Morris Minor Owners Club

The alleged "1959" has dropped off the listings since I messaged the vendor...

Yet another - this time a "1955" van - is listed.

Sure they must think we're stupid!!

Put up a link so we can all 'ask' about it!!

bmcecosse wrote:Put up a link so we can all 'ask' about it!!

It's the £11k dk grey sign written one.

Received the standard "all numbers match" message, match to WHAT is anyone's guess!

This one? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Morris-Minor- ... SwzJ5XYEQU
Looks very nice but one or two 'interesting' features.....

I've spotted a few 'interesting features 'but nothing that couldn't be innocently explained giving its long lifespan. Chris, could you explain why you think its not right?

Pressing to facilitate "elephant trunk" (pressing should be oblong), wiper motor "rod" hole (partially hidden by washer bottle), solenoid bolts, untity seam between firewall and scuttle, bottom of B posts wrong

Body looks 8cwt(?), indicator over stop/tail hole, oblong reflector, later rear buffers.

Plus oval chassis plate - square on all S11s.

What was it's original identity though?!

Ah, a few more than I spotted. I'd clocked the Minor 1000 era van back (would have been fairly easy to have corrected the rear light area during resto) and the pressing for the fresh air intake would indicate at least a large lump of later bulkhead used in the rebuild... The panel under the battery box looks to be Minor 1000 era too. Bottom of B posts presumably replaced with the usual repair panel when restored? It's still a splitscreen van though and gets into the very grey area of when does a vehicle no longer become that vehicle when its been restored from so many different parts. I know of many vans that have been restored using a better cab and a better rear body and then when another chassis is used where do you start with id?
At least one 'specialist' used to regularly rebuild vans and pickups with whatever bodies and chassis he had ready at the time to suit whatever V5 he was using...

Imagine all the lcv's in the world lined up and how many would have the same cab/ back/ chassis that the factory fitted ? We're not talking about last years model here, they're half a century old ! Not to mention mods done over the decades.

les wrote:Imagine all the lcv's in the world lined up and how many would have the same cab/ back/ chassis that the factory fitted ? We're not talking about last years model here, they're half a century old ! Not to mention mods done over the decades.

I agree with you, but if the cab roof and dash panel has been swopped over - and the vehicle made to look older than it really is - this is a different matter.

A good nick 1098cc van these days c£4k...this one is £11k as it proports to be a "rare" S11.

Even if you don't send details to me, make a note of every ID number ON your Minor, engines, G/boxes, axles I can date/trace!

Be safe!!

I have had my pickup 30 years and it had just had another cab fitted when I bought it. Since then I have replaced one side, a better not so battered tailgate, new inner and outer wheel arches and have just replaced both light cluster panels and the piece inbetween and mine is only 1963.I have the original log books and I still have the original engine although that is not the engine I am running at the moment.

Its difficult to tell at times. On one hand the vehicle in question is a complete late 1000 van that has had the roof and dash grafted on from a 50s van with enough clues left showing to tell, or is it a 50s van with continuous history having a replacement van back at some stage and then the badly rotted/damaged cab rebuilt using a later doner and lots of new panels, in which case it may not be very original but a heroic effort in saving what ostensibly is a rare split screen van...
Different ways in looking at basically the same vehicle and is one scenario bad and the other good, as its a fine line between them.

Gets head down and ducks behind shelter....

Just noticed the trafficator slots in the B posts don't look very straight and its been fitted with trafficators from a 2dr saloon with the visible screw heads should be screwed in from behind on 4dr /vans... Zzzzz

Well OK, its been tinkered with over the years - what old car hasn't, to some extent? its still a lovely van, if a tad pricey......

Rear light appatures look solid - presumably donor solid to start with - therefore WHY go to so much trouble disguising it.

Only one logical conclusion is?

Original chassis plate AWOL, replaced by a 2 "cell" oval.

Good MOT history - even though it doesn't need one...

bmcecosse wrote:Good MOT history - even though it doesn't need one...

Haha, was there any mention of insecure seatbelt anchorages.....which it shouldn't have?

All sounds a bit dodgy to me....but I'm a bit of a fussy old fart anyway when it comes to owt suspect!

Good to be fussy. Not many would have spotted its, er, "mixed origins". I'd guess your hypothesis is the most likely given the anomalies....
Seat belt mounts: I'd guess it has lost the B post top ones, if those b posts had them, to fit the trafficators as you need the access from behind the B post and the reinforced belt mount area stops you fitting trafficators.... If its had new floor panels and sill steps it'll have them fitted there as standard as proper Series 2 replacement floors have not beena available since Henric days. If its on orig floors and its a 1000 based cab, belt mounts will be present anyway, same with chassis for the centre mounts....

Surprised no-one has picked up the erraz on the £12k xPO telephone van.

Well...our 1955 van is back on eBay.

Going slightly off track here, but are Stolen vehicles still listed in "Manor Mitters"?

POMMReg wrote:
A good nick 1098cc van these days c£4k

Please do post up details of any "good nick" vans you find for sale at this price. I think you're more than a little out of touch there