What have I bought???
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2014 9:34 pm
Hello, I'm new to this forum, and to Morris Minors.
Last year I bought a Morris Minor "pick-up". Like other doofuses, I bought with my heart not my head. I saw the For Sale sign and thought "Hello!", So, Margaret is now mine. We will do well together, but we have issues.
What I knew when I bought her was: she was a converted Traveller rather than a real pick-up. She looked amazing. I felt great when driving her.
What I didn't know was: Very poor non-pro conversion. Paid way over the odds. No idea of the history or who she really is.
So, having been together now for a year, and her "new" paint-job peeling off, I have decided not to cut my losses and run, as my wife would prefer. No I say! I am going to make Margaret good. I'm quite a useful handyman but have never restored a car before. Not that Margaret needs much restoring, she has just gone through an MoT and runs well. And her underneath bits are good. I just want to give her the back end she longs for. (That's Margaret talking, not my wife)
So, what have I bought? Bearing in mind the pick-up bed and paint job are of the poorest quality. When I had stripped away all the wonky plywood and oodles of Mastik I found a cab roof and rear bulkhead that looks like a pro has installed.
Does anyone have any clues as to what is going on here?
I was planning to cut out the rear bulkhead behind the seats to give more leg room, but now I can see it's a decent installation I'm wondering about chassis strength, I know the woodwork in Travellers is structural so this strength needs to be replaced, so did the previous owner get this roof and rear bulkhead put in properly to give strength, then bodge the pick-up bed himself? Should I leave this roof/rear panel in place and just deal with the lack of leg room?
Please see attached photos. Any thoughts gratefully received!!
Last year I bought a Morris Minor "pick-up". Like other doofuses, I bought with my heart not my head. I saw the For Sale sign and thought "Hello!", So, Margaret is now mine. We will do well together, but we have issues.
What I knew when I bought her was: she was a converted Traveller rather than a real pick-up. She looked amazing. I felt great when driving her.
What I didn't know was: Very poor non-pro conversion. Paid way over the odds. No idea of the history or who she really is.
So, having been together now for a year, and her "new" paint-job peeling off, I have decided not to cut my losses and run, as my wife would prefer. No I say! I am going to make Margaret good. I'm quite a useful handyman but have never restored a car before. Not that Margaret needs much restoring, she has just gone through an MoT and runs well. And her underneath bits are good. I just want to give her the back end she longs for. (That's Margaret talking, not my wife)
So, what have I bought? Bearing in mind the pick-up bed and paint job are of the poorest quality. When I had stripped away all the wonky plywood and oodles of Mastik I found a cab roof and rear bulkhead that looks like a pro has installed.
Does anyone have any clues as to what is going on here?
I was planning to cut out the rear bulkhead behind the seats to give more leg room, but now I can see it's a decent installation I'm wondering about chassis strength, I know the woodwork in Travellers is structural so this strength needs to be replaced, so did the previous owner get this roof and rear bulkhead put in properly to give strength, then bodge the pick-up bed himself? Should I leave this roof/rear panel in place and just deal with the lack of leg room?
Please see attached photos. Any thoughts gratefully received!!