Morris Minor Owners Club

hi i need to rebuild my side valve engine thats currently in my morris minor splitty, has anyone done this conversion from 918cc to 1098? i bought a 1098 engine and box today and i wanted to know what changes had to be made to the car to fit it. thanks henri p.s. all information will help!

Hi Merbie, it is a lot easier if you change all the running gear at the same time, ie. suspension, rear axle and propshaft and minor 1000 wheels. You will need a gearbox, cross member and gearbox floor cover and a clutch actuator from the 1000.You also have to cut 1 1/2" out of the floor as the 1000 remote shift is a bit longer, keep this to weld in when you convert back to sidevalve. Took me 5 days when I first retired.[frame][/frame]

ah okay bit more invovled than i anticipated does the 1098 not match with the side valve box?

As well as the above alterations you will need a new radiator and probably should cut a half mooned shape out of the cross member at the rear of the motor. I notice smithskids has not done this but the head will be frightfully close to the bodywork at this point.
And while you are at it why not fit a 4.2 diff and larger front brakes. Well why not purchase a stuffed 1098 and swap everything over. Cannot think of anything else but it is not an easy job if done by yourself.

Mercifully everything fits like a glove apart from the gearbox cover

An A series won't fit the SV gearbox. Pretty much as above - if you need to keep moving it will be much easier to source another SV engine and swap it in while you rebuild yours. Always handy to have a spare engine anyway.....

The later series 11 splitty with the 803cc Austin engine still retained the original 'Morris' axle (and brakes). So you'd need the prop-shaft to go with your 1098 engine and box combo. Well, assuming that the differential flange wasn't altered with the change over to the new model.

I agree with bmcecosse, you would have to do a lot of work to fit a 1098. Another sidevalve engine would be much easier. I believe you could at one point get ex-military engines that were used to start larger tank engines, not to sure about the availability of these now but they were around. Not to mention that other cars also used the sidevalve too (Morris 8, Austin 7).

I only see a Vedette on ebay - how easily (if even possible at all) it is to convert this for car use - I have no idea.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boat-or-Car-M ... 4d17053a8a

You will also need to change the engine mounting towers. They might be both called Morris Minors but that is where the similarity between the 918 and 1098 ends. Vedette? forget it, completely different block[frame][/frame]

I forgot to add, you have to cut about 2 1/2 " from the top of the bell housing where it curves out and put a steel L shaped tin plate over the hole to keep the crud out. Leave the flat piece that joins on to the engine with the dowell hole in it. It is easier than cutting the cross member.An adapter needs to be made to raise the heater control valve up to miss the floor of the battery box. As the other lads have suggested though it is better to get hold of a spare engine do it up and swapit .

Thanks about the Vedette Mike - I didn't know if the block was the same - although it is clearly a 'sister' engine. So - how hard is it to find an SV engine these days? I used to have 3 of them.....ex 8E certainly, but surely usable in an early Minor?

the engine is a project for college I have a shorrock c75b supercharger to go on the 1098, can I not just use the gear box cover from a later morris instead of cutting the original?

Austin produced the 803 engine A30 and Morris built the 918 engine Minor. No reason for Austin parts to fit the Minor until the takeover when the 803 engine and gearbox were inflicted on the Minor