Morris Minor Owners Club

I would not agree that the Moggie has a rough sounding engine. At idle the 948cc engine, for example, can be near on silent. There is a fair amount of noise from the exhaust system at speed unfortunately but nothing that could be described as knocking. Get the noise investigated properly with a knowledgable person travelling in the car. We would all love to help but can only guess and that's never good enough. Knocking noises usually indicate failures. At best you might get stranded at worst it could be deadly.

Most people when talking about noisy Moggie engines, generally mean one of two things the rattle from a worn timing chain to the front of the engine (they can clatter a bit) the second common noise which is worn or out of adjustment tappetts (rockers) which can sound like tap on a table top.
Although if your only happens at speed it sounds more like a Little end or may be the first signs of a Big end, is it a loud noise.
And as Pete says in good working order the minor engine is not rough, if you fill your whereabouts in we might be able to suggest a local specialist who could have a listen to it or someone from the local owners club branch.

A worn 1098 engine can sound like a bunch of hammer drills when you have it under load at speed. They keep going like this for a long time though.
A fresh 948 engine is a dream in comparison to a tired 1098, as the nice quiet 948 engine was just very well balanced and smooth.
The downside is a little less power.
Even the gearbox can contribute to noise at speed! A bad gearbox will shake the whole car.

Lo, I live at Blackheath London SE 3 and would be happy to listen
to your moggie. Failing that, the West Malling specialist
is: King Street Motor Services on 01732 843135

Brockley?! I used to live by Crofton Park station! I now live in Bexleyheath which isn't too far away. I'll have a listen at some point if you want. Otherwise, there's a Minor specialist in Deptford (bit expensive) or a good MG specialist in Bexleyheath (similar engine) who've done work on my Minor but still quite pricey. When I lived in Brockley I used a little garage on Shardeloes Road for all my stuff. There's a mechanical guy called Eric and a bodywork guy called Colin. They're really helpful, cheap-ish, excellent work and they're open Saturday mornings which is convenient. Unfortunately they're too far from me now but I'll definitely recommend them. PM me or reply to this post and I'll give you the details

what was the verdict of the additional ear?

RAY, wish I hadn't driven it now because it made me realise
how noisy my gearbox is!! The top steady bar was done up
solid and the exhaust is hitting the bulkhead on tickover. The
'knocking noise' sounds like the start of big end play but is
not exactly chronic. too deep for small end troubles,and being
a Minor it will probably only do another 20,000 miles before
it gets serious!! 'Noah' is under guarantee so Nik is going
to have a go at them.