Morris Minor Owners Club

Mucking around today, I decided to give it a try. It fits like a glove, and opens up lots of lovely space for spares and tools that keeps my Traveller's boot area free for other loads, the tools out of sight (rather than just under a cloth like they are now), and the car looking generally tidier.

The only issue I can see with this long term is the effect of the heat on the tire rubber. If I could create some sort of ally heat shield tray to protect the tire from radiant heat, would this be enough? Or would the convected heat still be enough to perish the rubber quickly?

Obviously it will require some experimentation and a bit of fabrication to make it secure, but I'm only willing to go to the trouble if its not going to shant my spare wheel.

And no, I'm not open to the idea of drilling breather holes in the bonnet

Cheers,
Tom.

Were you going to suspend it from the bonnet ( may damage the hinges) or make a frame supported by the inner wings?

Another good point - Today I tried it on the tie bar across the bonnet, but it made it heavy to lift (not a problem) but I did wonder about the longevity of the hinges.
If I were to make a bracket that went across the engine bay as you say, it would hinder access to engine components and require drilling the wings - something I'm hoping to avoid as I don't want to modify her beyond bolt-on bits that can be swapped out at a later date if I choose to go back to standard.

That said - Hinges are about £35 a pair, and I have a feeling they will last a while. Might be a worth-while risk to see how it goes and maintain the ability to go back to standard.

hinges can take a fair bit of weight. in my dads minor he keeps half a plastic (5 gal) oil drum under the bonnet, full of spares and tools. the bonnet is really heavy to open and close, but it does make that last click to shut quite easy

anyway, he's had it like that for years now and the bonnet hasn't fallen off! but they could be old (=sturdy) hinges. not sure how strong repro hinges are by comparisson!

I think your idea of a heat shield would have an adverse effect on the tire. No shield and the air flow would help to keep it cool, except when stopped w/the engine running. Then again I could be wrong.

Temperatures under the bonnet of a Minor are not the oven-like numbers achieved by modern cars but they are still adequate for cooking. http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Food-on-Your-Car's-Engine I would be more concerned about changing the weight balance of the car. Will handling not be affected when you move twenty-five pounds from one extremity to the other?

Cheers for all the info
Not sure if mine are repro or original hinges.
Good point about a heat shield trapping the air. Suppose I could duct it so it cools whilst moving, but that's more effort!
As for the weight distribution, I had thought of that, but it will be at least balanced by the crap I intend to keep in the boot

Think I might do it then!

Just throw the spare wheel away and carry a can of tyre repair fluid......and the Rescue number from your insurance provider. That's what modern cars have !
The tyre-under-bonnet thing has been discussed long and weary before - general view is it wrecks the hinges and the bonnet and the tyre - and possibly your back when you go to lift the bonnet..........