Morris Minor Owners Club

The man I purchased my pickup has two vans for sale, he wants £200 each, they are fairly tatty and would require complete restoration.

He is moving to New Zealand in march and if he cant get rid will probably dump.

I dont have the time, but at a push could get and put them in a field under a tarp if it saves them from the dump. But will not be able to keep for long as we get lots of hassle from planning for keeping cars in fields.

Vans are great, I love em! His price sounds reasonable, Ebay 'project' ones tend to go for more than that - isn't it pretty expensive getting them off the Channel Islands though?

Years ago you could not give LCVs away. Now they probably go for as much money as any other model. May be a limited market on Jersey but they make good advertising when sign written.

Nah - just scrap them - not worth having!

There - that should get the thread running nicely!

Nah - just scrap them - not worth having!

yet more of your useful insight Roy ;-)

Van's are really worth having, if they can be saved. Tatty is normal for a Van as they were made to work for a living, and as they were so good at it they usually got worked to death.

As were the Pick-Ups, the best Minor of all.

and even tatty ones have survibed well to still be in good service

most of mine have been tatty and honest vans

My original plan had been to buy a van but in the end I compromised and went for a Traveller (More civilised but perhaps less the workhorse). I understand some of the LCV spares are a bit harder to get but that's no reason not to save one.

spares are the same as any saloon really, i mean mechanical bits are as easy to get as a saloon

the only bits not made are interior original door card studs, and the covers where the seat belt goes

you can get all the reapir panels so no real problem

you can not get new van sides but then you can not get new saloon sides

And the LCVs are much easier to repair due to their separate chassis.

well some of the chassis is not so easy to repair without taking the cab or rear loading bay off

cars are easier being monoque construction

Exactly! You can strip the vans and pick ups down to the chassis, just like a Landrover or a Spitfire, much easier in my experience anyway.

yes agreed but not allways for the home restorer
nearlt a restoration just to get to some of the chassis

and also the other problem is u can not see inside the chassis which is rusting from the inside out

Fair points but if the chassis is that far gone it can be replaced. I was lucky, mine was pretty solid. I would like to build one up from a new chassis sometime, I did a series 3 Landy on a new galvanised chassis a few years ago.

Are the new LCV chassis any good?

i have had many vans and pickups in the last 20 or so years,

new chassis are no good really as many have found out, and any original ones are very rare and would still need the top coming off and derusting treating etc and put the tops back on

main point is every LCV is worth saving especially ealier ones!!

but there is a point where they are beyond saving

Well the guy has just returned from New Zealand where he is moving to, and his house may now be sold. He phoned and offered the vans for free if I will remove. Not sure what to do as I dont have space and he wants to get rid of them.

I am going to take a look next week. They certainly dont drive, but have been dry stored for a long time.

I think it is a whale of an opportunity, but then again I am in the US where they are rare.

I'b buy one !! But then I am in Ireland and would have a bit of transport problem, so that doesn't help much