Morris Minor Owners Club

ManyMinors wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 4:28 pm You're right Les. A few names there that we never hear of now....
A starting handle is a great thing to have though! Like a spare wheel - which every car used to have but now don't seem to

My first car, in the mid 1970s, was a 1969 mk1 Escort. The front bodywork had a hole to use a starter handle, but no matching hole in the bumper....

geoberni wrote: ↑Sat Nov 01, 2025 3:55 pm

ManyMinors wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 4:28 pm You're right Les. A few names there that we never hear of now....
A starting handle is a great thing to have though! Like a spare wheel - which every car used to have but now don't seem to

My first car, in the mid 1970s, was a 1969 mk1 Escort. The front bodywork had a hole to use a starter handle, but no matching hole in the bumper....

and no starter dog,
they decided not to bother?

I wouldn't like to think how many times I had to use the starting handle back when I was in my late teens. My Morris had not been very well maintained. It had a huge, ancient hard rubber battery that didn't hold charge very well and so the battery was frequently too flat to operate the starter motor. Sometimes the dynamo would fail to produce enough output for headlights and the battery would slowly discharge when driving at night. Eventually, there was insufficient power to operate the indicator flasher and so I had to do hand signals too. Now, with compressions of 175 psi in all cylinders it's much more difficult to crank on the starting handle and I only do it as a party piece with a warmed up engine.

Stephen

bobtail4x4 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 01, 2025 6:21 pm

geoberni wrote: ↑Sat Nov 01, 2025 3:55 pm

ManyMinors wrote: ↑Thu Oct 30, 2025 4:28 pm You're right Les. A few names there that we never hear of now....
A starting handle is a great thing to have though! Like a spare wheel - which every car used to have but now don't seem to

My first car, in the mid 1970s, was a 1969 mk1 Escort. The front bodywork had a hole to use a starter handle, but no matching hole in the bumper....

and no starter dog,
they decided not to bother?

Yes, if you look at images of mk1 Escorts, many of the 'sportier' varieties have separate quarter bumpers on he front; by 1971 the hole in the front panel has gone.

Was the Minor the last British car to use a starting handle? And was it the last to use trafficators?

myoldjalopy wrote: ↑Tue Nov 04, 2025 8:24 am Was the Minor the last British car to use a starting handle? And was it the last to use trafficators?

Flashing indicators were legal in the UK from 1954, but were not mandatory on all new cars until September 1965. Thus giving plenty of leeway for manufacturers to change their designs. Of course, Minors and other makes/models had been using Indicators for North America since around 1950...

There was actually an aftermarket kit to convert to flashing trafficators in the early 60s.... https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/flashers.htm

It might be a toss up between the Minor converting to Indicators in 1961 and when the Austin A35 Countryman actually ceased production, which was 61/62 ???

That vintage kit is interesting......
I can't imagine any cars still had a starting handle option in 1971 when the Minor ended production.

The Morris Oxford ended production at the same time as the Minor 1000 Traveller - in 1971. That too still had a starting handle!
I agree though, I can't think of any other cars that did by then.

ManyMinors wrote: ↑Thu Nov 06, 2025 7:25 am The Morris Oxford ended production at the same time as the Minor 1000 Traveller - in 1971. That too still had a starting handle!
I agree though, I can't think of any other cars that did by then.

Over the lifespan of the Minor, the Oxford went through several very different Body shapes, from the MO through to the series VI.
I know it kept the hole in the bumper, but did they still fit the required Starting Handle Nut to the front of the engine....?

svenedin wrote: ↑Sat Nov 01, 2025 6:21 pm Now, with compressions of 175 psi in all cylinders it's much more difficult to crank on the starting handle and I only do it as a party piece with a warmed up engine.

Stephen

This old thread has made me feel better about my inability to start on the handle. I could do it when I first got the car, but now I've realised that it was before I replaced the cylinder head with a reconditioned one. There was barely any compression on two cylinders back then - now all four are good as new which might be why I can no longer do it. And I'd just put it down to increasing age and feebleness...

Seb

Napoleon Boot wrote: ↑Sun Nov 16, 2025 9:23 pm

svenedin wrote: ↑Sat Nov 01, 2025 6:21 pm Now, with compressions of 175 psi in all cylinders it's much more difficult to crank on the starting handle and I only do it as a party piece with a warmed up engine.

Stephen

This old thread has made me feel better about my inability to start on the handle. I could do it when I first got the car, but now I've realised that it was before I replaced the cylinder head with a reconditioned one. There was barely any compression on two cylinders back then - now all four are good as new which might be why I can no longer do it. And I'd just put it down to increasing age and feebleness...

Seb

If you have certain types of electronic ignition it's very difficult to start on the handle. Optronic, the Lumenition type with a cutter is fine and it starts easily on the handle. Magnetronic is very tricky.

I'm too old for starting cold engines or very big church bells

Stephen

svenedin wrote: ↑Sun Nov 16, 2025 10:33 pm If you have certain types of electronic ignition it's very difficult to start on the handle. Optronic, the Lumenition type with a cutter is fine and it starts easily on the handle. Magnetronic is very tricky.

Ah now that's something else I hadn't considered - I've installed Accuspark electronic ignition as well since I got the car. I'll give up on the starting handle then and stick to the battery jumper in that case!

Seb

[/quote]

If you have certain types of electronic ignition it's very difficult to start on the handle. Optronic, the Lumenition type with a cutter is fine and it starts easily on the handle. Magnetronic is very tricky.

[/quote]

Oh that's possibly why the handle didn't work for me!. I know i have electronic ignition but PO didn't tell me what type.

Every day's a school day

The Lumenition Optronic type has a device called a "chopper" in the distributor. It "chops" (interrupts) a light beam as the distributor spindle turns. That is the signal for the system to fire the spark. The other system (Magnetronic) uses the Hall effect and for that system to trigger the spark and detect enough change in the magnetic field it has to be moving quite fast. I think that is why such types of electronic ignition are difficult to start with a starting handle. The Accuspark, Powerspark, Pertronix and Alden systems all use the Hall effect.

Stephen