Morris Minor Owners Club

Good morning, afternoon and evening to you all!

(Picture and word heavy, so grab a brew.)

I'm Ieuan (as the more eagle eyed may have guessed from my username) and have recently joined the glorious world of Morris Minor ownership! Bit about myself, I'm 21, live in ever rainy North Wales, work in a theatre, and have an MX5 as my "everyday" car. Right that's enough about me.

THE CAR
After threeish years of looking for a Minor on and off, this little fella popped up on eBay, relatively close to me and at a very attractive price. Rang the seller, he seemed a totally honest and reasonable chap. Sensible upgrades like front discs, alternator, unleaded head and a few other things had been done to it as well as £540 of work the previous month for the MOT. Went to see it the next day, didn't find any horror stories that I couldn't deal with, and drive home the 100ish miles on the motorway no trouble, but with empty savings... I'd read so many buyer's guides and spent so long looking at it and whatnot that I knew secretly it was a gooden and shouldn't bite too hard (which to date it hasn't ). Here's a picture from the eBay advert, it looked worse in person than the picture shows.[frame][/frame]

Once I got home in the dark, my dad (who had a minor in the 70s - OUK956F if anyone knows it, dvla website shows it's probably long gone) was almost as chuffed as I was.

For me, it was up early the next morning (and the next morning for the next month and a half) to start dealing with all the known, unknown, surprise and hillarious problems...

First up, front passenger side wing had a big bubbly bit of filler. Ground it back, and a lump of fibreglass filler stuff fell out. My first hole had occured! then another, and another and another all the way through into the passenger footwell. The joys...

Just after the lump of filler fell out
[frame][/frame]

During[frame][/frame]
Note the kurust dripping out everywhere

During a bit more...[frame][/frame]

Inside the footwell, after kurusting, and weld through primer-ing and hacking out anything i didn't like the look of behind the panels. Never fear I did go over the top of these after the photo with all many of stonechip, just forgot to take photos
[frame][/frame]

And almost done[frame][/frame]

Filler[frame][/frame]

That was relatively painless, and the kidney panels and passenger footwell was totally solid, bar the fibreglass bodge.

Next bit of welding was a bit of the boot floor (dont have any photos of that, but it was realtively simple and quick and painless). After that was what I thought was going to be fill one tiny rust hole with a spot of weld, paint over it, and be done. But oh no...

This is what it looked like before i started poking around to deliberatly find any lurking rust, again from the advert.[frame][/frame]

Just a couple of harmless bubbles that could be poked about, then a couple of spot welds put in, and away you go. OR SO HE THOUGHT *insert dramatic dun dun duuuuun*

After a couple of minutes poking about[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

Some more "vigorous poking"[frame][/frame]

Someone had been here before and done a half decent job in the inner wheel arch, so I left that be. However, the lip that the rear wing mounted on needed a bit of love, and new metal, so did where the bumper bracket goes through. The pictures pretty much explain everything here, but it was a long and laborious task. Take the wing on and off to make sure everything still fitted roughly, make new little panels, weld, rinse and repeat. To help matters along, before I even started welding, it took me two days to remove the 8 or 9 bolts holding the wing on.

[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

This bracket is the thing I am most proud. I'm half decent with a welding torch, but I'm no fabricator. Words cannot express my joy about this little bracket.[frame][/frame]

Also, isn't welding onto lead filler a surprise when you're not expecting it...

Almost there[frame][/frame]

Ta da![frame][/frame]

Smooth as a baby's bum ready for paint[frame][/frame]

I don't have many photos of it but I've done literally hundreds of little things to it since I got it in August, and now consider it "finished" although there's always something to do. I've poked all over looked in every place for deathly rust, which is mainly why I've done so much welding. Having had Mx5s for the past few years I'm used to rust and welding I'd much rather sort something out before it is a massive problem than let it lurk. Amongst many many other things, I've changed oil, oil filter, air filter, changed the gearbox oil, changed the diff oil, greased all the nipples, oiled the carb, replaced the quaterlight seals (which is fun), replaced the door seals, replaced the tyres, done a massive amount of waxoiling, changed the coolant, flushed the radiator, flushed the heater, welded everything I didnt like the look of, done a bit of rewiring, touched up a massive amount of paint, and clayed, polished, waxed, shampooed, buffed and hoovered everything in sight.

