Morris Minor 803 Engine
Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2025 4:27 pm
Hi,
I spotted this on eBay:
It's listed as a Morris Minor 803cc unit.
This looks like it was once a 'Goldseal' engine, with one major alteration, the head.
I don't mean the fact it's black, if you look you will see this one has a threaded hole for a water temp sender, not present on 803 units.
Nothing wrong with that but apart from a water temp gauge being a useful addition, I am given to believe this will be of little further benefit, as I have been told by many in the past that you can't tune an 803 unit in any way.
That said I'll still pose the question: Would there be any advantage in fitting a later larger capacity head, or would it still be the same old sluggish 803 unit it was before?
Best wishes,
Mike.
NB: I can't tell whether it was a 948 or 1098 head though, as the engine number appears to have been ground off the tag, although this itself is still riveted in place.
I spotted this on eBay:
- Morris Minor 803 Engine.jpg (254.66 KiB) Viewed 5189 times
This looks like it was once a 'Goldseal' engine, with one major alteration, the head.
I don't mean the fact it's black, if you look you will see this one has a threaded hole for a water temp sender, not present on 803 units.
Nothing wrong with that but apart from a water temp gauge being a useful addition, I am given to believe this will be of little further benefit, as I have been told by many in the past that you can't tune an 803 unit in any way.
That said I'll still pose the question: Would there be any advantage in fitting a later larger capacity head, or would it still be the same old sluggish 803 unit it was before?
Best wishes,
Mike.
NB: I can't tell whether it was a 948 or 1098 head though, as the engine number appears to have been ground off the tag, although this itself is still riveted in place.