test drive inspection etc Q

[tlavazzi]

Hi All

I checked out a Traveler I may buy. '68 1098, orig. There were noticeable combustion fumes in the passenger compartment, and a noisy ride, engine-wise, esp at 60 MPH or so--didn't seem like peculiar engine noise, just noisy. Is this unusual, or typical? The exhaust system itself, at least the pipes, looked OK, not rotted. SO wondering if this could be a manifold gasket?

Seller also claimed it overheated once--no temp gauge in carriage, but claims he could "smell" antifreeze, and that's how he knew. No evidence of water in oil, though, and I checked both before and after a brief hwy drive....

The area above one of the rear hanger springs was rusted through, though other side looked OK; the bottom has been undercoated, so hard to say what is going on. I tapped around a bit and from what I could see topside looked pretty solid, but likely some surface rust at least under the over/undercoat?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts....

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

Hi and welcome to the messageboard.

Noisey ride, have you had a minor before? It depends what your used to I suppose but they can be noisey and it even varies from car to car. My traveller has a cheap stainless exhaust fitted and is quite noisey especially when going down hill with your foot off the throttle! Even certain tyres can be noisey. As for fumes in the cabin, again I sometimes get them in my traveller as there is a bit of a gap at the top of the back doors, this can be worse on a wet day.

What I would be more concerned about is the rusty bit and what other bits are hiding. Minors can rot in lots of places and can be costly to repair unless you can do it yourself.

Good luck with your purchase

[MarkyB]

Did you look under the carpets, especially above the cross member?
Dodgy repairs and lots of underseal isn't ideal, just factor it into the price you offer

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

A general cacophony intones at around 50MPH. The mobile gas chamber element is worrying - check the manifold joint (this would add to the noise and makes a rasp or phut-phut from this area when revving up). Even the tappet chest breather pipe could have been damaged/shortened, leading to fumes coming through the toe-board.

If the seller has said it 'overheated once' he is either being very honest or attempting to cover his DONT SWEAR OR YOU WILL BE BANNED for some fault... I like to think the former.

[lambrettalad]

the overheating description is a little vague,and I would expect the car to overheat on other occasions unless remedial work was carried out Why and how did it happen ? needs an answer

[lowride stepside]

jj did you say arris

[lambrettalad]

arris

[bmcecosse]

The fumes in cab will be oil fumes from a badly worn engine..... To test - after a run to get the engine up to temperature - take the oil filler cap off and rev up the engine. Is there a plume of smoke/fume? And is there a cloud of blue smoke behind the car? But this is the least of the worries - engines are cheap and plentiful - RUST is the enemy.. Rust at a spring hanger is serious trouble, and will often indicate rust in other areas too.... Survey the car very thoroughly -look under the back seat (it folds forwards) , and in the boot floor area, and feel the inner sills to determine if they are 'crunchy'........

[tlavazzi]

Thanks!

No, have not owned a Morris--but I owned an MG Midget briefly yrs ago..

So noise I live with--but what the heck is a tappet breather chest pipe? -- sounds bionic-- and where is it? near the hookah, I guess...

Overheating: claims the plastic impeller on the water pump melted (he showed it to me--can you beat that, a plastic impeller?)

Yes, forgot to do the blow-by test

rust wise, it really didn't look bad on the boards, etc, topside--I did lift the seats and try to look down between the frame holes in the rear, under rear seat--is that the corssbar?--to see if I could note the extent of the rust-through from the spring hanger, which is right under there, but a bit hard.

not sure where the inside of the sills would be--is this the area under the doors, what we call "rockers" in American cars (though rockers are not really sills, analogizing to a house, which would be structural members...

It appears that the Morris's have minimal framing--to keep weight down I guess? and not much metal all totaled, so I can see where a rust would be be a problem. So the roofs are aluminum? why they didn't make the whole body out of aluminum, like the old range rovers, I don't know..

