Morris Minor Owners Club

Was a kind of comedy moment (or would have been if it wasnt such a pain in the neck)

Unlocked the car, pulled the door handle, and it came right off the door - neatly split from around whatever it attaches to!

A real Frank Spencer moment. Then failed to break into the car for the next 30 minutes, being surprised at how resilient the Minor was to my attempts, until my wife arrived with a screwdriver, and scarily I was inside within a minute (and thats with no prior skills as a car thief!)

So the question is... how do I fix it! I had a look at some of the spares sites, and the (very expensive) handles they show have a lock in the handle - which is different from mine: the lock is on the door below the handle, which is just a lever (or more accurately now, a lever shaped piece of metal lying on the passenger seat)!

By the way, my wife insisted on staying until she heard the Minor start. As soon as she drove away it cut out (has never done that before) and wouldnt start again! Then I noticed that the choke cable felt funny, and it ran badly all the way home When I popped the bonnet, the choke cable was fine, and I'm sure the Minor was grinning smugly at me - revenge on me for breaking a bit off!

So is it just the handle itself that's broken, not the latch mechanism? If you don't mind pitted chrome I could send you an old one. Getting the mechanism off the door is a bit of a headache (you have to lift the door top up because it gets in the way) but replacing the handle once you've got it on the bench isn't hard.

Will post a photo as soon as I can!

One of my Minor Moments was explaining how it starts first time every time to a gent who was admiring the car. So as I say goodbye and turn the ignition key, the starter jams.

I´ve had constant "Minor moments" since Sep 1st, 2007, when we discovered Betty Blue. And mind you - she´s only been on the road and running = in public view for a total of six minutes since then. She makes me look like an idiot while still in the garage..Bits come off her, and more and more rot is discovered, and now she´s scattered in parts boxes all over the garage, with me spending fortunes on tools I don´t need (after this) and spares that fit badly. On top of this, I will have to learn new skills and spend endless hours (that I don´t have) getting covered in garage floor muck while laying on my back welding.

But: I am still determined to fix her up and have her SBP:d (Swedish MOT) before late spring. THIS spring. Any person in their right mind would have thrown in the towel a long time ago. This one idiot persists. And now watch my lips: this one idiot will also have the joy of seeing her on the streets.

/R (cretin)

I will have to learn new skills and spend endless hours (that I don´t have) getting covered in garage floor muck while laying on my back welding.

Definately Love then