Our 1st Moggy. 1956 Split Screen. WSL 230

[MrIan]

By front leg I asume it's the suspension and it would be part number 4 in this link, but part number 4 is changed when parts 6 & or 7 are alowed to wear badly (they can wear enough to the point where they come off and the suspension then collapses on that side), don't panic though as it very rarely happens nowadays with MOT testers checking. http://www.morrisminorspareparts.co.uk/ ... spension-2

Yes floors look fine, no crossmemer jacking points though (but then they're not always fitted back as they just rust).
That crossmember is welded to the floor pans, welded to the front chassis rails and has brake lines, prop shaft running through it and wiring, also the torsion bars are bolted through there so it's the man hours that'll be the main cost as the crossmember itself is only about £60

[jagnut66]

Hi,
If by front leg you mean the front chassis rails then they can be done with the engine supported in situ, Abby had both hers done a few years back, which was just as well as the old ones were basically a pile of broken up rust once removed. I've been filling them with old engine oil and waxoil every so often since. Fortunately my front cross-member was solid.
See photos:
Best wishes,
Mike.
[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[Trickydicky]

The most likely reason the ends of your crossmember were replaced is that oil and grease is thrown onto the centre part from the prop shaft and gearbox providing it with good protection. I had the ends replaced on mine a couple of years ago and it's a common repair because of this.
As others have said don't bother with the jacking points as they corrode quickly and soon become unsafe. Not had to have the legs replaced yet but as Jagnut says waxoil and oil on the inside protects them. You can get oil into the inside of the leg from the engine bay as there are a couple of holes above each leg to pour it in

[ManyMinors]

The car in question is a Series11 so would never have had jacking points on the crossmember anyway

[Steamerpoint]

It was pointed out that the bolt in this photo, indicated by the red arrow, is starting to angle down and is no longer horizontal compared with the drivers side. This suggests that it is starting to go!

Also, there is a rust hole opening up about 8 inches further back, indicated in the yellow circle!

It was suggested by the garage that to change this section, the engine needs to come out![frame][/frame]

[ManyMinors]

The garage were making a 'meal' of the diff swap - the hshafts only need to be pulled a few inches

I'm not sure that's fair. I for one would expect a garage to fit new gaskets to the halfshafts before refitting and that would involve removing them. In any case, whether you pull them out a few inches or remove them completely makes little difference to the time the whole job takes and gives an opportunity to inspect the halfshafts too. As for removing the brake shoes, that isn't necessary in order to replace the differential but maybe they were contaminated and required replacement/cleaning/inspection. The brake drums have to be removed anyway so inspecting/servicing the brakes at the same time makes sense. Minor Services in Ely are a well known and respected outfit and I'm sure they'd have done what they felt was needed at the time.

[MrIan]

Ignore my previous post as obviously they mean chassis leg. Yet again though it's a cheap enough part just flippin hours n hours of work.

[Steamerpoint]

The guy that did the work took a lot if care over the job. He carefully removed the old gasket material with a razor blade cleaned the shoes to remove evidence of any oil etc. I had the feeling that he was doing a thorough job. It was however suggested to me by the garage before hand that swapping over the diff should take between 2 and 3 hours. In the end I paid for 4.5 hours of labour, which was around double I expected and went home with an empty wallet! If there had been something that wouldn't come off or other surprises, I would understand, but everything went smoothly, though in fairness, filling the oil through the breather took the best part of an hour. I am happy with the work they have done and would definitely use them again, but I wonder if it is possible to agree a price with garages before hand rather than simply pay for the time they have spent afterwards.

[SteveClem]

Difficult for the garage... They don't have a crystal ball and can't know exactly what will crop up. They should be able to give a provisional quotation for work and refer back to you if complications occur.

[MrIan]

In all honesty if you're getting the crossmember changed and one front chassis leg I'd seriously consider doing both front legs to get it all sorted in one go.

[Steamerpoint]

Then I might as well get the rear legs done as well! That's around two grand gone! Ouch. [frame][/frame]

[ManyMinors]

And this is on a car which was described by the dealer just a few weeks ago as having "no rust, chassis and floor in lovely condition"?

[Steamerpoint]

Yep! A tw@t hey! Glad I paid him a grand less than he wanted, but it's going to cost me more than that to sort it out!

[MrIan]

And this is on a car which was described by the dealer just a few weeks ago as having "no rust, chassis and floor in lovely condition"?

I was thinking the very same thing !!!

Steamerpoint, does that last picture show a hole in the rear chassis ? can't make it out on my small screen.
If so that would be very close if not a fail MOT wise, I can't make out how near it is to a suspension mounting. But even so if it's corrosion in the chassis rail enough to hole it I wouldn't be a happy chappy.

[MrIan]

Don't forget there isn't really anything wrong with a patch here n there on the chassis as long as the rest is ok, the rot is cut out and the patch is fully welded all round.

[Steamerpoint]

Fortunately the car doesn't need MOT's or should I say unfortunately as some unsuspecting buyer could be driving around unaware of the potential dangers! I would have expected a reputable classic car business such as Hills of Lymington LTD to have done a better inspection of the vehicle before advertising it. (http://www.hillsoflymington.co.uk/)

It was MOT'd on the 30th of August 2014 by Kwik Fit in Southampton, even though technically it didn't need one!

This was the advert I responded to:

HERE WE HAVE A LOVELY MORRIS MINOR, FIRST REGISTERED IN 01/07/1956. BEEN FULLY RESTORED, GOOD CONDITION INSIDE AND OUT. NO RUST. CHASSIS AND FLOOR ARE IN LOVELY CONDITION. HAS A FULLY REBUILT 1090CC ENGINE. LONG MOT! STARTS FIRST TIME EVERY TIME.

[ianmack]

A glowing description and a hefty price for a car with incompatible gears, rust holes and I think you mentioned earlier needing paintwork as well. Sounds like a case for trading standards.

[XWL61]

Yep! A tw@t hey! Glad I paid him a grand less than he wanted, but it's going to cost me more than that to sort it out!

So you paid £5990 for this car!!......you've been had big time IMO

Andy

[MrIan]

As I said earlier you can if the rest of the chassis leg is ok get patch repairs welded in. If you don't want to or can't get any joy from the dealer that sold it you I'd get the chassis sorted as cheaply (but safely) as possible for now so you feel happier driving it. Maybe in a year or so go the whole hog n get it sorted with a respray if needed.

[SteveClem]

Well,you are where you are and its a lovely looking moggy with some issues. Bite the bullet,get it sorted asap and you'll love it. You'll just beat yourself up fighting with the dealer and finish up hating the car...it's not her fault!