Morris Minor Owners Club

Only yesterday I was thinking "this must be one of the least enjoyable jobs" as I replaced a steering rack gaiter. Satisfying when it is done though.

Have the people struggling with steering rack gaiters resorted to plastic ties instead of Jubilee clips? I have. I spotted a torn gaiter the night before an MOT. Could I get the track rod end off? Could I £$%^%$$!

The worst job must be removing and replacing the valves in a side valve with the engine in the car. Trying to get the valve collets to stay in place is a total nightmare, even using grease on them to make them stick.

non of you must have done a headlining or splitscreen rubber change then,have a go just for fun even if they don't need doing,just so you never want to do it again unless you have to

Split screen window replacement. Sounds easy, slide one screen one way and one the other way and fit the centre pillar. WRONG.
After one windscreen company botched the job, they used mastic instead of the centre rubber strip, another enthusiastic fitter spent over two hours at my house, with my help fitting the screens, he still wasn't satisfied and re fitted them in his workshop. Even then the new rubber was a poor fit.
I'm still trying to pluck up courage to do the headlinings on the Traveller

kennatt wrote:non of you must have done a headlining or splitscreen rubber change then,have a go just for fun even if they don't need doing,just so you never want to do it again unless you have to

What is it with head-lining that frightens people? I took one out of a scrapper and put it in my saloon without damage. The damage happened when re-fitting the read window…… So it needs replacing now…

Fitting the little clips on window seals. The slippery little suckers are not designed for fitting by normal size fingers or tools!

Have done the headlining before. Not really difficult just time consuming.

The damage happened when re-fitting the read window…… So it needs replacing now…

exactly,easy to fit yes to a point, easy to fit to a satisfactory finish ,not,so you are now going to do it again with a new one How many times,hope the next try is ok

I'll be putting a headlining in a saloon soon. As I remember, getting one off without damage is tricky because of the two large clips, on the length of plywood, which hold the front of the headlining abouve the front screen.
I'm thinking that to fit the replacement, I should rig up a couple of hooks, and attach these with string to the large clips at the front of the headlining, as close as possible to them. This will give some anchorage whilst I jiggle about with the rest - then snip off the temporary hooks, make a check that everything's fitting well, and finally click the large clips into place!
Something like that.

mike.perry wrote:

Undoing those 40 billion ceased up brass screws around the gearbox tunnel cover!!!

Replce them with bolts then you can spin them off with a socket and wrench

I just use an electric screwdriver ...whizzzz, whizzz ... and youre done

My worst job: Anything that involves a captive nut which you cant get to the other side of to tack a blob of weld on the spinning chuffer! (Right now my big pain the the bum is the bolt that secures the middle exhaust mount - suggestions very welcome, I'm contemplating welding a bolt to the outside)

alainmoran wrote:(Right now my big pain the the bum is the bolt that secures the middle exhaust mount - suggestions very welcome, I'm contemplating welding a bolt to the outside)

The head of the bolt is under the rear seat, isn't it? It's not a captive nut.

After brushing away the collection of fluff & nonsense that had gathered under the seat I can now see the head of the bolt ... thank you VERY much

Hi alainmoran!

Regarding your comment about welding a bolt to the outside - if it had been necessary (not now as you've sent that old devil fluff packing), better to drill a hole, drop the bolt through, and weld the head from above.

I prepare for any welding in a way that lets me attack it from above as much as possible, even if it involves more work, time and materials, to minimise time spent in the 'below car' danger zone. Usually get a better result too, as I am working in a less-stressed frame of mind, ie much more comfortably.

Have you ever noticed how things never conveniently fall up into your hand. I put gravity in the same league as fluff!