Morris Minor Owners Club

hi everyone. i have just fitted another engine to my moggy. the old one was the original 850cc. i am replacing it with a 950cc. the bottom end/block has been fitted. now i need to know how to fit the head. i am going to use a copper gasket and fit it to 45LB? is that right?

then when it comes to the distributor, do i fit it with number 1 cylinder at the top and rotor arm pointing towards it for a start?

thanks.

The 850 engines are very rare - i've been looking for one for ages! Don't throw it away!! Use any 'small bore' gasket - the merits of the 'copper' one are much over-rated. Yes - torque the nuts in sequence - and in small steps to 45 ft lbf - then reset after the first heat cycle. Set inlets to 12 thou gap and exhausts to 15 thou - and reset after the second torquing. The dizzy can go just about anywhere - it's not possible to specifyu it the way you suggest. You must of course get #1 firing when #1 piston is at TDC on the firing stroke with both valves closed -set this up before you fit the rocker cover. Be sure to crank the engine with plugs out until it raises oil pressure - before making any effort to start it!

bmcecosse wrote:The 850 engines are very rare - i've been looking for one for ages! Don't throw it away!! Use any 'small bore' gasket - the merits of the 'copper' one is much over-rated. Yes - torque the nuts in sequence - and in small steps to 45 ft lbf - then reset after the first heat cycle. Set inlets to 12 thou gap and exhausts to 15 thou - and reset after the second torquing. The dizzy can go just about anywhere - it's not possible to specifyu it the way you suggest. You must of course get #1 firing when #1 piston is at TDC on the firing stroke with both valves closed -set this up before you fit the rocker cover. Be sure to crank the engine with plugs out until it raises oil pressure - before making any effort to start it!

thanks for the info. yes i will keep the engine. i won't discard it ever.

how will i know when it fires at number 1 cylinder?

so i turn the engine over on the starter with the plugs out to build up oil pressure?

Are you sure that the original engine was not an 803cc which is the normal engine for a Series 11, not 848cc which was the original Mini engine although I believe that it was used in a few A35s
If you still have the Series 11 gearbox I would recommend changing it as well as it is not suited to the 948 engine.

mike.perry wrote:Are you sure that the original engine was not an 803cc which is the normal engine for a Series 11, not 848cc which was the original Mini engine although I believe that it was used in a few A35s
If you still have the Series 11 gearbox I would recommend changing it as well as it is not suited to the 948 engine.

my friend has done the same to his car. his has a 950cc engine instead of the 850cc. he has driven it like that for 10 years with no problems. he drives it carefully. i think it could be a 803cc but i am not sure. the car is a 55.

Yes - churn on starter until oil pressure shows on the gauge - or the light goes out and then keep going for 10 seconds. You get #1 on compression at TDC - then set the dizzy so the rotor arm is pointing at the terminal in the cap which has the shortest HT lead attached. Once it starts - you then fine tune it to get best idle.

The identifying feature of an 803 engine is the screw on oil filter canister on the side of the block.

mike.perry wrote:The identifying feature of an 803 engine is the screw on oil filter canister on the side of the block.

no. mine has the paper type.

Well - it's certainly not an 803!! What's the engine number ?

it begins 8AG

Intereseting! 848 engines did begin with '8' - but so did factory recon engines of 948cc capacity. If you look at the block - on the exhaust side - does it have '950' cast in the side ?

just spoke to my friend who i purchased the car from and he now tells me it used to have an 803cc at first but was changed in the late 80's to a 850cc. so it's not the original engine. so the one i have put in today is the 3rd engine.

So it probably IS the rare 848 engine - which I reckon will have the best economy hopes of all the range!

8AG is the prefix for a 948cc post 1962 Morris 1000 GPO van engine. See here: http://www.mgcars.org.uk/news/news498.html

I have copy of that list and that is an error. The GPO never used 948 engines, they kept the 803 until 1963/4 and then fitted 1098s.
The list also implies that the GPO used A35 vans with 848 engines (8G) which is incorrect.

it is an engine from an A35 van. a 1968 van. apparently the last year they made them. it's knackered now though.

I wish you were nearer!

To B M C. First it was up and down,now its round and round.
Its bringing out my dark side,and I am going RUSTY.
Ken
ny.Happy new yearto all may the rust be with you.

Mike is quite correct, neither the 848cc nor the 948cc was fitted to GPO vans;

Below,a quick run down of GPO/PO engines; (as detailed in my 'bible'!)

(Date ranges are approx.)

APHM (803cc) Oct 53 - Jul 57
8M/J/ ( " ) Jul 57 - Feb 58
8MA/J/( " ) Feb 58 - Jan 63
8MC/J/( " ) Feb 63 - Feb 64
10MA-U-L (1098cc) July 64 - Aug 69
10V/189E/L ( " ) Sept 69 - Dec 70
10V/451E/L ( " ) Dec 70 - *

* 101-4999 Grn/50001-10150 (approx) Blk.

I hope this clarifies the 803cc v 848/948cc saga!

Chris Stevens
POMMReg Historian

Didn't the GPO use 848cc Minivans?