Morris Minor Owners Club

"May I ask what the three nuts ahead of the front spring hanger on each side are for?"

Seat belt retractor bracket

Thanks. And the holes in the bulkhead panel below the rear seat?

Chipper wrote:Thanks. And the holes in the bulkhead panel below the rear seat?

[frame][/frame]

Those are the rear speakers. They actually have black (as near to period as I could find) covers on, maybe that's why it looks like a hole in the picture.

The front speakers are under the parcel shelf[frame][/frame]

Good location for them - it would create a 'boom box' effect. I guess the sound is pretty good?

Also, I notice you appear to have 5-leaf (saloon) rear springs fitted, rather than the 7-leaf Traveller springs - any particular reason for that?

No, they are seven leaf springs, although not so easy to see on that picture.

I never thought of the "boom box" but I have to say the sound quality in the car is absolutely amazing. I was very pleasantly surprised. The Retrosounds radio is superb.

Good to hear that. How do you find the performance of the 1275cc MG Midget engine with the 1098cc 1.25" SU? I would recommend fitting a 1.75" HIF44 - they suit a 1275 really well, and were used on Austin Metros and Maestros; they give a really smooth, progressive throttle response making driving in traffic easier and the same power as the Midget's original twin 1.25" SUs, but far less maintainance required and better fuel economy - I regularly see 38mpg from mine, with fairly short local trips.

There is enough power and very good torque with the 1 1/4" carb. The car is unlikely to be driven WOT, so a bigger carb would be of no real value. Torque, smoothness and economy are what was required and the same application was confirmed by driving a couple of similar cars first. I know that maximum power could be increased by changing carb, inlet manifold plus exhaust and exhaust manifold, and together with a cam change and head work, economy could be improved at the same time, but that is really not what this particular car is about. It will however be in daily use.

Sure. It's just that, as standard, the 1275cc engine was supplied with at least a 1.5" SU HS4 carb, on for example, the 1970s Minis, Allegros, Marinas, etc., sometimes with twin 1.25" SUs such as on Spridgets and Wolseley 1300, and latterly with the HIF44 on 1990s 1275cc engined cars such as Minis, Metros and Maestros.

So, I doubt that you're getting the best from the engine with a carb designed for the smaller A-series engines, but if you're happy with how it performs then that's up to you...

Hi Neil,
I am carrying out a similar restoration on a 1970 traveller. Can I ask where you got your new aluminium gutters from and if you have a diagram of the aluminium section? The reason I ask, is that although I could probably probably source the gutters new in the UK, I am in NZ and shipping straight lengths of guttering is probably not viable. What I am hoping is that I can find a similar stock aluminium section in NZ. Do you know if the aluminium section was used for anything else or if it was a bespoke extrusion only used on Morris Minor Traveller gutters!
Many thanks,
Lance

Lance, I think it may be a standard gutter profile used on a lot of coach-built cars, particularly before and just after the war. I have a small section that I can measure up for you.

Oh, here we go this saves me the bother!
http://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/produc ... p-gutter-1

Now you just have to find a supplier in NZ. Holy moly! I'm on fire today!
http://www.basisnz.co.nz/Products/Trim/ ... -002).aspx

I'm not liking the price though...

Nor the fact that the link doesn't work! go to
http://www.basisnz.co.nz/Home.aspx

and type "gutter" in the "Search for Parts by Part Number / Keyword" box.

Thanks Neil,
I didn't even think of checking with Basis - Doh!
Thanks for pointing out the obvious, I'll follow up with Basis. Also not liking the price but thats what we have to put up with on this side of the world - freight from the UK has to be paid by someone!

Cheers
Lance

I used a white non-silicon waterproof sealer. The kind used in kitchens and bathrooms that goes in a sealer gun.

Not so fast! They are NOT sealed beam, they are BPF (British pre-Focus) units. Sealed beam units are all glass and cannot be dismantled. BPF units were used throughout the fifties and sixties on almost everything and were then replaced by sealed beams in the late sixties. They are very similar and interchangeable, so be careful. Only the BPF units rust though, so there is your clue!

I don't like to use silicon because it can be corrosive and is very unfriendly towards paint application! It might be quite suitable in this case, I really don't know.

I was wondering how jagnut intended removing just the lens part from a sealed beam headlamp!

It can be done:

http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/tec ... onversion/

That's pretty impressive! It just shows that anything is possible.

Indeed. Although I imagine a Dremel or similar might make an easier job of it than an angle grinder...

Not so fast! They are NOT sealed beam, they are BPF (British pre-Focus) units. Sealed beam units are all glass and cannot be dismantled. BPF units were used throughout the fifties and sixties on almost everything and were then replaced by sealed beams in the late sixties. They are very similar and interchangeable, so be careful. Only the BPF units rust though, so there is your clue!

Thanks Neil, I stand corrected.
And so I restate my quest as being for any pairs of BPF (British pre-Focus) units out there, with rusty bowls but good glass, that would otherwise be thrown out.......
Thanks and best wishes,
Mike.

PS: Love the Impala in the link by the way!

Doesn't look very 'sporty' though, does it?