Morris Minor Owners Club

I got a 65 convertible for restoration, not as a hobby. I intend it to be a practical reliable local runabout not concours. Grateful for some basic information:-
a) How do i tell if it is a genuine convertible?
b) where do i get a complete one piece floor incl boot floor and sils etc? How much (little?) should I pay? The floor etc has been repeatedly patched (badly) and there is no sound basis for welding small sections in, nor am i sure that the piecemeal repairs have not distorted the bottom half of the car. I obviously realise that in a monocoque, sections have to be overlapped for strength when joining the floor etc to the upper body.
c) apart from smothering everything in Waxoyl, any recommendations about bodywork etc?

I have posted qu's about mechanicals separately

Many thanks DF

Welcome to the forum!

There are various ways to tell if a car is a genuine convertible. Check the chassis number - it should start MAT. Look at the strengthening plates joining the dashboard to the A posts - are they spot welded? Saloons have an interior light fitted but convertibles don't so open the doors and look to see if there push 'switches' in the A posts.

You can't buy the floor panel in one piece - you will need to purchase separate panels. As for the cost, are you planning to weld it yourself or get it professionally repaired? If so,labour charges will obviously need to be factored in. The problem with convertibles is that the extra strengthening has to be done correctly otherwise the chassis will 'sag' resulting in all sorts of other problems such as the doors not shutting properly. You'll be able to buy the panels from Minor parts suppliers such as Bull Motif, East Sussex Minors (ESM) etc and you might be able to get a discount if you purchase the panels at the same time.

Before thinking about waxoyling etc I would carry out a detailed inspection of the car to work out how much it is likely to cost to get it back on the road - price up the panels and factor in labour costs if necessary. The repair costs may well exceed the value of the car when it is finished. Not trying to put you off but we have had 'newbies' here in the past who have purchased what they considered to be a fairly easy project and have wildly underestimated the amount of time and money that was required to get the car roadworthy.

If you are considering having the work carried out professionally please come back here to ask for recommendations. Where are you located? If you haven't had previous experience of Minors / old cars it would be worthwhile contacting your local MMOC branch for advice. Someone may be able to look over the car for you and give a realistic view of how much it would cost to repair.

Great advice Louise gave you (as ever with her). I am interested, though, in your wanting to replace the floor in its very broadest definition: including sills and boot floor, and other things? To replace so much, you run the risk of repair panels not existing...for example, the toeboard, in my experience, cannot be replaced with a professionally-made repair panel, and a new one must be made up or the old one patched. The sills and boot floor are available, in sections.

To have a professional replace what sounds like the entire underside of a Minor, I would expect $7000 (about £5000) or more in labor costs alone, and it would certainly take several months at any well-trafficked shop. Doing it yourself could still take several months, but would cost at most £1000.

Do you know the condition of the chassis legs and center crossmember? Of the mounting points for the rear springs? Of the engine bay floor?

Many thanks Louise and Fingolfin.

The good news is that the chassis no begins M3AT so seems genuine. i will check the rest in daylight.

Much as i love these little cars ( they seemed to be an integral part of my boyhood) time and cash is limited, and dodgy knees and other bits that do not work as they once did etc, restrict what I can do myself. The budget is about £1k and timescale 7 months.

Getting panels is no problem, making them is not too difficult either and hauling the thing up on a tractor or teleporter ok too. But the 2 professional friends I would trust are expensive - probably abt £5k as you say Fingolfin for the blasted, welded and painted etc body. On the other hand, I could get it blasted and later painted for about £250 -£300 and in between can get someone to MIG all day for £90/day if he can do it between other jobs.

But would it be straight and structurally sound? i once saw an expensive steel boat, DIY welded that resembled a banana 'cos the bloke welded his way up one side then down the other. I was hoping that someone was doing complete floors etc in a jig.

I will have another look but there is rust and some daylight over most of the metal low down. If I have to sell as is i will offer it to the MMOC .

Dick wrote:The good news is that the chassis no begins M3AT so seems genuine. i will check the rest in daylight.

Did you mean M3AT there? for a 1965 convertible it should start MAT5, if you meant MAT3 then it means it must have been built before 1963.

Thanks Sidney 61,

Ah! Not sure what this is then.

The actual chassis no (from V5) I cannot get to front of Moggie at the moment) is M3AT5D1117327

help please.

DF

I think the 3 must just be a mistake on the V5 then as the rest of the number is correct!
M - Morris
A- A-series
T - tourer
5 - series V
D - Deluxe
The actual number works out for late 1965 too.

Many thanks. So it is genuine and has a later engine. DF