my new morris minor "ARCHIE" please give advice

Post by **joannebinney** » Thu May 28, 2009 9:50 am

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0203392857
Hi to all this is a link to my very first moggy that i have just bought , any advice on maintaing and looking after my \"ARCHIE\" will be gratefully received , i know nothing about cars but want to learn , many thanks in advance Joanne<br>

<br>

Post by **bmcecosse** » Thu May 28, 2009 10:21 am

Looks great! Welcome to the forum - and feel free to ask whatever you need to know - there is always someone 'on duty'! I have pm'd you the link for the Workshop Manual download. Lots of good reading in that!!

Post by **mike.perry** » Thu May 28, 2009 10:26 am

You have chosen a good car to learn on, however you must remember that, unlike a modern car it will need regular checking and adjusting. The oil and water need to be checked before each journey and the brakes have to be manually adjusted. I don't know if there is any handbook or workshop manual with the car. If there is then have a read and find out where the servicing points are.
Build yourself up a good toolkit of Whitworth and A/F spanners (you will need to buy those from a specialist tool store, forget Halfords) and if you can afford it a set of Whit and A/F sockets (1/2 in drive) plus screwdrivers, pliers, feeler gauges etc. Add some rubber gloves and away you go

Post by **bmcecosse** » Thu May 28, 2009 10:29 am

One major tip - to prevent theft - is to install a secret switch in the electrical feed to the fuel pump. Switch it off every time you leave the car - anyone stealing it will get about 100 yds - and then the car just splutters to a halt - and hopefully - they run away, and you retreive the car!

Post by **joannebinney** » Thu May 28, 2009 10:31 am

Thanks for the advice will get that done this weekend , i,m sure if i can straighten my hair i can fit the switch lol , just kidding i,m not bad at electricals many thanks Joanne

Post by **bmcecosse** » Thu May 28, 2009 10:37 am

Just make sure the wiring and the switch are well hidden - and not obvious what's been done - at the pump!
I see they mention 9" brakes in the ebay story - unlikely - more probable the later 8" front drum brakes have been fitted - which is fine ! 9" drums are possible of course - ex Wolseley 1500 or Riley 1.5 - worth checking!

Thu May 28, 2009 12:30 pm

welcome aboard.. as others have said nice looking car.

Post by **joannebinney** » Thu May 28, 2009 4:20 pm

A big thankyou to all the comments will definately check the drum size , i'm sure i'll be asking many question's in the future Joanne

Post by **bmcecosse** » Thu May 28, 2009 10:11 pm

Did you get the Workshop Manual ok ??

Post by **joannebinney** » Fri May 29, 2009 7:26 am

Yes thankyou very much there is plenty of reading there to keep me going , it will be a great help. Could you tell me whati do about waxoyl for underneath the car ? The car has been painted underneath but i don't know if it's the rust protecting stuff(sorry don't know the name)

but i don't think it's had the wax stuff. Do i need to get this done asap? Sorry for being so thick

Post by **autolycus** » Fri May 29, 2009 8:20 am

If I read the ebay seller's stream of consciousness correctly, it still has its semaphoe indicators and no flashers. If so, I'd strongly recommend adding flashers - people just don't look for trafficators these days. The easiest way to do it is perhaps to buy two reversing lights (less than a tenner each), fit them with amber bulbs, and mount them at the back. Several options for the front - I think I'd favour converting the sidelights to twin filament, and accepting the slight disadvantage of white flashers, but others may prefer different ideas. You'll then need separate flasher units for right and left and you'll still be able to have working semaphores.

This doesn't alter the character of the car, could easily be reversed if someone later wanted strict originality, and makes the car much safer for modern traffic - particularly motorways.

Looks a nice car and a good buy, but in view of the time it's stood, it really will need a lot of checking for the first few weeks, as there are bound to be odd niggles.

