Morris Minor Owners Club

Were the worst minors made in 1968?
Didn't they have bonnets and door skins made of thinner metal than usual?

From John. Owner of a 1968 minor.

What on earth makes you think that

I think it was mentioned in Minor Matters once.

The owners of Henrics used to say that the best metal was used up to 1966, and the cars made after that were not as good.

i think around 1952 when they stole the A series engine from Austin. They went down hill from there.

I welded a 1952 minor once and it was a real pleasure to work on.

I have to say - and purely anecdotally and not scientific in any way, I think the earlier cars were made with better quality and thicker metal than later models. Some of the early fifties models seem more solid and easier to weld. I would say they were better painted and protected earlier as well. Hard to prove but it certainly feels that the older models were better.

The surviving early cars often seem to be in very good condition today because they are the few which were treasured. When I used to look around scrap yards for parts for my Minor at the beginning of the 1970s there were many many split screen Minors rusted out in yards. Also, let's not forget that the very first production Minor, which BMC managed to get back in a competition in 1961, was SO rusty that is was considered uneconomic to repair the original body and a replacement was sought

My ‘54 seems a lot more solid than my ‘70 having done welding on both, but has possibly been better cared for. It is difficult to compare objectively after decades of rust and additional layers of paint on panels. If anyone has spares to hand it might be interesting to weigh early and late examples of comparable original panels.

ManyMinors wrote: ↑Fri Jul 24, 2020 5:37 pm What on earth makes you think that

According to Wikipedia:

"For a short time in 1968, the thickness of the steel used in the bonnet and doors was decreased from 1.2 mm to 1.0 mm to act as a form of crumple zone, but as the wings continued to be made of 1.4 mm mild steel, the modification was pointless and ineffectual and was reversed in 1969 as it increased passenger compartment crush in collisions."

.. the above is from a post on this forum by Chipper, 14.09.2017.

The 1950 lowlight which I owned around 1970 felt more substantial than later Minors which had more plasticky interiors and a tinnier feel. The sidevalve unit felt smoother and less buzzy and intrusive. I was able to borrow my parents' nearly-new Traveller at that time, so impressions were based on direct comparisons. Apart from having a heating system, better performance and braking, the later vehicle had definitely moved downmarket.

Apart from having a heating system, better performance and braking,

Ah, reminds me of "What did the Romans ever do for us?"

Thank you Edward (and Chipper).
The best minor I have owned was a 1965 2 door, and seemed better quality than the 3 1968 minors I have owned. Were the Birmingham minors worse quality than the others?
Thinner metal or not, I believe the main safety problem with minors is that even in a relatively small front impact the doors will fly open. Is that correct? Can anything be done to counter that?
On the subject of safety, I have heard the 2 spoke steering wheel described as a 'safety steering wheel ' compared to the banjo style wheel. Is there any evidence that the 2 spoke is safer?

The two spoke wheel has fewer naked wire spokes which might impale the driver in an accident. We have to compromise between period charm and modern standards of protection.

I tend to agree with 'Edward1949' in that the later models had 'plasticky interiors and a tinnier feel' which suggested that the 'later vehicle had definitely moved downmarket.' This trend was mirrored in many other cars of the time which were increasingly 'plasticky and tinny' as the 70's drew near. I remember, as a child, when a great-aunt traded in her 1957 Minor for a 1966 one I didn't like it as much - I much preferred the lovely leather seats, gold speedo, pull-start and trafficators of the earlier one!

They were cheap cars quickly thrown together in the factories. The engines and running gear did not have a long service life. By the introduction of the 1098 engine they were so outdated in style and layout, BMC just didn't care about them and only continued making them because they sold well. Company politics played its part as BMC was dominated by Austin.

I believe all models went through the same 'rotodip' treatment process?

Alan

My 1968 Austin badged pickup is certainly nothing special bodywork wise. I don't know if it is one with thinner bonnet and door skins, but I do know that the paint does not polish up very well, and does not keep a shine for long.
My friend had a late traveller assembled in Birmingham at one time. It was not a quality minor, but it did have a steering lock!

JOWETTJAVELIN wrote: ↑Sat Jul 25, 2020 9:38 pm They were cheap cars quickly thrown together in the factories. The engines and running gear did not have a long service life. By the introduction of the 1098 engine they were so outdated in style and layout, BMC just didn't care about them and only continued making them because they sold well. Company politics played its part as BMC was dominated by Austin.

Agree with you on this JJ. The minor was a cheap car for the masses. This is reflected in the build quality as production moved through its lifespan. Another reason why in the time there were so many spares available in scrapyards.

Aye. The important models were the larger cars which yielded a far greater profit margin, but don't cost much more to manufacture. I had a Morris Oxford MO and the step up in quality and engineering was phenomenal, it's just the loveable Minor, for all their faults, get under your skin.

In fairness to Minors, they were one of the bangers of choice for the typical young buyer 50 years ago. Friends and I were quite canny about what was available at the bottom end of the market. Among Ford Prefects/Populars/Anglias, Standard Eights/Tens etc the Minor stood out for its handling, economy and the A series engine for its ability to take enormous abuse and neglect. All suffered from tinworm. The few imported small cars available like VW Beetles, Fiats and Renaults were expensive to keep going and most succumbed to rust.

I’ve had a 1968 saloon and a 1968 Traveller as well as a 1963 Traveller, 1966 Traveller, 1954 saloon and a 1962 saloon and both the 1968 cars felt every bit as well built as any of the others.