Morris Minor Owners Club

Last Sunday at Knockhill my TR7 was parked next to a very nice white Austin 1000 van. As usual - no camera!! Had a long chat with the owner -who said his documents said 1275 engine - but he thought not. Look under bonnet showed definitely not 1275 - maybe 1098 - but no '1100' badge on the side of the block. No fuelpump hole either - engine number was 8G etcetc - and not a gold seal unit. So - could this be one of the rare 848 engines - as was fitted to the later A35 vans ?? Anyone know how they were numbered? And were 848 engines ever fitted as standard to the Austin 1000 vans ?

Will have a look in the David Vizard book. 848cc was the original Mini engine but something tells me 848 was used in Post Office vans.

Never heard of an 848cc engine in an Austin Minor, I have heard that they were fitted to A35 disability cars.
The only anomaly I know of with Minor vans is the GPO van which never used the 948 engine / box, going straight from 803 to 1098.
The trouble with tracking down parts and deciding what is original is that you never know what has been retro fitted

Engine prefix 8G relates to an 848cc Austin A35 van engine. This was an option rather than standard and used on all GPO vans post 1962. See here:

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/news/news498.html

Sorry to disagree with you but as I said, the Post Office continued with the 803cc engine after the rest of the range changed in 1956, until the 1098cc was introduced in 1963. The GPO never fitted 848cc or 948cc engines.
I owned an early 1963 GPO driving insrtuctor's van and that was fitted with an 803cc engine and box and 8in front brakes.
Ref. Morris Minor Light Commercial by Russell Harvey, P34.

I think you are missing the point mike, its not an Austin Minor Van....

OK Sorry, so we are discussing A35 vans? Not so well up on those, would have thought that Wallace and Grommet would have raised their profile a bit.
I still stand by what I said about the GPO never using 848 or 948 engines except in Minivans

quite right the gpo went straight to the 1098

So - indeed the general opinion is that this 8G etc etc IS an 848 cc engine ? That was my reckoning - it certainly all looked 'original' - ie not Gold Squeal etc. I did ask the owner if it went well - and he seemed pleased with it. However - it had no fuel pump hole in the block - so IF it came from an A35 van/disability etc - it must have been fed from an electric fuel pump - which seems unlikely in an A35. I think it's likely the later GPO etc vans may well have had 848 engines. I seriously doubt they were still fitting 803 engines in 1963!

Roy, you will have to take my word for it, and Russell Harvey's book, GPO vans were definately fitted with 803cc engines until 1963. I owned such a van, 65 FUU which had a 1098 body, ie large back windows and 8in brakes, indicators on the roof and 948 style wipers and an 803cc engine, gearbox and diff.
Take the head off and measure the bores whilst the owner is not looking!!!!!!!!!

I did suggest - he wasn't keen! Amazing if they still had 803 engines - must have been a way to use up old stock. I assume the gearbox had the magic wand lever ?

Yes and the correct cover. The GPO were the biggest users of Minor vans so they got what they wanted,
Double ended wheel nuts, lower suspension arms jacking brackets, external rear door hooks, brackets on rear of chassis, roof mounted indicators, no hub caps except Series IIs

Yes - I understand all that - but retaining the old 803 engine etc must have been to use up old parts - surely! I do have the LCV book - and hadn't notced the small engine part - must read it more closely!