Better than nothing rust treatment?

[Bill_qaz]

I found this rather neat, high quality, British made surface mount for a USB socket. It could be attached with adhesive pads to avoid drilling.

Stephen


https://www.alfatronix.com/charging-ins ... ccessories

Why buy a separate pod and charger? What's the advantage? The type I posted can be fixed with double sided tape or optionally screwed to an existing hole. They are available in various formats and usb types, single or double, with or without 12v socket.

[svenedin]

There's loads of different ways to do it. I just think the pod is very neat and tidy. I like things to be just so. I have been considering doing this mod for many years and it has to be right.

Stephen

[svenedin]

I just had my insurance renewal through and the underwriter has changed. I noticed that the excess is waived, regardless of fault, if dash cam footage is supplied within 48 hours of a claim. I might have to consider this IF I can do it in a very tidy way. It really goes against the grain though of my Morris as a technology free zone!

Stephen

[Bill_qaz]

Once you have added USB you will be on the dark side
Won't be long now alternator and negative earth are calling
LED was the start of the infection

[svenedin]

Yes LED headlights were the start you're right.

Then I found myself driving the Morris more and more as I made it mechanically better and better. That meant I went further afield and found it difficult without a navigator so the desire to have a mount for the iPhone to do the GPS navigation. Then that needs power..........one thing leads to another.

Definitely no alternator as I have a dynamo away being refurbished at the moment! But then again a heated windscreen would be really good and that needs more power.

I just must stop!

No NEG earth as I can't be bothered to switch wiring stuff around and my LED tail/stop are POS earth only.

Stephen

[svenedin]

I dropped my Morris off this morning at Morris Minor Workshop for stage 2 (or is it stage 3 or 4) of the rolling restoration. When I get the car back it will no longer be rusty anywhere. It will in fact be in better condition than it was when I first bought the car 37 years ago.

A bit sad to be without the Morris but I don't drive it that frequently in winter anyway and it is exciting to think of a really presentable car ready in springtime for more adventures.

I'm not expecting anything dramatic. There's never been any welding to do. It's just bodywork and paint. Things I can't do to the standard I want.

It's all very well to say "they're only original once". Yes that's true but unless they're in a museum something has to be done when the paint is literally falling off!

Stephen

[svenedin]

Oh and just to amuse.......

When I arrived at ESM this morning the road was closed and the workshop had no electricity so they were about to all go home. The drive there was atrocious. 40 miles of torrential rain and gales. Driving over the top of the North Downs in dense cloud like driving in thick fog. That's not the joke.

I was sitting in the driving seat and I leaned back a bit hard on the drivers seat to reach for something on the back seat. The back of the drivers seat bent back double as if it was a reclining seat! Good timing.....New frame required.

Stephen

[myoldjalopy]

I dropped my Morris off this morning at Morris Minor Workshop for stage 2 (or is it stage 3 or 4) of the rolling restoration. When I get the car back it will no longer be rusty anywhere. It will in fact be in better condition than it was when I first bought the car 37 years ago.

A bit sad to be without the Morris but I don't drive it that frequently in winter anyway and it is exciting to think of a really presentable car ready in springtime for more adventures.

I'm not expecting anything dramatic. There's never been any welding to do. It's just bodywork and paint. Things I can't do to the standard I want.

It's all very well to say "they're only original once". Yes that's true but unless they're in a museum something has to be done when the paint is literally falling off!

Stephen

Its all part of maintenance - if the paintwork gets so bad, or rust is appearing in doors, wings etc. then something needs to be done. I had my car re-sprayed about 11 years ago because of those exact reasons.

[Bill_qaz]

Oh and just to amuse.......

When I arrived at ESM this morning the road was closed and the workshop had no electricity so they were about to all go home. The drive there was atrocious. 40 miles of torrential rain and gales. Driving over the top of the North Downs in dense cloud like driving in thick fog. That's not the joke.

I was sitting in the driving seat and I leaned back a bit hard on the drivers seat to reach for something on the back seat. The back of the drivers seat bent back double as if it was a reclining seat! Good timing.....New frame required.

Stephen

https://board.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php ... ck#p715514

Stephen, Did you see firedrake recent post?

[svenedin]

I dropped my Morris off this morning at Morris Minor Workshop for stage 2 (or is it stage 3 or 4) of the rolling restoration. When I get the car back it will no longer be rusty anywhere. It will in fact be in better condition than it was when I first bought the car 37 years ago.

A bit sad to be without the Morris but I don't drive it that frequently in winter anyway and it is exciting to think of a really presentable car ready in springtime for more adventures.

I'm not expecting anything dramatic. There's never been any welding to do. It's just bodywork and paint. Things I can't do to the standard I want.

It's all very well to say "they're only original once". Yes that's true but unless they're in a museum something has to be done when the paint is literally falling off!

Stephen

Its all part of maintenance - if the paintwork gets so bad, or rust is appearing in doors, wings etc. then something needs to be done. I had my car re-sprayed about 11 years ago because of those exact reasons.

Yes exactly. This isn't a total strip down and rebuild it's maintenance. The car will still have never been welded or totally disassembled but it's a bit of a Trigger's Broom of course. Not really surprising after all these years. Things do wear out.

