Best book for renovation

[PeterCat]

Was about to look for a workshop manual but notice there are some books offered specially for renovations.
Any recommendations please ( I have just purchased a 68 Traveller) ?

[myoldjalopy]

The workshop manual is definitely worth having. As for restoration, I do have a copy of the Haynes Morris Minor Restoration Manual which has a lot of useful information but does not cover everything you might want to know or encounter - but that is inevitable when you consider the complexities of car restoration. There may be other books if you search for them.....

[moggiethouable]

I find this a good book
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142528563831 ... R7bK4rKWZw

[geoberni]

I would certainly get the original Workshop Manual rather than a Haynes one.
I've never had a Haynes one for the Minor, but as a general rule of thumb, back in the day Haynes Manuals always had an element of 'How they did it' when doing the job, rather than how it was supposed to be done.
In my opinion, that was not always the best approach, with an element of bodging it...

You won't find much 'workshop' info in a restoration book.

You can readily find pdf copies of the WS manual online to download, just search for 'AKD530 pdf '.

[svenedin]

This question comes up every so often and a forum search will return quite a few suggestions. I have a bit of a library of Morris Minor books that I have collected over the years. I don't think any one book is going to fulfil all requirements by any means.

The best book, by far, for maintenance is the Workshop Manual AKD530. To assist in determining what is original and what is not for a particular year, Ray Newell's book "The Original Morris Minor" has no serious competitors. "The Morris Minor Restoration Manual" also by Ray Newell is also recommended.

I don't really recommend the Haynes Manual although I do have an old and rather oily copy. The photographs are poor by modern standards (the line drawings in the workshop manual are much better) and quite a lot of the text applies to BMC models other than Morris Minors (for instance the section on removing and reinstalling the engine).

Most of my Minor books are actually in one pile at the moment (after some serious tidying) and I will take a photograph just to show what there is available. I don't have time to critique every publication.

Try a forum search for other suggestions. Here is a thread to start: https://board.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php ... ks#p705383

Stephen

[svenedin]

Here are some of my books. To add to this there's "Tuning the A-Series Engine" by Vizard.

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[don58van]

There is a soft-cover book that specifically covers restoration of the Traveller. It appears from time to time on auction sites. I consider it is worth having. I also recommend a hard-cover book on the Traveller co-authored by Ray Newell that has an excellent section on the woodwork by Steve Foreman (Traveller woodwork supplier/installer). Bear in mind that it covers the story of the Traveller rather being a restoration manual. I am sure it is available from the MMOC online shop. There was a multi-part series on restoring a Traveller in a UK classic car magazine a many years ago that is worth a look. They had a major weird issue with the bodywork. Finally, Minor Matters had a detailed story on Traveller woodwork many years back. Let me know if you want more detail on any of these.

Of course, most if not all of the MInor restoration books (I think have almost all of them) a section on the Traveller but the above ones give more attention to Traveller-specific guidance.

Don

[Chief]

The Lindsay Porter book:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225535716436

I'm linking to that one to show the cover image, not the price of it (I'd look elsewhere)

[ManyMinors]

Practical Classics Magazine also published a very good restoration book on the Morris Minor some years ago. It included a guide to replacement of the Traveller timber frame in great detail but is a worthwhile publication if you can find one. I don't know if it is still in print.

[mike1864]

Talking of woodwork (and mine is going black after only 30 years), what are the latest thoughts on the best preservative regime and finish for replacement framework?
I've seen Kevin's detailed post from many years ago. But even Woodies seem to have turned away from the finishes they'd previously championed.
Of course the best preservative is a garage; but mine is full of convertible!
So it may have to be a cover (cue another discussion?).

[myoldjalopy]

That's quite a collection of books you got there, Stephen - but you ought to add this beauty to it (hopefully, you can find a cheaper one...I only paid 25p for mine, although it was many years ago now): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/136797842154 ... BMsPflo5dn

And this one (a much better price too ): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/177903852281 ... R5KPhKSXZw

[svenedin]

That's quite a collection of books you got there, Stephen - but you ought to add this beauty to it (hopefully, you can find a cheaper one...I only paid 25p for mine, although it was many years ago now): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/136797842154 ... BMsPflo5dn

And this one (a much better price too ): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/177903852281 ... R5KPhKSXZw

Thank you. I can't resist adding to my collection. Sold!

I was actually trying to get rid of some books (not car books though) and now I have bought 2 more.......

When I was a child I would be given car books for birthdays and Christmas. I loved them. I knew how carburettors and engines worked a long time before I could ever drive a car.

Stephen

[PeterCat]

Thanks all, Just to get started I have ordered a manual and one of the restoration books recommended. That should get me started!

[svenedin]

Thank you MyoldJalopy for the book recommendations

I am particularly enjoying the "The Book of the Morris Minor" by Staton Abbey. I love the writing style, which would now be considered rather old-fashioned. It is amusing to me because the book was written in 1962 and the author is clearly drawing comparisons between the Morris Minor and small family cars of the 1930's. Some of the author's statements might seem to be wild exaggeration now but I think it shows just how revolutionary the Morris Minor actually was when it was launched in 1948.

Some choice quotes so far:

"When the first post-war Morris Minor was introduced in 1948, it immediately acquired an enviable reputation as a small, inexpensive family saloon that possessed the sensitive steering and beautiful handling of a thoroughbred sports car"

"The brakes on Minors have always been excellent........even on an old car there is no reason why the brakes should not be brought up to modern standards"

I was also interested to read that the author recommends a "Gefarator" (exhaust aspirator) that allegedly reduces carbon build up in the cylinder head. A new device to me entirely, I have never even heard of such a thing.


Stephen

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[Andmurph]

https://archive.commercialmotor.com/art ... combustion

[myoldjalopy]

Glad you are enjoying the books, Stephen. Here's an interesting fact from the chapter on the ignition system - that, when the car is "cruising at a modest speed", the points open and close more than 100 times a second, so that, after 5000 miles, they have opened and closed nearly 600 million times!
And there follows a valuable warning about maintenance - "It is not surprising, therefore, that neglect of the ignition system is liable to be repaid by poor performance, excessive fuel consumption and difficult starting!" Words to live by, indeed. It is no coincidence that the majority of starting/poor running problems are due to some issue within the ignition system - plugs, points, dizzy cap, leads etc. (But never the coil! )

[svenedin]

Glad you are enjoying the books, Stephen. Here's an interesting fact from the chapter on the ignition system - that, when the car is "cruising at a modest speed", the points open and close more than 100 times a second, so that, after 5000 miles, they have opened and closed nearly 600 million times!
And there follows a valuable warning about maintenance - "It is not surprising, therefore, that neglect of the ignition system is liable to be repaid by poor performance, excessive fuel consumption and difficult starting!" Words to live by, indeed. It is no coincidence that the majority of starting/poor running problems are due to some issue within the ignition system - plugs, points, dizzy cap, leads etc. (But never the coil! )

That is a very interesting fact!


I found a small advertisement for the "Gefarator" in Autosport June 1955. £4 4s would be £92 today.

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