A few pick up questions.

[IaininTenbury]

Hi,
Some questions answered below. Hope it helps

Right, I have some more questions for folk on here, mostly related to planning what needs to be what colour. I really would like to get this looking as original as possible. There will be one or two deviations from stock, we're putting a rubberised stoneguard on the underside for example, also adding an alternator as opposed to a dynamo, but I'd still like to get things looking right.
So, can I assume that from the factory the shell (cab/buck) came in a body colour finish, and not black underseal? Or something different?
underseal was an option applied by the dealer. as supplied all body colour, other then the black chassis.
The wheels, ok so we've ascertained they should be silver, both sides? or black on the inside?
All silver
What about the diff casing, bare aluminium or black along with the axle casing?
Bare ally on the diff
Dampers, front and rear, were the fronts bare alloy, black, or again something different. Also the rear telescopic shocks as fitted to the LCVs, what colour were the originals?
Fronts bare ally with black arms. Rears probably black painted, but aftermarket replacements are often a different colour. Unipart ones were blue.
The centre rear wooden floor panels in the back, how should they be finished? Black paint, or varnished? I've seen both, or maybe something different?
Black paint - a thin satin look ideally

[Robbiet9999]

Hi just want to say well done on what sounds like a wonderful restoration. any chance of more pics as your going along.

[beelzibus]

Hi,
Some questions answered below. Hope it helps

Right, I have some more questions for folk on here, mostly related to planning what needs to be what colour. I really would like to get this looking as original as possible. There will be one or two deviations from stock, we're putting a rubberised stoneguard on the underside for example, also adding an alternator as opposed to a dynamo, but I'd still like to get things looking right.
So, can I assume that from the factory the shell (cab/buck) came in a body colour finish, and not black underseal? Or something different?
underseal was an option applied by the dealer. as supplied all body colour, other then the black chassis.
The wheels, ok so we've ascertained they should be silver, both sides? or black on the inside?
All silver
What about the diff casing, bare aluminium or black along with the axle casing?
Bare ally on the diff
Dampers, front and rear, were the fronts bare alloy, black, or again something different. Also the rear telescopic shocks as fitted to the LCVs, what colour were the originals?
Fronts bare ally with black arms. Rears probably black painted, but aftermarket replacements are often a different colour. Unipart ones were blue.
The centre rear wooden floor panels in the back, how should they be finished? Black paint, or varnished? I've seen both, or maybe something different?
Black paint - a thin satin look ideally

Iain that's great, thanks very much, it does help a great deal, I've been scouring the net for detail pics, and had assumed most of the above, but don't like assuming anything, so thanks for the confirmation. The list of questions is getting smaller.
I still need to know about the cab mats, surely someone has some pictures of one. Also the bumper bar, that's black isn't it? Oh and the inner front panel, body colour then?

Thanks again.

[Robbiet9999]

the inner front panel on my saloon was black if that helps. which sounds right as if it was body colour you wouldnt really notice the grill slats.

[les]

Just out of interest there is a book called 'the original morris minor' by Ray Newell. It has all the sort of info you are looking for, in pictures and text. ISBN 1-870979-43-5. I has a section on lcvs.

[beelzibus]

Hi just want to say well done on what sounds like a wonderful restoration. any chance of more pics as your going along.

Thanks for the kind comments, tomorrow the owner is giving me a hand to paint some of the undercarriage stuff prior to reassembly, it will be nice to see components getting refinished at last.

[beelzibus]

Just out of interest there is a book called 'the original morris minor' by Ray Newell. It has all the sort of info you are looking for, in pictures and text. ISBN 1-870979-43-5. I has a section on lcvs.

Cheers Les, now purchased.
It had better be good, or I'll come looking for you.

[les]

Oh dear what 'ave I done! seriously though I've found it useful.

[beelzibus]

Don't panic Les, I'm sure it'll be a good read, in fact I'm quite getting into these Minor things, I'm even wondering if I might be able to see something vaguely Minor shaped in my own life at some point in the future......

[beelzibus]

Just one thing I'd really like to clarify for tomorrow's paintathon, should the inner front panel be black or body colour? Seems I'm not alone in thinking it might be black, but what is correct?

[POMMReg]

Do you mean the panel behind the grill (holds rad + has the circular mesh air intake)?