Stephen

[svenedin]

Oh and just to amuse.......

When I arrived at ESM this morning the road was closed and the workshop had no electricity so they were about to all go home. The drive there was atrocious. 40 miles of torrential rain and gales. Driving over the top of the North Downs in dense cloud like driving in thick fog. That's not the joke.

I was sitting in the driving seat and I leaned back a bit hard on the drivers seat to reach for something on the back seat. The back of the drivers seat bent back double as if it was a reclining seat! Good timing.....New frame required.

Stephen

https://board.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php ... ck#p715514

Stephen, Did you see firedrake recent post?

Thank you yes. I think I also saw this on the FB Buy and Sell Morris Minor Spares group.

I do want to put together a toolkit and the pouch if I can get a repro or something similar. I doubt any of the plastic pouches are in good condition after all these years. Not that I have ever seen one.

Stephen

[svenedin]

I have sourced most of the parts of a toolkit including the plastic envelope. These will need refurbishment so that is a job I can do.

I am going to fit a simple immobilising switch when the car returns. This will interrupt the ignition and will be a hidden switch so obviously I'm not going to say where I'm going to put it or exactly how but this is a fairly standard thing to do. The car will be worth more money when fully restored so it needs extra security. I will have to increase the agreed value with the insurer.

Other jobs are a USB charging socket, again hidden and some sound deadening.

I tend to plan jobs so that as much as possible can be done in the same place. As the gloveboxes have to come out, which is a tedious job, it makes sense to do as much as possible behind the dashboard at the same time. The original sound deadening has largely disintegrated so it needs replacing. A few copper bifurcated rivets are missing but I have some originals as replacements. The plan is to put some modern sound deadening on the bulkhead and then conceal it with the original type sound deadening over the top so that it looks completely original. This does require the loom to be disconnected and fed back into the engine bay, and the heater pipes, speedo cable, throttle cable, choke cable so it is not a little job. Whether I can do this before May and Minors on Tour I am not sure. If not it is a Winter 2026/2027 job as I do not want the car in bits during the "season" (of car shows, trips and pleasant driving in good weather).

Stephen

[svenedin]

For completeness in this thread, here is my car in its current state. The restoration will be complete in a few weeks and then all will be done. Except of course it's really never ending with a classic car!

The bodywork had all the usual problems. Rusty door bottoms (especially the near side which gets the water from puddles), bottom of the boot lid etc. Rear wings were not terrible but well bashed about. The door skin had split near the window on the passenger side presumably from flexing caused by repeated slamming over the years. Otherwise, the car has always been very solid having embalmed itself from numerous oil leaks (engine, gearbox, diff, rear axle) and from never being kept outside for any of its life.

It's nice to see the car without the rear windows like a Series MM tourer but of course it can't stay that way.

The doors have never ever fitted as well as they do now!

Stephen

[svenedin]

Some more progress photos

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[mobylette]

Looks amazing. hopefully you wont be afraid to use it as much as you have in the past.

[svenedin]

Looks amazing. hopefully you wont be afraid to use it as much as you have in the past.

Thank you. I have considered that I might be too precious about it but I think all I am going to do is put a decent tartan rug over the back seat so that my German Shepherd Dog doesn't rip the new seat covers with his claws. He loves riding in the car top down so much I could not deny him that pleasure.

Xavier is also on page 57 of Minor Matters in Surrey Hills branch news March/April 2026.


Stephen

[svenedin]

The wait is nearly over and I am going to collect Xavier tomorrow morning resplendent in his new paint. Hurray!


Stephen

[ManyMinors]

Well done! Just in time for summer driving . You've clearly looked after the car in the past. Carry on using it and enjoying it. The worst thing you can do is to stop using them. The only time I do not drive mine is when salt is sprinkled on the roads. Please post some photos of the finished car

[svenedin]

Thank you. I am just sorting out a new hazard switch so I have the dashboard apart right now but I will post some photos in the next few days.

Don't worry this is not a concours car. I'll be taking the dog out in it later although I will be protecting the brand new back seat vinyl! The new hood is just going to get dog slobber on it. It's too bad.

The car looks lovely. Way better than it ever was when I first got it 37 years ago.

Mechanically it was all done some time ago but beautification was the very last bit.

I am slightly astounded that I have this car in mint condition after all these years. When I was 17 I thought it was a first car and by my age now I'd be driving an XK120 or similar. Life did not work out like that and I am very content with how things are!

Thanks are due to everybody on this forum who so kindly advised me and encouraged me to get where we are today.

Stephen

[svenedin]

Here's how you can mount a standard Lucas SFB300 (or modern copy) hazard light switch in the very restricted under dashboard area of a convertible. The bracket that holds the switch and the flasher unit (Lucas 9FL) is shortened by cutting it with a hacksaw. Likewise the plastic cover. Then the 9FL can be mounted on the other side of the raised lip (it is to the left of the switch in my picture). I decided just to attach the 9FL with a sticky pad. The original Lucas SFB300 switches do turn up and have the advantage of following the BS-AU7 wiring colours making installation very straightforward and requiring no cuts to the existing wiring. This particular switch is a NOS Lucas original.

Stephen

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