Morris Minor Owners Club

I have reacently bought a 1959 2 door reg RFF 898 on the log book it is a 1098cc but going by the year it should be 948cc . The engine number is N92284 can anybody tell from that what cc it is ? as I need to fit a new clutch . Unfortunately I cant get in touch with last owner until log book comes back . Also if it is a 948cc will a latter 1098 gearbox fit it.

Also if it is a 948cc will a latter 1098 gearbox fit it

Yes it will. I have the same one one of my cars.

You may already have the 1098 gearbox? if the outer
casing is ribbed then it is a 1098 job. The speedo may
have been changed to a black faced type to match??
the 'N' in the engine number is not listed as ever having
been an official Minor engine prefix. You could look under
the exhaust manifold,on the crankcase, just behind the
front engine mount where you may see a sign saying
'1100'.

I have a 1098 (1964) with a cream/gold speedo. I am sure it is original!

At some point in '64 they were changed to the later, black speedo. Between the introduction of the 1098 in '62, and this, Morris used gold speedos which had the right ratios for the 1098 box.

You're car should be fine, Paul.

OK The engine has 1100 on it and yes the gear box is ribbed so 1098 right?. I now want to fit a new clutch is it better to remove engine & box out from above or just gear box from below. P.S thanks for all the other help it certanly feels better having people out there who understand why I spend every night under a 45 year old car skinning my knuckles and getting muck in my face.

You can,of course, remove the gearbox from underneath the
car without removing the engine but when you are struggling
under there with the tail piece of the box firmly wedged up
your left nostril you may wonder why you bothered!! You
have to remove or slacken so many things on the engine
to enable removal anyway that you might as well remove
engine and box together...much easier to work on.

Now with a quiter engine and box the axle noise has become noticable its probably only bearings but as the engine and gear box were both from later cars how do I tell if it has a later axle and will the bearings be different (Nothing is ever straight forward). How come the car I drove home 60 miles without any problem is now in several large peices in the garage is this a common afliction of Minor ownership I just cant leave it alone.

if the speedo reads correctly then presumably the axle
ratio has been changed too (to a 4.22-1 diff unit.)
If you can look from the rear of the car and see, in the
centre of the diff' bulge' the combined filler and level
plug then it is the latest type of axle. Regarding the
noise, if it comes in at a certain speed and stays there
until you drop below that speed then it is most likely
a bearing. If it is present only when pulling OR only
on the overrun then it is likely to be the crown wheel
and pinion 'singing'. Be warned, I am on my third so
called recon diff unit only because I am trying to fit
a quiet one!! There is an acute lack of experts who
can set one up properly, and the fact that it sings does
not mean that it is about to fail. The earlier type of
rear axle had the filler actually on the differential unit
itself so, under certain circumstances, you could find
you have TWO fillers as the earlier diff unit will fit into
the later axle.

Hi, i have a 1959 2 door saloon which was a 948cc. This at some point in the past has been changed to 1098cc with matching 1098 gearbox. My question is, it is fitted with a bronze faced speedo, should this have been changed? How far out will it be, and is it possible to correct it/recalibrate it?

If you are worried the easiet method is to get someone to follow you or follow them at a set speed or speeds and do a comparison.
Yes it is possible to get them recalibrated if needed.

The original bronze speedo should be o.k. if the differential hasn't been changed and the wheels/tyres are original size. The engine, gearbox output and propshaft will still be rotating at the same speed as the 948cc.
My Traveller has the later black speedo with original 4.55:1 diff, 1098cc engine/gearbox and the speedo is incorrect.
But you can do a check as Kevin suggests.

Don't forget to check the front brakes - the 7" front drums from the early cars are limited, and not up to the job with a 1098.
Your insurance may be tricky without the uprated brakes (1098 Minors had 8")

There seems to be an abundance of Minors with 1098 engines but only 7" brakes.