I am Stuart from Malta and have posted a couple of times on this forum. I have a 1967 Morris Minor pick up with Maltese rear bodywork. Most Maltese bodied Morris pick-ups started life in the UK as panel vans and were imported to Malta in the 1970s. The van rear bodywork was removed and substituted with a Maltese made pick-up box. These pick-up conversions were extremely popular in Malta, especially with farmers, builders and hawkers.
My Morris started its life in the UK and its M-AE-****** chassis number indicates that it was originally a late Series V, 6cwt GPO Engineering Van. It still has the remains of some original bright yellow paint under its front bumper! It was imported to Malta in 1976. The Morris was last on the road in 1995 and I acquired it after it spent years languishing in a garage and also a couple of months in a field. The plan is to restore the pick-up for daily use and to "Maltese" specification, as a tribute to the various Maltese body-builders and to ensure that at least one such vehicle will still be able to be seen regularly on our roads. The restoration will include hand-painting it the traditional way, in the obligatory "Madonna" blue and white, adding numerous bits of period chromework and a Malta made blue perspex sunvisor and also finishing it off with some traditional Maltese signwriting known locally as "tberfil".
I intend to start its restoration in a couple of months time and will try to give "regular" updates on the internet. How regular these will be will obviously depend on work and family commitments!
Before starting the restoration, I would really love to know more about my Morris's first life in the UK, especially its original UK registration number. Does anyone have any ideas where to start? Any help would be greatly appreciated
I am attaching a photo of my Morris pick up in "as found" condition, in the meantime if you would like to have a look at my Flickr photostream showing Maltese Morris pick ups and other vehicles, kindly have a look on http://www.flickr.com/photos/47184112@N ... 445931570/
Stuart[frame]
