Morris Minor Owners Club

I know this is almost impossible to answer, but I was wondering if members here had any rough idea from experience of approximately how much the asking or offering price should be on a 1952 series 2 car in need of restoration ? There is a car I saw on a local advert that was garaged for 20 years. The engine did originally work when it drove in so it may turn with a crank. I would have to assume that a large degree of welding would be required too, though the panels look okish in the picture.



I may go and have a look at this car but would appriciate some background info price wise to bargin with too. The car is offered with a second 1953 car that sat outdoors, so presumably is just scrap and parts. The asking price mentioned to me on the phone was (don't faint) £600, which to me is a lot. Probably only worth half that or less. Any suggestions.

The last one I bought in similar condition was £50.00. The one before that was free.....

That one was advertised on Gumtree Northern Ireland for £900 a few weeks back with the same pictures. It would need very careful checking over, one benefit with the older cars is that they were made with heavier steel and dont (usually....) rust as badly as 1000s.
I heard of a 56 splitscreen 4 door MOT'd and taxed in Armagh if your interesred, would be around £2500 but would be ready to go with out all the welding and spraying......

Thats the one all right. He obviously came down in price. I have three cars already, including one restoration project (Traveller), so can't really afford a restored S2, but maybe a long term restoration such as this one. Thats for the heads up. Maybe I'll see you at Mosney if your club is down ??

i gave a series 2 4 door away last year.

but condition is everything..

A friend of mine purchased a series 2 once that had not been on the road for about 25 years.. all it needed was a complete brake overhaul.. he did not wish to trust the old system.. four new tyres and a hole the size of a 50p welding up.. and he was back on the road..

the one I gave away certainly was not in that condition.

I think you need to look and see what needs doing, maybe take some photo's if the guy lets you,then report back. I'm sure you'll get a lot of accurate valuations, then it's up to you how much you want a series II. The bits are rarer, but not impossible to get hold of... check the condition of the other car, get some photo's you may be able flog or break the one to put towards the other. You may be lucky, it may not need much to get back on the road, do that sell it and restore the other.

Assume all the mechanical parts are wrecked - just go on underside condition ONLY. But I wouldn't pay more than £100 or so!

I know. Thats my feeling too, though I imagine he would not be too keen on letting it go for that price, but I agree it would not be worth more than one or two hundred given that its been standing for so long. I hope to view anyway and take a few pictures and make him some sort of an offer, which as I say I imagine he would reject, but if so walk away. He said too he was moving so maybe if I wait long enough ?????

As an aside I notice there is no details recorded for this registration on either the DVLA site or on http://www.motorcheck.ie/. Is this usual or just because the car has been off the record for 20 years or more ?

Yes Ian hoping to go to Mosney, I did spy your car last year but there was no one in it!!

Northern Ireland number plates dont come up on the DVLA data base as they are controlled by Coleraine who are still independant from the main DVLA in Swansea though they are supposed to be merging. Also if it hasnt been on the road for a long time they have to be inspected by a a Coleraine Official at first MOT time to ensure that the chasis numbers and all the details tally up before they will issue the new tax book. Kenny had to get this done on his convertuble last week as it was off the road over 20 years.

DAVIDMCCULLOUGH wrote:Yes Ian hoping to go to Mosney, I did spy your car last year but there was no one in it!!

I was probably accosting every morris minor owner I could find handing out a leaflet for our National Rally in New Ross at the time. My car was a bit distinctive at the time all right . Hopefully I'll have a car there this year. The black one needs a bit of welding and the new green one needs a bit of mild repainting. Thanks for the information re northern registrations. Good to know.

Right. I managed after three attempts to find the right house. He has two cars on offer. The first is the one we know about that he has had for 20years sitting in his garage. Needless to say it is toally dusty and sitting on four flat tyres. The first thing I tried to do was to see if the engine was turning but the car is parked so close to the wall that I couldn't get the starting handle in nor could I push the car out of the way on four flat tyres and no doubt seized wheels. The battery had obviously been removed as had the radiator, which sat in the boot.

