k miles ago
- Very sweet running engine and box because of this
Bad Points :
- Stood for 2 years unused
- Brakes largely disfunctional
- Tired but usable interior
- Utterly SHOCKING paint ... rattle can, filler, blebs, etc
After a short test drive round a field I decided to drive her home ... possibly not the SANEST thing to do, as when I got home I found out that out of the 6 wheel cylinders, only 1 worked !
First job was to replace the brakes ... EVERYTHING apart from the back plates. Master cylinder (which is in a stupid position, being in the floor in the chassis leg), pipes, hoses, cylinders, junctions, washers, springs, drums ... everything.
Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of this stage (or I've lost them) but here's a later shot (from when I was undersealing ... back to that later) showing some new stuff.
A car that's been on my bucket list since I was about 17 (looooong time ago) is a Moggie, and last year I thought it was time to scratch the itch. Also, another itch that's been brewing is wanting to own a vehicle the same age as myself.
Now this story goes back to June last year ... I've been a bit slow in putting up a thread for this new vehicle, but hey, here it is. Budget was tight ... I didn't want to splash out a huge amount, partly because I wanted a project car, but also partly because this car would be my Winter vehicle. Remember I only have (now) the Moggie, the Scirocco and some motorbikes, and the Scirocco is way too nice to use over winter ... also it's off the road now to have the suspension replaced over winter. So, summer = Scirocco main car (with Moggie off the road being worked on) and vice versa at winter time.
After the usual searches, this car turned up about 24 miles away from me ... made in the same month as my wife was born, and in the same year as myself (yes, I'm a toy boy ... by 3 months !)
Good Points :
- Cost £1750
- Age link
- Structurally solid in the right places, needs welding but nothing too scary
- Receipt for £2000 for engine/box rebuild 10k miles ago
- Very sweet running engine and box because of this
Bad Points :
- Stood for 2 years unused
- Brakes largely disfunctional
- Tired but usable interior
- Utterly SHOCKING paint ... rattle can, filler, blebs, etc
After a short test drive round a field I decided to drive her home ... possibly not the SANEST thing to do, as when I got home I found out that out of the 6 wheel cylinders, only 1 worked !
First job was to replace the brakes ... EVERYTHING apart from the back plates. Master cylinder (which is in a stupid position, being in the floor in the chassis leg), pipes, hoses, cylinders, junctions, washers, springs, drums ... everything.
Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of this stage (or I've lost them) but here's a later shot (from when I was undersealing ... back to that later) showing some new stuff.
Given its reputation for rot I'd have thought a Moggie was more of a summer car than a winter. Headlights, wipers and heater "Of their time" as well.
There was a beautifully restored one auctioned on the latest Bangers & Cash which had a 5 speed box and uprated brakes which would have improved the driving experience considerably.
Learnt to drive and passed my test in one so must be good cars!
There was a beautifully restored one auctioned on the latest Bangers & Cash which had a 5 speed box and uprated brakes which would have improved the driving experience considerably.
Learnt to drive and passed my test in one so must be good cars!
Dogwatch said:
Given its reputation for rot I'd have thought a Moggie was more of a summer car than a winter. Headlights, wipers and heater "Of their time" as well.
And boy do they rot... Mines in my workshop at the moment, (went in for a upgrade to a 5 speed 'box) and have nearly done a whole lap of cutting out rot and more rot and welding back in new metal. When you look inside sections and hidden bits you can see that they at best had a very thin coat of paint, (some parts are still bare metal.)Mines used all year round, headlight upgrade is easy, (lights are actually better than anything else I've got), heater can work but they tend to get clogged up with rubbish. I'll let you have the wipers though.
Also got a tweaked 1275, disc brakes & anti roll bar etc etc, handles really nicely now. Surprises people as it looks like the vicar's wife's car.
austin said:
Dogwatch said:
Given its reputation for rot I'd have thought a Moggie was more of a summer car than a winter. Headlights, wipers and heater "Of their time" as well.
And boy do they rot... Mines in my workshop at the moment, (went in for a upgrade to a 5 speed 'box) and have nearly done a whole lap of cutting out rot and more rot and welding back in new metal. When you look inside sections and hidden bits you can see that they at best had a very thin coat of paint, (some parts are still bare metal.)Mines used all year round, headlight upgrade is easy, (lights are actually better than anything else I've got), heater can work but they tend to get clogged up with rubbish. I'll let you have the wipers though.
Also got a tweaked 1275, disc brakes & anti roll bar etc etc, handles really nicely now. Surprises people as it looks like the vicar's wife's car.
What's your headlamp upgrade? My '63 Riley One-Point-Five's lights could do with soem help.
Look forward to updates on your project! They are great cars to work on. Good year, too.
Apologies for the hijack, but here’s one of mine that we finished summer before last complete with best restoration in show trophy.
