Morris Minor Owners Club

Hello, I am a newby. I wanted to join the club because I am thinking of buying a minor in the not to distant future I hope. I used to own a 1100 van back in the late eighties and regret selling it even tho the chassis had rotted away. I love the cars and most important I feel is being able to fix (within reason) a car oneself instead of relying on expensive hourly rate garages because they have the specialist tools required. But of course who in their right mind would not want to own a classic car that is part of our heritage. I know I will enjoy seeing everybodies resoration work photo's and hope people won't mind me asking questions Thanks Gary (currently living in Epsom Surrey)

Good luck with your purchase. I'd say get the best you can afford and if you're on a budget get a two door saloon, as you'll get a better car for your money and a two door is simpler. Unless you happen to be a body repairer, I'd say go for a sound structure before all else, as the mechanical bits are all bolted on and can be removed relatively easily.

There are loads of diagrams showing where to look for rot. I'd say the most critical parts are underneath and mainly towards the outside of the car, with the exception of the "Chassis" rails, which are either side of the engine. You can see inside these by lifting the gearbox cover and you can see inside the sills by removing the covers under the doors, where they shut. Above floor level, the front wings can go in front of the doors and around the lights. Also remember that a rotten wing could well be hiding a rotten inner wing! The doors can go at the bottom and around the quarterlight and the rear wings can also rust but I'd say the front wings have a greater potential to cause problems. Roof guttering can also rust but this is easy to see.

As a Traveller owner, I have less bodywork to rust at the rear (Aluminium within the wood), so no steel bootlid etc but then the wood is an issue on its own.

Mechanically I suppose a Minor is basically no different to check from any other car (Blue smoke, slipping clutch, stopping in a straight line) but do be aware that neglected front suspension can collapse. It is pretty simple and there is certainly not an excess of things to go wrong, whilst parts are readily available and not too costly all things considered.

If I had £10000 to spend on a car and no car, I’d spend a few thousand on a garage (Assuming I didn’t have one) and the rest (Or some of it…I might need tools….) on a Minor or I would consider an MGB GT, as a good all rounder, if I didn’t need four seats or a bigger boot. I wouldn’t touch a modern car with a bargepole.

Thank you very much for that very useful advise. I will study what you have said with great care. I have been stung a couple of times with cars before but of course buying an oldie could be a serious risk with the limited know how that I have.
Thank you

If you're not too sure of yourself, you could also consider looking at something like http://www.morrisminorspares.co.uk/esmcars.php. You might pay a little more for the car but then you get more redress if they sell you a duffer (And it would not be in their interests, as a reputable trader, to do that). Also, if you're lucky, they may well have several for you to view. I have never been to ESM in person but I have bought parts off them and have no complaints.

Well blaketon it looks like I totally ignored your advise and went and got a 4 door. But this car was spotted by a friend and at a very reasonable price that I could not ignore. The engine runs beautifully, no noise, no rattles. It was last on the road less than two years ago and on inspection it seemed a good buy. I am confident we made the right choice