Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi people, about my 'spare' engine, I want to have it ready to throw in as and when needed. It's a sprite 1275 engine and gearbox out of a RHD car but going in to a LHD car. I am considering going with a hydraulic clutch and I see ESM sell a kit but state for 1098 gearbox only. I emailed ESM and asked if it would be suitable for the 1275 and their reply was "for 1098 only". I can see no reason why it would not be suitable for my purpose and think ESM may just be covering their a$$, so, my question ... Has anybody used this kit on a 1275 gearbox or can you think of a reason it wouldn't work. Thanks all.

https://www.morrisminorspares.com/clutc ... ly-p829580

There is no reason that the ESM hydraulic clutch kit could not be used Minor fitted with a 1275cc engine and gearbox.
The limiting factors are that there must be a slave cylinder mount platform on the bell housing and threaded holes in the mount platform to secure the slave cylinder. The Minor 948cc gearbox does not have either. All 1098cc gearboxes have the slave cylinder platform but some do not have the threaded holes. The mount platform can be drilled and tapped if necessary.
The 1275cc gearbox has both. It may be that the person you spoke to at ESM does not realise that the 1275cc Midget/Sprite has a hydraulic clutch system.
Way back before the ready made kits became available I fitted a similar hydraulic lifter system to that available from ESM to my Minor which was back then fitted with a 1275cc Midget/Sprite gearbox and it worked well. The master cylinder was mounted on the gearbox cross member and the clutch pedal adapted to suit. I am currently in the process of refurbishing the clutch hydraulic lifter system.

Thanks Phil, very informative, I will be purchasing the ESM kit.

Reviving an old topic, is the hydraulic clutch kit a worthwhile improvement? Does it make it easier to operate the clutch?
My wife finds it tricky to operate the clutch on my Minor, which has a Marina 1275 married to a standard 1098 clutch and gearbox.

Fitting the hydraulic clutch operating system is a worthwhile improvement.
By fitting different size master cylinders and slave cylinders you can tailor the pressure required to operate the clutch.

Thanks Phil, I will get one ordered. Think I may need a new clutch soon, there was a healthy burning smell climbing Porlock Hill yesterday!

ndevans wrote: ↑Wed Aug 27, 2025 7:21 pm Thanks Phil, I will get one ordered. Think I may need a new clutch soon, there was a healthy burning smell climbing Porlock Hill yesterday!

At least you didn't have 1st gear violently jumping out with a huge bang like I did on Sunday!

Stephen

Oh dear! That sounds a bit serious! 2nd gear is the usual culprit for jumping out. Hopefully not a difficult fix.
I suspect my clutch may be on its way out, and in fairness it's done around 40000 miles since I put the 1275 in, so I can't really complain. It's been up Porlock Hill several times over the last few years, then last year it did several steep long passes in Italy and Austria, including Passo del Faiallo, where we climbed from virtually sea level in Genoa to higher than Snowdon. This was a distance of about 35km, and it took us over an hour at 20- 30 mph in 2nd most of the way.
Porlock Hill is easy by comparison!

ndevans wrote: ↑Wed Aug 27, 2025 8:39 pm Oh dear! That sounds a bit serious! 2nd gear is the usual culprit for jumping out. Hopefully not a difficult fix.
I suspect my clutch may be on its way out, and in fairness it's done around 40000 miles since I put the 1275 in, so I can't really complain. It's been up Porlock Hill several times over the last few years, then last year it did several steep long passes in Italy and Austria, including Passo del Faiallo, where we climbed from virtually sea level in Genoa to higher than Snowdon. This was a distance of about 35km, and it took us over an hour at 20- 30 mph in 2nd most of the way.
Porlock Hill is easy by comparison!

I'd say your clutch has done very well!

Stephen

philthehill wrote: ↑Wed Aug 27, 2025 4:08 pm Fitting the hydraulic clutch operating system is a worthwhile improvement.
By fitting different size master cylinders and slave cylinders you can tailor the pressure required to operate the clutch.

Would a side effect of a hydraulic lift mechanism be that smoother, more progressive clutch engagement & disengagement is possible? If so, does this reduce the stress on the halfshafts when changing gear?
Or am I reading too much into it?

Having a hydraulic clutch eliminates the different arcs of the mechanical clutch linkage so will in theory provide a smoother clutch.
From my own experience of having a hydraulic clutch on my Minor I would suggest that having a hydraulic or mechanical clutch operation will make little if any difference to the stress effect on the half-shafts.
The only stress I have experienced is to my left leg in pressing down on a very heavy clutch pedal due to the clutch cover being a extra strong competition unit.