Morris Minor Owners Club

I have a 1959 convertible which I have recently purchased. I have only just noticed that it appears to lean slightly to the right at the back around the rear wheel arch. I would guess that it is perhaps 2 inches lower to the right than the left. Is this a common problem and any ideas if I need to do anything about it? I have had the car MOT'd in the last month with no issues and I also had it checked out at a classic car garage recently but that was before I noticed this. Any help or ideas are appreciated as I am not mechancially minded.

Thanks

Willsmck

is the left front high? if so you might need to adjust the front suspension

So the offside (driver's side) is lower than the nearside - is this the same at the front and back or is it only down at the back? If so I would suspect a flattened rearspring, or possibly some of the rearspring's individual leaves (is that the right term?) have fractured.

This situation developed on my 2-door shortly after purchase until only 1 leaf remained intact. When I measured the gap between the o/s front wheel and wheelarch the gap was nearly two inches more than that on the n/s. The solution was a new rearspring.

I would get it sorted ASAP - this imbalance will probably cause uneven tyre wear and it can't help the car's stability and handling.

if so you might need to adjust the front suspension

What part of the front suspension is adjustable?

Discussion time:
If one rear spring in a 1959 saloon is broken is it best to replace both of them?

rear spring thing, thats been done before, not sure where it is on the post though

What part of the front suspension is adjustable?

the height.... by setting the torsion bar (major adjustment on the splines or minor adjustment using the adjuster plate)

My first car was leaning at the rear so I wasted time money and effort on the rear springs and it was still leaning.
Then I adjusted the front suspension and all was fine. On some cars you can easily miss a front suspension adjustment error but as a high front corner will create a low rear corner on the diagonally opposite side it's best to check front AND rear suspension before doing anything.

Ray has said what I meant chris...

Ray has said what I meant chris...

I see - I've never considered the torsion bar as part of the front suspension, so I wondered if you knew something I didn't.

Discussion time:
If one rear spring in a 1959 saloon is broken is it best to replace both of them?

Personally if the springs have been on a long time or you have no idea of their history or they look really old I would always replace both, which is what I am doing soon as my nearside rear is not too bad but the offside one is almost flat and the leaves are starting to open up and as the previous owner had the car for 18 years and did not have a spring replaced I consider it a false economy just to do one, and its not really a good engineering practice just to do one is it.

I've never considered the torsion bar as part of the front suspension

What did you consider it to be

i am amazed at that one as well (sorry chris) it happens to us all
wills mick you dont by any chance have an old splitscreen rear wing one one side and a later one one the other?

What did you consider it to be?

A torsion bar !

Matt - when you replied to Willsmck 'if so you might need to adjust the front suspension' perhaps it would have helped if you explained which part you meant and how.

Thanks for all the info, (the rear wings are the same) however I'll get the torsion bars checked out and if its not this but the rear springs I'll probably get them both replaced at the same time. Is there a recommended place to look for rear springs or is it the usual outlets?

Thanks to all Regards,

Willsmck

measure the distance between front bump stop and top trunion.
rubber bump stop under front wing behind and above front wheel,
check yourself rether then let someone else, bring in further complications.
you dont need to remove the wheel.

and how

ANd how am I supposed to remember things like that ;)

Is there a recommended place to look for rear springs or is it the usual outlets?

I have just got some from Bull Motif as one was flat and the other starting to open up, and a bump stop missing so I orderded almost everything as even the rubber pads look US and it cost £120 for everthing including U bolts, poly bushes, pins, bump stops etc, not to bad as they have been on the car 20years.

watch your fingers when you put the 2 little bolts in which hold the plate which the front pin is attached to. 7/16 spanner