Automatic Moggie??

[mrs.smith2012]

Just shooting this out there….
I know the moggies weren’t originally made as automatics but has anyone here ever done a conversion? I know from seeing old posts and other stuff on the internet it HAS been done, but opinions on the subject seem to vary massively.
My biggest question is “how much is it likely to cost” and will it affect the running, maintenance and performance of the car?

Just curious…

[Bill_qaz]

I would guess a morris marina auto would be best conversion, possibly cheaper and easiest to source engine and box from a scrap marina. Marina remanufacture auto box are on ebay but you would need more for a conversion. So not cheap

[mrs.smith2012]

Okay, thanks for not shooting the idea down in flames
I’ll consider the options… like I said it’s JUST an option right now… I’m really not sure about it. I just wondered what people’s experiences of it were.
Must admit, driving a manual version looks far more fun but not going to lie, resitting my driving test to convert to a manual is making me INCREDIBLY anxious… so just considering all possibilities!

[bobtail4x4]

the marina auto wasnt a great drive,

try one first

[mrs.smith2012]

Probably a good idea. I drive a modern 1L auto and it’s slooooow

[Bill_qaz]

A moggy will be slower than your modern 1ltr but its jot about speed its about the experience. The young guy I bought from bought at auction without trying and immediately sold it after a couple of drives when he realised it wasn't for him. All his other cars were 80s modern classics and he couldn't get on with the minors quirks (charms). This was despite quite a few upgrades on the car disc brakes etc. His biggest issue was the clutch and gear change.Being older than my car and a mechanic in my youth I found easy to drive.
As other have said get someone to take you for a drive and maybe find some private ground and have a few tries of a minor before committing to buy one. Good luck with the test and whatever you end up buying

[simmitc]

There have been numerous auto conversions, some very successful and used daily. I'm fairly certain that Ian Allen of Minor Services near Ely has done a couple, so it might be worth having a chat with him.

[mrs.smith2012]

A moggy will be slower than your modern 1ltr but its jot about speed its about the experience. The young guy I bought from bought at auction without trying and immediately sold it after a couple of drives when he realised it wasn't for him. All his other cars were 80s modern classics and he couldn't get on with the minors quirks (charms). This was despite quite a few upgrades on the car disc brakes etc. His biggest issue was the clutch and gear change.Being older than my car and a mechanic in my youth I found easy to drive.
As other have said get someone to take you for a drive and maybe find some private ground and have a few tries of a minor before committing to buy one. Good luck with the test and whatever you end up buying

Thanks, that’s really useful advice. I’m in a bit of a fix to be quite honest because I could put a lot of time and money into obtaining my manual license, only to then try a moggie and not actually enjoy the driving aspect of it… but until I gain my license I can’t even try one out… unless someone is kind enough to allow me to drive their car as a learner but honestly… that’s quite a big ask! I can’t really decide anything until my test is scheduled so will continue to consider all options!
Speed isn’t a real issue for me as I don’t plan to be charging about everywhere but I do live in a very busy town with lots of roundabouts and having a car that’s very slow to pull off does cause much frustration for other drivers (trust me I know )

[mrs.smith2012]

There have been numerous auto conversions, some very successful and used daily. I'm fairly certain that Ian Allen of Minor Services near Ely has done a couple, so it might be worth having a chat with him.

Thanks so much, I’ll look him up and have a chat with him. I know quite a few mechanics too who have worked on classics who might also have some advice… even if they haven’t worked on moggies in particular

[mrs.smith2012]

Welp… just had a long chat with Ian Allen… what a top bloke!
Unfortunately his advice on converting a Morris to an auto was ‘don’t do it’

[Bill_qaz]

A moggy will be slower than your modern 1ltr but its jot about speed its about the experience. The young guy I bought from bought at auction without trying and immediately sold it after a couple of drives when he realised it wasn't for him. All his other cars were 80s modern classics and he couldn't get on with the minors quirks (charms). This was despite quite a few upgrades on the car disc brakes etc. His biggest issue was the clutch and gear change.Being older than my car and a mechanic in my youth I found easy to drive.
As other have said get someone to take you for a drive and maybe find some private ground and have a few tries of a minor before committing to buy one. Good luck with the test and whatever you end up buying

