Morris Minor Owners Club

bmcecosse wrote:If it's been banging for a while - the laygear may have been damaged, so another gearbox may be the way to go. It would be unwise to buy any parts until you see the state of the gears in your box. It is possible to remove the side cover (watch out for 2 small springs) with the box in the car - and with a good light you can then inspect the gears and see how they look! If you do rebuild the box - new syncro rings and bearings all round will be a 'good idea'.

I did take the side cover off, and I couldn't see any damage, and everything was nice and shiny clean.
It's a little difficult to see all the gears inside with it still in the car.
Now that I have decided to pull it out, I'm going to re-ring the engine too.
I got this car in a non-running state, and it had been sitting for 20 years, so I'm impressed that it still runs and moves at all.

Well - if all the teeth are intact on 1st gear, and on the matching gear on the laygear - there's no need to pull the box! You can pull the pistons out of the block without removing the engine - just take sump and head off.

bmcecosse wrote:Well - if all the teeth are intact on 1st gear, and on the matching gear on the laygear - there's no need to pull the box! You can pull the pistons out of the block without removing the engine - just take sump and head off.

The transmission absolutely has a problem. It has to come apart.

Indeed - but it may not be economic to repair it! Worth a look though.

Well, the first gear has a missing tooth. Of course, I can't seem to find one online. Does anybody know where I can find one? (948 gearbox)<br><br>

Should be able to pick up another 948 box very cheaply - most upgrade to the much better 1098 box at first sign of trouble.

bmcecosse wrote:Should be able to pick up another 948 box very cheaply - most upgrade to the much better 1098 box at first sign of trouble.

My biggest problem is being in the USA.
These cars are pretty rare over here. Can somebody help me find parts or a used gearbox? Shipping is a big factor, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to fix this.

What all do I need to change to a 1098 gearbox?

Either use it with a 1098 flywheel and clutch - or swop the clutch fork for the 948 one. Is the car LHD ? You may find someone here with an old 948 box (sorry - I don't have one !) which they are willing to pull 1st gear out and send to you. Has to be said though - 1st gear is the one that always takes a hammering because it has no syncro. I don't know if 1st gear from 1098 box would be the same - maybe someone will know this ?
Remind me where you are in USA ? Is there no MG specialist nearby ?

Yes, The car is LHD.
I am in Sioux City, Iowa. There aren't even any MGs here. ;)
I would love to find a good gearbox of any variety, if I can pay someone to ship it to me. If all else fails, I'll order a gearbox from somewhere. I'd just like to save some money.

Problem is - the LHD gearbox is slighly different where the clutch actuation comes out of the bell housing - no problem if you find another 948 box and can swop the parts over, but they won't fit a 1098 box, so your choices are limited. Best bet from the UK is going to be a set of internals from a 948 box.

If it helps sprite and midgets use the same gearboxes... and I know there are a few spridgets in the states.

Try asking on www.spritespot.com forums

Matt wrote:If it helps sprite and midgets use the same gearboxes... and I know there are a few spridgets in the states.
Try asking on www.spritespot.com forums

OK, this is the info I needed! I had no idea they had interchanging parts.
I'm new to British cars completely. Like I said before, I fix Japanese cars for a living!

My last resto was my Dodge.


Thank you all for your help. Lots of good info here

Bull Motif have new First gear for the 1098 box - I just don't know if it will fit the early 948 box.

fill up with gearbox oil, the car did about 20 miles before needing to be replaced.

I've done a good few thousand miles using EP80/90 in the gearbox before it started to fail. Again this was on advice from someone who seemed to know what they were doing

The gearbox will be considerably more noisy with no oil in it! I can't open the video here at work, so will try and remember later on this week - I've had plenty of dodgy boxes in my minors so far, so I'd be impressed if you've got a noise I've never heard before.

I've managed to get the video up - the noise sounds quite typical for a failing Minor box. It can be rebuilt with new bearings if you catch it early enough.

Don't know if this gear will be any use to you - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0200541540