Morris Minor Owners Club

Mine (1956 S2 convertible) is fixed with short, self tapping screws. They need cup washers to spread the pressure. Yes, you will see them! There is no provision (ie 3mm holes) for the sort of spring clip used on the front doors. You could devise something different, but it then wouldn't be "ori...

For disappearing Biros, check out the Biroid planet theory in Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Perhaps there are similar planets for washers and spanners to gravitate to.

But meantime, KeithL's photos seem to indicate I should have a hole for a split pin!
I'll go probing again. Maybe it's been filled with paint. Or I'll have to drill one.

Well done! Especially with no open-bonnet* guidance.
I might replicate this procedure as a practice.
*English word for hood**
**English word for a convertible's top.
And so on..

Perhaps borrow another car; so you can see exactly what you are aiming at.
I believe the angle at the end of the long rod is supposed to have a split pin in it.
As someone pointed out at our recent Branch Rally, my own one is missing that split pin (I really must get that sorted )

A member of our local (North London) Austin Club has a 1927 Chummy for sale.
Details of this, and their upcoming events, from keith_a_wright@btinternet.com

I think these non-curved ones are called Parallel Keys, or Feather Keys

Incidentally I found a source for that all important "Woodruff" key (not exactly the right word). But they'd only supply in large numbers, albeit at ~25p each. So I got ESM to place a large £20(?) order. So they should now be in their catalogue. I got forwarded a handful as a finder's fee....

I believe the wheel comprises a substantial steel ring, with the bakelite (?) part formed over the top. You can probably see the ring. My outer opened up a little at the joint, and I just filled it with grey two part filler; mostly for cosmetic reasons, as it neatly matched the bakelite outer. Simil...

I find that the large, thin steering wheel is a constant, tactile reminder to me that I'm not driving my modern car. And therefore to drive accordingly (especially in respect of braking effort and stopping distances!).
Yes, I know there's the acoustic reminder too!

When I know I am going on a longer journey I do what I jokingly call "pre-flight checks" the day before. This includes oil, water, tyre pressures, fuel and does include turning the ignition on so that I can see how much fuel I have and plan whether I should get fuel before the journey or ...

The primary of the coil is around 3 ohm. If the contacts are closed, the coil will take 4 Amps. So that's 48W. So it will get about as hot as a 50W light bulb would. Not healthy for coil, especially without the airflow of normal motoring. And a typical 40Ah battery would indeed get flattened in 10 h...

Mine is under 1000 miles per year these days (depends on where Minors on Tour goes!).
Fifty years ago (when it was my only car), it was 12,000 miles per year, commuting from St Albans to White City. Plus annual trips to the Mediterranean.

On MOT26, our neighbour had a problem with the head on his sidevalve; manifesting only when hot. It needed trailering back to the UK. But the breakdown company said that its final authorisation had to wait till their local agent had "performed the diagnostics" on it. They are probably stil...

"Note: the inner cable must be rotated counter-clockwise to test the speedo and cable."
Never drive it clockwise. I did that once; and ended up in 1973

They can do them cheaper if they want to. A couple of years ago my local garage did both my Minors for £50

And - as exhaustingly established on another recent thread - an MOT failure does NOT oblige you to get a subsequent pass. Though of course, any fault needs remedying to make the car roadworthy and legal. The above is not my opinion. As this forum's Mods have confirmed, we have it in writing from the...

Blockley Tyres sold me "large tyre valves" to go with the tyres I'd specified for a Minor.
50p each.

If you've got a multimeter, check the resistance of each HT lead, from distributor post to the plug/coil end. They should all be about the same (perhaps 10 kohm?)

Mervin wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2026 10:30 am I think "I told them I was ill" is on Spike Milligan's gravestone.

The graveyard authorities wouldn’t allow it. So it’s written in Gaelic. For an even funnier Spike-ism, video search his name plus “children to be thin”