Morris Minor Owners Club

That's probably why you've stripped the gear then... Not known for being strong boxes!

Indeed not!

And it had been running a good few years with a 948 engine/803 box for a good number of years before I bought the car

You will appreciate the better gear ratios on a 948 box. What diff are you running?

mike.perry wrote:What diff are you running?

hmmmmm trying to not sound stupid here. But how can I tell?

Only way I know its to pull it out the housing and look at the number stamped in the casing across the top of the gears.

As for gearbox - I feel your pain and would probably pull it out the front complete with engine as they're such a g_t to remove from underneath, twisting and turning then landing on you!

Why you bought a minor? Because they're the best thing since people discovered sliced bread was rubbish.

MColes wrote:To quote Edmund Blackadder "The path of my life is strewn with cowpats from the Devil's own Satanic herd!"

It only makes the noise in 1st gear so luckily I was able to get home by pulling off in second (wasn't great since I was stopped on a hill).

Is it alright for the car to pull off in second or would it end up not being able to mover any further than an asthmatic and with some heavy shopping!?

It moved in second, just not very well as I was forced to go up a hill. On the flat it would have been fine

MColes wrote:

mike.perry wrote:What diff are you running?

hmmmmm trying to not sound stupid here. But how can I tell?

Jack up the rear so one wheel is off the ground. Mark the tyre with chalk and also a point on the prop / diff flange. Turn the wheel one full rev and count the turns the prop makes then times that number by 2 to get ratio. So if you turn wheel once and prop revolves 2.1 turns then its a 4.2 diff.

So what would be the best diff to have with a 948 setup?

4.55 I think

4.55 I expect

A 948 will pull a 4.22 easy enough and give you better cruising speed with lower revs...

Yep - go for a 4.2 - or even a 3.9. But you changed the back axle recently - what car did that come from ?? I too would pull the whole engine/box out the front - it's a nightmare working under the car (and potentially dangerous too!) unless you have a pit -or access to garage style ramps?

If you are revving the nuts off the engine at 60mph you can be pretty sure that you have a 5.375 803 diff. The most suitable diff for a 948 engine is a 4.55 diff.
What TPI number do you have on the speedo face, eg 1504, 1408 etc? You will need to change the speedo if you change the diff.

mike.perry wrote:The most suitable diff for a 948 engine is a 4.55 diff.

As a sweeping statement this is not necessarilly true! I run a 4.22 in my 948 Traveller without any detriment to the car or it's driving characteristics at all. I would back the statement up with the following: If you do mainly town driving with some dual carrigeways and little motorway use, then go for a 4.55. However, if you do mostly motorway and dual carrigeways i would go for the taller gearing a 4.22 offers. Ultimately, of course, the choice is yours and fortunately neither of the above diffs are expensive to buy secondhand (unlike the 3.9 or 3.7 versions).

The 948 engine can so easily be 'upgraded' slightly - it's well worth fitting the lower ratio (ie 4.2 or 3.9) diff - and then improving the engine to suit. Also fuel economy is so much more important nowadays - the lower ratio diff will help that too. Ok - sometimes you will need to go for 3rd on a hill - but all the rest of the time it will pull well. Best economy comes with low revs and full open throttle - provided the carb and engine timing have been optimised of course! !

If you live in the Lake District, Peak District, North York Moors etc I would stick with a 4.55

Ahh - now that ^^^^ 's a special case!!

Just went out and checked what diff my car has got. I worked it out as a 4.55. If I remember rightly the car it came off was a later Series II. So would this be right?

Still no luck getting a gearbox