kick plates/step plates

[fussyoldfart]

My Minor experience goes back more years than I care to count but I have just bought a fairly "new" one, a 1966/67 two door.

I have questions about the kick plates. All of the older cars in my experience had aluminum kick plates, unpainted. The car I have just bought has painted (body colour) kick plates and they are steel. When was this change made? Should they be body colour? Are the stainless steel replacement parts that are offered just dress-up items or was stainless used at some point?

The car has not been delivered yet but I am busy shopping for the things I know, or think I know, will be needed.

Darrell McDonald[frame][/frame]

PS - That's not me in the picture but that IS my little dog. Every time the Morris door was opened she would jump right in so I guess it's her car.

DM

[PSL184]

I'm not sure about early cars but all the later ones I've owned aere all painted steel. the stainless items are purely dress up parts but do look quite smart.....

[katy]

Is that your Model T in the background?

[WPR678B]

All of the older cars in my experience had aluminum kick plates, unpainted.

Only the VERY early cars had aluminium kick plates. I think they were changed to painted steel around 1951.

[marcusthemoose]

series MM s had aluminium kick plates, but to save money, and i think something to do with the korean war, BMC (or nuffield) changed them to pressed steel, painted silver. i am not aware that they were ever painted body colour from factory, but i await correction

[fussyoldfart]

I think the best reply I had was on another private conversation but I'm told that, yes, they went to steel rather than aluminum but they were painted silver! That's why I thought they were all aluminum and also why the body colour paint on the '67 Minor I am buying just jumped at me as wrong.

Thank you, all who helped with this.

Darrell