Introducing Elsie May

[jagnut66]

Or should that be re-introducing, as I believe she may have been on here before?.................

Hi,
Well you guessed it, I went and spent some money.
And, after spending a suitable amount of time wearing a hair shirt and walking barefoot over hot coals in pennance, today, our first day of some relative freedom from our homes (read county jails -- or that's what it feels like anyway) I went and viewed her, satisfied myself that I wasn't totally barking (only partially), handed over my hard earned and am now the proud owner of said Elsie May.
Or to be more precise the below pictured 1955 Series 2 Splitscreen in a fetching shade of black.
She wasn't cheap but nor was she top dollar, she comes with issues that will be tackled over time but for now the first thing to deal with is that she blew her head gasket when I was about half an hour away from home.....
But before that it was a nice day for a drive in a nice car, which did manage most of the distance from March in Cambridgeshire to Mansfield in Notts, just passed Newark outside Kelham Hall to be precise, before throwing in the towell.
There were signs but she kept recovering herself (I thought it might be a dodgy fuel pump initially), so I carried on untill she gave up and lost power....
C'est la vie.....
I still like her
I have a spare head, so I will see if Mansfield Engines are still taking in work, then get that fitted with hardened valve seats, skimmed and lightly ported, I feel like treating her.
I feel at this point that I should point out that she has already got a 1098 engine, gearbox and rear axel fitted, so no cardinal sins are being committed, nothing I feel I should be burnt at the stake for yet anyway......
Perhaps someone can suggest this, as a new event for our next national, I believe executions used to be a public holiday, so who am I to be selfish......
Meanwhile, back on Earth, after this she will be run 'as is' until Sally is done.
So here you are (or how mad am I?):

1955 Morris Minor Traveller front.jpg (427.73 KiB) Viewed 4558 times

1955 Morris Minor Traveller drivers side.jpg (351.12 KiB) Viewed 4558 times

1955 Morris Minor Traveller drivers area.jpg (282.96 KiB) Viewed 4558 times

1955 Morris Minor Traveller rear.jpg (410.48 KiB) Viewed 4558 times

I should point out that these are the advert pictures (though they are a fair depiction), as I haven't started taking any yet (I've only just got in after being recovered). However I have since removed allot of the stickers and that green 'bug' from the top of the dash, sorry, just not my cup of tea.
Some things that have been decided are to revert the grill and wheels to body colour (black) and remove the 1000 style front indicator sidelights and fit some more original looking smaller ones , probably orange beehives, I shall also be converting the headlamps to the nice 'tripod' P700's which have built in sidelights anyway.
Oh, and get the trafficators working.
Another adventure (read major expense) begins...........
Best wishes,
Mike.

[philipkearney]

Congratulations Mike, that's a fine purchase. In my opinion, you are not mad at all, this is a very sensible course of action I would suggest !

I did see this one advertised and very much liked the look of it. I think the early split screen travellers are much nicer and few and far between. This one did stand out because of its great condition, not overdone and looking like it retained its patina.

Sounds like you have lots of plans coming together already to get the car the way you want it. That's half the fun of getting a new. Car, the other half is making the plans happen !

Wishing you many happy miles in Elsie May and hope to see it a 'national' one of these years....

Philip

[moggiethouable]

I get the feeling you are already aware fixing the mechanics is a cinch compared to woodwork and body rot, so I think she looks just fine. Personally I love the 1098 engine, good luck with that and well trousered that man.

[jagnut66]

Hi,
Thanks.
She doe's have some issues that will need dealing with over time and some of that will involve the wood but at present I'm not going to look too hard at that. From my examination there are three soft 'spots' which will eventually warrant replacement, though I don't think (hoping here of course) that they are extensive enough to stop me using and enjoying her for a while and sorting other items as I go.
At some point I will budget for a frame, as where they are located will end up meaning I'll probably have to take the back end off to replace them and then who know what else I might find...........
But first, as I said above I want to spend some time driving and enjoying her, especially as Sally is still off the road.
I also hope that people on here got the fact that I was being humouous about 'cardinal sins'.
I know some don't like any alterations but the mechanical originality of this 'not so common' splitscreen Traveller has already been lost, so I don't feel I need to preserve anything, plus I like the original 'look' anyway, so in appearance she will look 'normal'.
So sorry chaps no Alloys, V8's or modern seats here -- actually the (metal base pan and foam padded) original seats were very comfortable for the driving part of my homeward journey.
What I do welcome are suggestions on how to mount some inertia reel seatbelts in a Traveller.
I will be going for grey webbing and chrome fittings to keep them looking original but they will be of new manufacture for safety. I do miss them when they are not fitted.
Best wishes,
Mike.

