are all minors really this rusty

[rae80inch]

hello well i gave my minor away on ebay because it was really rusty and yesterday i went to look at a convertable this also needed ineer back wings floors sills spring hangers boot floor etc it was top money as well ,so am i expecting to much is every minor had this done or need it done i think perhaps i expect to much and they are all rotten at some point and should just get on and buy one and do it my last restoration was a austin seven ruby and thats all orginal i must have been spoilt we really want one but at moment iam a bit lost what does everyone else think thank you ,rae

[LouiseM]

Minors are very prone to rust so I suppose it depends on what you are looking for and your budget. If you want a project there are loads of them out there, with varying degrees of rust. If you are looking for one that you don't need to do much work to it might take some time to find a good one. As you have found, just because something is 'top money' it doesn't mean that it is in good condition and there are quite a few out there that look very nice but are rotten underneath. And convertibles will always cost more to buy than saloons in a comparable condition (and are more prone to rot than saloons).

The costs of a full restoration will usually work out much more expensive than buying one in a good, solid condition to start with, so you need to weigh up the pros & cons. Sometimes buying a Minor that is roadworthy, mechanically sound and solid underneath but needs work to the body eg new wings, chrome, paint etc might be a better option as you can improve it as you go along and spread the cost. There are good, solid examples out there but you have to be patient and will probably need to look at quite a few before you find one in the condition that you want. Take your time, and don't rush to buy one.

[jagnut66]

Hi Rae,
As a comparison for you, I paid £1200 for mine, I knew it was always going to be a rolling restoration, MOT'd though it was, the front chassis rails were as rotten as pears and were the first thing on what has been a long list, however on a positive note it drove home from Manchester without a hitch and, in between working on her, I have thoroughly enjoyed owning a Minor.
The other areas that needed work have been repaired or replaced as I've gone along (including a respray).
She is also the first Morris Minor I've owned and I almost didn't but someone pipped me to the post on a Triumph Herald I was bidding on before this.....
Keep looking!
Best wishes,
Mike.

[bmcecosse]

Best bet by far is to buy one advertised on this forum - by a 'sellar' with a good high post count - not just a few hundred. And go and see it - climb all over it - take the spare wheel out - lift the carpets and the rear seat.... There have been some very nice cars for fair money on here recently. I have suggested before that MMOC could set up a panel o 'inspectors' who would go along with prospective owners and survey the car - or some 'expenses'. Needless to say......

[LouiseM]

No need to set up a 'panel of inspectors' as there is usually someone in the local branch who is willing to look over a car for a new member. If rae80inch lists their location we can point them in the right direction, plus they may also know of a good car for sale

[plastic_orange]

To get a good Minor you will probably end up looking at quite a few. Quite horrendous rot can be hidden under shiny paint, and there are bodgers out there who think nothing of welding new metal straight over the old rust. Body structure is all important, but there are some aspects of repair that aren't a major problem. I wouldn't be too fussed about sill, floor, centre crossmember or spring hanger repairs, but when it comes to front chassis legs/ rear chassis and inner wings I'd give it a miss. Mechanicals too aren't a big deal, but quite often a cheap car can be a better buy than a shiny expensive one. It really all depends on how good you want the car to be as you can easily spend £5k on an average DIY resto - so buy wisely in the first place.
Here's a link to one I bought earlier which had been fully welded by the previous owner. I only bought it as I'd a one way ticket and needed to get 500 miles home
The rot here was hidden under underseal (always a bodge) and new metal.

http://mog.myfreeforum.org/about1084.html

Here's a guide to help with appraisal:

http://mog.myfreeforum.org/about6038.html

[ASL642]

Good minors are around. I bought one for £1230 with 9 months MOT unexpired. We had looked at about 5, 1 had a full year's MOT but how it had got that I have no idea, sills welded up (badly) rust everywhere. It had large holes around the windscreen/bulkhead/door bottoms/ see through boot!

Daisy (with sunvisor) walked her MOT in June - no advisories. The cars are out there but you have to view them all and then decide. It's better to go for one mechanically sound and about 6 months MOT, but with a slightly tatty interior. Second hand interiors can be sourced from Ebay/this site/make your own.

[rae80inch]

thank you all ill keep looking no rush nice to know there will be something out there just i bit down with it all at moment ,rae

[jagnut66]

Good minors are around. I bought one for £1230 with 9 months MOT unexpired. We had looked at about 5, 1 had a full year's MOT but how it had got that I have no idea, sills welded up (badly) rust everywhere. It had large holes around the windscreen/bulkhead/door bottoms/ see through boot!

Judging by the state of my chassis rails when I bought mine I'd say it was still possible to get a bent ticket, if you know who to ask, despite the increasing security attached to this over the last few years.
If there's a market for it, there will always be people who can find a way around the system, no matter how fool proof the 'officials' in charge think the current set up is.
Best wishes,
Mike.

[Matt]

I'd say it was still possible to get a bent ticket, if you know who to ask, despite the increasing security attached to this over the last few years.

I know someone who does bent tickets, but only to people he knows reasonably well. I have never got one though!

I bought a transit off a friend which was MOT'd by phone (and I knew this when buying), it had 2 months left on it, but hadn't been properly tested for about 5 years. Needless to say it needed a lot of welding (but I knew this when buying) but it had the advantage of not having dodgy patches everywhere to scrape through the test every year

[lowride stepside]

Try looking at cars further east where the sun shines sometimes and it doesn't rain every day .Might be a bit less rusty

[plastic_orange]

I thought buying one from the sunny south coast would be a smart move - unfortunately it was mega rusty.

Pete

[welshrat]

Spotted this one the other day, thats what you call a project![frame][/frame]

[lowride stepside]

Outside the barn find .It's Melting !

[rae80inch]

thats more like the ones i find and can afford

[jagnut66]

Spotted this one the other day, thats what you call a project!

Sills, floor panels, cross-member, chassis rails, bit of welding and it'll soon be roadworthy..........is it pre 1960???.............

[les]

Give the owner a bit of encouragement, looks like a tin of underseal in the picture, ready for the finishing touch!

[Matt]

sunny south coast??

It rains less in North Wales!

The south is coated liberally with Salt every time it looks like its going to be 1 degree or lower, because its a congested area of the country...

Personally I would think less populated areas would be better?

[ASL642]

Like North Wales

[rae80inch]

my area nothing ever comes up just rotted out crap everythings atleast 2 to 3 hours away lovely wet mid wales ,