Morris Minor Owners Club

Hiya folks, new to these pages but we've had the same minor in the family for over 40yrs.

I cleaned the interior of the car on Saturday (it's 42nd birthday) and was horrified to find a huge amount of rust on the crossmember under the front seats. Apart from the floor section the car is in very good order with only minor (sic) paint defects.

The car is a member of the family and won't be sold to anyone else, if the job's going to be too expensive or it's too hard to find someone to do the job we'll simply drive it to the crusher.

Is this going to be a big job?
Are there any recommended garages in the Midlands that could do this work?

Cheers,

Dave

Hi Dave,

It's really hard to say without actually seeing exactly what the condition of the floor is. However, if it's just the crossmember it shouldn't be "too" expensive.

I'm guessing you're wanting someone else to do the work?

I can highly recommend these guys:... http://www.jlhmorrisminors.co.uk - they do fantastic body work!

For basic structural repairs - there are a big handful of places to choose from. Some specialise in underfloor repairs and will eat a crossmember and floors for breakfast.
The adverts in the club magazine will give you some exclellent starting points.
Unfortunatyely there are one or 2 rogues out there (the club apperently has a bulging file of complaints on some) so it may be worth to double check on here before final choice of one, as an advert in the club magazine doesn't mean the company is reputable

Thanks for the advice folks.

I've got to get the car up on axle stands this week to grease the front suspension up so I'll take some photos and post close-ups of the tinworm in action on these pages.

The car is a member of the family and won't be sold to anyone else, if the job's going to be too expensive or it's too hard to find someone to do the job we'll simply drive it to the crusher.

That isn't logical or necessary. Would you demolish your house just because you found the window frames had rotted?

Please post photos if you like, but it doesn't really make much difference. You simply have to decide if you want to pay something in excess of £200 to have part or all of the crossmember cut out and replaced. If the car is in good condition it makes financial sense to pay for this repair. As Ray's already said, this is bread & butter work for a Minor specialist.

Look at it this way - the car is suffering from a degree of rust after 42 years use. It's normal, quite easy to fix and no big deal with a sturdy car like a Minor. Most 1963 vintage cars became razor blades before the 1980s started due to rust problems - this Minor has been a superb example of over engineered durability. Also the car has saved your family nearly £1000 in car tax since classics became tax exempt and it will go on saving money for many more years if you're willing to pay now for it's repairs.

Here's a link to a picture showing what can happen to a minor - note the rust on the floorpan under the seat:

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/tri ... 7011780433[/i]

And this: http://www.potteries.mmoc.org.uk/Member ... 010_11.JPG

And of course this:

http://potteries.mmoc.org.uk/Members_Ca ... 003_65.JPG

Both are pictures of behind the driver's seat. It's perfectly normal after this amount of time. 40 odd years is pretty good going for a car and it would be a shame to end it's life now.

Cam Have you been photographing my car?

Fraid most seem to look like this at some point ,but can be patched at first (proper cut out and lap/butt joint patches mind) and then when necessary or finances allow complete panel can be changed. If that is all that is needed for now then I'd say it has had a fairly easy 40 years.

Please don't scrap just for a floor repair

Paulk

Cam Have you been photographing my car?

Just mine mate! But I'm sure we could all supply pictures of a similar nature.

£14.95 + VAT for a rear floor section and £13.95 + VAT for a front floor section from ESM. These are 1/4 floor sections so 4 needed for the entire floor replacement.

If you can weld then the Minor can be a VERY cheap car indeed, and as long as you catch the rot early enough (so there is something to weld to) there is no reason why you should ever have to scrap one!

I find that most moggy owners love thier cars more than might be considered healthy { including me } so surely it is preferable to sell / give away your car to someone who might be enjoying it in another 40 years time. And I`m sure moggy will appreciate not being crushed.