Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi just a quick one
Just bought an old minor 1969 2 door saloon,
Is there anything I need to know about a battery? Or will a modern 12v do?

Also if anyone out there has two decent saloon (2 door) doors they might like to sell to me in the Northampton/Kettering or even the Hertfordshire area please let me know.
Cheers
Dan

Basically, any modern 12V sealed lead-acid automotive battery will be fine. You don't need a huge one, nor one with high cold cranking amperage, but the Minor's battery box can accommodate nearly any size automotive battery.

The battery I run is overkill - it looks bigger than the engine!

get a 038 battery

Thanks for the help. Does it matter what way round the terminals are?

If running positive ground (earth), as original, then the ground cable needs to connect to the positive terminal on the battery. If converted to negative ground, as all modern cars, connect ground cable to negative. Batteries are commonly available with whichever post on either side.

Whichever way you end up connecting it try and have both battery posts towards the back of the car as opposed to near the battery bracket.
This is to avoid a short circuit and the ensuing fire.

dalebrignall wrote:get a 038 battery

An 038 battery is what all the motor factors parts list say that you need. Same as a Mini battery - very compact to fit in a Mini battery box in the boot - not an issue with a Minor. They used to be the cheapest batteries, when old Minis were plentiful and cheap, now due to diminishing production numbers the price has crept up.
Much cheaper is an 063 battery which is more of a bulky square shape. Common to hundreds of different medium sized cars they are fine for Minors and normally the cheapest battery size available.

If you are going for -ve earth it will be most convenient to have the -ve post on the right hand side at the back. The +ve post is closest to its connection with the solenoid.

I went for a 063 as suggested above. Cheaper, fits well and provides spare capacity of the car is not used regularly. Even when used regularly I have found the pro wanting on the winter

Thanks for all the help