Morris Minor Owners Club

I've been to see a '57 4-dr, which is owned by a Club member in Harold Wood, Romford - coincidentally he lives just round the corner from my mother-in-law.

He's had it for eighteen years, and it had been owned previously by one person - a lady on the south coast.

The current owner replaced all four wings soon after he first got it, and it had a complete respray. Apart from some corrosion at the bottom corner of the nearside rear door, the paintwork and bodywork is terrific. Chrome work is very good, and the semaphore indicators are present but not working (he fitted the flashing indicators on the rear, but underslung them so that he didn't have to drill the new wings).

It has grey leather upholstery, and the interior is very tired - there are a couple of tears to the headlining and one to the driver's seat. Nothing drastic, and liveable with, but desirable repairs, you might say. The seat covers could do with replacing at some stage.

The current owner likes originality, so there are no seatbelts or disc brakes or any such mods.

It has been dry-stored all its life, and been waxoyled underneath at least twice since he did the major renovations to the wings. There doesn't look to have been any welding to the bottom (certainly the current owner has never done any). The jacking points look like they are a bit corroded (they look like square tubes, don't they? Well, the sides of the tube are rusted through) but the floor is sound, and so are the leaf springs.

Above all, the owner wants the Morris to go to a good home - he wants her to go on. He seems very genuine to me, anyway.

The car is called Florence - after the first owner - and it's an original number plate that to be honest I didn't take a note of.

Can anyone persuade me not to buy her for £1395?

Go ahead, get your wallet open before someone else does! You can cut the jacking point off as they really arent safe to use anyway, but do make sure the rust does extend further than them. As for the seats its all available and you may be lucky enough to pick it up second hand.

Sounds like you have a good deal there. If it hasn't been used for a while you can expect the usual electrical and braking problems but that should be easily sorted. Jacking points are for decoration only

Yes,quick.If no rust ,is a bargain
Good reason to see your mother in law

If you like what you see buy it!

yes go on you know you want it!!!!

sounds like a good price.

Does it have an MOT?

Yes, it's got MOT.

One thing I saw which was interesting in the engine compartment.... the air filter was one of those large round flattish things.... oil bath filter?? I think he called it, well, something like that.. nothing like these black cone-shaped things I'm used to seeing. Which one is normal for a '57 Morris Minor 1000?

Yes, that sounds pretty good really! The air filter you describe sounds correct for a '57. The oil bath filter was only used for 2 or 3 years till the replacable paper element ones came in, so a nice original touch.

Sounds great, have you collected it yet! (if you don't someone else will)

The someone else being someone not unadjacent to its current location, Alan?

You wouldn't be in Benfleet, would you?

Actually, there are one or two serious questions to ask, while I think about it and before I make an irrevocable phone call...

Can you get an unleaded head for a 948cc? If so, has anyone got a clue as to cost?

In the meantime, what additive do I put in, how much each time I fill up, and does it go straight into the fuel tank with the petrol?

Can you fit seat belts in a '57 4 door?

And disc brakes?

Yes to all questions!
I dont have any of my minors unleaded and just use the additive on each fill up, into the tank with the petrol. I use Miller additive but its just personal choice.
Heres a link to ESM for the head, £139 plus vat and a surcharge on the old head.http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/pro ... ff2c18e468

Seatbelts on a car with semaphores are more awkard as were you would want the bolt there is a semaphore! You can put them higher or lower easily enough.

Again discs no problem, but standard brakes are fine if in good working order, especailly for a 948.

Yes Benfleets the place! but one Minors enough for me for now!

No need for unleaded head - but for a 948 engine, if you insist, the unleaded head from a later 998 Mini is perfect! These engines are given away FREE (I did so a couple of years back) - and the heads are readily available on ebay etc. Disc brakes certainly not necessary in a 948 - unless fitting a supercharger ? An upgrade to the later and larger 8" front drums from a 1098 car would be wise, but not essential. Seat belts can indeed be fitted - floor mounted and slightly awkward - but easily done.

I phoned Florence's current owner today to finalise arrangements for purchasing her and picking her up next week, only to be told by the owner that he's changed his mind. Very apologetic and all that, but he's decided not to sell her but to hang on until May when he can claim the Government's £2000 scrappage grant instead.

I explained that this would mean that she would end up being crushed and his response was "Yeah... well... it's better for me, ain't it?"

I wasn't going to offer him £2000 (tbh, she's not worth it, and in addition to what I'll have to spend on her to bring her totally up to the condition I would want, I couldn't afford her anyway).

Chalk up the first victim to the Government's so-called green agenda.

I'll just have to keep looking....

can you not find a real cheap car and offer it to him and some money so he gets his 2K and you get the moggy? ok a bit more effort but will save you have to look around for another moggy

Sadly, it doesn't work that way. You have to own a more than ten year old car for at least a year to claim the scrappage grant.

Ondergard wrote: Above all, the owner wants the Morris to go to a good home - he wants her to go on.

Can anyone persuade me not to buy her for £1395?

A club owner... wants her to go to a good home..... waxoyled and cared for all it's life!

So to get an extra £600 he's going to splash out thousands on a nearly new or new one?

You can easily get an extra grand knocked of a garage forecourt model anyway... seems fishy to me. I think he was hoping you'd pay the full £2k