Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi just wondered if anyone had fitted a vauxhall astra 8 valve 1600 cc engine,gearbox stub axles & rear axle to a moggie & is it possible to fit it as it is in the astra (transversly ) if anyone can give me some information on this please ,many thanks aidensfieldpostie

It will be a nightmare. The structural work will be massive. And - you will have to go through the SVA test which is a)expensive and b)strict..... Probably also get issued with a Q registration, and have to pay Road Tax. Sound like a lose/lose/lose situation to me.......

Sounds like an excellent project to me, just ignore all the "anti-mods" people. You probably wont get a q plate, hardly any modded minors seem to. Is the Astra not front wheel drive? so u would be going for front wheel drive? Someone on this forum is i think putting in an astra diesel so may be worth a hunt around. http://morrisminorowners.co.uk/index.php How about a ford sigma engine, 1600cc, weighs less than the a series and bellhousings already available to mate to a type 9 rwd box.

I've been looking into putting a vauxhall diesel engine in to a moggie. You would need to check the fixings but there is a commercially available bellhousing for the type 9 gearbox for the red top engines (20cxe I think?) which will also fit the diesels (and possibly the 1.6). I was then going to go back through a custom prop to an escort rear axle. Not quite what you were planning as it keeps the car rwd.

This link might help you work out what you can do without having to have the IVA (It stopped being an SVA back in 2009).

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov. ... G_10014199

We're leaving the monocoque, suspension and steering alone so would score 9 points

Aidensfieldpostie wrote:Hi just wondered if anyone had fitted a vauxhall astra 8 valve 1600 cc engine,gearbox stub axles & rear axle to a moggie & is it possible to fit it as it is in the astra (transversly ) if anyone can give me some information on this please ,many thanks aidensfieldpostie

Why would you want to do that? The standard mechanical parts on a Minor will last far longer (indefinitely) and will be far easier to maintain! Plus your Vauxhall Minordisastra will lose historic status for ever, have a Q plate and have to pay road tax on it.

Please ignore all the comments from the people who will tell you that it is impossible to improve the minor. Its simply not true, the a-series is a good strong reliable engine, however it does have its limitations, as does the suspension when coping with modern roads, and they wheels and brakes compared to modern stopping distances. As stated by pskipper, and many other examples out there, a lot of modifications can be done without getting a q plate, see some of the modded minors in the section here, and a few of the big 4pots on mmo.

may i ask why you are going down the astra route? if it is because you have a good one sitting in a bent / rusted out astra and are looking to save some money the cost of all the parts and modifications may far out weight the cost of buying a new engine.

as for Q plate it would appear to be a bit of a mine field at present with many reporting no problems whilst others end up with a Q plate. I am currently fitting a fiat twin cam to my car.. do I want a Q plate.. no but if i end up with one so be it. as for the cost of road tax .. I can happily live with that as I will have the car I really want and have wanted for almost 20 years. If you can not possibly live with a Q plate then you are taking a risk and certainly your finished car will not be worth what you paid + hours effort put in.. but that goes for any restored moggy just ask the poster on this site trying to insure a van for 25K because that is what it cost him

The original thread starter is for massive work - which will involve extensive structural modifications to the Minor bodyshell and to the suspension at each end. These will without doubt involve an SVA test etc. It's not just an engine swop that's being proposed..... Of course it can be done - but honestly - is it worth it???? I very much doubt it....... I go as far as to say 'it's madness'!

It's your car, so just do what you like with it. There are plenty modded minors out there, and most drive far nicer than the original. Fitting a modern engine on it's own to a minor won't mean a Q plate - check out the regs thoroughly and don't listen to the voices of doom.

Pete

Exactly - and if an 'engine swap' had been proposed I would have been enthusiastic about it. But fitting Astra front suspension with front wheel drive alone is going to be a BIG operation, and then removing the leaf spring rear suspension and converting to the Astra independent rear 'beam' suspension is going to be even more drastic! The amount of work to make all these changes is (to my simple mind) way beyond the possible benefits of doing the work, and WILL I'm sure attract an SVA test , a Q plate, and the payment of Road Tax for ever more.
But -as others have said - it's your car, do as you wish with it!

I would suggest that the best thing to do is start with a tape measure. Is the width going to fit under the Minor (It could be you will need to consider a Corsa as a donor or its gearbox/drive shafts). As for the rear beam use a van version on the leafs (I can't remember if my Astra was a torsion beam or not) as an easy way of getting the back end off the ground for road testing. Ignore the doomsayers, its your car and the Minor is not an endangered species but make sure you are prepared to justify your resulting vehicle to any tester as it may prove difficult and possibly expensive to get a ticket.

Oh dear...
Converting a Minor to FWD configuration is like burning the Mona Lisa and replacing it with a picture of Jordan.

Fair play fit the engine and maybe use the struts for some kind of makeshift turret conversion but fitting it transversely will just murder the poor car, imho. Done properly it'll just end up driving like its astra donor. A bland 80s FWD hatch.

