Last hand built Minor

[Mark Wilson]

The recent thread about the last production Minor saloon mentioned in passing the N registered saloon built up from parts by a BL dealership. I've heard that story before, but it has only just occurred to me to wonder where the shell came from. Does this mean that new shells were available then - and if so what would the chassis numbers be?

Mark

[bmcecosse]

Yes- shells were available for Minor saloons (as they were for Minis and others in the BMC range) - to 're-shell' a wreck -but with no chassis number, since the car retained it's original ID with the new shell. I dare say the shells would have 'body numbers' on them.. It was fun to walk into the local BMC Parts dept (A & D Fraser in Glasgow - who handily stayed open into the evenings !) with 3 mates -and walk out with a bodyshell to be tied on the trailer and taken off home ! I built one 'brand new' Mini for myself and assisted in the assembly of 3 others - 2 of which were out and out Rally cars, but nevertheless all were registered as 'new' simply by walking in to the local Driving Licence Office and asking for a Reg number! I was given a choice from the current page - and the following page. One lad realised what was happening and chose his timing just right to get a '1' Reg number!

[Mark Wilson]

I knew they were available for minis, but hadn't realised they were sold for Minors. So a clap hands wiper shell could have legitimately been replaced with a later version. Could this be an answer to some of the "wrong detail" minors we see on here and condemn as ringers.....

[ManyMinors]

New bodyshells were available for every model of Minor. There are still a few around even now - in fact this club has one.
It would be entirely possible to have bought a new later bodyshell in order to reshell an earlier car HOWEVER, a bodyshell is exactly that, a SHELL with nothing fitted to it. Therefore if you reshelled a 1959 car into a new 1969 bodyshell, the majority of components would be from the 1959 car. I would not expect the finished car to have 1969 engine, gearbox, axle, interior, window glass, wiring loom..........

Don't forget that all the glass and most electrical components are dated so it isn't that hard to get some idea of the age of a car or its components. If all or most of the glass in a car is dated to 1969, the chances are that it's a 1969 car.

Strictly speaking, it is only legitimate to reshell a car using a new, unused shell from the manufacturer or his agent and then fitting a large proportion of components from the original car. Reshelling a car by swapping one or two components onto what is or was a different car is NOT legitimate because the car would still be regarding in law as being the different car it started life as.

So, in answer to your question, Yes, it is possible for a car to have received a later bodyshell at sometime in its life but....
No, that probably doesn't account for the number of cars we see for sale which are plainly just later cars.

I remember being tempted by a new unused Traveller bodyshell advertised for, I think £250 in the early 1980s when I had a very rusty Traveller myself. I decided not to go ahead because it would have been SUCH a big job and it was much less involved to replace all the floor in my car instead!