Kevin

Post by **joannebinney** » Fri May 29, 2009 8:33 am

Thanks Kevin i was slightly concerned about having no indicators ,knowing nothing about moggy's i was convinced by the seller that it was more "original" this way, and that it was sacrilige to put indicators on . You have made me feel much more acceptable for wanting them . Many many thanks Joanne

Post by **pfgiz** » Fri May 29, 2009 8:48 am

Personally I don’t like the more ‘modern’ clusters that include indicators. Perhaps that’s because my Saloon, that started my love of old cars, never had the front and back indicators but had ‘pigs ears’ instead. When I rebuilt it I got the Trafficators to work and now have both.
It’s a personal preference thing, if you like the more modern clusters then fit them. If you want separate indicators then fit those. There are many ways to fit a set, and I’m sure someone will be along soon with some advice on this. I’ve seen it done on small additional plates that bolt to the bumper iron like spotlights would. This enables you to get front and rear indicators without drilling your wings, and they are easily removed if you fell you want to revert to the original setup later. There are also some nice lights available now, smaller and neater than the ones commonly fitted to cars back in the 60’s. So fitting them now wouldn’t be as ‘unsightly’ as described in Archie’s E-bay listing.
As an off thought, you could fit the circuit that flashes your stop and side lights, as fitted to production Minors in the very early 60’s. There’s no need to add any lights then, only a special relay and the wiring.

Like I said it’s your choice and will depend on the driving you do. I find people see the Trafficators more than the lights as they get pointed to and smiled at.

Post by **joannebinney** » Fri May 29, 2009 8:48 am

Sorry to be sounding thick again but do you know where i could buy the reversing lights ?
Once again Pete thankyou i like the sound of the wiring to alter the exsisiting lights, does anyone know how to do this ? Is this something i could tackle mysefl? I'm quite good with household wiring but have never done any on a car.

Post by **pfgiz** » Fri May 29, 2009 8:58 am

There are many companies that will sell you these, the easiest thing to do would be to type 'Morris Minor Spares' into Google and compare prices.

You could also put a request in the 'wanted' section to see it anyone on here has some they're not going to use.

Post by **pfgiz** » Fri May 29, 2009 9:03 am

If you have the workshop manual the wiring diagram for the ’61 – ’62 range should show the relay and what additional wiring would be required. I think it’s ’62, the sidelights are slightly larger than the earlier cars but from the E-bay pictures it looks like your car is fitted with those.

Post by **joannebinney** » Fri May 29, 2009 9:13 am

Again thanks Peter you are a legend in your own lifetime ! greatly appreciated

Post by **mike.perry** » Fri May 29, 2009 9:24 am

There is a wiring diagram for trafficators / indicators under Useful Tips / Trafficators. Chromed motor cycle units hung under the bumpers is one solution. You will need 12v/21W bulbs.

Post by **joannebinney** » Fri May 29, 2009 9:31 am

Thanks Mike that should do the trick , can't believe all the help an advice iv'e been given , noone would do this for my Focus ! lol

Post by **autolycus** » Fri May 29, 2009 9:50 am

I'd prefer not to fit the light clusters from a later Morris, because it does alter the appearance significantly - "it looks wrong for the car". I've just converted another large classic car away from the flashing brake light type of indicator, after a friend who'd followed me on a sunny day commented how poorly they stood out.

Apart from the traditional Morris specialists, "Practical Classics" magazine has several general purpose suppliers advertised. Some, such as Holden, have some rare and excellent stuff, but aren't necessarily the cheapest.

Stafford Vehicle Components are pleasant to deal with, but I was underwhelmed by the quality of their Type 1253 repro lamps - which also take a rather unusual bulb.

Always worth looking at are Paddock Spares, under their "Series" Land Rover Spares. There are a surprising number of common parts to British vehicles of the fifties and sixties, and they have excellent prices for things like coils, condensers, and reversing lights.

If you go for the after-market reversing light approach, just make sure they take B15s bulbs, not the "festoon" type, so that you can get them in amber.

Kevin

*** Well, that one came back to bite me - recommendation for Paddock coils withdrawn. Please see a thread under "Electrical" called "Check your new coil" ***