Morris Minor Owners Club

So why were the later cars never fitted with the 1275, any one know?? (the came in in '66 ish for spridgets....)

Because the minor was considered past its sell by date and with the 1100/1300 available they were not going to spend money on a Forties design, because along with the engine increase the brakes and suspension would also have to be upgraded (how shortsighted that was) and even the front lever arm suspension wasnt done away with until the Ital.

They could have done a Minor 1275 GT but you have to put yourself back in the shoes of a car buyer in then late 60's
The Morris Minor 1098 wasn't extremely slow in comparison with its peers and it certainly wasn't a car that interested boy racers (or girl racers) as they would want a swinging 60's Mini.
As the car already appealed to its existing market and the 1100/1300 were more modern the Minor was just past its sell by date.

If they had carried on with it, the car would then have become very antiquated in comparison with its rivals and damged the company's image. They decided to do that by different means by making the Marina. (no offence to Marina owners as the car wasn't as bad as some people make out, but unlike the Minor it was not ground breaking and was behind the rivals)

rayofleamington wrote: Did you consider the alternative to go for complete 1098 engine, box and axle (all from a late saloon) then to spend at most a few hundred on a 12G295 cylinder head, and a 1.5" carb and a decent manifold. Performance will be similar to a standard 1300 and unless you add a high performance cam it should be just as pleasant to drive around town.

I'm happy with my police car with it's 1098cc engine for the moment, but next year I should be starting a course about 100 miles away so I'll be doing regular trips there and back to Cambridge, so I'd like to be able to drive at 70 mph and know there's a bit more speed there if necessary.... Also I won't have covered parking there and don't want my police car stood outside! Would the modified 1098 engine you mentioned be suitable for doing that sort of driving?

As for the age of car, already having a 1098 I was after a bit of variety, and I like the look of the slightly earlier cars, which was why I was thinking of that one However if it adds to the work significantly, maybe I should try and look for one that's already at least partly upgraded.

The thing is that I like learning how to do all these jobs, and usually the best method seems to be to have a go (with a few instructions from people who know what they're doing).....

avoid the marina box, as it has an awfull gearchange, and is very very heavy..

You have to hack lumps out of the bell housing to clear rack and remove lots of metal to get starter in (even after you move the starter motor down).

Original turbominor cracked the bellhousing several times..

Best bet would be marina/sierra disks

see :-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 10443&rd=1

along with marina/ital 1275 and standard 1098 box. If you drive like to drive hard you may need a midget clutch.

..::Edited by Gareth so the link displays properly::..

As for the age of car, already having a 1098 I was after a bit of variety, and I like the look of the slightly earlier cars

I completely follow your logic there. I like the earlier Minor 1000's too, but there is a snag that they usually end up with ugly lumps of orange indicator on the rear arches and converted to 1098 front sidelight/flashers anyway so that you can have 'normal' flashing orange indicators. After that's been done, the only big difference is the glove box lids (which are interchangable) and the less practical clap hands wipers.

If you want to do the 200 mile round trip at 70mph every few weeks , a tuned 1098 would cope with it. If it is all motorway miles I'd go for a 3.9 Diff with the 1275 or a tuned 1098 as the original 1098 diff (4.22) is a bit low for long motorway journeys and the extra power would cope with the 3.9 and helping to reduce noise.
If you're going to do the 200 mile round trip every week, that's probably the border where you should consider looking for the 1300 A+ engine (Ital). These are harder to find, and as far as I know you can tell the difference by them having the oil filter above the dizzy, not down by the sump.
The A+ was designed to be a bit more robust so it should cope better with 10K to 15K per year of high speed driving.

Whichever way you go you have a lot of options, but if you are lucky you can find an affordable one where most of the work is done.

i have a tuned 1098, and it drives very well at 70mph on the motorway, and has plenty in reserve for a short blast upto 80.

consider looking for the 1300 A+ engine (Ital). These are harder to find, and as far as I know you can tell the difference by them having the oil filter above the dizzy, not down by the sump.

