Morris Minor Owners Club

Most body / trim parts for the later Minor 1000 saloons are cheap and readily available. However, it appears that you simply can't get hold of original chrome-on-metal lamp bases for the later saloons (1964 on I think?) except occasionally on E-Bay when original stock is flogged off - in which case they usually go for £50+ each. Plastic copies (chromed) are available, but for a price I can only describe as excessive ( about £38 each from ESM).

Now I have 8 of these rear lamp bases, 4 on my cars and 4 in my shed. All are original metal items with no dents but various degrees of pitting.
However I understand the metal used was called Mazak and that it needs a lot of work before it can be re-chromed. Has anyone out there had this done and was it cheaper to do than purchasing new (plastic) bases? I'm thinking on the lines of getting a job lot done (at least 10) to reduce costs.

Chris never had this done but we do have a local company that does chromingas well as recently adding powder coating do you want me to find out if they do that sort of thing and at what cost, on second thoughts I will enquire as mine could do with being re-done anway.

Kevin, I would be grateful if you could have a word. With your two bases we then have at least 10 to be done.

Depending on the price quoted it might be possible to recover some of the costs by selling at least one pair of my eight bases. Other board and club members who are local to us might also show an interest at the right price. Indeed I can forsee a Steptoe type operation to collect knackered bases! The only question is how easily the original chrome can be removed and the pitting dealt with. It may be that your local re-platers would quote for the entire process. Let's hope so !

I spoke to my local polishers, and they were doing the same thing on a pair of Jag MkII bases... I think he said they were doing them for £160 the pair... This was coppered, nickelled, plated, and sent to recuperate in a box at Aida, I should think...

£160 the pair

Good grief I dont think that was the sort of price range myself and Chris were thinking about

No... thought not...

Are you sure they cannot be bought new?? I'm sure I've seen them advertised, and I recall they were cheaper than my local platers...

Are they really no longer available?

Incidentally, I've tried the 3-in-1 (it's troi-en-un, in France, you know - how quaint! ) and tin foil, which worked for a while on the marks, but my bases are heavily pitted... It worked for a while, though.

Here we go:

Birmingham Minor Centre:

They make their own, which are gravity-fed, to avoid air bubbles, and therefore pits in the surface.

LMP128/9 A £64.95

Add the VAT and postage, and that's quite a hefty sum. For one .

Either way, that's about £160 the pair ! Eeeek !

Granted both should be good quality & they would probably last for many years, but £160 is rather excessive. As Kevin says, we were thinking of a price similar to new plastic ones, eg: £70-£80 a pair.

Chris spoke to the local company and they said as long as the Mazak was stripped & lead filled to cover the defects they were happy to polish & rechrome them.
And then they asked did I know anyone who did the lead filling because they didnt !!!!!!!!
Any suggestions Chris

I've seen lead loading on a Discovery H&L series ('A Car is Reborn' which follows Mark Evans as he attempts to rescue a 1965 Jaguar Series 1 E-Type Roadster).

The 'lead' is supplied as a strip, which is heated with a flame gun. This gives it similar properties to a thick putty which can then be spread with a filling tool. When cold it is hard and can be filed into shape.

Obviously supplies must be available - I've no idea from where !
I imagine that once the chrome is removed from the base you would be left with a number of very small pits (1-2mm across). Surely car filler / chemical metal could be used to fill the pits? If chrome can cover plastic surely it could cover filler as well?

P.S - Did they quote you a price ?

Chris they would like to see one before quoting a price and I dont have a spare base at the moment.
However with regards to the lead loading issue I have just remembered the guy with the morris 8 in our branch who gave me the SV engine info is a lead plumber and fabricator, so at our brach meet I will pick his brains to see what is envolved

Kevin - I'm surprised they couldn't work it out just by looking at your car. I'll look at my worst condition base shortly and see how easy it is to scrape the chrome off.

Cheers,

Chris

I have not been to them with the car I just rang them from work, and this weekend I am away for a couple of weeks so I will not be able to do anything until after I come back

Right Chris I purchased a couple of heavily used Light bases when I picked my engine up on tuesday for a fiver and then yesterday I got given 2 more (such is life), I just wondered ir you had tried to get the chrome off one of your bases yet, and I spoke to the lead specialist in our branch he said he had never had a problem with his and then I realised his was a 58, anyway he said if I can strip one off he reconds that it would only need lead tinning or something, so if you have not tried yours yet I will try an have a go over the next couple of weeks at one of mine, unless someone else has a tried and tested method