Morris Minor Owners Club

hey this is my first post and im asking for advice
im going to start to get my dads traveller back on the road and looking good
just like he wanted but he got ill and left me the car so i went to look at it after not seeing it for a long time
and the wood is bad i will need to replace all of it i have done a few cars all vw and work in a garage so the engine and welding are no problem but i have never done anything like the wood and have a limited suply of cash so firstly where is the best place to buy the whole thing and are there any walk thu guides to get my head round it before i hack it to bitts i have some picks of it if any one wants to see how ruff it is

we always want to see photos.. so post a few up..

I do not know if you have read this post on the subject of wood work..
http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=14856

the south wales moggy club is active, it would be worth joining up and having fun also Dave Jones (who was a regular and might still be ) has restored at least two travellers and it will be well worth having a chat with him.

as for buying wood..i have been looking on ebay, and individual bits come up from time to time but I can not recall the last time a full set came up. so you are probably looking at the usual suppliers.. esm, birmingham, bull motif etc etc or direct from the people that make it woodies is one of them

Hi Wolfey, welcome to the messageboard

To post up some photos follow the instructions here: http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=31197

As already mentioned, companies such as Woodies provide full wood kits, as do Traveller Timbers, and most of the main Morris Minor parts suppliers too. As you are on a limited budget shop around for the best prices, and some suppliers have special offers from time to time, but as an average guide a full set of new wood will cost around £1,000.

http://www.travellertimbers.co.uk/

http://www.morriswoodwork.co.uk/

are there any walk thu guides to get my head round it before i hack it to bitts

The above companies might be able to assist with fitting instructions but the thing to remember is that the woodwork in a traveller is structural so don't go 'hacking it to bits' without knowing what you are doing first.

Good luck, and as charlie_ morris_ minor has pointed out there are quite a few regulars on here from South Wales so there might be someone local to you who can offer some advice/assistance.

I'm in Llantwit Major and have done a few Trav woodwork replacements, if you need a hand.

Rob
01446 795 489

Some pictures of the woodwork would help us give advice.

You could be a beneficiary of the scrappage scheme if someone has traded in a traveller with decent wood locally.
It is possible to transplant the whole lot in one go although it is quite a handful.

You can also do one side but it helps to have a carpenter around to do the joint at the back corner.

I'm glad someone mentioned travellers timbers- an excellent company and for less money they will supply you with a "seconds" kit, that is if the car is going to be a usable car (like mine ) rather than a concours contender. The wood will have some knots and imperfections in the "seconds" set, but once stained, you won't be able to spot the difference that easily.

Travellers timber also sell a complete side and complete doors and rear under door section. If you buy these (as needed) then you can fit the wood yourself as it just bolts and screws onto the steel floorpan/ wheelarches. The wood will need some shaving and sanding to get it to fit, but is not as hard a job as you think. Trickiest bit is nailing the aluminium roof gutter trim back on around the corners- should heat this before fitting to soften the ali so it bends round without cracking.

Another tip is to do the welding to fit the wood rather than vice- versa. The rear wheelarch flange repair sections have some overlap to allow you to weld this onto the wheelarch so the mounting flange meets the wood.

hi thanks for the fast replys my plans where to get it up in the air and get the under side solid before taking any wood off not that its doing anything its like a spunge i like the sound of seconds as dad liked a bargen im off to look for some locals now then i will try get some picks up

i think a bit of pledge would fix most of it

Well that post and the waist rail are shot, I'd suggest you get a bucket of warm soapy water and a scrubbing brush then clean the moss etc off the rest which looks neglected but not rotten.

If it is the original wood, it will have been boiled in anti rot juice and can stand a certain amount of neglect.

It looks as though the rear doors might be OK. just need a sand, cuprinol and a stain or varnish. The side looks definitely shot. If you can get hold of some ash, you might be able to repair/re-make the below door structure. Can you post more pics of the wood, please? So we can see what can be saved and what cannot.

im going back up to take more pick's hopefully this weekend and i will put them on right away iv been thinkin engine swaps today and have yet another question why has no one gone down the 318 m40 route or even deisel iv got a soft spot for old derv engines so under rated i think. my mk1 golf pickup is only a 1.6 td but my mates 2l gti cant keep up with me and i still get 45mpg

A minor is best with the A series engine!

yea the engine swap wont happen till the traveller is solid and i want to do a cool interior and make my own stamp on it classy 50s rod

keep it as original as possible!
if you have to swap engines, go for a 1275 MG midget engine for that little bit extra grunt, but do a straight swap.
the biggest advantage would be a 5 speed box (lots of posts on here about that) - even in a Midget, it transforms the car.
Remember that if you have to alter the bulkhead etc to shoe-horn a bigger engine in it will count as a point toward a Q plate (either 8 or 12 allowed). add to that any strengthening/brake upgrades etc to cope with the extra power and you're well on the way to a Q plate (ie. no free tax, expensive insurance etc)

The car looks like it's been there a while; is it still on the DVLA database? if not, remember it'll need re-registering.

are there any walk thu guides to get my head round it before i hack it to bitts

Haynes restoration manual is good (though i have a saloon and not a traveller, it looks quite in depth)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morris-Restorat ... 274&sr=1-3

Haynes restoration manual is good (though i have a saloon and not a traveller, it looks quite in depth)

thanks didnt think about that i bet the old man has a few of them he had loads .
it was taxed up till 09 then had a small bump so was taken up to my bros place where it whent bad and whent bad very quickly