[gtt1951]

Nice Traveller. Good to know that you will be reverting Grille and Wheels to "body colour".
When I bought mine, in 2013, it too came with a 1098 engine and gearbox, but the diff hadn't been changed - meant that the Speedo was showing about 20 MPH over what it was actually doing.
Don't put Amber Dome lights on the front, as these have to be clear - since they are the "parking"/side-lights.
When I did this on a 1958 Series II Hillman Minx, it failed the MOT - you can have clear front indications, but you cannot have Amber running lights - don't know how so many commercial vehicles get away with so much front and side amber lighting?

My 4-door 803cc, was modified to have Halogen headlights with built-in pilot lights (like the Low-light headlamps), so the owner could retain the original clear dome lights as winking indicators, with additional rear amber dome lamps fitted under the rear bumper.

Enjoy your Traveller and don't forget to get some wooden skewers to poke through the drainage holes in the sliding rear window felt channels.

Regards, George.

[geoberni]

George,
Mike said

remove the 1000 style front indicator sidelights and fit some more original looking smaller ones , probably orange beehives, I shall also be converting the headlamps to the nice 'tripod' P700's which have built in sidelights anyway.

So he can go to Orange if he wishes, so long as they are only the indicators. personally, I've got white lenses with Orange LED indicator lamps.

As to HGVs, orange side marker lights are a legal requirement, even caravans have them.
The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 s22.
Basically, if the overall vehicle length is greater than 18.3 mtr, there has to be a lamp approximately every 3 mtrs.

[jagnut66]

Don't put Amber Dome lights on the front, as these have to be clear - since they are the "parking"/side-lights

So he can go to Orange if he wishes, so long as they are only the indicators. personally, I've got white lenses with Orange LED indicator lamps.

Hi,
To clarify, they will purely work as indicators, supplimented by the trafficators on a separate switch in due course.
Though I shall fit 'flashicator' LEDs in them, so modern drivers understand them, if they're even looking of course.............
Whilst I believe I can get a flat orange lens, side light style, I wasn't aware it was legal to use the original style sidelight with clear (or cloudy) lens as an indicator, that might appeal. Nice to know I have a choice.
Once I've patched / reduced the larger sidelight / indicator hole, which I'm assuming I'll find, when I remove the existing ones.
Below are the headlamps I intend to get and fit, with integral sidelight.
Best wishes,
Mike.

P700 'Tripod' headlamps with integral sidelight.jpg (290.38 KiB) Viewed 4438 times

[sid]

lovely car..and a lovely name..my dear departed granny was Elsie May

[geoberni]

Whilst I believe I can get a flat orange lens, side light style, I wasn't aware it was legal to use the original style sidelight with clear (or cloudy) lens as an indicator, that might appeal. Nice to know I have a choice.

Doesn't matter what it looks like when it's not illuminated, hence why some flashy motors have smoked grey lights at the back to make them blend in.

When I got Basil, he already had L488 with Orange Flat lenses in the front and in the additional rear indicators.
I've swapped the Front for the opaque/white flats and put orange LED lamps in.

As you're 'restoring' back from the L632 twin unit, if you wanted to you might be able to find a suitable 21w lamp (or LED equivalent) with the smaller diameter for the L489 Units. I think they are available, just not as common as their larger counterparts.
I must admit I'm confused as to whether the L489 take a bayonet or a screw base lamp, as websites seem to differ when they illustrate the lamp.

[jagnut66]

lovely car..and a lovely name..my dear departed granny was Elsie May

The name was given to her by the previous owners, I believe it was after their Aunt. I saw no reason to change it.
He used to be an MMOC member hence my first line, that I may only be reintroducing her, as there may be some on here that recognise her.
Best wishes,
Mike.

[pgp001]

Mike

That is a lovely looking traveller you have there.

