New car, well new to me

[Chas]

I have now bought a 1970 Morris Minor 1098cc in its original colour of Almond Green.
In 2010 it was fully restored with a long list of upgrades at a cost, then of over £14,000.
The previous owner had set out to create a Minor that could be used every day, and for driving long distances. It is fitted with a 5-speed “Sierra” gearbox, alternator, hazard warning lights, long range fuel tank, telescopic shocks and a completely upgraded braking system with front discs, servo and relocated brake and clutch fluid cylinders.
Road Tax exempt, MOT exempt (although I will get it tested each year)
The price was just under £8000, seemed like a bargain to me.
In the past I have owned, at different times, two convertibles, a four door, a two door and a Traveller. Over the years I've often thought about getting another, well I've done it now.

 

[Grimbo]

Favourite moggy story goes back to early 80's when Ned a mate had a dark green moggy van....this unrestored , untaxed and no doubt un MOT'ed van was his only form of transport .

Reverse gear had long since stopped working and the passing road was easily seen passing under either the drivers or passengers feet and when raining splashes from puddles put almost as much water on the inside of the screen as on the outside.... but Ned happily drove miles in said van occasionally with a daring or naïve passenger .

On the night in question I was driving up a steep road that led down to a reservoir in my 1055 International tractor just approaching a 90% uphill bend when from further up the hill and just missing my weights appeared a moggy van doing about 40mph nose down in a trail of sparks that would do any firework justice.... flying /sparking moggy carried straight on and down into the wood passing miraculously between trees .... until it came to a halt against a rock.
I jumped out and scrambled down to the van as Ned emerged shaken and stirred but mostly unharmed.... F%ck .... was his first comment followed by" have you got a chain ?".... "the police will have a field day if they come along"
Moggy was dragged from it's resting place and up the steep hill to the farm ....." WTF happened ?" seemed a reasonable question ....

As a moggy owner you will no doubt be aware of the top ball joint that when worn would allow the front wheel to collapse if it jumped off....

Neds description of going down the straight hill at speed , the subsequent crump as the ball joint popped off on one side , the anguish as the other one joined it and then the resignation to fate as he embarked on the Cresta run of his life in the moggy as it slid down hill with sparks on both sides and as he put it " it was like being in an angle grinder inside " as sparks flew up through the mostly non existent floor and the relief then alarm as the sparks stopped but was replaced by dirt and sticks as said moggy made it's final way to the rock still makes me smile.....

Good luck with your no doubt perfect moggy ... hopefully it still trumpets gloriously on the over run..... just keep an eye on those ball joints ;-)

 

[Chas]

That story sounds 'Hill'arious, I remember something similar happening to me in a Riley 1.5 going down a hill, wheels stayed on but brakes failed, it was right outside a school and I managed to mount the kerb and squeeze between the car in front and the railings outside the school entrance without hitting either, I think it was just me breathing in that got me through!

 

[SteveJB]

Remember doing a recovery in Eastbourne years ago and it was Reliant Schimitar when got to the scene bloke was telling me that he was just pulling out of a side road and the car stopped halfway out the junction car was belly down and wheels were at ten past two that had popped a ball joint with a heavy V6 in front luckily he stopped when he did as he we going on the M23 and on up north

 

[SteveJB]

Forgot to say many happy miles Chas and did previous owner upgrade the seating for the mature gentleman for when you plant the loud pedal rumble down the road and hope yer bones don't rattle

 

[flint]

Don't forget to grease those trunions

 

[Chas]

I haven't seen the car yet Julian V is collecting it for me but in all the pictures I've the inside looks original, But there is a custom car workshop very near me in Waddon (near Croydon) that can do all that sort of work. This is going to be more expensive than my Cruiser so if anyone wants a Jap import 100 please contact me.

 

[BobMurphy]

Very nice . . . But you call it a Morris Minor, didn't the 'Minor' have the 850 engine and the split windscreen (I remember going with my sister to look at one c. 1967). Surely this is an upgraded 'Morris 1000'.

I have worked on a few - welding in a new floor for a friend's son who was at University and couldn't afford anything better than the 1000 van. Done as a favour . . He immediately sold it. I'm more careful about doing 'free' jobs now.

Sounds like a great buy - enjoy it Chas.

Bob.