THE FINISHED ARTICLE
1962 948cc Morris Minor OYM614A, first registered 18/4/1962. Painted an incredibly lovely Vauxhall Caribic Blue, with a nice n kitsch vinyl roof, and some shiny 13" alloys. Apparently it was fully restored about 14 years ago which is when it had it's new paint/roof/wheels. Anywho, some pictures for you![frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

She's no trailer queen, but my word do I love her. So happy to finally have a Minor to call my own! My dad who has no mechanical knowledge or inclination towards cars is rather pleased for me too, I fear he may be borrowing it from time to time...

The only major thing left, that I'm leaving until after winter to do, is put some new valve stem oil seals and piston rings in, currently getting about 50 miles between filling up with oil, but that's all part of the fun This is a second car for me that is just for fun and popping to the shops in on a nice day and generally bumbling around in. I got it cheap, did a few little things to it very cheaply, and know it isn't going to win any concours competitions, but it's mine!

Thanks for reading and I look forward to using this forum and beeping and waving / meeting some of you in the not too distant future If anyone is in/near Rhyl, do get in touch as I have a feeling I'll be needing someone who knows what they're doing one day...

Aha! I came across you and your Minor a couple of weeks ago when I was out on my motorcycle on the A548, a few miles before Llanfair TH... I'm glad you know about the burning oil, as I started smelling it a good minute or so before actually seeing the car. Ta for pulling over to let me pass, by the way!

ben_sH wrote:Aha! I came across you and your Minor a couple of weeks ago when I was out on my motorcycle on the A548, a few miles before Llanfair TH... I'm glad you know about the burning oil, as I started smelling it a good minute or so before actually seeing the car. Ta for pulling over to let me pass, by the way!

It's a small world isn't it?!? Yeah it desperately needs doing. Funnily enough that was about 30 minutes after my one and only breakdown so far. The oil burning had gunked up one of the spark plugs... It's fine, I try my best Bikers always seem to be more tolerant of slower vehicles anyway , in my brief experience so far.

Looks good and you've done quite a lot of work.
Since you'll be doing new piston rings and valve seals I'd recommend if you can to also change the valve guides as they're also probably worn and check or replace the main and big end bearings. That should keep your engine good for many miles.

Nice job - if it's that bad on oil - stick in another engine and then overhaul the old one at your leisure.

i like the look of your car
the colour and vinyl roof look
great well done....
enjoy

Nice car, great little runabout

Cheers everyone for the kind words!

On the rebuild or replace the engine front, I've never rebuilt an engine before, so I'm still in two minds as to whether I just whack a recon engine in, or rebuild the one it's got. I honestly do not mind the oil consumption, I know it's there so it's not that big a problem. On the other hand it would be nice if I only had to top it up once a month rather than after every trip

samuria wrote:i like the look of your car
the colour and vinyl roof look
great well done....
enjoy

Thanks, it has grown on me massively. At first I wasn't the biggest fan of the vinyl roof, but it does massively compliment the rest of the car.

Ieuan wrote:1962 948cc Morris Minor OYM614A, first registered 18/4/1962. Painted an incredibly lovely Vauxhall Caribic Blue, with a nice n kitsch vinyl roof, and some shiny 13" alloys.

Nice car, however, those are Weller chromed steel wheels, not alloys.

Well done on chopping out all the rot.
Your first stab at fabricating is not a bad effort
.
Tip ....when using cardboard templates of the holes to fill and transferring them onto sheet metal, cut the metal oversize.That way you can nibble away with Tin snips, one edge at a time, clamping up and redrawing lines of the other edges on the metal.
By the time you've gone round the whole car, you'll be doing it in your sleep ! Perfect fit everytime.
Bob

Chipper wrote:Nice car, however, those are Weller chromed steel wheels, not alloys.

