Morris Minor Owners Club

I have a chance to buy a 1098 midget engine and trans for $100USD. Has not run in 20yrs but has been properly stored and ran well before storing I do know the person selling it is a good guy.
My Morris, 1958 Traveler has 948 with smooth case trans, would any of the 1098 parts and transmission work if needed??. I was thinking of buying it just for a spare trans or other parts if needed. It does not have any carburetors but otherwise complete.
Any thoughts??

It would all drop straight in your car with the only mods needed to the hydraulic clutch acctuation. The 1098 box is also considered a better / stronger box than the 948 item. If the engine is a late unit (10CC?) then it could also have the larger main bearings.

Bite his arm off! It's ideal for you. The hydraulic clutch actuation is easily changed to mechanical for your car. If you can get the differential from the rear axle - grab it too!

The 1098 Midget engine has a standard clutch, not a diaphram clutch, that was only fitted to the 1275 and 1500 Midget engines. Use the clutch linkage from a 1098 Minor, which may be the same as the Midget. The forks and clutch release bearings are different to the 948. There is a roller bearing clutch release bearing available.
What carb do you have on the 948? If you have an HS2 then that would be the most suitable with an AN needle, if not then use the carb of the 948.

Or the twins that may still be attachd to the Midget unit!

Sounds a bargain to me and dont worry about the twin carbs as the engine runs quite happily on a single.

Ahh - didn't notice no carbs! No great loss - they are pretty hopeless anyway.

If the engine number at the front right side says 10CG then it is almost a standard Morris engine but an engine marked 10CC or has 12G432 or 12G435 cast into the block on the left side then it is the better, stronger unit.
If I recall correctly, the gearbox internals changed in mid 1964 from the Morris Spec "A" profile to the same as the later 1275 Midget spec which was referred to as "B" spec, although I stand to be corrected.
Post May '63 (10CG 10345) had a stronger clutch cover plate spring set as standard but this obviously may have been changed since for the more common Morris cover.
Changing the clutch arm for the Morris involves taking the gearbox off and slipping the clips off the clutch bearing, undoing the locknut on the clutch fork pivot bolt, undoing the pivot bolt and then reversing the process using the Morris clutch arm instead. The Midget box is unlikey (not impossible, though) to have the bracket on the back to hang the cable that prevents the engine shooting forwards into the rad under hard braking. 2 or 3 bolts will fix that.
If the engine is a 10CC version then the manifold on the 12g295 head will work but the ports and valves are bigger in the head. Not a problem but be aware. Same compression ratio but achieved on the 10CC by larger head chamber and less dished pistons.

Rob, I bet you did not get all that information from the Haynes manual.

The bracket at the back (to take the restraint cable) is simply transferred from the Minor box - using the slightly longer screws from the Minor box !

Thanks for the advice, I will be picking it up this weekend. He said he has several boxes of other parts, he thinks SU carbs that I can have for FREE

Excellent - get all you can!

Any chance of some close ups, under the bonnet, inside etc of the Rolls?

I went out this morning to take some interior pictures as I had none, they are not the best but you get the idea. It has 72,000 miles and came from Arizona (Dry and Hot) so absolutely no rust. Every one looked at in the past 3 years had lots of rust and bondo so I passed on them. A friend of mine that works at the Bentley dealer in Long Island NY called me and told me the history of the car and that the owner had just passed away and his wife wanted removed from the property as soon as possible. When I got to the car her son came out and after going for a drive (short drive as the car had sat for several years and the brakes did not work so well) he told me the price and I had to buy it. I spent a LOT of time getting the brakes working properly and a new exhaust fitted along with vale adjustment and a basic tune up (dual point ignition). It’s a great car cruises easily and quietly at 80mph in the highways. It is powered by the Rolls Royce 4.9 six (last engine designed by Rolls) with dual HD8 SU’s gets about 11mpg so I don’t drive it all that much. So I have some pictures attached.<br><br><br><br><br><br>

a few more<br><br><br><br><br><br>

Beautiful Roller! On the original topic, I should add for our LHD friends that when swapping a trans from a Spridget to a Minor, AND you want to keep the mechanical clutch actuation, (I did and find it just fine), remember to take the plate from your Moggie trans that surrounds the input shaft (sorry, don't know what it's called). This is because that plate allows the clutch fork to exit on the left side of the transmission. If you're going hydraulic, then ignore all that- all you need is a longer pipe.

Aye - but the 'plate' on a 948 gearbox is not the same as the plate on a 1098 gearbox! However - it can maybe be 'encouraged' to work ok!

Good point, Roy. I did have to drill one extra hole, make another a trifle oblong, and use a slather of silicone sealant to keep everything happy. Is the 'plate' on a later Minor ribcage tranny a direct swap?

It would be - but hard to find a LHD one !