What to do to make them a better driver???

[mikec4193]

Hi Morris Minor aficionado's

I have never driven a Morris Minor...I did have one for about 6 months as a kind of a fill project between other projects kind of car...(patched a bunch of rot holes in it and then sold it)..

I keep thinking I might wanna try and get another one but I keep hearing that they are not for the faint at heart...

The last older car I drove on the road was a 1970 VW Beetle...so it was probably 2018 time frame...it was a lot slower than what I remember from when I was kid back late 70s era...

Are there things that most of you guys are doing to these little cars to make them more daily driver friendly???

Thanks in advance for any insight.

MikeC

[philthehill]

Get yourself a copy of the book listed in the link below:-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everyday-Modif ... 0719841976

[Chief]

I'd be surprised if it isn't more or less a 50/50 split (ignoring the custom scene) between those who keep theirs stock-factory and those who upgrade things like the brakes to discs, dynamo to alternator, oil filter to spin-on oil filter and in some cases change the engine to a larger capacity A-series engine etc. etc. etc.

(mine's mostly stock, and slowly returning to fully stock).

[moggiethouable]

Well.
It depends on what you plan to do, lots of miles? Weekend miles in the summer?
Mine owned for almost 15 years is completely standard, s.u. fuel pump, points, (no electronic ignition) original seats, engine, gearbox, the whole car.
Additions include a refurbished interior including carpets, a metal exterior sun visor, rear seat belts, an oil pressure gauge, stashed out of view under the dash and a packet of mint imperials in the glove box, (essential)
But it is not my daily driver, summer use only for high days and holidays.
Speed limits have not changed apart from reductions to 20mph from 30 in certain areas, in the 45 years I have been driving, so additional power in that respect is redundant, but motorway use I avoid.
The standard drive is a delight, rack and pinion steering is light but feedback is good, brakes are "progressive" which means you again get feedback but without discs extra stopping distance is required.
0-60 in 24 seconds is ample on A and B roads, people are almost always so enamoured with the car in front they very rarely if ever give me any pressure to get a move on.
There is no synchromesh in first, that's for wimps anyway, you very quickly get in to stopping and choosing second gear without lifting the clutch before first is selected, that helps.
The seats were designed before the word ergonomic was invented and yet I find them most comfortable even on long journeys.
All round vision is excellent thanks to narrow pillars.
Night driving if regularly used may require uprated bulbs, but that depends largely also on not the cars age but yours, cataracts tend to afflict we the elderly.
The car was once named "A Rolls Royce for the working man" and the epithet fits in my opinion.
Perhaps most importantly though, if you want a modern feel with all the accoutrements of the modern car, go buy one.
If you want a drive that takes you back in time, safely, comfortably and with panache, keep it simple, buy a bog standard full of character Morris Minor and you will possess a mistress for the rest of your days that meets with everyone's approval, proven by the crowds that gather whenever and wherever I park.
Buy one, you wont be disappointed.

[ManyMinors]

A well maintained Morris Minor 1000 in good condition and standard form is perfectly capable of everyday use. I have nothing against modifications but find that many are not added to a car with much thought and skill and actually make the car less pleasurable to own and drive. The most important thing is the basic condition of the car and a good example of a Minor 1000 drives and performs very well and is simple to maintain. I too avoid motorways and stick to A and B roads but have taken the car abroad several times and covered high mileages without difficulties. There is nothing finer than a Morris Minor .
Go and look. Drive a few. Make up your own mind. Have fun!

[mikec4193]

I think what I was hoping to do is it get something I can repair and not have a shop "plug it into a computer" to fix it...but then the more I read about these little cars...I am not sure where I live it would be a good fit...

I think I would be stressing the old vehicle too much trying to have it keep up with the current day traffic flow...where I live the "back roads" are now full of modern day motor vehicles commuter style...

I have even thought about doing a chassis swap...I have done those before (not with a Morris Minor though)…just not sure what to use as a donor vehicle...I have seen Mazda Miata's used as well as Suzuki Samurai's...I even saw a old CJ5 Jeep used as a donor too...

I really love the way these little cars look just as good stock as they do as hot rods...

Thanks for all the insight...

MikeC

[philthehill]

You will not stress out a Minor as it is well over engineered.
I used to do around a 1000 miles a week in my Series 2 fitted with a 1098cc engine and gearbox. Most of it was up and down the M6 Motorway with shorter journeys around and up over the passes of the lake district where I lived at the time.
The car had sensible upgrades i.e. unleaded head, Marina discs, Marina rear axle, 13" wheels and most importantly an alternator. It would easily cruise at 70mph.
It was more reliable than the Citroen BX turbo diesel I was running at the time which made me go back to a sensible car (the Minor) which I could easily maintain and which had and still has a good spare parts availability.
On one of my journeys back south from the lake district I once had a large sheep jump a wall and hit the front of the car, it smashed the headlight, badly dented the front wing. The sheep was alright though and scampered back into the field. I went back home straightened the wing with a lump hammer and replaced the headlight. The damage caused would have written off a modern. After the repairs and later in that day I restarted my journey back down south via the M6 motorway. Happy days.
Looked after the Minor will outlive most of the moderns.

[panky]

Best of both

[panky]

One of the best modifications I did to my traveller was very simple, replace the oil in the Armstrong dampers with a heavier type. I used SAE 30 in the front and SAE 50 in the rear ones. It made the ride less bouncy and improved the handling without being harsh. That along with some engine mods and a 3.7:1 Riley final drive made the car better suited to me.

[svenedin]

It is never going to behave like a modern car so either you enjoy that as part of the charm or perhaps it is not the car for you.

I am not fond of motorways. The engine is too busy at higher speeds and it is very tiring for longer trips. I did do long drives as a teenager and into my twenties but now I break up long trips into more manageable stages.

I do find that modern cars drastically out accelerate me so even if I don't hold the traffic up at the speed limit (there are a lot of 20 mph speed limits where I live) I takes me longer to get to the speed limit than modern traffic.

There are some modifications that I have made that I would never remove now. Inertia reel seatbelts, radial tyres, extending bonnet prop etc. I think this also applies to my front brake upgrade. The difference isn't vast but I am not going to want to downgrade.

I still have a dynamo and positive earth and this has always been sufficient. As my car is a convertible it is so noisy that I never thought it was worth installing a radio or sound system and with no rear screen there's obviously no heated rear screen.

Stephen

[Mervin]

Very reliable with proper routine maintenance. Quite easy to drive, but adjustments need to be made for, e.g. no power steering (although it's not really required), no brake assistance (as built).Something else to bear in mind -

morris motors.jpg (127.83 KiB) Viewed 3937 times

[Blaketon]

I have some experience of VW Beetles. They were well built and generally better finished than Minors. They could be driven flat out all day BUT didn't handle anything like as well as a Minor. The VW was built for Autobahns, the Minor for British A & B roads.

I don't like modern cars, as they lack feel and I don't like the idea of a circuit board on wheels. I find Minor brakes a little wanting (But not by comparison with some of the old Ford Popular types of thing) and I think a servo or servo disc brake conversion makes sense. Phil the Hill has already mentioned the book on mods but of the more major ones, I think the ability to stop outweighs the ability to go faster and needs to be place before you try to go faster!!

I have a five speed gearbox, the installation of which I am at present rectifying. When it works, it's a good system, though it will depend on where you plan to drive it, as to whether it justifies the effort and cost. I have inherited a 1275 cc MG Midget and the gearbox of that it so nice to use, with such well chosen ratios, that I will accept a comfortable cruising speed of 60mph (I have another Midget, with a 1500 engine and overdrive as well). I think radius arms on the rear axle make sense, as does an anti roll bar at the front. I have better headlights, rear screen demister, oil and water gauges and am adding intermittent wipers and rear fog lamp.

As to 1275 or 948/1098, yes the 1275 has more go but I think a 1098, with twin carbs (Note you need a Mini Cooper inlet, not a Midget one), a mildly reworked head (Such as Burgess Econotune) and a decent exhaust would give an easy 60bhp, that may allow a slightly higher final drive, if running a standard gearbox.

Another good all rounder, it you don't need four seats, is the MGB GT. It has a reasonable performance, allied to superb flexibility, good brakes, is easy to work on and many had overdrive (Standard on later cars). The boot is easily as good as a Minor saloon but nowhere near as good as that of the Traveller. I hope I never have to make a choice but it may be that I will one day need to choose between keeping a Traveller or a late BGT. Were the Minor not a Traveller, I think I'd go with the BGT but that Traveller boot is soooooo useful and if I own it until the end of my days, it will take me to my own funeral.

Whatever you have, I think a good spares back up makes life a lot easier and in the case of MGB/Midgets and Minors, both enjoy a good spares back up.