Morris Minor Owners Club

Just been looking at a '62 pickup and noticed some interesting features:
- horn button on top of steering column rather than in steering wheel boss
- indicator switch a heavier duty item with a red plastic end and no telltale lamp
- sidelights on top of wings
- amber lenses for front indicators
Are these the correct period fittings for commercial variants (including vans) of this era?

For a 62 pickup Id expect:
Sprung banjo style steering wheel, not the later two spoked bakelite type.
The indicator switch should be as per any morris minor of that age, the small chromed arm with a black bulb holder with a green lense
Side lights on top of the wings sound wrong.
The front indicators where originally (I believe), a white lense under the headlights and it had to jobs to do, flash for indicator and permanently lit meant side lights. This is also the case for the rear lights. I believe it should only have one lense on the rear side corners. It should only have one red lamp.

Shes probably not totally orginal with regards lighting but I think they are probably a sensible upgrade as not many (younger generation for example) people would understand what a odd arrangement of a flashing red brake light means on the back of the car.

Note the rear lights on my pickup, I have separate indicators on the back, but mines a Aug 1971

Cheers

Steve B

Steering wheel is a 3 spoke sprung banjo with a morris bull motif in the centre which doesn't press, so its not as if someone has bypassed the horn.

Where is the horn button then? The centre of the steering wheel is usually a push down button.

The steering wheel sounds right, but I suspect someone has fitted a wheel boss from a different car which is just a badge. Perhaps from a Morris oxford farina, which had a horn ring? I may well be wrong though.

Steve

For a little while the horn was a "push the end of the indicator stalk" affair with the indicator warning light on the switch cover. The centre of the wheel had a solid centre with motif as you describe. I have a spare steering wheel which is of that arrangement and have had a car in the past with the same setup.

For 62,I'm pretty sure they were back to the horn push button in the steering wheel centre on the three spoke steering wheel. The fixed badge and horn push on the end of the stalk was a '57 -59 ish thing that oddly didn't find favour in road tests so was quickly dispensed with.

Any chance for photographs? My '59 has got the horn push in the center of the three-spoke steering wheel, so by '62 the horn push should certainly be there.

I've recently sold my 58 saloon (front lower car on the car transporter picture) and don't have another of that age to get a photo. Sure someone else will though!

i'd love to see a pic of this

This is the type of wheel and horn push it should have, and you can just see the indicator stalk, the clear bit should be black, but mine has faded to that point........[frame][/frame]

Chris

Here's the older version, with the horn push on the end of the stalk and a fixed badge in the middle of the wheel. The warning light is on the broad base of the stalk facing the driver, though obscured by the wheel spoke in this shot.[frame][/frame]