Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi I wonder if someone can help.
I recently bought a 1967 4 door saloon from someone who is selling Morris Minors as a business.
I had a few extras added at the time of buying it and was very happy.
But about 3 months in it started back firing and broke down.The AA replaced something in the distributor cap which looked like it was an original part.All was well for about a week then the AA came out again.
A faulty fuel pump was the cause this time.
I've found a garage who have got a classic car section as getting it back to the original place is too far .
They have had the car for about two weeks and done lots of little bits to tidy it up for me including sorting out the drivers door which opened from time to time and also fitted a new fuel pump.They drove it back from there on Friday which included the motorway and all was well.I then took it for a drive and it broke down again!!! They returned and said the ignition coil has failed.
I'm sorry that this is rather a long post but I feel I could do with some advice.I have a feeling that the car although it looks good paint work etc it's not really been driven much in the last few years. Is there anything I can do to get it sorted.Would joining a local club help?
I just want to be able to drive it and enjoy it but having broken down three times in three journeys I'm losing hope.

Well the things you have replaced are pretty common in some respects, so you should be due a trouble free drive, I can see it being off putting but once these little things are sorted, hopefully you'll have regained confidence in the car. You can join a club if you like but as mentioned, you should eventually find it reliable. The beauty of the Minor is the DIY aspect. For example, the coil and pump are quite straight forward to fit physically, however like most things it's finding out what's wrong before you do the actual fitting but there are folk on this forum who are very helpful in those situations.

Thanks les for replying to my problem.
The garage are coming back this week to fit a new ignition coil and make sure it's running ok.Hopefully that will be it sorted.

Firstly welcome to Morris Minor ownership.

Secondly don't lose hope. I know how you feel - it can be depressing when you fix one thing and another goes wrong, especially on a 'new' car, but everything is fixable. Our fuel pump packed up within 3 weeks of buying a Traveller that had only just finished a 2-3 year bare metal restore by someone who really knew their stuff. C'est la vie. As Les said you can do a lot of the stuff yourself - I changed the fuel pump myself with basic tools, a Haynes manual and no previous experience.

Whereabouts in the country are you? Someone may be able to recommend a local Morris Minor specialist to help you if you have problems in the future, and the Forum members will always assist you if they can.

My main advice is to get out there and enjoy driving your new car in the sunshine.

A old car, with old components, which has not been driven much for a while and which may have suffered from previous 'bodges' and neglect will often develop little faults like the ones you describe when it is put back into regular service. At first it can be demoralising, but there comes a point, especially if you service it properly, when these are eliminated and you have a good, well-maintained and reliable vehicle.

It will help if you get to learn about the car and how it works - and this Forum is a useful resourse for help and advice. It is much more satisfying - and cheaper - to be able to do as much as you can yourself without having to rely on a garage.

Joining a local branch of the MMOC may be a way of meeting other enthusiasts who can help you learn about the car and its components. Also get a good manual (you can find a downloadable version of the workshop manual on the internet, or plenty are for sale, also on the net). A favourite of mine is 'BLMC Morris Minor 1000 Repairs' by BC MacDonald which can turn up at autojumbles, EBay, second hand book fairs etc.

I would suggest that, as a minimum, you learn how to service the car. That will also help you understand how the car works and you then also know these important jobs have been done properly!

thank you for the welcome.
I live in East Yorkshire and I've found a garage who do classic car repairs etc .They were as gutted as I was that it broke down again.
I'll keep you posted about how I get on.
I may well join a local club as well to see if someone can assist me with repairs etc.

At the risk of appearing patronising, which is certainly not my intention, is there perhaps a local college that offers evening classes in car maintenance and repairs?