Morris Minor Owners Club

Hmm, another , if its not broke, don't fix it, or strip down and change at least the oil pump-
more stripping next week (oil pump a big end and centre main( don't loose the oil strainer) but a present , with bores on a visual OK ( think its a Rover silver seal unit and done little miles but its been stored in concrete garage for too long and has some surface rusting from condensation.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
Needs gaskets cleaning off / replacing - are the Bottom End sets from ESM / etc OK these days or worth extra sourcing Payen ones? Cork or rubber gaskets on tappet chest side covers ?

Cork, the rubber ones don't fit apparently.

Be interested to peoples thoughts as well, I am about to do the bottom end, but need a crank as well as its scuffed, the BM / ESM cranks come with shells, but I want a good job and don't want to be doing it every couple of years.

Try this it might be worth a punt and at no great cost either
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Morris-Minor- ... 3cc526e01d

Hmmm, that picture certainly does not look too bad, wonder if that's its best side, but it certainly looks serviceable ??, certainly better than mine.

Bio
The water jacket side show corrosion/scale around the cylinders, A good clean should sort it , but I think the crank and camshaft etc need to come out for a good clean in the right places

That's not my engine, I jumped on the thread as I am doing the same.

My engine is now in every piece it was made in, but I am in need of a new crank also, as mines scuffed.

My thread is the oil pump one....

Geoff

The ebay link is nearly good, std crank, but advised as still needing a re-grind and new shell bearings - how I miss popping down to Unipart and getting oversize or standard off the shelf - my local reconditioner by the time VAT added is quite pricey , cheap for a Jag owner but about 25% more than I would like to pay for std A Series stuff . - The problems of London prices .

No problem with hi-jack threads, all helps to share the best way forward.
What do others get stuck gaskets off with, flat scraper and white spirit as solvent?

Yes, I am going with a BM or ESM exchange one, I know its good then, its not like you can just pop it in and out. Think that ebay one is useful if you have one that's beyond hope and you need one to exchange in.

For removing gaskets my preferred weapon of choice is a sharp wood chisel, amazing how useful they are, I keep couple as scrapers. Just need to be careful round ally, not that there is much of that in our game.

The 'e' bay crank may well be worth the money (£40 with free post) even if you find that you have to have a light regrind at £90 (Oselli charges) as the surcharge on a ESM crank is £75 plus the cost of the crank £98.75 plus P&P plus VAT.
As it says in the 'e' bay crank advert you may get away with a light polish and to me it don't look too bad.
If I wanted a 1098cc crankshaft I would certainly give it a go.
Or try this one
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MORRIS-MINOR- ... 58b92c9b07

I have asked the seller if he has any other pictures of them, I agree in those photos it does not look bad, better than mine, which has a score round one of the pins.

If its a good one then the gamble would pay off, still going to need a set of shells, which for that price the esm and bm ones do come with.

Posted as an answer to cleaning the (unpictured) dirty (scale) innards of the block, while Jizer would clean the oily bits , its really how best to clean up the scale bits - run inhibitors through with engine in car , or some kind of mr muscle neat and innards jet wash ? ( with everything stripped off the block )

Take out all of the core plugs and water pump and then hot jet wash the waterways and while you are at it the rest of the block; inside and outside.
That should sort out the scale problem.
I would recommend that all of the core plugs are replaced anyway as a matter of course.

Thanks, I have never been one for taking out core plugs ( last did it in 1971 on an overhaul of a 1963 Hillman Minx, that was fun getting the engine in and out of that ( in the days when the council garages had twin wooden doors - we rigged up a plastic oversheet between them, three floor joists strapped together with metal straps, plenty of canvas wide webbing , tie up, lift up and heave), the council's (unwanted) 'improvements' included up and over doors, so we lost space, for the next engine out, joist hangers on either side of garage internal walls, attach strong bolt to one of strapping points , acquire chain winch, re-cut joist end to fit in hangers, push car up and under winch, attach chains , canvas and anything else and winch up. Plenty of fun over the years, does mean bonnet off first though on minors. (fully upright fouls the roof space)

False policy not replacing the core plugs if you have such heavy scaling inside the block.
Better to do it now when the engine is out than wait till it is all back together and then find they leak.

Noted, now I understand the reason for doing so, thanks