BTW--Fluid Film can be used to treat rust--basically stops it, like leaking oil. Can be brushed or sprayed, apparently, if thinned with a bit of diesel....but application has to be repeated annually..

would it be that expensive to weld in a new hanger plate?

BTW--how many miles can one expect to get out of these engines/drive trains?

[bmcecosse]

I have never seen a water pump with a plastic impeller in an A series. I think the seller is treating you to a bucket or two of bull sh!t. Sills are what you can't see when you open the doors - unless you remove the sloping sill covers But you can at least feel the section inside the car with your fingers - under the carpet. Do also lift the carpets front and rear. The timber condition is ALL important too on a Traveller. Some pictures would help us ?? But with all you mention - frankly unless the price is extremely attractive - I would walk away...

[irmscher]

sounds like the seller is trying to sell his problems to you .I would look for another one plenty of decent ones about

[simmitc]

There are water pumps with plastic impellers - I had one disintegrate on me. It's really not possible to assess the car fully like this, and it is possible that a few hundred pounds of welding will give you a brilliant car. It's also possible that it is a hopeless cause. Can you join your local branch and then get someone to view the car with you so that you get a realistic appraisal?

[LouiseM]

Sounds like the OP is based in the US though, so not so easy to find a decent traveller or join a local branch.

[tlavazzi]

Yes, thanks again--I am in the US; the seller wanted to note he had put in a new WP, which is why I guess he showed me the old part.

seller is looking to go somewhere over 5.5k US--so I guess over pounds + 3.5k; I thought if I could get it for 5-5.5k it might be OK? but more, I think not?

But again about the drive trains--what are they good for (mileage-wise, that is)?

[bmcecosse]

Without pictures we can't really judge - but from the description you have given us it is WAY over priced. A poorish Traveller in running order here would get ~ £1500 or so....but it is ALL down to condition.

[LouiseM]

Depending on where you are in the US it might be worth contacting the North American Minor Registry: http://morrisminor.homestead.com/index.html

Maybe someone local will be able to take a look at it for you and/or advise on the guide prices for travellers in similar condition as it's difficult to comment on whether it's a good buy or not without knowing the American market.

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

The engines generally are very good and can rattle on to 100,000 miles, more if they have been and continue to be looked after. Oil and filter changes at 3,000 mile intervals are necessary.

I understand the gearboxes can sometimes jump out of gear on the over-run, something to bear in mind as they can't be common in the US.

Back axles are trouble free, again the key to long life is regular servicing.

[liammonty]

Fumes in the car are unfortunately not uncommon in a traveller, due to a combination of exhausts that are an inch or two too short, and back doors that don't seal too well. I would be surprised if that isn't the problem. Regarding drivetrain longevity, you ought to be able to expect 100,000 miles between rebuilds if looked after, perhaps more. Just depends on how it's looked after, but they are basically very tough. You really need to put up some pics for reliable comments on the bodywork though, as it just isn't possible to say anything about underside condition without seeing it - it's all just speculation really.

[tlavazzi]

Thanks!

They seem to go anywhere from about 3k (close to the pounds 1.5k you mentioned) to around 7-8k here (going at least by "completed listings" on Ebay) depending on condition. I've even seen one bid up to 23k, a dealer vehicle "total" restoration, according to him, but then again it was relisted many times, so we know a few things that might mean...

Could there perhaps be a premium for the right-hand drive aspect in the States? the rarity, etc? esp for Anglophiles? Also may the traveler a bit more sought after due again to the relative rarity, and the wagon aspect, etc? Would any of this matter?

Well, I think you are right.

Actually,I saw a pic of a Marina that was converted to a caravan--do you know of anything like that available? One reason I was interested in the traveler was the possibility of converting the rear part of the roof to a popup, and figuring out how to get some perhaps fold-away appliances in the rear, to convert into an "RV"--any ideas about that? I may post this as a separate topic...

[bmcecosse]

I'm horrified at your proposal to cut open the Traveller roof - so on that basis - go for the Marina conversion - they are MUCH BETTER cars than rotten old Minors, and will serve you very well........