Morris Minor Owners Club

I have recently been reading up about the advantages of a 5 speed box in a Morris Minor and am pretty keen on fitting one in order to get a higher top speed but without sacrificing acceleration. if you buy one from Moss Europe you can even use the existing clutch linkage http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/Shop/ViewP ... exID=17184 , however I am not keen on the price tag, there has got to be a cheaper way of doing it. Any recommendations ?

Shop around, others might be cheaper. I think birmingham mmc sell them but not sure. If you instead source a second hand box this would also make it alot cheaper.

I would save your money and go for a 3.9 Diff.
I ran my traveller with the ford box and a good 1098cc engine(while i was building my supercharged 1300)
and i could only use 5th gear on the flat or downhill roads..
But with a strong 1300 it's great..

My splitscreen saloon has a 3.9 diff and standard gbox and it's fab....

The choice is yours


G.

Even with a slightly modified 1098 - the standard box is fine. I have added a 3.7 final drive, and it pulls that well enough too. A 5 speed box doesn't make the car go any 'faster'.

5 speed box on a 1098 is a lovely conversion if you spend a fair bit of time in town and also on A roads and motorways.

If you are patient you might get one of ebay or via the forum 2nd hand for a good price.

As I understood it a 5 speed box gave you the better acceleration like and a quieter cruising similar to a 3.9 or 3.7 diff, is that correct ?

By putting in a 3.9 diff I would sacrifice some acceleration but lead to quieter cruising. Correct ?

Would either of these increase or decrease MPG ?

A 3.9 or 3.7 diff would indeed sacrifice acceleration, but are much cheaper than the 5 speed conversion. A speed is obvious the optimal option but the balance of cost is always something to consider. Both the 5speed box and the different ratio diffs should increase your mpg, if you are doing long runs.

In theory the lower numerically final drive should help MPG - I have to say I haven't noticed any improvement. The acceleration will only be 'better' with a 5 speed box if you have a very peaky/high revving engine - and the closer ratios may help to keep the engine 'on the cam'. In fact the standard box with 3.7 FD allows me 50 mph in second and 70 in third. Handy for overtaking! But if you have a spare £1000 or so burning a hole in your pocket - don't let me put you off getting a 5 speed conversion.

I definitely don't have a spare £1000, I do like the idea of a 3.9 or 3.7 final drive. If i was worried about the acceleration of my car I would up rate the engine.

Looks like 3.7 or 3.9 diff is the way to go then, the question is which would would be better for a 1098 ?

I don't want to say this for sure, but from what I remember you could 'upgrade' your existing diff by using a new crown and pinion, (DIF111A - 3.7, or DIF110A - 3.9) which is about £200 not including seals/gaskets etc.
However I'm not sure if any specialist tools would be required to carry this out. Hopefully others can advise as I'm thinking of doing this while Madge is laid up over winter.

i find a 3.7 with a standard 1098 engine a truly terrible set up (can i stress the standard bit of that sentence). I have to floor the accelerator to get any acceleration and find it an unpleasant drive around town.. However on the motor way / dual carriageway when up to speed it is lovely and relaxed.

Yes - a bit more poke from the engine is required to get the best out of it.

The 3.7 in my pickup with tired 1098 was much better than I expected - although it was a few kg's lighter than a saloon and definately lighter than a trav. Certainly fine for using around town.
However it was a very sad state of affairs on hills - fortunately not many here in Warwickshire. That's all history now as current owner is changing engine box and axle...

I wouldn't buy the kit from Moss, it is the same kit Birmingham developed. You can retain the mechanical linkage with the kit from Birmingham or other suppliers. However it uses an extension which isn't brilliant. Using a concentric clutch slave with the JLH master cylinder bracket is the best setup by far.