Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all,

I've decided to get more DIY-wise and save a bit of money on garage fees. Anyway, Naomi needs a new exhaust downpipe. Is this a DIY job?

Yup, a good way to get DIY wiser too - pretty easy, but with enough fiddling to give you the appropriate vocabulary...

For saloons you can get mild steel single piece systems or stainless two piece. The stainless are MUCH easier to fit - less fiddling, and last much much longer - even with a lifetime guarantee. You'll probably need the fittings and manifold clamp too. Even if you can slvage the old ones, it's much easier using new. There's a technical tip about using some copper wire underneath the clamp to get a good seal.

Naomi needs a new exhaust downpipe. Is this a DIY job?

If it is a 2 piece exhaust - don't expect to be able to seperate the middle joint in order to replace one half. This tends to be close to impossible.
Fitting a single piece exhaust to a saloon is a nasty job for a first timer, therefore consider getting a 2 piece exhaust (which I just heard are still available - it may have been from ESM). The 2 piece exhaust is a dream in comparison to the single.

Unless you already have a good 2 bolt cast manifold clamp, then get a new one. Don't bother with the cheaper pressed metal hinged 1 bolt type as they are too flimsy.
Also make sure you have a new fitting kit including rubber straps and enough nuts and bolts to fit them to the floor as you may have to cut the old bolts to get them off (removal of the old fixings is only a quick job if you have an angle grinder)

Finally - clean up the manifold thoroughly to remove all rust and leftover exhaust paste. If the old exhaust had been loose at the manifold then it may have worn the seat area and you are likely to have it come loose again. If this continues, then just replace the manifold (or keep having problems for 11 years like I did on my 1st Car )
When the manifold is clean, check that the exhaust flange fits well - if not then you may have to reshape it a bit (small mole grips and a lot of patience required).
I use plenty of exhaust paste to seal the manifold joint as I've never got one to work without it, but if you are a real expert I'm told it can be done without exhaust paste.

Good luck!

if you get the correct size piece of wood.
a piece that will fit between the down pipe and the engine bay floor, on the lip where the down pipe disepears from the engine bay. its possible to wedge the down pipe up against the manifold, in position, leaving both hands free to do up the clamp.
i use the tool in the panel beaters set, the slightly curved anvil piece.
its got a good shape and sits nicely, but woods ok.
dont forget to remove the wood when the jobs done. i always use paste.

Yep - jack the pipe up into place from below - with a smear of exhaust paste. Use new bolts on the clamp with several washers - and brass nuts so you can get them off again next time. I have a stainless exhaust - still in fine fettle, but now the internal baffles in the silencers have worked loose - noisey at idle but disappears when at full chat !

Its Minorite in Leicester that do the 2 piece standard exhaust.

Does anyone do a bigger diameter version of the 'standard' exhaust - for use with 1275 engines ?

Does anyone do a bigger diameter version of the 'standard' exhaust - for use with 1275 engines ?

Yes - there are also varations on a theme. The simplest one is to use the bigger bore Marina Manifold and get an exhaust to mate to it.

Brum Minor centre do the downpipe from the Marina manifold, then you can mate an exhaust system to it. They also do a 2 box stainless system as do a lot of Minor suppliers now (most in fact).

Thanks for that - but is the 2 box stainless bigger diameter ? I am aiming at using a modified Mini lcb for the first part - mainly because I have 2 of them lying in the garage !

To be honest, the 2 part stainless system is a bit small for my liking. If I were you and were modifying a Mini LCB then I would make my own single box system up out of an RC-40. I would forget about the stainless system.

Agreed - but I would like to put it up and over the axle - and out the back as standard.