Morris Minor Owners Club

hi to all in the mmoc my name is dave and i run martongreen classics in bridlington east yorks where we buy/sell and restore most old or interesting vehicles ,i recently aquired four morris travellers which will all be restored in the next few months anyway one of them has some unusual features and has got me wondering if it has been a police vehicle or some kind of service vehicle its reg number is wry 388j its down as grey on docs but it looks more pale blue it has a strange box fastened to the bulkhead above the wiper motor that is wired into the motor this has wires that go through to a reostat type thing behind the glove box it also has a piece of would under the pass side glove box where somekind o radio has been fitted also just to the right of the ign switch under the dash it has to round controls eitherside of a 2 pin plug and finally it has a manual interior light switch just to the left of the steering column i might be barking up the wrong tree but if anyone can shed some light i would be most grateful reg num WRY 388J vin num MAW5D12858565 engine num 61304 reg 12/10/70 thanks dave

Sounds like it could have been used by the police. Another giveaway is a zip in the headlining (allowing access to the roof to plug in the wiring for the illuminated roofbox "Police" sign)

Try this link too - I think there are one or two out there

http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f= ... er#p423865

thanks guys i will have a look cheers dave

See http://www.expolice.mmoc.org.uk/html/hi ... r_car.html

Not sure if Police Travellers had the usual headlining zip as the travellers were so unusual ie: were special traveller headlings made or were each car individaully converted? Also, depending on its role it may not have been a 'Panda car' and may not have had a roof light even if it was Police.
The colour sounds like Smoke Grey, a pale blue often described as grey on the docs, wheras Panda cars tended to be Bermuda Blue a brighter light blue. Again, plenty of exceptions especially with travellers so not conclusive either way.
The box on the bulkhead sounds like a conversion to intermittant wipe with the reostat control to adjust it in the glove box again it could be Police or a private owner mod likewise the radio mount and the other additions -how professional does it look?
Good clues to Police history, especially on a late car like this would be upgraded electrics to power the radio, ie: an alternator. Not the usual 1970s Mini type one that everyone uses now, but a bigger Lucas unit with a separate rectifier/regulator instead of the usual voltage regulator for a dynamo. Again not conclusive but if it has this it almost certainly is ex Police.
Also interior trim. Most Panda cars were built down to a price and had plain door trims and rear side trims not the usual heat pressed patterned type. Also interiors tended to be either black or red, not the pale blue that you would get on a normal smoke grey car. Again not conclusive for a traveller which could well have been a standard car plucked from the production line to order but if it has any of these features its a good clue.
The real test is to apply to the DVLA for a list of previous keepers and see if you can trace its history back to the first owner. Also the BMIHT Heritage certificate normally says which dealer it was despatched to. I've never got one for an ex Police vehicle but it may have been supplied direct to a Police Force and not through a dealer possibly, so would show on the build records or contact either of the two clubs; PVEC or Police car Uk.
Good luck with the 'detective' work

many thanks for all that i will check it all cheers dave