Morris Minor Owners Club

i just looked back at my old posts and kind of got a bit upset. i looked at my third ever post, where my car had just gone through its mot, and i talked about getting rid of it as it was to slow, and i didnt want to modify it because it was completely original...i do still feel guilty for butchering the car, as it was almost 100% original, but...you know...IVE MURDERED IT! aaaaaah!!! i don't know...poor little mog. its gone through the wars in the 10 months i've owned it. but all in all...it has been for the greater good! it's pretty much all running gear that has changed, it is still looking stock inside(bar the stereo) it even has a long stick still! the outside isnt too bad either...but...i don't know!

It's your car, you're pleased with it and it's still on the road, time to celebrate

haha! optimism...i like it!

Seriously, I am very much one for keeping stuff original, but here's the rule of thumb I follow- if it looks original it's good. The outside looks great, and the interior's perfect. If stuff's changed below, it doesn't matter too much. Remember you're always doing this for your own pleasure! If you enjoy driving and maintaining it, then it's all been worth it.
(Nice number plate by the way.)

why thank you very much! as my daily driver i couldn't keep it original running gear...but yes, my thing has been that barring a few things, it looks relatively original. would love a JLH mod, but i think that would be waaaaaay out of my price bracket at the moment!

Forgive my ignorance... JLH?

jackkelleher wrote:Forgive my ignorance... JLH?

Jlh Minor Restoration/Motorsport Ltd (Jonathon)

Oh, I see. Thank you!

I think the fact that you use it as a daily driver is fantastic and you should feel proud of that

Also agree with the poster above, its nice that it looks original on the outside. I think a lot of people would make various changes if the car was to be used daily.

Dont feel bad about it - got nothing but admiration for those who use an original as a daily drive.
The car wasnt designed for todays roads, traffic conditions & driving expectations.

Just got back from the local shop in the modern car and couldnt help thinking how nice it would be to have the comparative nicer drive, comfort etc but packaged in a mog.

If the daily drive consisted not of a few miles round trip on lanes with no traffic but rather hours of stop start an fast bits then heck wouldnt hesitate to make it so.

I can see the JHL jobbies become more popular !

Intersted to know what does modernisation do to the value of a mog?

Modernisation will only increase the value of the minor if done well and sympathetically. I hold the view that minors are vastly undervalued anyway considering the cost to restore etc.
However you need to accept the fact that the cost of the mods will greatly out weigh the return you get if you sell the vehicle. but most of our customers who go for full blown conversions do not find this an issue as they are intent on keeping the cars for 'life'.

I hold the view that minors are vastly undervalued anyway considering the cost to restore etc

100% agree

Alas i lost the damned thing but last year when in cyprus helping the Olds move the daily mail one day did an article on mogs - how they are not only undervalued but make a good investment for running costs particulary when you take into account zippo depreciation, reasonable fuel, good insurance and no road tax.

people have said to me what the bl**dy hell have you got that for when they see it, i look at thier flashy modern and say well thats losing a grand+ a year, this loses nothing, no tax, pound a week to insure, great fuel and i can rebuild the brakes for the cost of one of your tyres or indicator lenses.
It normally shuts them up

Course the most important part of it to me (yes theres something more important than being skint ) is the recycling/greeness issue, that also was mentioned in the lost newspaper article.

Moggys are all green On a recent Top Gear, they were testing the top of the range Bentley which depreciates £1,200 per WEEK.

As for the mods to the car in question, makes perfect sense when used as a daily driver, purely on safety issues. The old sidevalve engine will never keep up with modern traffic unless your in a traffic jam.

The car looks stock, but has more power than before, so in short, it's a tastefull street sleeper

We keep 5 moggies on the road all year round and 2 are used as "daily drivers"! The oldest is Daughters (1956 spiltscreen) and the youngest is Sons (1970 1098) We use them on a "which ones got petrol and is nearer the road basis". The 50 year old does have a 1098 engine upgrade and they both have safety belts and alternators but apart from that they are as 'original'

It's my firm belief that the Morris is both the most practical classic and, with a little work, the most practical daily driver of any car I can think of, being cheaper, more environmentally friendly and full of the charm so lacking in modern stuff!
Actually over here, especially in NJ, the speed limits are 25, 40 and 50, roughly speaking- you don't even need to do the fifty roads too often to get around daily. So the Morris keeps up with the traffic quite easily! (Especially all those monolithic SUVs with the same performance but half the reliability, greenness and general cool of the morris... )

Especially all those monolithic SUVs

Ah yes the Planet Killers 16 MPG downhill with a tailwind, while the Moggy is doing closer to 40 MPG

Orkney wrote:

is the recycling/greeness issue, that also was mentioned in the lost newspaper article.

http://www.mmoc.org.uk/index.php?key=Going%20Green

bpr81a Hero !!! that was the one !!!!

16 MPG downhill with a tailwind

You'll be lucky! A "reasonable" SUV (a lighter one) does about 15mpg... The Hummer has the unenviable reputation of doing 8mpg. Yes, 8. No typo.
Refuel every few hours, while the Moggy lasts a week... There are probably commercial jets with better consumption Well not really, but still... I was shocked to recently realise that aircraft consumption is usually measured in gallons per minute for jets! How many Morrises could you run for one airbus flight, if the airbus uses 200 gpm? There's an interesting problem... You could probably keep my Morris going a year on that

Great article, by the way! When you consider it costs what- £50 odd- to fill a new car once, and you do it several times a week, compare that to the price of a Moggy... Wow.