We have halogen bowls in ours and fitted a different heater matrix to give it a little more ‘oomph’. Plus all the usual refinements; 5 speed box, 1275 engine, discs etc.
Enjoy the journey, mine started nearly 20 years ago but that’s another story for another thread.
Apologies for the hijack, but here’s one of mine that we finished summer before last complete with best restoration in show trophy.
We have halogen bowls in ours and fitted a different heater matrix to give it a little more ‘oomph’. Plus all the usual refinements; 5 speed box, 1275 engine, discs etc.
Enjoy the journey, mine started nearly 20 years ago but that’s another story for another thread.
Some years back I took one as a part exchange against a modern Hyundai. No trader wanted it, so I ended up buying it for peanuts.
It had a Marina 1275cc engine, Marina front uprights and discs, a Sierra 5-speed box, Volvo 340 seats and a Cherry Bomb exhaust. It was huge fun to drive when I could make it work (which wasn't often) and was really quick.
Unfortunately as a Traveller it was beset with rotten wood, which is structural and expensive to fix. The final nail in the coffin was when I opened the passenger door and it nearly fell off in my hands, so I sold it to a chap in Derby who wanted it for the "GEO" registration number. I often think fondly of it and would love another, but a saloon rather than a Traveller.
Have fun with yours, Len.
It had a Marina 1275cc engine, Marina front uprights and discs, a Sierra 5-speed box, Volvo 340 seats and a Cherry Bomb exhaust. It was huge fun to drive when I could make it work (which wasn't often) and was really quick.
Unfortunately as a Traveller it was beset with rotten wood, which is structural and expensive to fix. The final nail in the coffin was when I opened the passenger door and it nearly fell off in my hands, so I sold it to a chap in Derby who wanted it for the "GEO" registration number. I often think fondly of it and would love another, but a saloon rather than a Traveller.
Have fun with yours, Len.
Love the colour Baron
When I bought the car I knew there was some welding required (it HAD sat for 2 years, near a canal). As usual with the dreaded rot, once you start digging it's always worse than you think.
When you open the doors of a Moggie there's a non-structural cover plate (chromed in my case) which covers the sills themselves. Removing the passenger side revealed a previous bodge ... apparently the centre sill is supposed to have holes in it, not a flat (quite thick) plate like this. Also the outer sill (which is a weird horizontal panel) was showing signs of distress.
Peeling it off (and removing the outer sill) just uncovered more and more rust.
Time to take the doors off for access !
Behind the thick plate is what's left of the original centre sill.
The inner sill was mostly alright, so I left that in place ... keeps the door gaps too, and leaves a small amount of structural "rigidity" whilst being worked on.
|https://thumbsnap.com/PKbrDpFm[/url]
The front half of the outer and centre sill is the same thick bodged plate ... so off with it !
The rear floor section was gone where it meets the inner sill, so came out. The front floor section has a number of patches on it ... I've left that for now, it's structurally solid but just un-pretty ... replacing it means doing the crossmember and removing the torsion bars, so that's a job for another year.
[url]
Continuing to cut out the crud and leave the solid ...
That jacking point is going to need replacing
I painted the drums with HRT paint which is coming off now, wish I'd used something different
When I bought the car I knew there was some welding required (it HAD sat for 2 years, near a canal). As usual with the dreaded rot, once you start digging it's always worse than you think.
When you open the doors of a Moggie there's a non-structural cover plate (chromed in my case) which covers the sills themselves. Removing the passenger side revealed a previous bodge ... apparently the centre sill is supposed to have holes in it, not a flat (quite thick) plate like this. Also the outer sill (which is a weird horizontal panel) was showing signs of distress.
Peeling it off (and removing the outer sill) just uncovered more and more rust.
Time to take the doors off for access !
Behind the thick plate is what's left of the original centre sill.
The inner sill was mostly alright, so I left that in place ... keeps the door gaps too, and leaves a small amount of structural "rigidity" whilst being worked on.
|https://thumbsnap.com/PKbrDpFm[/url]The front half of the outer and centre sill is the same thick bodged plate ... so off with it !
The rear floor section was gone where it meets the inner sill, so came out. The front floor section has a number of patches on it ... I've left that for now, it's structurally solid but just un-pretty ... replacing it means doing the crossmember and removing the torsion bars, so that's a job for another year.
[url]Continuing to cut out the crud and leave the solid ...
That jacking point is going to need replacing
I painted the drums with HRT paint which is coming off now, wish I'd used something different
Tacking in the centre sill plate.
Then the outer sill panel.
The bottom of the C pillar needed a repair panel
And a little bit of repair panel at the bottom of the A pillar ...
... and the bottom of the B pillar ...
Mixture of plug welding and seam welding. Putting in the rear floor.
For now I've put a plate in for the front floor ... as above, I want to replace the whole front floor panel but don't want to go through doing the suspension / crossmember right now ... future job.
