2 door moggy door tops

[Turfhawk]

I have a 1968 smoke grey Morris minor 1000, 2 door. Now my door tops are the same colour as the car & I was told they should be crome. Whilst watching open all hours the other evening I noticed that nurse Gladys Emmanuel's white moggy had colour matching door tops. Which is correct?

[Mark Wilson]

I used to think that the stainless steel (not chrome) door tops were part of the Deluxe specification, but was recently corrected on here - apparently only Travellers were fitted with stainless steel tops. So sounds like yours (and Nurse Gladys Emmanuel's) are original.

Mark

[Turfhawk]

Thanks for that Mark, it's something that I've been wondering about for a while.
Well since a friends father had great pleasure in telling me they were wrong & not a lot else when I showed him the car.
Wish I'd wrote stainless steel as I new I'd spelled chrome wrong

[olderisbetter]

I have a black 58 traveller with stainless steel door tops and a black 59 2 door with black door tops, and i also pressumed the delexe was fitted with stainless, but i have seen quite a few 2 doors with the stainless tops so maybe lots of people swap for some reason.

[amgrave]

I have a 63 cross over 4 door deluxe and that has stainless steel door tops, if it helps. I too thought deluxe were fitted with them from the factory.

[ASL642]

Repainting them can be difficult. We fitted stainless steel door tops from a traveller to our 2dr (same door size) No more rusty door tops.

[jaekl]

All deluxe models had stainless frames until some time in the early to mid 60s. Perhaps with the introduction of the 1098.

[ManyMinors]

All deluxe models had stainless frames until some time in the early to mid 60s. Perhaps with the introduction of the 1098.

I cannot comment on cars built for the US market, where you appear to be but that was certainly not the case for UK cars.
In the UK, Minor 1000 2 door (and convertible) models had painted door tops regardless of whether they were standard or deluxe specification. 4 door saloons and travellers were supplied with stainless steel door tops, again regardless of whether they were standard or deluxe specification. Confusion exists now because many scrapped travellers have donated their stainless frames to 2 door and convertible models!

Did the US supplied Minor 1000,000 (all 1000,000s were 948cc deluxe spec) have stainless steel frames?

[jaekl]

It appears I've learned something. Ray Newell's book mentions that the wagon and four door deluxe had the stainless. His wording implies that there were non-deluxe travellers and four doors were painted. All USA models that I've seen had overriders and the cars with leather seats had stainless frames and the non-leather cars had painted frames. That statement applying to 1957 through 1961 models. I can check my 67 2 door today, that might be ss. During the duo-tone interior period, standard models had mono-tone seats and painted frames. I can't locate my sales literature right now to see what it states about the deluxe package. I can ask a couple of people that have several to see if it is defined.
Any convertibles you have over there with ss on the rear quarter window indicates factory supplied, doesn't it?

[Mark Wilson]

By chance I came across a photograph today of my grandmother's 1949 or 50 MM tourer taken in 1951 (possibly on the way to collect me from the maternity hospital!) Beautiful chrome (and I think they were chrome then) door tops - and definitely not a deluxe spec as the car didn't have a passenger side windscreen wiper.

I know this isn't news to the MM specialists, and is well documented in the Ray Newell book, but interesting to those of us who are still learning the finer points of the Morris World.

[jaekl]

I forgot to check my 67 2 door but from a old photo it appears to have stainless frames. What can I say, the Colonist need their bling. I looked up a photo of 1,000,001 and it has stainless frames. I have no idea a about the other copies, but it's a good bet several more slipped through with ss. At least for most of the county, they also came with heaters and overriders as stated before, so we received a lot of deluxes and half deluxes. We have a lot of cars with painted frames and non-leather seats in the 57 to 61 range and that is the bulk of the imports.

[Turfhawk]

I'm a bit new to the moggy world & as the original poster was wondering what denotes a deluxe minor as apposed to a standard one

[ManyMinors]

The majority built were probably deluxe models. The standard models didn't have full carpet sets. A 2door didn't have rear armrests and the door cards/quarter panel trims didn't have the upright fluted design - they were just plain yinyl. No sunvisor was fitted to the passenger side and the overiders were left off the bumpers. There will be more that I've forgotten and I am specifically talking about UK spec cars and later saloon cars like yours rather than the earlier models. The main givaway will be the chassis number plate which contains a "D" denoting "deluxe" on cars of that specification. I think a deluxe had a heater fitted but it was optional on the standard model.

Obviously over the years which have passed, the majority of cars have been altered to some extent and are not exactly as they left the factory - hence the confusion that exists today. One of our cars is a "standard" model in 4door form.

[Turfhawk]

Thanks for that ManyMinors, much appreciated.

[jaekl]

I had the body parts book out for something else and have confirmed that North America deluxe two doors had stainless steel frames. And yes, all four doors and travellers had ss. Marketing must have made a discussion and decided we needed more visible distinction for the deluxe price. Of course, that would also apply to Millions.