Morris Minor Owners Club

Dear All,

I'm wondering if you could help me. I had an "emotional" reaction to a neglected 1953 Minor at a scrap yard. It was in relatively good condition, but slightly foolishly, I paid £1000 for it without an MOT!

I have since sent it to a classic car specialist who informs me that it is a good example, but with crumbling on the A frame and cracking to the sills. It also has some rather slap-dash repairs to the floor which don't appear too good; in short they tell me that it's dangerous!

I've been quoted £3300 to get the car structurally and mechanically sound, and also fix ( but not re-spray) the body work.

I'm not in this to make money, but at the same time, I need to know that if I put money into it, then if needs be I can get it out again! I have a feeling that even after all of this, it won't be a perfect example, for instance it has replacement plates. So I was wondering if any could advice as to values, and whether it is worth me ploughing so much into the car.

Best wishes,

Mark

A medium to full resto will not be a viable propostion for you should you wish to recover the costs at the point of sale in the future.
Minors are unfairly cheap with excellent original or restored cars seldom selling for more than £8K. this could represent a third or quater of a full professional restoration. So financially its folly to spend any more unless like most of our full resto/modified customers , they are truly devoted to their bespoke Minors and the financial constraints do not apply.

Any chance of some pictures of the areas you have been pointed to are dangerous? There are people on here who will probably put your mind at rest.... or the opposite of course ;)

As has been said, you can pick up a very good minor these days for around 2 to 3K and non of the hassle with having one restored

If you aren't in a rush to get the car back on the road, you may be able to get a garage to do the work in their downtime at a cheaper labour rate.

Also the cold-hearted mathematics don't take into account love of the car!

But in this case the maths are a priority, despite the affection for the car. Sometimes they are simply not worth paying to have done even if you have strong ties to the car.
Cheap rates in downtime, blimey , tis a bit of a myth really, all you end up with is a rushed job that probably started out with the right intentions but then becomes a noose around the bodyshops neck and it finished off at great haste. Do not be fooled into cheap jobs, they seldom work unless you are prepared to crack the whip on occasions.

If the car is a 1953 then presumably it is an early Series II, the rarity of which counts in its favour.
Very few people who have their cars professionally restored expect to recover the financial outlay. They just have the satisfaction of driving their much loved car and preserving it for another generation.
You should not let your heart rule your wallet but many Minors are on the road for that very reason.

Also depends how much of the £3,300 is mechanical? Mark could do this himself afterwards, this then may substantially reduce the quote. It could even be worth a second opinion, hence my request for pictures. The garage in question may be looking for work and slightly over quoting. Just a thought.

If it were me, I'd cut my losses and get a decent one. There was/is one in the for sale section (very nice example) on here that is less than your quote for basic repairs - a no brainer really. http://www.morrisminoroc.co.uk/index.ph ... ic&t=25862
Different if the car has some sentimental value (family owned etc etc).

Pete

The '62 rose taupe Traveller we just bought had had £2,995 spent on it last October - and that was at a garage where they charged £15 per hour labour! (so cheap work in downtime does exist, in Cornwall at least) We only paid just over a third of that bill for the car......

I suggest you get another 'estimate' for the repairs. The place you have taken it to may not be the best - or the cheapest!
'Crumbling on the A frame' sounds odd - as far as I know, Minors don't have 'A frames'!! But no doubt it needs substantial work - it's just a matter of finding someone who can do a good value job for you. There are some non-professional restorers about - who will do a good job for less money (because they have low overheads/enjoy the work etc etc) - you just need to find such a rare beast - or do the job yourself! It's very doubtul if you will ever recover all your costs - but you could end up with a nice safe solid car! the quoted £3300 without re-spray is not economic - and never will be.

My thanks to all of you who have offered advice; sadly it appears that it's probably not woth the money - so I'm going to have a re-think, perhaps there is a third way!

I'm working away at the moment, otherwise I would certainly place some pictures for your consideration, but thanks all the same.

Mark Hambleton

So where are you located ? might be worth getting someone on here popping round to give a second opinion as most of us know what to look for

Should have done that before paying £1000 for a wreck!

We all know that hindsight is 20:20...

On the quoted cost - it might be that the garage is actively NOT looking for work and is over-quoting because they are rushed off their feet. I've heard of it being done, although frankly I'm not certain I buy it. That said, a second opinion may well be beneficial.

If you post whereabouts you (or the car) are someone may be able to suggest a local repairer for another quote.

If you post whereabouts you (or the car) are someone may be able to suggest a local repairer for another quote.