My mistake! Least I know what make they are now

mogbob wrote:Well done on chopping out all the rot.
Your first stab at fabricating is not a bad effort
.
Tip ....when using cardboard templates of the holes to fill and transferring them onto sheet metal, cut the metal oversize.That way you can nibble away with Tin snips, one edge at a time, clamping up and redrawing lines of the other edges on the metal.
By the time you've gone round the whole car, you'll be doing it in your sleep ! Perfect fit everytime.
Bob

Why thank you I've rebuilt the sills on two different MX5's before now as well as the sills on an escort van, so I'm beginning to get the hang of welding now. That's pretty much how I go about doing it, especially always cutting the metal too big. You can always trim more off, but adding more is a different kettle of fish.

Another OYM XXXA registered Minor in Wales? Sadly the one here is about to lose its 948 lump to aid someone who needs an engine, It was supposed to be a project for me but it has some serious looking corrosion to the underside as well as the body, Im hoping to persuade my boss to put it aside in the yard under cover until next year and - If I can make enough progress with the 4 door I have now I will take another look at it.

Anyhow... Greetings from South Pembs...

warweezil wrote:Another OYM XXXA registered Minor in Wales? Sadly the one here is about to lose its 948 lump to aid someone who needs an engine, It was supposed to be a project for me but it has some serious looking corrosion to the underside as well as the body, Im hoping to persuade my boss to put it aside in the yard under cover until next year and - If I can make enough progress with the 4 door I have now I will take another look at it.

Anyhow... Greetings from South Pembs...

Its time will come Yup, I haven't seen any other that are "OYM...A" myself. Can anyone tell me anymore about the registration? I know it is from Central London originally, but from what I can work out, "A" suffixed cars are somewhat of an oddity. Should my car be an "A" reg, and is it possible to work out if this is it's original number plate?

A plates were sometimes issued when the original Reg number was transferred. With those fabrication / welding and bodywork capabilities - you would have no trouble rebuilding an engine! It's dead simple by comparison .... I was suggesting picking up a secondhand engine to stick in temporarily, while you rebuild your own... If buying a 'recon' engine - make sure it's not a 'con' engine - there are some floating about on ebay that have been nicely painted...but that's just about all that has been done !

Ieuan wrote:Its time will come Yup, I haven't seen any other that are "OYM...A" myself. Can anyone tell me anymore about the registration? I know it is from Central London originally, but from what I can work out, "A" suffixed cars are somewhat of an oddity. Should my car be an "A" reg, and is it possible to work out if this is it's original number plate?

AS an exiled Londoner I recognise the "YM" series. The "A" suffix is likely to be genuine as by the end of 1962 many urban areas had exhausted the old 3+3 and 4+2 letter sequences that were available to them, and some started issuing the suffix numbers in January '63, the rest of England Wales and Scotland moved to the "new" year suffix registrations on 1/1/65 - the commencement of the "C" suffix year, Northern Ireland having its own distinctive system which included the unused (in "mainland" UK) I and Z letters. As a matter of trivia the "E" suffix isnt so plentiful as this only ran for 6 months (Jan - July '67), the year letter being changed on 1st August due to pressure from the Motor industry who were complaining about poor summer sales - where have we heard that before?

The new system is a disaster really, My *BX registered '60 4 door can be pinned down to a county, where a modern registration for this area could be any one of 4 or 5 counties around Swansea

I also vote for a home built recon, the beauty of the A series it in its simplicity, its very straightforward, and in doing the work yourself you know what has been done AND have the satisfaction of having a sweet running motor at the end of it.

Lovely colour and with the vinyl roof looks very nice

Cheers again for your replies and compliments Good to know it has got it's original reg number, I've got absolutely no history for the car so anything like that adds to the mystery and intrigue in it's 52 year life before me.

In all probability, I'll probably just rebuild this engine to save the cost of buying/picking up a reconditioned one. I'll have plenty of free time in January in which to do so. Plus it'll give me a whole new set of skills and get my hands nice and grubby.

Thanks for your replies again . The registration number plot thickens... On eBay at the minute is a 1962 Minor that is OYM732A, again registered in early 1962. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151432044909? ... EBIDX%3AIT
I cant decide whether this is coincidence that two similar cars that have had their "valuable" number plates replaced at roughly the same time in the same area, or proof that a 1962 car from London could be a proper "A" reg.