Thanks, that’s really useful advice. I’m in a bit of a fix to be quite honest because I could put a lot of time and money into obtaining my manual license, only to then try a moggie and not actually enjoy the driving aspect of it… but until I gain my license I can’t even try one out… unless someone is kind enough to allow me to drive their car as a learner but honestly… that’s quite a big ask! I can’t really decide anything until my test is scheduled so will continue to consider all options!
Speed isn’t a real issue for me as I don’t plan to be charging about everywhere but I do live in a very busy town with lots of roundabouts and having a car that’s very slow to pull off does cause much frustration for other drivers (trust me I know )

You mentioned classic vw beetle in some of your posts, you do know they made a two pedal auto version? Not trying to put you off minor ownership

What's a Semi-Automatic VW Beetle https://share.google/8ZkUJ8nKKxtADTddb

[mrs.smith2012]

Aah yes I’ve heard of these, I’m also aware you can get a fully automatic beetle but they are rare and pricey. I imagine it would be the same for a semi.
My modern car is a semi auto so I’m familiar with them. They are easier to drive than a manual I have to say. No clutch to worry about and you are in control of shifting the gears.
I had previously decided against a beetle as although I love them I’m aware they may be harder and more costly to maintain than a Morris.

Ian’s advice was if I want to stick to auto, just get an automatic classic, don’t try and convert something… but having looked… automatics seem to be much rarer, more expensive, and honestly I haven’t seen anything I like as much as a Morris! At least not so far!

Why oh WHY did I not take my manual test back in the day… I’m an idiot

[Steve Phillips]

I converted a traveller to auto about 20 years ago for a disabled customer using Honda engine and transmission. And even then finding suitable donor cars was tricky.

Yes Marina is a good donor if you can find one.
The other easy option was Nissan Sunny and Toyota Corolla from the 80s. Both had lovely little 4 cylinder engines and were available as autos. The snag with all of these however is finding a donor that's not eye wateringly expensive.

One potential and somewhat more modern option could be the Suzuki jimny auto. You could in theory use the engine and auto box. It would make a lovely drive but again the cost won't be cheap as all Jimmy's seems to hold their value.

You could look at MX5 auto. Donors are cheap, as most MX5s are busy rotting away.... But I have measured the engine transmission together and it would be a very very tight fit. Or you do a complete MX5 swap, but then it's not really a Morris anymore just a Morris body on an MX.

Most modern autos that are rear wheel drive and both large and full of electronics, so not suitable for a Morris.

Some food for thought

Steve

[mrs.smith2012]

I converted a traveller to auto about 20 years ago for a disabled customer using Honda engine and transmission. And even then finding suitable donor cars was tricky.

Yes Marina is a good donor if you can find one.
The other easy option was Nissan Sunny and Toyota Corolla from the 80s. Both had lovely little 4 cylinder engines and were available as autos. The snag with all of these however is finding a donor that's not eye wateringly expensive.

One potential and somewhat more modern option could be the Suzuki jimny auto. You could in theory use the engine and auto box. It would make a lovely drive but again the cost won't be cheap as all Jimmy's seems to hold their value.

You could look at MX5 auto. Donors are cheap, as most MX5s are busy rotting away.... But I have measured the engine transmission together and it would be a very very tight fit. Or you do a complete MX5 swap, but then it's not really a Morris anymore just a Morris body on an MX.

Most modern autos that are rear wheel drive and both large and full of electronics, so not suitable for a Morris.

Some food for thought

Steve

Thanks for the insight. Having had a long chat with Ian Allen, I’m aware that even if I manage to find a suitable donor, switching the gearboxes out will be potentially a big job and will likely cost me far more than what a driving course will!
Not completely giving up on the idea but I’m not sure it’s feasible budget wise.
I think my best bet is to try and get through my manual test as at least that gives me far more options.
The test is not likely to happen any time soon… so hopefully I may get an opportunity to try a mog before that happens but if I don’t I’ll just have to go with it and hope that I can actually get on with driving one once I have upgraded my licence
I’ll keep a look out for autos in the meantime but honestly I’m quite fixated on the Morris so it would have to be something pretty special to sway me!

