Morris Minor Owners Club

I know this subject has been done to death in the past, but I am still left unsure about certain aspects.
I was going to fit my newly rebuilt engine and gearbox at a later date, but it seems now is the perfect time to do it while there are no organised events or runs to miss out on, it will allow me to continue running it in for the rest of Summer doing a few short jaunts whenever I can.

Two things I could do with clarifying are :-

Do I really need to remove the propshaft from the back axle, or can it be left in place and poked back into the gearbox as the new engine /gearbox is installed. (Obviously I will be draining the oil first)

Do I really need to remove the gearbox crossmember from the chassis, or will the unit come out if I just remove the rubber mounting blocks.

I am trying to decide how much crawling under the car and jacking it up at either end I need to do, before I get started.

I plan on removing the Gearbox cover plate and the front grille panel etc, and have an engine crane and adjustable tilt device for lifting the unit in and out.
I have seen conflicting advice both here and other forums. I dont want to be doing unnecessary work taking stuff off that I dont need to.

Thanks
Phil

If removing engine and box together then yes and yes. If splitting them then you might be able to joggle things around, but it will be quicker to undo the bolts - there are only four for the shaft and four for the corssmember (assuming that you have removed the cover as you say.

I think its a lot easier to undo the bolts for the propshaft than attempt to line up the engine, gearbox and propshaft together.

Put the engine and box loose in then at your leisure install the propshaft, then tighten everything up once you are happy its all in the right position.

That would be the way I would approach it, others may have better methods.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I managed to get the front end removed yesterday evening, one of the hockey sticks had about an inch of thread sticking through on all three studs and it took ages to eventually get those 2BA nuts off, then I found someone had pop riveted the front panel in place behind the hockey sticks

So plan A is assuming the gearbox cross member bolts come out with no problems, that is what I will do along with removal of the prop shaft.

If the cross member captive nuts have come loose under the master cylinder, would a plan B be still possible to split the engine and gearbox and remove them separately leaving the cross member in place, or does the cross member have to come off no matter what ?

Thanks Phil

When I stripped mine I took the engine out first having separated it from the gearbox, I then took the box out and left the Crossmember still in position.
In fact if you are doing it that way there is no need to undo the rear of the propshaft as it will slide out of the gearbox upon removal.

Getting it back in may be more difficult, so I would unbolt the prop at the rear to ease fitting.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advise.

I think I now have a plan of attack.
Watch this space.

Phil