Morris Minor Owners Club

People turn Travellers into pick-ups.
Anyone who has done so want to comment on the problems, or not, in changing the V5 record at DVLA from describing type from estate to pick-up ?
Was an inspection necessary or did they just accept the altered information and reissue new V5 with change to body type ?

Thanks.

Paul Humphries.

DVLA quote
If you change the wheel plan/bodytype, You must contact your nearest DVLA office.

8009STEVE wrote:DVLA quote
If you change the wheel plan/bodytype, You must contact your nearest DVLA office.

Thanks.
I already know you must contact DVLA but was wondering if anyone had done it and whether there was a lot of hassle or just simple paperwork.
I suspect a lot of people don't bother informing DVLA and leave registered as estate !

Paul Humphries.

There maybe another issue though Paul, insurance, some companies see the minor commercials as such a 'commercial vehicle' and raise your premiums. This has happened a few times, and was initially a problem for us when we ran our company minor van.
The insurance company may wish to have an engineers report too, due to the change in structure. If you do not inform DVLA and leave it as 'estate' then you run the risk of invalidating your insurance, in the event of a claim, and technically you will not have been insured for the period of conversion, which is illegal.

Plus if you leave it saying 'estate' when it clearly isn't you might have a bit of difficulty getting an MOT.

I should make it 100% clear - I'm NOT considering turning a Traveller into a pick-up

I am, however, thinking of possibly converting my saloon into a Traveller so peoples experiences of re registering one type into another interest me ie saloon into estate instead of estate to pick-up.

I'm now sure loads will jump in and say "sell the saloon and buy a Traveller".
My reply is "thanks for advice but it's my car and I can do as I wish".
Financially it doesn't make sence FOR ME to sell one car and then buy another.
My saloon is probably worth, say, £750 with full MOT. A Traveller in same condition would be probably 3 times that. It's therefore easy for others to say sell a £750 car and replace it with one worth £2250 but where does the difference come from ?
I like my Minor and am happy other than the load capacity (volume not weight).
It will need attention for next MOT (sill, rear of chassis legs, rear inner wheel arches, boot floor) - all aspects that could be changed to Traveller items during the rebuild.
I would prefer to spend the difference between what I'd get for my saloon and what I'd have to pay for an average Traveller towards the conversion / new wood.
In 6 weeks time I'm having a new car (actually 1952 Minerva) so I reckon that will attract a lot of my attention until the novelty wears off. What better time than then to take my Minor off the road as MOT runs out at same time and make into a vehicle that is more useful to me.

At the end of the day I might not do anything but like to think about all my options.

Paul Humphries

Steve Richardson has done this in Kent- PM Steve (SR in the for sale section) and ask him what he had to do.

You'd likely end up breaking a Traveller to get a rear roof, back doors, sliding windows, rear wings, rear side panels, back seat, boot floor frame, and all the little trav-specific bits, then you'd need to obtain a good wood frame to tie it all together. I suppose what you're looking for is a traveller with good wood and upper bodywork but poor chassis, or maybe a good trav. that's been involved in a front-end collision.

alex_holden wrote:You'd likely end up breaking a Traveller to get a rear roof, back doors, sliding windows, rear wings, rear side panels, back seat, boot floor frame, and all the little trav-specific bits, then you'd need to obtain a good wood frame to tie it all together. I suppose what you're looking for is a traveller with good wood and upper bodywork but poor chassis, or maybe a good trav. that's been involved in a front-end collision.

Actually other then the roof most of the other items are available new and that is what I'd buy. I certainly wouldn't be interested in secondhand timber when using only new is included in my idea - and is affordable compared to buying a good Traveller.
Accepted there would be the glass and numerous minor items but I'm sure someone turning a Traveller into a pick-up would sell me those

Paul Humphries.

well keep me in mind and let me know if your definatley going to do it because i have a trav i want to chop into a pick up as the wood is completely rotten so the roof ect is available i was going to weigh it in as its ali

I'm now sure loads will jump in and say "sell the saloon and buy a Traveller".
My reply is "thanks for advice but it's my car and I can do as I wish".

I think that is rather rude.

Paul do tou really want to stay with the wood from a traveller, you could find it easier to build a bespoke steel body for the rear which would utilise much of the saloon chassis and body. It could look similar to a traveller, but be more practical in terms of ease of build and maintenance. Sheet steel, beadroller and imagination could make a real head turner.

les wrote:

I'm now sure loads will jump in and say "sell the saloon and buy a Traveller".
My reply is "thanks for advice but it's my car and I can do as I wish".

I think that is rather rude.

Why ?
I wasn't replying to anyones answer but rather prempting what might be said.
How can that be interpreted as rude ?

Paul Humphries

jonathon wrote:Paul do tou really want to stay with the wood from a traveller, you could find it easier to build a bespoke steel body for the rear which would utilise much of the saloon chassis and body. It could look similar to a traveller, but be more practical in terms of ease of build and maintenance. Sheet steel, beadroller and imagination could make a real head turner.

Hence my other thread about the DOMI vans


Paul Humphries

I'll nip over to that one and have a read then !!

Ahh!! forgot, locked !!

How can that be interpreted as rude ?

It's aggressive wording.

les wrote:

How can that be interpreted as rude ?

It's aggressive wording.

I'm not an aggressive person (quite the opposite) nor was that the way it was intended.
A simple mistake in my writing that I accept I made.
I'm therefore sorry if I offended anyone.

Paul Humphries.

paulhumphries wrote:I'm not an aggressive person (quite the opposite)

I'd have to agree 100% Paul, one of the many genuinely nice people I've met since my introduction to Morris Minors.

Ok, lets start again.