Morris Minor Owners Club

Does anyone know the differences between the Morris 8 series E engine and the Minor series MM one.

I know that they are interchangeable with each other, but are the internals the same?

I think that the Morris 8 ones are the same as the early ('48 - '50) Minor ones. After that the blocks and heads were changed to incorporate a water pump and thermostat ('51 - '53).

So my question really is: Would a Morris 8 series E engine internals be compatible with a water pump type Morris Minor series MM block & head?

Also do the gearboxes have the same ratios? and are there any differences with the flywheel and clutch assemblies?

Cam,
The internals of the USHM1 (Morris 8 ) engine are the same as the USHM2 (early MM) & the USHM3 (later MM).
USHM2 has no water pump provision while USHM3 has the plate at the front of the block for the pump.
The block, head & flywheel are different.
The Morris 8 cylinder head has the water outlet facing vertically where as the Minor has it near horizontal.
The Morris 8 block, while interchangeable, has the oil filler tube in a different spot (where the Minor generator is I think).
The flywheel itself might be the same but the ring gear has a different number of teeth.
There are also differences in Minor sidevalves but the internals were the same (crank, rods, pistons, camshaft).
So to answer your question: YES.

Gearboxes: I know the clutch is the same but I'm not too sure about the ratios. I'd think they'd be the same, I have stripped one but didn't go into ratio differences. MM gearboxes are a lot stronger than SII & 1000 boxes anyway & I have yet to come across a completely worn one yet.

Availability of wearing engine parts (pistons/rings/bearings) is more of an issue than the main moving parts.

Your MM looks good, is it on the road or are you tackling the engine now?

Regards, Scott.

Thanks Scott.

The reason that I asked is that I have bought about 3 Morris 8 engines and possibly a gearbox from a place in Kent (230 miles away from me) but they are only £20 for the lot, so I thought it might be worth it. I would assume that they are USHM1 engines but I think that the internals may be of some use to me, and I maybe able to exchange the blocks and heads with a sidevalve engine building specialist for one of the USHM3 types. My engine that is in the MM at the moment is a seized goldseal engine in an unknown condition so it would need a complete rebuild.

At the moment I am gathering parts for the MM, but I have not started working on it yet and it is not roadworthy at the moment.

The trouble is that I need to finish my MGB before I can start on the MM. I REALLY want to start on the MM, but the MG has to be finished first otherwise I would never get it done! It was in a bit of a state and needed new sills, rear quarter, wheel arch tub, and LOADS of repair work to the floor, inner wing and other places. I have done the major work on it now so it should not be too long before it's done (I hope!)

it should not be too long before it's done (I hope!)

Heard that one before

Heard that one before

Ha ha! SAID that one before, and ALWAYS been wrong!!!

I am starting to think multiplying by 8 is a good way to measure timescale!

You are bang on there Cam if you go round in circles twice it forms the number `8`

Question about the engines which I picked up on Saturday.

They say USHMV on them.

Any ideas?