Morris Minor Owners Club

Is it usual to have two glove boxes with doors.

It is quite usual for a car the age of yours. Twin glovebox lids fitted as standard from October 1956. Changed to modified versions with chrome finishers in February 1959. Discontinued in November 1961 in favour of open (un-lidded) glove compartments. Going by your pic, yours are the type fitted between Feb '59 and Nov '61.

(Lid reappeared in October 1964 until end of productoin, but passenger side only)

My 1958 2 door had lids without the chrome rim from new but I could never see the reasoning behind fitting a glove lid on the O/S as the lid cannot be fully opened to get anything of reasonable size in there.
Much better without the lid.
If the steering column/wheel is lowered though it makes for a better lid opening and for me a better driving position.

Why was the post-MM Minor designed with two gloveboxes in the first place? Surely one is sufficient, and the driver's box is so hard to access (or self-emptying!). Was it to save on having to make a second dash pressing for LHD models?

When restoring my Minor (with the same double-lid dash as yours, G-Bond) I abandoned the driver's glovebox in favor of additional gauges. The repurposed glovebox lid gives nice access to the gauge wiring.

Lower the steering column and you will see those gauges so much better.

philthehill wrote: I could never see the reasoning behind fitting a glove lid on the O/S as the lid cannot be fully opened to get anything of reasonable size in there.

I guess it was simply for the sake of symmetry in the appearance of the dashboard, Phil. It is my favourite dashboard layout of all the Minors

MOJ I wholly agree, Although you cannot open the driver's side glovebox fully, it opens fully enough to be useful. Having it open to the elements or only one side with a door looks wrong. I don't much like the chrome strips either but at least there were two doors.

I have always assumed the symmetrical dash was designed to make the car readily switchable to lhd

Never admitted by BMC but probably correct. IIRC they announced with considerable pride that the original Mini dash was designed with complete symmetry for that same reason

Although the Issigonis dash is easily converted to LHD since exporting was very important, it was under BMC and no doubt an Austin influence that the company favored central instruments. Look at all the Austin models in the Fifties or at least the lower end. Everything is in the centre so that there would be minimal change for sales to LHD countries. As for Minors, they started with the MM dash, removed some of the complexity and added the central bump and surely had some cost savings. They just weren't ready take the leap into open holes until Issigonis came back and showed them that just a central binacle and an open shelf works. Then they felt more comfortable taking the doors off in 62 or 63. Although the driver's door is seldom opened, it's no too bad to actually put gloves in there. I'll have to try lowering the wheel to see how it feels. sounds like a good idea.

Late SII models had open gloveboxes................Then the first 1000's had lids on both, then they removed them, then they finally only had one lid! Seems like they just couldn't make their minds up!

Lower the steering column and you will see those gauges so much better.

The banjo steering wheel is 95% empty space. I've never had the merest hint of a visibility problem with the gauges in the glovebox lid. I do occasionally have to move my head an inch to the right to see the oil pressure warning light around the steering wheel rim, but that's in the speedometer!

Besides - lowering the wheel would cause it to graze my thighs on every turn! It nearly does as it is...

Fingolfin
I am 5ft 7ins tall and lowering the steering column by placing a 1" (approx.) spacer between the column mounting bracket and the underside of the glove box metal which was one of the first things I did after purchasing the car very many years ago.
Not only do I find it easier to see the gauges placed in what was the R/H glove box but it also makes for a more relaxed driving position and is less tiring on the arms.
I have never had a problem with the original wheel fouling my legs.
Phil

That's right, I forgot about the Series II with the central speedo dash. Maybe some customers were complaining about items falling out of the glove boxes due to the rapid acceleration.