Morris Minor Owners Club

As I have not been able to find a Traveller to my liking, I have decided to let Carles Ware re-furbish one for me.
My questions are,
As I am not too fussed with showing the car as I live in the Channel Islands does indulging my preferences in anyway affect what might be a showable vehicle and possibly affect a future sale although not currently planned.

The car is a 1964 Traveller that will be Maroon b (I believe this colour is not correct for the date buy I think it is my favourite and was the colour of my first car. I was offered a 1970 base but prefer the earlier cars. (also this car ws registered on my wifes birthday)

I want servo assist, unleaded head and alternator.
As it is going to be a car that gets used as well as loved have I failed to consider anything that while it would be easy to do now, later may be difficult?

Thanks hope its the correct section. [quote][/quote]

hi ptitterington

I think you might well be in the wrong section - but I'm not a mod, no doubt one will be along shortly to advise

I want to caution you VERY STRONGLY against letting any garage, even one which bills itself as a "Minor specialist", do up a car for you without supervision.

If you want to know why I'm cautioning you so strongly then do feel free to PM me.

I would advise you to find a trustworthy member who is local to the garage you choose, to make frequent visits to the car on your behalf, to check on progress and document the restoration.

It's always a good sign if the garage is happy for them to drop in unannounced - and your delegate should do so.

The ciritical points for visits are while the metalwork is being sorted out and while the first coats of paint (primer, stopper, undercoat) are being put on. It's so easy for dents to be filled with huge quantities of filler rather than being properly knocked out and the metal shrunk if need be.

I's also crucially important that every single sign of potential rust on any part of the bodywork, inside and out, and underneath, should be removed and the whole car treated with anti-rust treatment.

If the metalwork and the paintwork is not done properly then you will be faced with a huge bill for remedial work a few years down the line.

As the car you want is a traveller then you also need to make absolutely sure that no corners are cut with the restoration/replacement of the woodwork - it is structural and if it fails the car will fail its MOT.

As far as your question goes: I assume you are getting disc brakes fitted to the front wheels, along with the servo? THere's nothing wrong with the original drum brakes, as long as they are properly maintained and adjusted, but many people prefer discs for modern driving conditions. And you might want to consider one of the new heated front windscreens.

It does rather depend on what you mean by "a showable vehicle". Morris Minor shows have prizes for "Working Minors" as well as for concours vehicles, for example (yours won't be concours if there is anything at all non-standard or in less than perfect, original condition on it). "Judge" can advise you if you do want to do up a car to concours standard.

Good luck!!!!!!

wibble

Moved here, as it seemed the most appropriate place
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If you PM me, I can reccomend the only company I would trust to carry out restoration work on a car. In your case to retsore a Traveller to your spec. They are the only company I've seen who work on Morris Minors to a high standard of quality.

For what its worth and however daft it sounds wouldnt you be better going to night school mechanics course and do one up yourself? Only suggesting this as IIRC from your posts youve seen some that wernt to your satisfaction but its a mighty leap of faith to jump to a restorer.
Also i mean it in the nicest possible way - no matter how well off you might be fortunate enough to be theres something about the enjoyment of doing and satisfaction of driving your handy work thats priceless. Also daresay some restorers might see every project as a cash cow - and until you get to concourse where do they or you stop?
Dont know what the restorers charge per hour labour wise, but a lot of it isnt rocket science, dont know sorry to digress but just airing an opinion.
Oh one more thing - theres a lot to be said for driving a scabby looking one too you know - theres a certain appeal to the obviously loved and used every day mog.
Having seen Rays pick up recently has made me reluctant to tidy the trav at all - another few years it will look just as scabby and look just as cool and adorable. (Sorry Bill, neil, Alex etc but that pick up won the stylish trophy on the ramp of the ferry ;-) )

As it is going to be a car that gets used as well as loved have I failed to consider anything that while it would be easy to do now, later may be difficult?

To be honest nothing is significantly difficult to fit thanks to the lego-like construction.

However, whilst its in somewhere I'd recommend having an anti roll bar fitted or perhaps changing to some more modern telescopic suspension. Save you fitting either later, scraping your knuckles on a cold wet day.

I want to caution you VERY STRONGLY against letting any garage, even one which bills itself as a "Minor specialist", do up a car for you without supervision.

Ditto! In my experience 90% of them are cowboys, which I imagine makes life very difficult for the 10% who are honest and reliable.

Once spent £3,000 on upgrades and general bringing up to scratch. Car promptly failed it's MOT 8 months later, as there was a patch of floor that the handbrake was bolted to that was completely rotten. Failed on a couple of other things too. To be fair, I didn't ask them to fix the floor under the handbrake, but I would have expected them to point it out. And then months later, when I asked them to look at why the fuel economy was rubbish, they announced that it was the "wrong carburetter". A bit rich (ooh, no pun intended!), since they had completely serviced the car months before, and they are "morris minor specialists". Hey ho.

