Morris Minor Owners Club

Hey all,
Just picked up a beautiful 1959 Minor 1000. I'm just wondering did they all have synchromesh because it is pretty horrible shifting through any gear. Once it is in gear it seems to be fine however getting it into gear is a bit dreadful. I feel like I'm learning to drive all over again.
Cheers
Max

Is the clutch linkage adjustment correct? The clutch pedal travel is the first thing I would check, it should be about 3/4" on a 948cc (assuming your car has not been given a later 1098 gearbox). There is no synchromesh in first and reverse but the other gears have it.

Yeah, so the clutch won't stop 3/4 of the way to the floor if thats what you mean. I can push it all the way down.

That is correct, it should go to the floor, it is the FREEPLAY that is three quarters of an inch. Measured at the top tip of the pedal, you should be able to push the pedal 3/4" lightly with a finger tip, at which point you feel heavy resistance as the mechanism (release bearing) starts to push on the clutch cover / pressure plate. The play is adjusted on the operating rod underneath the car.

Thanks a lot mate I’ll let you know how it goes

Yes, of course it is the free play which is important. I must be more precise! You will find a locknut and an adjusting nut on the clutch linkage rod. Loosen the locknut and screw the dome-headed adjustment nut to gain the correct free movement - see items 67 and 66 in this link: https://www.moss-europe.co.uk/clutch-sy ... 51-71.html
If the free play is too much, screw the adjusting nut towards the rear of the car, (and vice-versa) until it is correct. Then tighten the locknut again.

Should be synchro on second, third and fourth. No synchro on first. These are not smooth, elegant gearboxes. It depends what you mean by grinding. It may actually be normal. Try to slow down your gear changes and see if that helps. There’s often a bit of a noise coming out of first into second and going into first even when stopped.

OP says "pretty horrible" noise while changing gear, and "a bit dreadful", which is hardly normal. Yes, you shouldn't try and 'rush' gear changes in a Minor, but smooth gear changes are pretty easy to achieve if box is good and all is set up right, especially the 948 and 1098 versions with the remote shift. Just don't go into first or reverse whilst moving (unless you have mastered the art of double-declutching!)

myoldjalopy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 4:14 pm OP says "pretty horrible" noise while changing gear, and "a bit dreadful", which is hardly normal. Yes, you shouldn't try and 'rush' gear changes in a Minor, but smooth gear changes are pretty easy to achieve if box is good and all is set up right, especially the 948 and 1098 versions with the remote shift. Just don't go into first or reverse whilst moving (unless you have mastered the art of double-declutching!)

True but if coming from modern cars the Morris Minor gearbox could be described as "a bit dreadful" by the uninitiated (much as I love it of course). The other thing I did not mention is there is no bias of the gearstick like in a modern car. In a modern car the gearstick sits between 3rd and 4th and guides the user from 2nd into 3rd. The Morris gearbox does not do this and so it is quite easy to try to put it back into 1st when changing up from 2nd to 3rd if you do not know this (with some awful noise in the process). When I was learning to drive I did do exactly that and to my great surprise it went in to 1st, without gear crunching, and as I let the clutch up the car nearly stood on its nose!

It shouldn’t sound “horrible” changing gear. As well as following the advice above relating to the clutch, it would be worth changing the gearbox oil as a matter of course (same 20w50 stuff as goes in the engine).

Thanks mate it’s definitely due for it so will get around to that

svenedin wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 5:57 pm
True but if coming from modern cars the Morris Minor gearbox could be described as "a bit dreadful" by the uninitiated (much as I love it of course). The other thing I did not mention is there is no bias of the gearstick like in a modern car. In a modern car the gearstick sits between 3rd and 4th and guides the user from 2nd into 3rd.

Back in the mid 70s, I knew a guy who had an early Cortina Mk2, a car which initially carried over the long gear stick of the Mk1, although a little shorter than the one on early Minors.
He had fitted an aftermarket short stick converter, which basically bolted to the top of the transmission tunnel to move the stick towards the driver.
There was no real gate/detent to prevent going into Reverse, which was back next to 2nd; only a small spring with about as much strength as one in a ball-point pen. There was a definite knack to going up the box without going 1st to Reverse......

I think the gearshift on ours is pretty good, ours has always sounded terrible in 1st but was Ok in the other gears until recently now it makes a screeching noise in gears 1,2 and 3, guessing one of the layshaft bearings is breaking up, once I've replaced it with the new box I have re-built I'll stirp it for a look and rob the 1st motion shaft as a clutch alignment tool.