Morris Minor Owners Club

Ok so I'm gonna be looking at a 1958 minor tomorrow and all sounds ok from the description by the seller but I'm a bit concerned about the availability of spares for the said gearbox. The seller says that first gear is "a bit sloppy" ! Reconditioning the box won't be much of a problem as I , well my brother-in-law, reconditioned my 1098 box back in January this year and all the parts were readily available but I'm not sure of the 948 box. Any info most gratefully received.

The sloppiness may be caused by loose pinch bolts securing the selector forks (they can work loose), so , having first drained off the gearbox oil, remove the side inspection hatch and check those for tightness.

While you have the inspection hatch off, check the gears, particularly the straight-cut first (and the little twinned reverse/idler cogs) for any worn or missing teeth. Also remove the gearstick and check it's all operating as it should and grease it to achieve a smooth shift action.

Ok and thanks for that swift reply but would you happen to know if the availability of spares for the 948 is good for all or most of the internals?

Hello sorry to jump in on the act here but iam also looking to recon two 948 boxes so iam to looking for the same answer as yourself but also is there anyway of shoehorning 1098 bits into the casings??

This chap advertises in Minor Matters, http://www.mirabelleclassiccars.co.uk/gearbox.html
Hope it is of use.

Can't imagine that you would have any problems. John Evans, who advertises in the club mag, rebuilt the box on my 1955 Austin a few years back. Nice chap. Give him a call. And he did a great job at a very reasonable price

Yeh again, I was going to use him [John Evans] for my 1098 rebuild but got lazy and used ESM for all the bits bar for a few from mirrabelle .I just haven't got a clue of the availability of 948 parts .

Trickydicky wrote:This chap advertises in Minor Matters, http://www.mirabelleclassiccars.co.uk/gearbox.html
Hope it is of use.

Yeh I used him[mirabelle] for a few bits when I rebuilt my 1098 box back in January. Just not sure if he stocks all the bits for a 948 box.

Ive had my 948cc smooth case gearbox with 1098cc internals fitted. Bit of machine work involved apparently. Made it a much stronger overall box

andrew.searston wrote:Ive had my 948cc smooth case gearbox with 1098cc internals fitted. Bit of machine work involved apparently. Made it a much stronger overall box

Hmmm interesting, do you know how much this cost and who does the "conversion" ?

John Evans re built my 948 million gearbox a few months ago.. first class job and just a nice man. Based on Hayling Island.