Morris Minor Owners Club

Mildred (Millie to her friends) was sitting in a driveway in Berkeley, California under a tarp. She'd been there for ten years, un-driven and lacking love. I do graphic design/advertising for a local real estate office (estate agents) and one of them listed the house for sale. The owners were transferring to New York, and had made no plans to deal with Millie until the very last minute. The upshot is that I got her for free! After several hours of this and that, we got her running well enough to drive home. After many additional hours of work Millie made her first trip to the office today, one of many she'll make in the future as my new daily driver. She's wanting paint, which will be coming soon, but she's happy as a clam toddling down the road now.



Now, here's a pic displaying the absolute wonder of cars that have spend their lives in California. You can see the original paint and the absolute minimum of rust. The pic is of the left front wheel well, and you can make out the back of the headlight bucket. The rest of the car is the same -- tiny amounts of surface rust here and there, but nothing at all structural!



When I first spotted Millie in the drive (while taking photos for advertising) I simply had to see what was under the tarp. When it became apparent that I might be her new owner, I reviewed the long list of projects I have -- and how very much I didn't need yet another. However, I've quickly become addicted. Millie has become the number one priority just now and I'm having a great time with her! This should stand as a warning to those browsing this forum who may not own a moggie but are considering it. They are delightfully simple to work on, and all the bits are light weight and easy to carry around. I should add that I've invested a lot of labor, but not all that much in parts. Many things that would be throwaway if made today are re-buildable/fixable with a little patience. The original workshop manual is excellent, both in content and detail.

Lovely looking car. Wish all the minors over here were as good as that underneath. Our damp weather and the salt we put on the roads soon rots through our cars.

nice looking car you have there

The quality of Mildred's structure seems consistent with what I know of Minors in the southwestern US -- they're in mint condition. Happens that way in Australia too. My Minor up here in Missouri has had to deal with salt on the roads and owners who didn't understand body-work, so it's been quite a lot worse, but nowhere near as bad as some of the Minors in Britain.

Anyhow, Mildred just looks wonderful. You might consider becoming part of the North American club -- http://morrisminor.intuitwebsites.com/ -- it's been my experience that the newsletter (and contacts within the North American Minor community) is well worth the expense. What are your plans for her -- original or modified?

Someday there should be a rally for North American Minor owners...I'd love any excuse to drive a completed Mog out west...