Actually the 1300 A series and A+ engines have the oil filter there. Another way to tell the difference is to look at the distributer clamp. If it's like the Minor one (pinch bolt type) then it's A series. If it's got a fork which goes around the dizzy base and bolts into the block with a single bolt then it's A+.

I guess it would be around once a month..... It's Cambridge to Lincoln, which is pretty much straight up the A1. So in that case what I really need is an early Morris 1000 converted to 1098cc (ideally tuned) or 1275cc, but with the original type indicators - and disk brakes. Preferably 4 door in blue or black. Not too fussy then I expect there's more chance of an untuned 1098 version!

I'm not going to the National, but perhaps if you see anything you could let me know? I've got a year to find one, at least....

Actually the 1300 A series and A+ engines have the oil filter there.

Ah - so my old 'marina' lump wans't an A+ then - I wondered where that confusion had come from

No it was A series. BUT it was very useful to me as it had the correct timing cover that I needed. The Minor one had the timing marks at the bottom but was 'egg shaped' for use without a tensioner. The Ital one has the timing marks in the correct place but is the wrong shape as it has a tensioner provision. The marina one was just right! Correct timing marks and 'egg shaped'. Plus it's sump is now on my car! But the sump nut is a bit mashed, so I might have to replace the sump at the next oil change. (I did not check it before fitting it) D'oh!

I just spoke to my Dad, and made a suggestion, which I was quite suprised he agreed to.....

We both fund my restoration project, Rosie, and do the disk brakes and tuning on her. I use her during term time while my Dad has my panda car, then we swap back in the holidays! I'm not sure what will happen after the two years, but we can deal with that later. So although I won't get exactly the age and colour of car I was after (Rosie is 1969 and staying maroon) at least my Dad is now speaking to me in a much more friendly way, and even said I was sensible!

What we would really like now is a shopping list, as although Rosie won't be ready for a year or so it would be good to know what to look for on ebay and at autojumbles. I'd rather get a new disk brake kit though, just to be safe! Should I get the book about tuning an A series engine?

3.9 diff
12G295 cylinder head, and a 1.5" carb and a decent manifold

What's a decent manifold?

Any other items for the list, or suggestions?

I get the book about tuning an A series engine?

Vizard is always good, you might get a cheap copy on ebay.....

Decent inlet manifold = alloy type. Available from most Mini specialists.

Decent exhaust manifold = Falcon I suppose (complete with the stainless exhaust system). I have had reliability problems, but I have a tuned 1380 and I used to have a lot of clutch judder. You might be OK with a tuned 1098.

I would not be sacared of by a second had disc conversion as appart from some new seals and a set of disks and pads there is not much to go wrong. Plus the big saving.

is a 3.9 diff with a 1098 wise, standard 1300 was so-so with 3.9 diff, just worry if the 1098 would have enough puff to pull out into trafic with the 3.9.

3.9 diff with a 1098 wise

a tuned 1098 should give mid 50's bhp - around the same as a 1300, so for
for motorways would be much more pleasant that a 4.22
And as a standard 1098 will pull from 10mph in 4th gear I don't see a problem - it depends if you want boy racing acceleration or a practical motorway car.

1275 midget engine produces about 65hp, but thats with dual carbs etc

Cam wrote:Decent inlet manifold = alloy type. Available from most Mini specialists.

Decent exhaust manifold = Falcon I suppose (complete with the stainless exhaust system). I have had reliability problems, but I have a tuned 1380 and I used to have a lot of clutch judder. You might be OK with a tuned 1098.

Rosie's already got a stainless exhaust, so should this exhaust manifold fit straight on, or do I need to get one specially to fit that system?

Rosie's already got a stainless exhaust,

If it's a standard size one yes you need to change it - if you have a larger bore exhaust to fit something like a marina manifold, you could probably keep it.

Are these what I want?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... %3AIT&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... %3AIT&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... %3AIT&rd=1

What's the difference between the two carbs? Winger300, are you the same person who posts on here?

I'm not sure exactly which stainless exhaust I've got. Rosie lives with my Nana at the moment, so I can't go and check for a week or so. I don't mind changing though, as I think it would look rather smart on my panda car