[Chief]

Since you're now (in terms of manual cars) considered a Learner driver again, if you know someone who holds a manual licence to ride along as front passenger, then you could get the Minor and learn to drive in it, the only rules are that the front passenger must:

• be over 21

• be qualified to drive the type of vehicle you want to learn in, for example they must have a manual car licence if they’re supervising you in a manual car

• have had their full driving licence for 3 years (from the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein)

It’s illegal for:

• your friend or family member to use a mobile phone while supervising you

• you to drive on the motorway when practising with family or friends

and if you're both on the insurance, they can drive you to quiet places first to practice

Why oh WHY did I not take my manual test back in the day… I’m an idiot

But with all the years driving automatics and not having to worry about clutch/gear choice, your observation skills will be good, so just think what a good driver you'll be once you master the manual side of things

[win]

I converted a traveller to auto about 20 years ago for a disabled customer using Honda engine and transmission. And even then finding suitable donor cars was tricky.

Yes Marina is a good donor if you can find one.
The other easy option was Nissan Sunny and Toyota Corolla from the 80s. Both had lovely little 4 cylinder engines and were available as autos. The snag with all of these however is finding a donor that's not eye wateringly expensive.

One potential and somewhat more modern option could be the Suzuki jimny auto. You could in theory use the engine and auto box. It would make a lovely drive but again the cost won't be cheap as all Jimmy's seems to hold their value.

You could look at MX5 auto. Donors are cheap, as most MX5s are busy rotting away.... But I have measured the engine transmission together and it would be a very very tight fit. Or you do a complete MX5 swap, but then it's not really a Morris anymore just a Morris body on an MX.

Most modern autos that are rear wheel drive and both large and full of electronics, so not suitable for a Morris.

Some food for thought

Steve
[/quote
Sorry to jump in here.
I fitted a Mazda MX5 5 speed gearbox and was very pleased with the results.
I am now looking to fit a Auto gearbox. I have looked at Mazda MX5 pre ECU, do you know the outer diameter of the torque converter, and details of the flexi disc mounting? I am making sure it will clear the starter motor Bendix?

Kind regards Win

[mrs.smith2012]

Since you're now (in terms of manual cars) considered a Learner driver again, if you know someone who holds a manual licence to ride along as front passenger, then you could get the Minor and learn to drive in it, the only rules are that the front passenger must:

• be over 21

• be qualified to drive the type of vehicle you want to learn in, for example they must have a manual car licence if they’re supervising you in a manual car

• have had their full driving licence for 3 years (from the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein)

It’s illegal for:

• your friend or family member to use a mobile phone while supervising you

• you to drive on the motorway when practising with family or friends

and if you're both on the insurance, they can drive you to quiet places first to practice

Why oh WHY did I not take my manual test back in the day… I’m an idiot

But with all the years driving automatics and not having to worry about clutch/gear choice, your observation skills will be good, so just think what a good driver you'll be once you master the manual side of things

That’s a good point. My husband did suggest that if the test situation drags out for too long I could just get myself a minor as he has held a full uk licence for over 20 years so he could easily supervise me driving in it so that by the time my test comes around driving a manual should be second nature (hopefully). The only downside of that is that unless the seller was particularly flexible I may not be able to test drive it before I buy, so a bit of a gamble.
Definitely something to consider though. I have been browsing the ads and if the right car came up I’d be tempted to go down that route!
Thanks for the vote of confidence though!

[myoldjalopy]

Welp… just had a long chat with Ian Allen… what a top bloke!
Unfortunately his advice on converting a Morris to an auto was ‘don’t do it’

I concur. And once you pass your manual test, you will discover how wonderful a Morris Minor is to drive - the process of gear changing bonds you closer to the car as you work together in perfect synergy on the road.

[mrs.smith2012]

Welp… just had a long chat with Ian Allen… what a top bloke!
Unfortunately his advice on converting a Morris to an auto was ‘don’t do it’

I concur. And once you pass your manual test, you will discover how wonderful a Morris Minor is to drive - the process of gear changing bonds you closer to the car as you work together in perfect synergy on the road.

I have to admit, they do look great fun to drive… you don’t get that same ‘connection’ with an auto. I’ve actually just messaged someone about a car for sale so… it’s really cheap though so I don’t know
My husband said if I buy it he’ll teach me to drive it… this could go very badly wrong haha

[Steve Phillips]

[/quote
Sorry to jump in here.
I fitted a Mazda MX5 5 speed gearbox and was very pleased with the results.
I am now looking to fit a Auto gearbox. I have looked at Mazda MX5 pre ECU, do you know the outer diameter of the torque converter, and details of the flexi disc mounting? I am making sure it will clear the starter motor Bendix?

Kind regards Win
[/quote]

Didn't look at the MX5 auto with a view to fitting it onto an A series, our thought was fitting it with its 1.6 Mazda engine, so sorry can't help on this one.