Morris Minor Owners Club

Car looks fantastic form the outside, inside and undeneath but the MOT bloke still found loads.
The car has now done 4 miles in the last year, 3 of them this morning and it broke down To much dirt in the carb

Fail list =
Fuel pipe leaking on conection to tank (Simple I hope)
Rear brake pipe not clipped in (Simple job?)
Exhaust Manifold loose (Simple job, was ok when I built it last Dec)
Front brake pipe kinked (Not sure which one yet)
Front brake inbalance (Linked to above ??)
Excessive play in front LH upper and lower suspension joints (How easy are these to change?)

I guess these are the joys of owning classic old cars I think I need to get the spanners out again.

Have to say that there is nothing too horrendous there......

Fuel pipe leaking on conection to tank (Simple I hope)

- Check that its fully tightened up & if it is then its fit a new pipe - not difficult at all

Rear brake pipe not clipped in (Simple job?)

- A cable tie is your friend

Exhaust Manifold loose (Simple job, was ok when I built it last Dec)

Again, just tighten it up

Front brake pipe kinked (Not sure which one yet)
Front brake inbalance (Linked to above ??)

Replacement pipes are cheap and easy to replace but the system will of course need bleeding. The imbalance may be down to the kink in the pipe, but just make sure theres no sticky cylinders. Again, an easy swap

Excessive play in front LH upper and lower suspension joints (How easy are these to change?)

This is a bit more complex, its not too hard but you need to be careful as you need to unload the suspension etc etc best thing is to get a manual and give it a good read.

The difficulty you might have is if the kingpin is worn - although I understand they are now in production they can still be a bit hard to come by

Excessive play in front LH upper and lower suspension joints (How easy are these to change?)

have you tryed to grese them up may take out the play

Its always nice when there is no welding to do! That is all straighforward stuff there, the biggest item possibly being the swivels but even those are not difficult to change so dont be put off.

I wish that was all mine needed!

look in the for sales i have a new old stock left hand swivel pin leg for sale

I may need that swivel pin, the outer swivel is new so the garage are going to add some grease and hope for the best.

I don't have time for the other jobs (too many cars/bikes) so the garage will sort it all. The list was longer than expected but the cost isn't too high.

I would say that's a 'near miss' - all straightforward stuff - and as above - NO welding!

Thanks all. I'm feeling a little more positive today and can't wait to get the moggy home.

It's just a suprise, (touch wood) I've not had a failure from any of my 4 cars since the early 90's. Goes to show you think you keep your cars in 100% road worthy condition but it's not.

So disapointed = failed MOT

Don't be dissapointed!!

To be honest I'd give myself a medal for just getting as far as the MOT station - some of mine are LONG overdue for that (regardless of pass or fail )

The advantage of an MOT fail sheet is that you now have a definitive list of what needs to be done to get an MOT ;-)

sorry swivel leg is now sold

You don't necessarily need a new leg, they are designed so the trunnions will wear faster as they are easier and cheaper to replace.
Only if a new trunnion still shows excessive play do you need to replace the leg.

Only if a new trunnion still shows excessive play do you need to replace the leg.

yes and no!
It was a square thread, so if the thread on the upright has worn to look more like a V-thread then it needs replacing. Sometimes these may 'appear' fixed by fitting a new trunnion but it's rather like fitting a square peg in a round hole - it's not good and new damage is imminent.

Thanks but my trunnion is new. First thing to try is regrease and hope.

As for well done getting to the MOT station, it did break down 300 yards short and had to be towed in blocked carb. Fuel filter should fix it

grease would only be a temp measure

it will eventually fail

The last job I had before I left England [1959].
Was with a taxi company,in london.
After overhaul they had to go for inspection
at a police insp'n place.I used to leave two or
three small faults for them to find,

If it failed with a new trunnion then the leg is toast.
Time to look for a better one.
Grease is no substitute for metal

Thanks but my trunnion is new

Unless you fitted worn top & bottom joints to it, it's unusual that you have play!

No news on the trunnion yet, I hope the grease will be enough to get a pass and then sort it out.

Leaking fuel union turned out to be a split fuel pipe, (New pipe fitted)
40% braking difference was the wheel cylinders. 2 not working, 1 leaking. So 4 new cylinders should solve the job.

Hope to get the car back by the weekend but I won't be driving it. I've managed to borrow a 09 plate RR Phantom for the weekend