Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi
i have a 1275 ital engine fitted in a minor ,the engine is mounted about an inch lower than usual due to having a triumph dolomite 1850 gearbox & overdrive attached, i have used a thermostat housing/elbow from a metro turbo(i think) for some time.but the angle of the top radiator hose in either direction could do with some inprovement,i have used a flexy hose to help .i have seen somewere a modified housing/elbow designed for this use, but i have searched for somtime for one but had no succes,Can anyone out there help please? i would be very grateful,many thanks in advance regards arkrite .

Supposedly an MGB thermostat housing works well, although it won't help with your low mounting. Does the T1850 box/O/D work well ??

Hi
Thanks for reply ,i will look for a mgb type, also i may be able to lower the rad a little have not really looked to see if it is possible to do so, would be a obvious answer to the height problem ,Yes the 1850 box works a treat ,i had the speedo re-calibrated and the overdrive is very useful ,i have been out of action for the last three years due to ill health,but i am just getting back into using the morris again .it has been layed up in the garage for that time,i have now got the bug for sorting a few little teething problems such as the thermostat housing.and if i can find a large bore stainless exhaust system that will with modification ,at the down pipe end go under the outer chassis rail rather than through it,best i can describe it.but i am sure you know were i mean.thanks again for your help.regards arkright .

Hi
again,can anyone tell me please which mgb thermostat housing is most suitable for the ital engine fitted in a minor?.
as there are several to choose from part Nos and year's that i am not sure of the one i need. would be better if i could compare the actual item on the engine,but when buying online they all look about the same.But maybe the bolt holes/stud spaceing could be different and of course the angle of hose connector.any help would be very welcome.thanks from arkright.

Can't really say because I picked up mine in an autojumble for 50p.

Birmingham Morris Minor Centre sell a 1275/1098 conversion thermostat housing which is the correct angle for a 1275 engine and standard rad.

I fitted the pre 1967 MGB thermostat housing when fitting my 12g940 head at the weekend. The housing is slightly offset as can be seen on the photos below. The rad pipe is about 1 1/2" higher and the top hose is more like an S-bend. Perhaps the one from Birmingham Morris Centre is better. Anybody tried it?

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Regards

I simply used the curved section from a bottom hose and the standard 940 elbow.

Kittyfell,
Could you show us a photo of your hose arrangement just for reference?

Thanks

I don't have my camera at the moment but I bought a Thermostat housing for the 1275 engine/Morris 1000 Radiator from BMMC and it does line up and fit very easily and uses the normal minor top hose.

Me too, except that I had already cut the bend off the rad top inlet and fitted a longer top hose, but it would have worked on a standard rad and top hose.

I compared the MMCB elbow with the MGB one today and can confirm that the angle on the MMCB elbow, when seen from above, is better. The rad top inlet on mine is however higher than the elbow, so although, if I fit the MMCB one, the kink in the top hose will be reduced but not eliminated. The rad is fairly new and maybe sits higher than the original but I don't know as it was in the car when I bought it. Perhaps the idea of using the bottom hose as mentioned above is an easier way to go. Can anybody post a pic for reference?
Thanks
Declan

If the angle's OK and you just need to raise it then you could fit the heater take-off sandwich plate from a Metro. It goes between the thermostat housing and the head, I'd guess you'd need longer studs for it. You'd have to block off the heater outlet pipe with a bit of hose with a suitable bolt to plug the end.

Actually I can't remember if it was for the heater or the expansion bottle, I use one on the Sprite for the expansion tank as it's got a non-standard radiator.

I don't understand why the rad should be sitting so much higher than the thermostat stub - maybe a non-standard rad ? Yes - the Metro spacer would help in this case - the stub was used for heater return I believe, but could be easily blanked off.

Thanks guys,
I think it's a repro rad. I could lower it about an inch before fouling the starter handle but the idea with the spacer is probably easier. Is this the one?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12G3512-Metro-Low ... 1e5cdd632c

Regards
Declan

That looks like it, yes. You'll have to move the standard heater return if you raise the thermostat housing though.

Posted to you today Declan - with 3 long studs.

Thanks a million Roy.
What's the best way to plug the outlet-any ideas?
Declan

Use it for the heater return ? And plug off the head where the valve sits ?? Otherwise - a short length of hose with a bolt in the end ? It's quite thin - I doubt it will be possible to tap a decent thread in it.

You should not foul the starting handle as it passes through an aperture below the radiator panel