As said though, Minors are common as muck so do as you please. Its an interesting engineering exersize but I fear you'll be dissapointed in the long run.

bmcecosse wrote:The original thread starter is for massive work - which will involve extensive structural modifications to the Minor bodyshell and to the suspension at each end. These will without doubt involve an SVA test etc. It's not just an engine swop that's being proposed..... Of course it can be done - but honestly - is it worth it???? I very much doubt it....... I go as far as to say 'it's madness'!

BMC and Dunketh are right. Another Minor will be ruined. Please no more FWD Minors, why not just run a Minor as a fun car and a diesel Astra and your everyday runner???

That way you get the cheap diesel modern and the virtually free classic to run for nice days and shows etc.

Also, such a conversion is really only the realm of an experienced and expert vehicle modifier such as Plastic orange, if you have to ask how to do it, then I'm afraid it's not going to go well!

I drive a modified Minor - often it's used as my everyday car. I like standard cars too and have done mega mileage in standard ones.

That said, I think the Astra FWD conversion is really not worth the hassle - legally speaking it's going to require a Q plate due to the modifications required - check the IVA(SVA) rules for guidance on what is/is not on the radar. You can do quite a lot as long as you avoid ticking certain boxes there is nothing to worry about. If you REALLY want to do it then by all means go for it.

BMC and Dunketh are right. Another Minor will be ruined. Please no more FWD Minors,

Everyone is entitled to an opinion - we are grown up enough to know that opinions will differ.

Minors are plentiful and still plenty are scrapped every year - If it's a mint condition car I doubt you would be looking to chop it up.

As for asking advice - everyone has to start somewhere and advice is important. One thing I would say is to start small. Doing some lesser modifications will let you know if you really want to do a big project. More big projects are started than get finished - being too brave often results in a lot of wasted time and money.

Ray, I'm not against modifications, and modifiers at all. I'm in favour of GOOD mods and against the BAD ones. There are a couple of really nice modified cars in Kent that i admire and always speak to the owners about their cars. But these guys REALLY knew what they were doing. A FWD conversion to RWD car with a diesel engine is just going to destroy the character of the car!
Yes, we should be saving cars and not scrapping them, but that rationale can in no way be used to justify FWD/dieseling a perfectly savable original Minor. Why not save that Minor as an orginal or decently modified car?? It is the transplanting of the body onto modern mechanics that is where the problems come in- as well as the Q plate and BIVA test nightmare!

What we really need for these people that want the looks of a Minor but not the mechanics and character is for an enterprising company to bring out a chassis and fibreglass body copy of a Minor. Everyone will then be a winner. No more Minors lost to FWD jobs (or even worse, floor pan jobs) and the person that wants the classic Minor looks but with the lack of character and the convenience of a modern car gets exactly what they want, and no rust problems or difficult fabrication to contend with either!

For me, it was the simple and robust mechanics as much as the looks of the Minor that attracted me to the cars in the first place.

better still, run a Minor and a Modern car. With modern insurance policy, the Minor can be run on a classic policy, be cheap as chips to run with free road tax and DIY maintainence. Have a diesel Astra and a Minor seems to be the best solution, not try to merge the two.

crikey, I don't normally get into this type of discussion, BUT for god sake he said 'JUST WONDERED' no need to shoot down his artistic licence. Everyone is entitled to there thoughts. I don't think it would destroy any of the cars character, FWD, 4x4, whatever. People should understand all he was wanting was advice, not rubbish statements that he would destroy the car!

chickenjohn wrote: Also, such a conversion is really only the realm of an experienced and expert vehicle modifier such as Plastic orange, if you have to ask how to do it, then I'm afraid it's not going to go well!

this is just plain stupid, i've asked plenty of questions on building cars how to's etc. Instead of bodging it and doing it wrong. knowledge is POWER and sharing it helps people. Thats why he asked on here in the first place

James

There are a couple of really nice modified cars in Kent that I admire and always speak to the owners about their cars. But these guys REALLY knew what they were doing.

Modifiers were not born with a welding torch in one hand, a spanner in the other and the knowledge of what to do with them - everyone has to learn. I've yet to find a modifier who didn't learn from their own mistakes so I don't believe the 'good' ones were 'good at it' without some trial and error. Failure to seek advice is a good way to make more mistakes so can't we just live and let live?

As for changing the character of the car - if it looks like a Minor and it continues to be used then that's just as much a part of what the club stands for as keeping it purist. The club bye-line is "preservation and use" not "preservation and no character affecting changes allowed"
My slammed* Minor project will please me greatly if it ever gets finished - many people will really hate it but EVERYONE will be able to recognise it as a Minor.

*Slammed = so low it sparks. ;-)

rayofleamington wrote:

*Slammed = so low it sparks. ;-)

so you are raising the ride hight then? I have some "vicious" sleeping policemen around where I live

seriously though, i agree as a modifier i ask questions to avoid making the same mistakes as other people and I am happy to share what i have learnt to stop people making the same mistake I have made.

and at the end of the day what is the difference between asking advice on modifying your car and asking advice on servicing, panel replacement, spraying, welding etc etc

REMOVED

Just to stir the possum if you want a FWD Minor then surely the way to go is to use a Subaru as your donor rather than an Astra ...