Morris Minor Owners Club

We want to do a nice job on this car, something to be proud of and it will look completely authentic to 99% of people I'm sure.

While I'm here, I want to thank you all for your comments so far, it's very useful and helpful, I hope I can return the favour one day.

Geobernie is right, it's your car, you can do as you wish with it.

We are not knowledgeable enough to ensure every single item is accurate for it's period

Neither were the rest of us when we started down this road, so you're in good company.
Here are some pictures of a 1961 convertible for you (with indicators added) and a random interior pic I found, just so you know what it started like, where you go next is for you to decide...….
Best wishes,
Mike.

There's even a register for "transitional" cars that came out of the fasctory with some parts form earlier cars and some from later cars. That's why opinions can get devided. The situation evolved when there was a design change that iupgraded several items, but the factory ended up with a stock of some old units and so might fit early clap-hands wipers but with later front and rear lamp units. The blanking plates where the semophores went could have been fitted at a later date, but on some cars would have been fitted in the factory as the new indicators were installed on older body shells. On a rally field one sometimes encounters "knowledgeqable" folk who pontificate oin the subject of, for example, the wrong cololur wheels, whilst completely ignoring photographic evidence of the car as delivered at the dealer. All production records were written buy hand, and human error could be a factor. Add to that 50+ years of various owners making their own modifications and buying spares from scrapyards at a time when originality was not important for a daily use car, and pretty well "qanything goes".

Hello there,

When I had my first mini, back in 1968, there was a problem with the fuel pump. It often stopped working, but that's not surprising because it was fitted to the rear subframe, right in the way of the nasty stuff that gets thrown up from the road on a rainy day.

I found that tapping it on the side with a small hammer often got it going again because the points had stuck. You could try doing the same, to see if it frees off the points. If it doesn't work then no harm done (as long as you don't tap too hard that is!)

After getting my trousers dirty for the umpteenth time tapping the fuel pump under the car I gave up and went to a scrapyard. There I bought a used Minor fuel pump and fitted it in the engine bay just behind the engine. End of problem!

Obviously you'll need to refurbish the pump or replace it at some time, but as a first try, to see if it can be got going again, I'd try tapping it first.

jagnut66 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 09, 2019 11:01 am Geobernie is right, it's your car, you can do as you wish with it.

We are not knowledgeable enough to ensure every single item is accurate for it's period

Neither were the rest of us when we started down this road, so you're in good company.
Here are some pictures of a 1961 convertible for you (with indicators added) and a random interior pic I found, just so you know what it started like, where you go next is for you to decide...….
Best wishes,
Mike.

This is getting quite funny! Suggest we all stop now, because 'BlumpyGrumf' is going to be put off for life, BUT: the car pictured in Jagnut's photo of an interior (the white car with red interior) ain't a 1961 car as it has the wrong interior trim, heater and windscreen wipers, for starters.

I really don't care - I had a Traveller years ago that had the wrong parts fitted and it was a super car - my point is here that there are a lot of bits of misinformation being quoted as correct throughout this post, which is bad as people reading the forum don't have a way of knowing what's right or wrong!

BlumpyGrumf - your car will be fine - you'll get your fuel pump sorted (which is after all all you asked about, right?!?!), and I am sure you'll enjoy the car, which as others have said, looks broadly as a car of the age you believe it to be should. I'm sure you'll still enjoy it lots even if it's had the odd non-original part fitted to it .

BUT: the car pictured in Jagnut's photo ain't a 1961 car as it has the wrong interior trim, heater and windscreen wipers, for starters

I did say the interior shot was 'random'
I looked up 1961 Morris Minor images online but they didn't have a matching interior shot...….

Suggest we all stop now, because 'BlumpyGrumf' is going to be put off for life

I'm sure he's realised that most of us are quite mad by now...…..
Best wishes,
Mike.

My personal contribution to this debate (which seems to have veered away from fuel pump advice considerably!) is that owners will, and do, carry out various 'alterations/modifications' to their cars - as I have done, although I have always tried to ensure they are in keeping with the cars original appearance (e.g. fitting a 948cc engine in place of a 803 but retaining the long gearstick and transmission tunnel). However, I also feel that original, or even original looking Minors are now the exception and should be left 'unmolested' now due to their heritage aspect.........two of the Minors I have previously owned I have had to undo all sorts of peculiar modifications to get them back to looking original......

My personal contribution to this debate (which seems to have veered away from fuel pump advice considerably!) is that owners will, and do, carry out various 'alterations/modifications' to their cars

Absolutely and there's nothing wrong with it, I am replacing my 803 with a 948, a far better engine. Though I too like the car to look reasonably stock.
I'm feeling quite contrite about my earlier 'random interior image', so here's one I've found after more searching that I believe to be correct for 1961: I'm now waiting to get shot down if it's not...….
Best wishes,
Mike.

That looks a very similar interior to this "1960?" car I have here, I'm happy to accept mine has to be 60 or 61, hopefully there's no major differences between those two years. I've stripped 50% of the car now, so have a shed load of new questions following discoveries. I'll start new topics rather than keep this one alive, the fuel pump issue is now sorted, we decided to get a new one simply to save time and hopefully gain reliability.

Thanks again to everyone that's contributed to this post.

I remain pretty certain that your car is the age you suggest. However, all the blue seats and interior trim are from a later (post October 1964) model.

I tend to agree with you there ManyMinors, I think the DVLC record is accurate, 1960, but I'll also consider it could possibly be a 61 model.

Blumpygrumf wrote: ↑Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:46 pm
Lastly, as I've never owned a convertible vehicle I'm unsure on the following. On DVLA's records/the ownership papers, does it state if a car is a convertible? If it doesn't then are there any tell tale signs to identify a conversion versus an original soft top?

Late to the party, but can't let such a festival of pedantry pass without joining in! I don't think Blumpy's query above was answered. The stamped letters and numbers on the chassis plate should be decipherable, even if the printing has gone, and the V5C will also show these. If it left the factory as a convertible the chassis number would be preceded by the letters MAT3 (Morris A Series Engine Tourer Series 3). If it started life as a two door saloon the letters would be MA2S3. Information from Ray Newell's "Original Morris Minor".

Mark

Just noticed this last reply. I can confirm the engine plate states M/AT3, so that's that mystery sorted, it's a factory produced convertible!

Onwards and upwards with project Minor!