Yes, I agree, to be completely happy buy the necessary tools, learn the skills and do the job yourself! You can then keep working on the car untill it is to your satisfaction.

I had already asked these questions in this forum, that is why I was asking guys in the concourse for an opinion, not because I am trying to build a concourse car but If in future I came to sell and had had something done that I liked to the car, but it impacted on the value of the car. (For example it is a 1964 car and I want it painted Maroon B, I love the colour but it is wrong for the year.)

I have done all the research that I could, (People here have been really helpfull) I have previously restored a traveller (not very well as was a long time ago and I knew less than I thought... Maybe restore is not the correct word...New wood engine out etc) I have recently totally stripped and rebuilt a saloon 2 years ago and although it was pleasurable I could have gone to work and earned many thousands of pounds for just the time spent on labour and the car isnow probably only worth £1500.

I have agreed on a vehicle and paid my deposit. I have visited Charles Ware, and I will go again when the car has been stripped to bare metal and all the welding is complete.

Thanks for all the advise.

For running around the channel islands - you won't need an unleaded head - or a heated windscreen. Doubt you need disc brakes either - is there not quite a low speed limit ? And discs don't like 'not being used'. Stick to the drums - and add a servo if you want the pedal light.

The car is be to be used, even my wife is a convert. I have ordered servo assist but kept to drums as we have a 40 max and mostly less and to be honest I am happy with the un assisted drums on my saloon. I have asked for an unleaded head as I intend to go to France a bit and am not too keen being bothered with additives.

The biggest problem with a saloon is you cannot get a set of golf clubs in the back!!

Ask for a cd of restoration photos if you cant visit often. It will enhance the value of the car, or at least make it easier to sell if you have a visual record of the work done, and you get to see everything that gets done to it. I took 90 photos of rebuilding a pickup body recently. Digital is so cheap and easy...

i dont think the wood on the traveller is an mot fail as the computer doesnt recognise it

go to a car body specialist and not a morris minor center for the body work

Or maybe a Morris Minor specialist bodyshop

I wonder if I have missed something here. Charles Ware, a long standing company which to my personal experience have done some excellent work and have everything in house are getting slated by all and sundry.

I understand that they are doing as a business what many folk do as a hobby. But what is best and who is to judge. The final customer I expect and I will be one and I will report back. I have tried to fit the aluminium gutter to a traveller, diy - not possible. As a builder, I deal with professionals and DIYers.

I dont know what they have done to annoy so many folk here, hope in a years time I am not one of them.

Thanks for all the help. I have paid my deposit I have asked for many pics and will view as I can.

Don't think anyone has slated C Ware on this topic, so the comments must be all PM's if so then maybe this might be worth taking note of.
However if you are confident of the work carried out by them,and have seen examples of it and are happy with the budget given then go for it.

Must say I'm dismayed at the negative response to the perceived professionalism (as seen by those posting here), of the many Minor specialists. Comments refering to 90% of us being 'cowboys' is a bit of an insult and to be honest does not really give members new or existing a balanced picture of what is available from the specialists and its actual quality.
No doubt there are some dealers/ specialists that need to be given a wide birth despite media acclaim or past record of quality.
Maybe naming good specialists would cast a more positive and
accurate method by which folk can make a valued choice. I believe
that there are a good hand full of quality specialists producing excellent work, so ask for recommendations and try not to tar us all with the same brush.

Thankyou jonathon, you have hit the nail on the head. Most of the research has been done via the very kind help of PM's and that info is totally private. So far I have had 4 firms strongly recommended and via pm's they have all been knocked by unhappy folk to more or a lesser degree.

I have reached to the point where I have had to make a decision as to if I am an armchair viewer or a participant and I have made my decision based on all the info available.

Really wish in my heart of hearts that I would be allowed to import one of your 'special' travellers into Jersey.....come see the red tape...........

ptitterington wrote:I wonder if I have missed something here. Charles Ware, a long standing company which to my personal experience have done some excellent work and have everything in house are getting slated by all and sundry.

Hi ptitterington,

(for info to others ptitterington and I haven't exchanged PMs)

I haven't seen Charles Ware being slated by all and sundry. I think it would be against forum terms and conditions for anyone to criticise any particular company, and I haven't seen that happening? perhaps what you are referring to has all been via PM?

Stuff can go wrong between any customer and any garage. I feel that the key is to keep communication going, lots of it, very clear, documented carefully and agreed in writing etc, so that if anything goes off kilter at any point you can work together to fix the problem. Most Minor specialists want things to go right, in my experience, and it seems to me sensible for the customer to expect to play a part in making a good outcome

Hope your resto is going well

wibble

At Last the car I chose, as it is 2years to the day younger than my wife! an omen I tells Ye.
Well they have made a start.




And now after stripping and welding