Morris Minor Owners Club

If you are a bit of a nerd like me (a lot of a nerd actually) then this may be of interest. As a hobbyist clockmaker and watchmaker a screw is not a simple thing. On old clocks and watches, pre-mass production, one screw fits in one place. It was made to fit that hole and none other. A pet hate of m...

Super! You will be really pleased I hope by doing the suspension work. It makes a massive difference. Minors are much maligned on handling but actually that is all about badly maintained cars with worn and sloppy suspension etc. If it is all in tip-top condition the car handles very nicely and is a ...

Yes it's tight and the last set of dampers I exchanged I sent back with the pin attached as it was too difficult for me to separate them. Be sure to lubricate the bushes. Red rubber grease or silicone grease can be used on either rubber or poly bushes. I personally prefer silicone as it is more chem...

I do carry a fire extinguisher in the car. It's important that it is suitable for vehicle fires. Of course it goes without saying that you should only ever attempt to extinguish a small fire. I may be rather ridiculously over-attached to my Morris but it is only a car. Be prepared to walk away and l...

I was at at a combined (two branches) of the MMOC yesterday. About 18 cars and lots of spare parts and tools. That diff looks very nice! Sawa lovely flat top (side valve)

myoldjalopy wrote: ↑Sun Jun 15, 2025 11:43 am I have new spares of each, from ESM, the short front one is 0.5" (like yours) and the long rear one is 3/4".

Thank you!

Here is an original mashed up Phillips brake drum screw and the ESM replacement which is Pozidrive IMG_2213.jpeg The original and replacement are different lengths too. The original is 7/16" but the replacement is 1/2". I think these are fronts (shorter than rear) but I am now muddled........

The trouble as you have found with a standard puller is there is nothing to pull against because you have an open axle tube. The best way, in my limited experience of doing this job is to use a slide hammer type puller. You attach the puller frame to 2x wheel studs and whack the slide hammer outward...

Thanks for the link. Do you happen to know what lengths the front and rear brake drum screws are? Moss says 5/8" for front AND rear which is not correct. Front are short and rear are longer. Rear brake drum screws are the same as the half-shaft flange screw aren't they? I don't want to have to ...

The two countersunk screws holding the drum in place also do another job - they keep the drum central on the hub. The wheels hold the drum to the hub but do not hold the drum central so the screws must be done up tight. If you have difficulty with the Philips headed screws fit high tensile counters...

For the first forty years of ownership I kept the spare wheel with its outer side facing upwards; probably because that's how it came. Then it occurred to me that if you put it in the other way up, you get a nice big "dish" for storing a good proportion of these parts. Very good point. On...

I have a local garage that is classic car friendly and they are very sensible about MoT testing classic cars. Could I ask the name of the garage please? Christian Cars in Woldingham, Surrey. They are listed in the FBHVC directory of "Historic-friendly MoT stations". They are not classic c...

I never tighten the break drums screws much at all. They are soft, easily damaged and tend to get stuck in place over time - many have had problems getting them out again! I give mine a bit of copper slip grease and, after ensuring the drums are on properly, tighten them just enough that the heads ...

A very useful thing to have in the boot is a small supply of cable connectors. These can be kept in a little plastic bag and take next to no space. Some ring terminals, male and female spade terminals and bullets. In an emergency they can be fitted with pliers. Better than trying to twist bare ends...

A very useful thing to have in the boot is a small supply of cable connectors. These can be kept in a little plastic bag and take next to no space. Some ring terminals, male and female spade terminals and bullets. In an emergency they can be fitted with pliers. Better than trying to twist bare ends ...

I'll be interested to hear. I fitted FAG bearings at the rear from ESM just before Minors on Tour to France. They came as a kit with the correct (very thin) thickness half shaft gasket. There was no play after fitting and no play today when I checked before adjusting the brakes. Phil has explained p...

Ok. The replacements are polarity sensitive as they are electronic. The originals are not polarity sensitive because they are electromechanical. Make sure you buy the right polarity unit or find a new old stock one. They do turn up often.

Stephen

Now that I am back and after around 1,000 miles on new front brake shoes I decided to get the dust out of the drums, adjust the brakes and grease the front suspension. I noticed that there was a tiny amount of play in one front wheel bearing by raising the wheel off the ground and trying to rock it ...

Agreed. It is solenoid isn't it? I've never heard of people having trouble with the starter solenoid when switching polarity so why would the solenoid in the Trafficator be any different. PS I had changed my mind so I edited my post but you had already quoted me! :D Stephen It was a valid theoretic...

Hi DeeRo I can understand your concern, but Trafficators are not polarity sensitive. Simple as that. The only problem might be if the iron core has become magnetised from long use with a certain polarity. This is quite likely I think and the result would be Trafficators that would work poorly, if a...