The front of the car appeared to be in better condition than the rest, though the grille was rusty at the bottom as was the bumper valance. Otherwise both wings appeared to be original or at least didn't appear to be later wings, the chassis legs appeared to be in moderately good condition, or at least had no holes that I could poke with a screwdriver. But then it gets worse - the passenger door was rusty at the bottom (nothing that couldnt' be fixed) and moved a bit on the A post. The drivers door was in better condition but swung madly on its pillar. Internally was a joke !!! The floor, if that is what it could be called, was made out of 1-2mm sheet iron welded on in two layers. The welding too looked it was off a russian T34 tanks. The crossmember underneath was badly tacked on (no seam welding).

There was a hole in the inner rear wing towards the boot, though the wing itself appeared good. The drivers side wing was rusted at the top (by the gutter) as was the bodywork at the edge too. The edge of the boot was rusty, obviously, as was the interior boot floor. The rear bumper valance as rusty too.

Generally underneath the front chassis legs appeared to be ok or at least I couldn't poke any holes through the passenger one. The floor as I say was a joke and bodged out of sheet iron. There was one or two holes in the inner rear wings but the inner fronts looked ok. The rear chassis legs looked ok but would probably need replacing anyway.









He mentioned too that he had another car to go free with it too, which he kindly showed me, but it was located up a long muddy lane and across a muddy field, so impossible to remove. Parts had obviously been removed by others as the wings and grille were gone as was most of the engine. He had this down as a 1952 car, but am I wrong in saying that this car looks like it could be a Series MM ???



Ps. I told him his black car was probably only worth about £50-100 at best. Although he said he intends to move as he lives alone, I get the impression that he would be happier to leave the car where it is until he gets a 'couple of hundred' as he said when I was leaving. Its not an impossible restoration, but only for £100. What do you think ?

Definately an MM that second car... it looks too far gone (but you never know), but would it be possible to get the chassis number from the bulkhead plate. Mike Perry could then date it.. you never know it could be of some significance.

The black car... you've kind of made him the offer, but you have to take into account the costs to remove too... you may be the only one that makes him an offer. I guess only take it if you really want it, what it's worth to you will be different to the next person.

Dean wrote:would it be possible to get the chassis number from the bulkhead plate. Mike Perry could then date it.. you never know it could be of some significance.

Doh The one thing i forgot to check. It was getting dark at the time and i was concentrating on photographing it too much.

Dean wrote:you may be the only one that makes him an offer

I can hire a trailer and tow it. He said i was only the second person in six months to view. The other guy came all the way from donegal but didn't make him an offer. As i say, he did make a crack about coming back with a couple of hundred. I might email his son (contact) and just say i would take it away for £100ish and see what reaction I get.

Offer him £150 and I would think he would go for it....

You think its worth that ? So, £150 and the opportunity to strip the MM of all its useful parts (bonnet, boot, interior etc) ?

Absolutely - I would go for it and that MM might even turn out to be special ???

PSL184 wrote:that MM might even turn out to be special ???

But how would I get it out from its final resting place, thats the problem. Its well stuck at the top of a muddy field and has been for years. Here are some more pics. I can email his son and ask him to see if he can find any numbers on the registration book. Believe it or not it exists for this car.







As you can see its moderately gone in all the right places. Sills are shot and it looks like part of the floor may have collapsed ? Not sure. The boot is rusted at the bottom as usual and part of the bonnet looks to have large holes in it. As you can see it was getting very dark at the time so some of the pictures are taken with a flash and others at a high ISO.

Join the AA and tell em you've broken down

Depends how "far" in it is to the field from the road. Do you know anyone with a tractor. You may have to build some form of road to retrieve it. Landy in 4x4 mode with a winch?

Or see if you can get a friend with a hiab to hoick it out of it's resting place.

've seen a DAF in a similar condition / place retrieved. It was unsalvagable, but then bits for DAFs are more scarce, any minor can be saved, really, it just depends on what you want to spend