Morris Minor Owners Club

.....which is obviously inside the chassis leg. It is strengthened with a bracing element. Even if you do a total re-build with new panels, you end up with narrow gaps between this brace and the chassis leg side - a breeding ground for future rust! I make a small plate from 3mm steel, which fits under the eyebolt tube, sits on the bottom of the chassis leg and touches each side.

Then I slowly weld this up - slowly so as not to distort the tube. A similar plate goes above, although this can only be welded to the tube and to the sides.

Next, I 'beef up' the insides of the chassis leg around the tube and plates with weld, making the same shape as the brace, on the sides and bottom, to spread the load on the tube.

You can only do it when you have the engine bay floor up. It doesn't take long. It means you won't be able to Waxoyl the chassis leg up to the front by taking off the gearbox cover and spraying in from there. I drill a hole in the engine bay floor at the front of the chassis leg, do the treatment and then plug it.

This brace has caused a lot of rot on Minors! It eventually all falls into bits on the chassis leg bottom, retains moisture and dirt, and spreads rust even further!

I'm not convinced that it's possible to guarantee you can get Waxoyl or whatever into the gap between the chassis leg and the brace. From what I've seen, the brace touches the chassis leg side.....I call it 'sandwiching'......the filling will be iron oxide!

Originally it was spot welded in place, I believe.

On the subject of eyebolt bushes, I replaced the standard items many years ago with metalastic bushes which consist of an outer tube which fits inside the eyebolt and an inner tube which fits over the torsion bar. Between the two tubes is filled with rubber and the torsion bar twists inside the inner tube with no need to pre load the bushes.

An afterthought re the tube mod.....if a hole were drilled in the plate under the tube, the whole chassis leg could be Waxoyled with the gearbox cover off, and eliminate the need for a visible hole elsewhere.

Re mike.perry's suggestion....a good suggestion about the metalastic modification. Are these specially designed for the Moggie?

If you measure up the inner and outer tube diameters you can probably get them from your local bearing suppliers. Well maybe not local in Poland.
I seem to remember that the ones I fitted were for a LDV van (now extinct) and needed shortening slightly

An afterthought re the tube mod

Sorry I am moving this to other as its not really a useful tip and you are having afterthoughts about it anyway.

I have the teflon bushes on mine for over two years and have had no problem with them. I mentioned them on a previous thread but I think most people didn't like the idea. The Swiss guys swear by it.

I have the metalastic bushes fitted, I think they were for a J4 van and cut down to fit. They are mentioned in the Tech Tips manual. I have not seen them advertised for a very long time, if anyone knows where you can get some......
Mine have been in for at least 15 years and still ok. Only thing is you don't have the 'top hat' section that normal bushes have so it looks like there is no bush fitted at all which may be an MOT issue.....

I would imagine the tester would see the nut in the middle in regard to the eyebolt, not be able to detect any play, and be satisfied.
Fifteen years is a good run for such a loaded part!

Mine have been in about 25 years. I had forgotten all about them until this topic came up. I did have some top hat issues with one MOT but I managed to explain that they were metalastic.

25 years! so I've still got a good 10 to go, that's my kind of replacement part.
I've found somewhere that sells the Metalastik bushes (FMK5137) but at nearly £20 each
Does anyone know of a cheaper source ?

Sorry, my price list is 25 years out of date!!!!!!!

Yes, I certainly didn't pay £20 when I got mine. I think my VERY old copy of the Tech Tips manual quotes 70 odd pence......