Just wondering about those headlamp units, they look to be decent quality and when looking online I see they do a kit with either Halogen or LED bulbs. I am tempted to fit a set of LED ones on my traveller but wondered which you are going for and why ?
I have one steel and one plastic headlamp bucket for some reason that was done before I got it, I worry that the Halogen might get hot and melt the plastic, any thoughts ?

Phil

[geoberni]

Mike

That is a lovely looking traveller you have there.

Just wondering about those headlamp units, they look to be decent quality and when looking online I see they do a kit with either Halogen or LED bulbs. I am tempted to fit a set of LED ones on my traveller but wondered which you are going for and why ?
I have one steel and one plastic headlamp bucket for some reason that was done before I got it, I worry that the Halogen might get hot and melt the plastic, any thoughts ?

Phil

Phil
Basil came with halogen lights, with one of each, plastic and metal buckets. No sign of heat problems from the Halogen.
I have changed to LED lamps, which incidentally themselves have 'heat issues'.
If you look at the range of LED headlamp bulb replacements, you will find that some have heat dissipation vanes on the back while others have built in fans.
I went for ones with the vanes to ensure there was enough room. Some of the fan ones are pretty long at the back.

[pgp001]

Yes I did wonder about how much room these take up in the back of the bucket, so I sent a question to one of the sellers on ebay asking for dimensions.
He did not have any measurements but assures me they will fit any application of 7" headlamps, these are the finned type LED lamps that I have been looking at.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-astrali ... 3239433885

Phil P

[jagnut66]

I worry that the Halogen might get hot and melt the plastic, any thoughts ?

Hi Phil,
I convert mine as a matter of course now, I always replace the rusty metal buckets with plastic ones, they seem to last well and cope with halogens perfectly. You wouldn't tell when they are fitted and I can also forget about rust moving between wings and buckets, which is a problem I've found on some cars I've bought in the past.
Some sellers of LED conversions mention that they are not intended for use with plastic buckets, so you will need to look into that further.
I'm quite happy with halogens, although I have moved over to Xenon, they are reputed to last longer.
So Elsie May may have blue eyes.........
There's a song in that somewhere.............
Best wishes,
Mike.

[Grabsplatter]

Whilst I believe I can get a flat orange lens, side light style, I wasn't aware it was legal to use the original style sidelight with clear (or cloudy) lens as an indicator

I'm pretty sure that a popular early mod for trafficator fitted cars was to use the sidelights and brake lights as indicators, as the law allowed for indicators to be white at the front and red at the back. I'm not sure many people this side of the Atlantic would immediately understand the reason for one brake light flashing though.

[jagnut66]

I'm not sure many people this side of the Atlantic would immediately understand the reason for one brake light flashing though.

'Nervous driver ahead!'

[jagnut66]

One piece of good news is that I have received the log book today, so she is now 'officially' mine.
We changed the keeper online on the DVLA website on Monday when I went to view and buy her.
Both of us got confimation emails pretty much straight away, so some things at DVLA HQ still work.....
Best wishes,
Mike.

[geoberni]

I'm pretty sure that a popular early mod for trafficator fitted cars was to use the sidelights and brake lights as indicators, as the law allowed for indicators to be white at the front and red at the back. I'm not sure many people this side of the Atlantic would immediately understand the reason for one brake light flashing though.

The initial 'Indicator' fit on the Minor, between Aug 61 and Oct 63 was to use the Brake Lights/Sidelights as Indicators, using a DB10 Relay.
Only after that did they adopt the separate orange for Indicators front & rear.

There tends to be some confusion about the front lights in particular, because they are referred to as 'Lucas L488' Units. But the L488 was/is available with either Double Pole or Single Pole base, i.e. to take either a Indicator/Side Light 21W/5W twin filament lamp, as often used in Brake/Side units, or as just a side light at 5W.
So the L488 fitted in 1961 was the twin pole, providing a 5w side light and a 21W Indicator.

I believe these days it is possible to get an LED Twin Pole base (BAY15d) that has a White Side Light and Amber Indicator layout, since so many modern cars have DLR/Indicator combinations

As to people not knowing what a Flashing Brake Light means, ....well if they notice it, at least that's an improvement for many these days.

[irmscher]

Very nice traveller

[Admin]

That is one lovely looking car!