 

[Shayne]

That my friend is ace

Screams personality like no new car ever could , if it makes you smile every time you drive it then its a winner

 

[Chas]

That my friend is ace

Screams personality like no new car ever could , if it makes you smile every time you drive it then its a winner

Yeah, I've always loved the Moggies, in the past I've had five of them, two convertibles, a two door, a four door and a Traveller, now I've got a sixth, another two door. It's turning out almost as expensive as a Cruiser I've just bought a set of ally wheels for £300, Julian is going to swap the 1098cc engine and 5 speed gearbox for a Marina 1275cc engine with an automatic gearbox I got cheap for £500, Moggy owners are crying out for the 1275 engines they are the same as the standard Morris engines but larger capacity. I'm really looking forward to getting it.

 

[Rob Cowell]

Very nice. Had a 1970 model as my second car, in 1992. Was talking to someone the other day about how old / different it looked even then. And yet it would be like having a car made in 1998 today which doesn't seem old at all! Put a Midget 1275 engine in mine, which were relative cheap and easy to get then. Twin 1.25 SUs that I swapped for twin 1.5 from an MG Metro. Plus disc brakes from a Marina. MOT guys could never find the main beam switch Could never really afford the Sierra box conversion. Front chassis legs going flakey did it in for me. The exact opposite to the LCs I've owned.

 

[Rob Cowell]

Very nice . . . But you call it a Morris Minor, didn't the 'Minor' have the 850 engine and the split windscreen (I remember going with my sister to look at one c. 1967). Surely this is an upgraded 'Morris 1000'.

I have worked on a few - welding in a new floor for a friend's son who was at University and couldn't afford anything better than the 1000 van. Done as a favour . . He immediately sold it. I'm more careful about doing 'free' jobs now.

Sounds like a great buy - enjoy it Chas.

Bob.

I think it's a Minor 1000. Don't think they made an inline 850. It was an inline 803, same as the Austin A30. Transverse 850 was for the Mini.

 

[Towpack]

What a lovely little piece of nostalgia that is Chas and something to treasure. When I was a kid we used to regard them as a bit of a joke and called them "Morris Trump" because of the noise they made on overun. My Dad had an Austin A40 Farina which I believe had the same 1098cc engine. There were a few of these still in use by the PO when I started work in the late 70's.....PO Telephones which were replaced by the Viva HA van although I was given a Commer 15cwt.

 

[Chas]

You are right Bob, I should have called a Morris 1000.

 

[Shayne]

No room for a V8 in there

 

[clivehorridge]

I think it's a Minor 1000. Don't think they made an inline 850. It was an inline 803, same as the Austin A30. Transverse 850 was for the Mini.

I think the older model (the first minors) were 850cc in the split-screen models prior to the 1970 facelift - I don’t know when they became the Morris 1000 with the 998 cc engine. I guess Wiki will have all the details of model changes. I had a 1955 Austin A30, that was an 850cc till I put a 1071cc Midget engine and box into it, along with disc brakes and all the Midget trans - rear axle and so on. I had a Vauxhall VX490 brake master cylinder & servo which was unheard of in 1970 when I did all the conversions. It also had 6” wide BFG mag alloys which gave it some stance, and it would out perform my mates 1071 Mini Cooper which thrilled me no end.
Happy days. Enjoy your Moggy Chas, hope you never need the hazard waning lights...

 

[Chas]

No room for a V8 in there

Actually there is see this picture of Boris the Morris.

 

[frank rabbets]

The first ONV minors had 803 cc engines. I had a 1954 traveller with slit screen. Mechanically, fortunately for me, they were crap. Big ends used to go every 5,000 miles. The first and reverse gears used to wear, half shafts used the break and dif carriers broke in half. I say fortunately because having no money I had to go to the scrap yards and source, fit, repair parts. I was a hard driver so I partly forgive the design for that. Later I fitted a 1098 rebuilt engine, reconned gearbox with remote gearstick. That went tits up because the crankshaft broke. The king pins were threaded into the wishbone trunnions. Every time you turned the steering wheel the thread used to turn. Nobody bothered with the grease nipple and the treads used to strip leaving the car with king pin held only at the top and wish bone stuck in the ground. My trunnion was like an egg timer when I tipped it upside down.

Rebuilt it, got a 1950 LR and that was the end of mechanical weaknesses and rust.

 

[Shayne]

We should bear in mind Chas only sold the Phoenix because health issues meant he couldn't use it like he once did and nobody needs a HGV to pop down the shop for a pint of milk .

In the same predicament i wonder what lunacy i might buy as an occasional daily driver that might replace that cruiser smile , a smile that for me will never replace the buzz i got from bikes until circumstances dictated no more bikes . I never wanted 4 wheels at all .

 

[BobMurphy]

The first ONV minors had 803 cc engines. . . . . .

Frank,

Never mind the Minor - let's see better pictures of that 'Cricket Bat' Norton .

Bob.