Essential spares...?

[davidtbrown]

Greetings all,

I am happy to report that I am the new owner of a 1968 Almond Green Traveller, soon on its way from the ports of Liverpool to my home in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, Canada.

I thought I would draw on the collective expertise of the MMOC and ask what SPARE PARTS you all feel are absolutely essential to keep on hand. Since parts are difficult and pricey to source from over here, I will be shipping a few spares in the vehicle when it is delivered later this month, so I am looking for guidance about what fails, sags, pops, splits, leaks or falls off with the most regularity on your Moggies.

Also - has anyone had success running 165/80 14 radials (with inner tubes, of course) on standard Moggie rims? I have heard some reports that they make the car handle like jelly on springs, but others that claim they're fine if you drive sensibly. Since 155/80 14 and the original 145/80 14 tires are almost nonexistent here in the New World, I have to be planning ahead.

Final question... has anyone ever put whitewalls on a Trav? They are perceived to be almost essential on North American woodies, but I don't think they ever really caught on in the U.K. I still have to sort out what I think about them for when tire replacement time comes around (if, in fact, they are even available...)

Any thoughts or insights will be greatly appreciated!

Cheers
Dave Brown
davidtbrown@hotmail.com

P.S. Nice to meet so many of you at the 2010 National Rally in Harewood House!

[Jefftav]

Hi David, Welcome to the site and hope you get a lot of enjoyment from your traveller.

I'm sure more folk will be along to give advice but you might want to say abit more about the condition of your car as this will depend on what you have shipped with it. e.g. if the wood is rotten and hanging off then it would make sense to sort out a kit of wood to have shipped.

Generally the Morris is a very reliable car as long as you maintain it regularly and with the traveller treat the wood regularly to protect it as much as you can. I would start by buying points, rotor arm, condenser, plugs, air filter, oil filter and a new fan belt ready to fit and keep the old ones as spares if they are working OK.

BUll motiff, Birmingham Morris Minor Centre and Tom Roy are all good for spares and I think ship worldwide.

[bmcecosse]

Most engine parts you will get locally, gearbox too - same as Spridget get a back axle if you wish (NOT same as Spridget - although has same diff) , but readily available here and easily shipped. But seriously consider shipping a spare windscreen inside the car. Probably hard for you to source in Canada - and even harder to ship it without it getting broken! I suggest the 165 tyres will be HORRIBLE on standard rims - the 155s are already over the limit - but are bearable if blown up to 30+ psi. So - get a spare set of 155 tyres fitted or sent with car. But also look for some wider wheels - because these make a huge difference to the way the car handles.

[Fingolfin]

David,
I myself am in the New World. It's actually not that difficult to source spares direct from the UK -- Bull Motif and ESM are my normal suppliers, though the Birmingham MMC has a good reputation and an all right website. Not terribly costly, either, but you should watch the exchange rate between pounds sterling and the Canadian dollar. (Tom Roy doesn't ship worldwide -- or at least doesn't via the internet. )

Things like air filters, plugs, and fan belts are easily sourced in your hometown, no doubt. In America we have chains of auto parts stores like O'Reilly's and Auto Zone -- I'll bet you have those, since we share so many companies. All of them can easily fill the bill for typical engine things. Many specialty items such as dynamos could be sourced from junkyards.

I took my dry-rotting old tires to Wal-Mart and they replaced them with 155's with no sweat, which surprised me. Cost about US$175 for two tires. From what I've heard, it's almost impossible to fit 165's onto the standard late-type Minor rim, but feel free to try if you like.

Whitewalls are not substantially different from normal tires, except that the center white portion is white. It's a matter of taste -- American classic cars are almost universally whitewalled, and I think they look beautiful on a Minor, unless you have the chrome 'wheel embellishers' or beauty rings as we call them, which I think are prettier.

Give me a few years and I'll drive up and see you in my '59 two-door saloon! The North American Morris Minor Registry is probably a good place to go, at http://morrisminor.intuitwebsites.com/. They have quite a few Canadian members.

Will you flip the steering over or keep it RHD?

[kjm]

We have 165 x 14 tyres on the rear of our Minor , they are Michelin x that came with the car and were new , we have fitted 155 Nankangs on the front , car seems to handle well on these . I would buy a hub cap puller , I recently found one on e-bay.