This is as good as my welding gets.
Seam sealer and stone chip being applied.
This is a selection of what I cut out !
Then the outer sill panel.
The bottom of the C pillar needed a repair panel
And a little bit of repair panel at the bottom of the A pillar ...
... and the bottom of the B pillar ...
Mixture of plug welding and seam welding. Putting in the rear floor.
For now I've put a plate in for the front floor ... as above, I want to replace the whole front floor panel but don't want to go through doing the suspension / crossmember right now ... future job.
This is as good as my welding gets.
Seam sealer and stone chip being applied.
This is a selection of what I cut out !
austin said:
Dogwatch said:
Given its reputation for rot I'd have thought a Moggie was more of a summer car than a winter. Headlights, wipers and heater "Of their time" as well.
And boy do they rot... Mines in my workshop at the moment, (went in for a upgrade to a 5 speed 'box) and have nearly done a whole lap of cutting out rot and more rot and welding back in new metal. When you look inside sections and hidden bits you can see that they at best had a very thin coat of paint, (some parts are still bare metal.)Mines used all year round, headlight upgrade is easy, (lights are actually better than anything else I've got), heater can work but they tend to get clogged up with rubbish. I'll let you have the wipers though.
Also got a tweaked 1275, disc brakes & anti roll bar etc etc, handles really nicely now. Surprises people as it looks like the vicar's wife's car.
Turbobanana said:
It had a Marina 1275cc engine, Marina front uprights and discs, a Sierra 5-speed box, Volvo 340 seats and a Cherry Bomb exhaust. It was huge fun to drive when I could make it work (which wasn't often) and was really quick.
Ah, is that where the 5 speed boxes come from? I did wonder.Took BMC long enough to get round to full synchromesh so a 5 speed box...
Dogwatch said:
Turbobanana said:
It had a Marina 1275cc engine, Marina front uprights and discs, a Sierra 5-speed box, Volvo 340 seats and a Cherry Bomb exhaust. It was huge fun to drive when I could make it work (which wasn't often) and was really quick.
Ah, is that where the 5 speed boxes come from? I did wonder.Took BMC long enough to get round to full synchromesh so a 5 speed box...
Getting hard to get hold of for sensible money these days. Adapter if available & a MX5 5 speed would be cheaper.
Realised I've not posted progress for quite some while, so here we go !
Remember, this is going back to last Autumn, and finishing off the above sill/floor repair work on the passenger side then ...
And fitting in the carpet which came with the car, mostly unfitted.
Before winter set in, I derusted, painted and undersealed inside the arches.
Found some rot in the front wing, which I'll need to look at later
Found a horror in front of the drivers feet ...
Put up a temporary garage ... all the door seals and window seals need replacing, so she leaks like a sieve at the moment, so this will keep the winter worst off her, and also give me somewhere to work on her.
... which I loosely "paved" inside with an old patio, so I'm not working and jacking on gravel
Replaced a leaky drive shaft seal
Set the tappets, tuned the carb, and solved a misfire with a new set of spark plug leads.
Drained the gearbox oil and refilled, including some ZX1 which made a remarkable difference to the smoothness and noise of the box.
A friend's Dad sadly died, but it did mean I inherited boxes of parts and some mint condition books.
Fitted a quarter light mirror
And fitted the missing bumper overrider ... a new one came with the car, but unfitted
After that she was pressed into service as my main car over winter, and never missed a beat, started first time every time and ran like a dream.
Moving on to this year, she did participate in the celebrations ...
Next ... tackling that horror in the drivers footwell ...
Remember, this is going back to last Autumn, and finishing off the above sill/floor repair work on the passenger side then ...
And fitting in the carpet which came with the car, mostly unfitted.
Before winter set in, I derusted, painted and undersealed inside the arches.
Found some rot in the front wing, which I'll need to look at later
Found a horror in front of the drivers feet ...
Put up a temporary garage ... all the door seals and window seals need replacing, so she leaks like a sieve at the moment, so this will keep the winter worst off her, and also give me somewhere to work on her.
... which I loosely "paved" inside with an old patio, so I'm not working and jacking on gravel
Replaced a leaky drive shaft seal
Set the tappets, tuned the carb, and solved a misfire with a new set of spark plug leads.
Drained the gearbox oil and refilled, including some ZX1 which made a remarkable difference to the smoothness and noise of the box.
A friend's Dad sadly died, but it did mean I inherited boxes of parts and some mint condition books.
Fitted a quarter light mirror
And fitted the missing bumper overrider ... a new one came with the car, but unfitted
After that she was pressed into service as my main car over winter, and never missed a beat, started first time every time and ran like a dream.
Moving on to this year, she did participate in the celebrations ...
Next ... tackling that horror in the drivers footwell ...
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff