Workmanship this bad borders on dishonesty.

[Blaketon]

After a long time laid up, I am finally sorting out the Traveller, to get it the way I wanted it. Various things have delayed me and I suppose the most basic has been not enough time for everything.

Annoyingly, some of the work involved has been rectifying what others have done badly and top of the list is the now defunct Charles Wares Morris Minor Centre. They fitted a Ford 5 speed gearbox and as part of this, they fitted a hydraulic clutch, since they were going to fit a diaphragm type clutch (To suit the 1275cc engine), which required hydraulic release.

When I had the car back, I had to run in the new gearbox and differential and it seemed well enough at first. I recall a grittiness in the clutch pedal but when I went back there, for something else, they couldn’t find a problem (I later found the problem).

Whilst the Traveller is nominally the runabout, I don’t use a car a lot, having cycled more mile than I drive for many many years, so problems take a while to come out of the woodwork. I found that the clutch began to slip (I was able to stop this) but it was at this time that I discovered that the diaphragm clutch had never been fitted, apparently because it “Wouldn’t fit” (I wasn’t told this at the time). Ware’s workshop manager always struck me as rather defensive and the best he could offer, by way of excuse, was that I was using Automec silicon fluid in the system, something I have been using for best part of forty years, in various cars, without any problems (Though some vague comment was made that they were prepared look into it). That told me all I needed to know and since I had also, by then, discovered the reason for the “Gritty” clutch, I decided I would be better advised to nurse the clutch and sort it out myself when I had more time.

In the meantime, Frontline, who were pioneers of the Ford gearbox conversion, now offer shortened remotes. This is more of an issue with MG Midgets but I was never overly happy with the short handbrake lever, which the standard Ford gearbox remote necessitates. Therefore, when it came time to remove the engine, I also took out the gearbox, in order to obtain a shorter remote and the drain plug conversion that is also now available. It is just as well I did, as I think the gearbox would have fallen out within five thousand miles. Just outboard, of the standard gearbox mount captive nuts, are some drainage ports in the chassis rails, which protrude around 1/8” downwards. The new five speed gearbox cross member covers these. Rather than remove them (Drainage holes were drilled behind the cross member), so that the chassis rail is flat, Wares just bolted the cross member over them, so that the captive nut bottoms were not pulling directly against the cross member. On the right side, a bracket, for the clutch master cylinder, partially filled the void but on the left, there was nothing. On the left side, the captive nuts were pulling through, whilst on the right, there was the start of a small crack. I have repaired both but also added some extra support, as the Ford box, being longer, tends to twist the cross member towards the rear.

Finally, we come to the gritty clutch and a simple matter but one which sums up Wares’ whole attitude. The starter pinion cover was rubbing on the clutch pedal, when the pedal was pressed down. The attached photo shows how it had been roughly but ineffectually hit with a hammer. When I first discovered this, I simply dressed about 1/16” or maybe 1/8” off the square draught excluder, which enabled the pedal to clear the mangled starter pinion cover. You can still see where, despite the efforts of the big hammer man, the pedal has been rubbing the cover. I also noted the shoddy way, in which the bell housing was drilled and how smaller (But too long) screws were used, to get around the poor resultant alignment (Note how, despite this, one of the holes has had to be filed into a slot). Given the difficulty, of getting to the screwheads inside the bell housing, you would also think they could have run to a few nyloc nuts. I have since cut off the mangled metal and welded in a new piece. It sits mid way, between the high and low spots, of the mangled metal. There is no sign that the pinion has ever made contact with the underside, so I should have clearance (I have fitted a new clutch pedal, so may need to dress a bit off that; we shall see). I now have to tidy up the other end of it, before I blast clean it, prior to powder coating.

My impression is that Wares had some reasonable welders but that their fitters were dreadful. This isn’t unheard of, in bodyshop type establishments but it is still unacceptable. About five or six years ago (It was pre pandemic), someone I know bought a Minor and having not had a lot of luck, with cars he had been to see, asked me where else he could look. Wares was the nearest place selling Minors and I said that I’d not been there for a long time but that appeared to have some reasonable welders, though their fitters were dreadful. The father of the person is a retired motor fitter and when they returned, he was most unimpressed and said that they didn’t then even have any decent welders, from what he saw. I had mentioned ESM, which is more than double the distance but when they went there, they came away with a nice two door 1098 saloon and no misgivings. I cannot see how any firm, who is as bad as I found Wares to be, could remain in business from 1976, to when they recently closed down. I can only presume that they must once have been better. I cannot now expose them for what they certainly became but if their workshop manager ever reads this, I hope he feels the shame, that any decent person should!!

Later I found that the spiggot bearing was loose in the flywheel. I found that the first section of the flywheel was slightly enlarged, effectively providing a lead and that the bearing housing got tighter as it went in. However, as it sits against the flywheel, so towards the loose side, I made up a mandrel, so I could knurl the rear (Front of car) part of the new housing, so it would gain some interference. Part of the tool also doubles as a press to fit the housing and as a drift to tap it back against the crankshaft.

I might add that some former members of staff, of the defunct business, have started up, apparently with the aim of processing work in progress, at the time of the closure. I am told that some new blood has been taken on; lets hope, for everyone’s sake, that it has!!!

[philthehill]

I am sorry to hear of your problems especially in relation to the Type 9 gearbox/clutch.

When I fitted the Ford gearbox to my Minor I had all sorts of difficulties similar to those you are now experiencing.
It was back in the day when CS Autoclassics were the only supplier of a conversion bell housing. It was one of the first if not the first to be used in conjunction with a 1275cc MG Midget 1275cc therefore had nothing to base the conversion on. I had to design and prepare drawings for a first motion shaft bearing (actual machining and fitting carried out by Oselli) for the rear of the crankshaft, make the diaphragm clutch fit into the bell housing, make up a hydraulic clutch release mechanism with roller release bearing, make up a rear gearbox mounting. As regards the handbrake being in the way I just moved the handbrake lever backwards to clear the gear lever and used the standard length cables, the nuts were screwed well down but it worked.
As to Charles Ware saying that the diaphragm clutch would not fit - the 7.5" dia diaphragm cover fitted to my flywheel was made to fit with a bit of fettling of the inside of the bell housing and that was not helped by being fitted to a special machined steel flywheel that put the clutch cover back by about 10mm.
I used the existing factory clutch pedal but modified at its bottom end to accommodate the hydraulic master cylinder. The starter Bendix cover was not fitted to eliminate any fouling. There is no real requirement to have the Bendix cover fitted as it is tucked up and away from any road debris.
The way your rear mounting was attached to the chassis rail on top of the drain holes is totally unacceptable. Additionally I am not a fan of the gearbox rear mounting plate as supplied with the conversion kits.
In retrospect you should have done the conversion yourself and then having the satisfaction of doing the job correctly.
Phil

[Paladin1962]

Oof. That's just not right. When I worked for Volkswagen I had a customer shop that "specialized" in custom building hot rods. One day when I was making a call on them I happened to notice a Ford Falcon in the shop (Falcons being my absolute favorite car) and I asked if I could have a look. OH, the shop manager was just so pleased with himself and dragged me by the elbow over to check it out...
Externally, it was a very nice 1961 tudor, very straight and not rusty at all.
Then there was the Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck frame. Shortened to fit the wheelbase, but nothing else. A small block V8 and automatic trans. (ostensibly there's "no way" to put a V8 in a Falcon according to shop manager, although I've built several)
The factory floor pan, front suspension, rear suspension, and boot floor had all been cut out and a flat sheet of steel now extended from what was left of the firewall to the rear panel of the boot. welded to the frame. DIRECTLY to the frame, and to wherever it made contact with the body. The seats now rested flat on the floor, a shifter poked through the floor, and the brake and accelerator hung unseen under the dash.
I was literally sick to my stomach to see such an abomination. I could SEE the original pan outside the shop; it was nearly perfect. ALL JUST to get a V8 Chevy into a Falcon.....

[Blaketon]

In retrospect you should have done the conversion yourself and then having the satisfaction of doing the job correctly.
Phil

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but I hoped it might save time and I had a lend of a tatty but working Minor whilst my car was being converted. As it turned out, I would have been better off doing it myself....even if, as the rectification proved, it had to be mothballed until I had more time.

Here is a picture of my extra gearbox mounts, before they were powder coated and then with the engine and box in place.