Morris Minor Owners Club

I have been restoring as a hobby,large Rover classics for some years.However I am due to have a heart op soon .When hopefully ,I am bck to restoring cars I need to step down in size and would like to restore a Traveller.How difficult is is to replace the complete timber section,I have read about the guttering being awkward.Since there must be many members who have retored the travellers,then any advice would be very welcome.Finally since after a restoration ,I sell the restored car on,to finance the next project,what is the best seller,and is the two door model better or harder to sell as a restored car .Len

If you want some hands on practice you could help me with mine!

Personally speaking having done a total wood restoration on my Traveller I certainly wouldn't recommend it after heart surgery. The frame has to be lifted into place several times for trial fit etc. A 2 dr would be a better idea. All the best with the op.

Hello Len,

Ray Newell's wonderful book 'The Morris Minor Traveller: The Complete Companion' has a large section with lots of photos; relevant to the restoration and maintenance of Traveller wood. Whilst it is possible for a competent 'home restorer' to replace all or part of the ash frame; personally I wouldn't attempt it; much better to stick to the oily bits and let the experts deal with replacing the wood. I think most Traveller owners are happy to sand down and re-preserve their wood and maybe replace the easier sections as required; but far fewer of us would attempt a full restoration job.
Personally, I think four door saloons are a better buy, rather than two and they are a lot more practical as well. All the best with the op![frame][/frame]

imho if you like to restore and then sell on later a factory convertable would be good as they usualy fetch a premium in the summer. good luck

Plus 1 on Neil's advice about Ray Newell's new book.

If you are keen on Travellers, it would be a nice buy anyway, but the section written by Steve Foreman on woodwork restoration makes this book essential prior reading for a Traveller restoration project. I can't see it listed in Club Regalia, so perhaps a "speedy hen" could help.

Lots of other Minor restoration books have sections on woodwork restoration too, so if you can beg, steal or borrow one of them, they will give you a feel for what is involved.

A fairly recent issue of Minor Matters had excellent pictures of how all the woodwork goes together.

All the best with whatever project you choose to take on. If you rescue a Minor, it will be a big plus for our Minor community.

Cheers
Don

There's a huge amount of labour in doing a traveller, which tends to be reflected in the price of rebuilt ones. If you can get an extra pair of hands for lifting the body on and off it will be much easier. (I've done it onmy own and its hard work) Guttering wasn't too bad to do - just fiddly.
In terms of resale value as said before, a convertible is similar money and is a lot simpler to restore, just being made out of steel, and not a steel/wood/aluminium amalagam with 'millions' of screws, nails and tubes of sealer involved...