Think it should be black, seem to remember black under the grot of mine(?)

[beelzibus]

Do you mean the panel behind the grill (holds rad + has the circular mesh air intake)?

Think it should be black, seem to remember black under the grot of mine(?)

That's exactly the panel I mean. However much I search I'm struggling to find any decent pictures which might help confirm the colour.

[IaininTenbury]

Just had a glance through some Minor books at factory photos. The top of the rad panel where the bonnet shuts on to is always bonnet colour, but on no pictures can you see the metal either side of the grill even on light coloured cars so that would suggest they should be black, which makes sense as it would stand out and alter the visual appearance of the grill if it was body colour. So it would seem these panels should be two toned (unless its a black vehicle). Anyone know for sure?

[beelzibus]

This is not a criticism of anyone on here, but I'm quite astounded how difficult it is to get some detail info on these cars.
I'd have thought being British, and with such a huge following there'd be plenty of online experts about.
So two-tone, the plot thickens....

[POMMReg]

Better to admit uncertainty, rather than give duff advice.

For example, an 'expert' must have told the owner of postal van JLW 576D to fit fnt m/flaps + blk tyre pressure decals.

Enthusiasts prepared to spend thousands on preserving our motoring heritage should be commended, not hindered by being given duff information!

I'll check the panels on my 4 2day - let you know for sure later.

[IaininTenbury]

I've got an original unmessed with saloon at work for referance purposes, I'll look on that and report back!
Ray Newells Original Morris Minor book is very good, though nearly all the cars in there are restored. I've only foud one small mistake in it so far. John Pressnall's Morris Minor - The official Photo album is an excellent referance material as all the photos in that are original factory views for publicity of new cars. Drawback is of course they're black and white, but you can normally tell wether something is black or bodycolour!
In both books the slam panels are always bodycolour, but if the whole panel was, you'd see it clearly through the grill especially on a light coloured car - hence my two tone supposition, that the panels were black witht he top bit blown in in body colour when the car was painted...
I'll go and look at a real one!

[beelzibus]

Better to admit uncertainty, rather than give duff advice.

For example, an 'expert' must have told the owner of postal van JLW 576D to fit fnt m/flaps + blk tyre pressure decals.

Enthusiasts prepared to spend thousands on preserving our motoring heritage should be commended, not hindered by being given duff information!

I'll check the panels on my 4 2day - let you know for sure later.

Absolutely, don't get me wrong, like I say I'm not criticising anyone, just surprised that basic stuff like this is so hard to validate. Have all the original unrestored Minors vanished? I'd have thought there would be quite a number of really well known 100 point restos out there, but so far many of the 'restored' cars I've seen seem to have, er shall we say 'issues'.

[IaininTenbury]

Yes, it's surprised me that firm knowledge on something like this is hard to validate. I hang onto a couple of very original unrestored vehicles for this purpose, and for dimensional checking which are invaluable at times.
There's very little incentive in the Minor world for preserving originality. When all the judging classes and concours systems favour the shinyest restored car the genuine umolested original example gets left out in the cold untill someone pulls it apart and repaints and restores it.
And as you say "many of the 'restored' cars I've seen seem to have, er shall we say 'issues'."
The bottom line of my signature gives my view, but very few are restored to original spec throughout.

[beelzibus]

I'm a hot rodder at heart, so have no issue with modifications, however when it comes to stock vehicles, or near stock vehicles, then the details should be right, after all if you're painting something, why not get it the right colour.
Unless of course we're talking about a full custom, in which case of course anything goes. There's a common phrase in the world of slightly modified cars, 'Practically stock', or to put it another way, more practical than stock. This allows an otherwise stock car to have sensible updates, maybe 12v electrics in place of 6v, a stainless exhaust, or radial tyres, that kind of stuff.
This is the kind of rebuild I'm doing here to the pick up. It's not going to be concours, I'm not interested in every single item being correct for the car, nor am I interested in the bizarre world that seems to purvey some car scenes where bolts are chromed, castings are polished and everything is deemed to be original, cars were never built like that, and thus to my mind these are customs, albeit not as interesting as most. ;-)

[les]

I had a rad panel for an early minor ( without the fresh air vent) which was original grey.