Morris Minor Owners Club

Just curious to know how you guys and your moggies are coping in the heat? Are they tucked away in a garage somewhere or is it business as usual for most of you?

Nellie is my daily so I’m having to still use her… but I’m trying to stay a bit more local so she’s not on the road for too long, and popping her cover back on her during the hottest part of the day.

It’s due to get close to 40 degrees where we are which is worrying

Business as usual except I am less tolerant of the heat than the car!


Stephen

I’m normally pretty okay with hot weather but this is pushing me to my limits I must admit!

mrs.smith2012 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 10:11 am I’m normally pretty okay with hot weather but this is pushing me to my limits I must admit!

Just make sure you carry plenty of drinkable water in case of a breakdown!

Fuel vaporisation can be an issue in very hot weather but usually this is when stuck in slow moving traffic.

As the Minor is well cooled (or even overcooled) engine overheating is not usually an issue unless there is already a fault with the cooling system.

Stephen

I have to set the air conditioning to full by opening both front windows and quarterlights.
No cooling water issues, 82deg C thermostat and no fuel vaporisation. Fortunately garaged and no permanent sun exposure.

Today the expected temp is 29C (yesterday was 33C) - but today we have a cool breeze which is making things pleasant, but on Friday we're back to 33C, however now with thunder and lightning.

Years back we did hit 40C here, I don't envy any of you living further south (hot weather and me don't get on well).

As to the car, still missing seats, steering wheel, working brakes.... and a fit driver

Haha I’ve started carrying an actual fold out fan… that’s my air con

I’ve only had Nell since Jan (as many of you probably know) so this will be my first summer with her and I’m probably being a little bit precious… At the same time I don’t want to stuff her away under her cover and not use her at all!

She’s sunbathing right now

Mervin wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 10:59 am I have to set the air conditioning to full by opening both front windows and quarterlights.
No cooling water issues, 82deg C thermostat and no fuel vaporisation. Fortunately garaged and no permanent sun exposure.

With regards to sun exposure I’ve been torn between leaving her cover on or off when the heat is this intense… she still gets very hot under her cover so I don’t want her sweating under there, but I’m also worried about leaving her sitting out in the glaring sun with her little cracked roof

I’m kind of swinging between taking the cover off for a few hours, then putting it back on for a few hours

Very hot here in the East Midlands. I'm not driving anywhere.

The scary thing is that the super El Nino this year is not set to influence our summer weather until next summer.
The El Nino, along with the removal of sulphur from shipping fuel in the Mediterranean since May 2025, will mean that next summer may well be REALLY hot, compared to this summer.

stuffedpike20 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 12:00 pm Very hot here in the East Midlands. I'm not driving anywhere.

The scary thing is that the super El Nino this year is not set to influence our summer weather until next summer.
The El Nino, along with the removal of sulphur from shipping fuel in the Mediterranean since May 2025, will mean that next summer may well be REALLY hot, compared to this summer.

That is a very scary thought

I'm out and about in my Moggie - just got back from the beach!
But I don't think its as hot down here as it is up-country, and she does live in a garage when not in use ...........

"With regards to sun exposure I’ve been torn between leaving her cover on or off when the heat is this intense"

At the very least, with the cover on, it should protect rubber parts from harmful rays (U.V.), particularly the tyres if it covers the wheels fully.
I wonder if that's contributed to the steering wheel deterioration?

Mervin wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 1:23 pm "With regards to sun exposure I’ve been torn between leaving her cover on or off when the heat is this intense"

At the very least, with the cover on, it should protect rubber parts from harmful rays (U.V.), particularly the tyres if it covers the wheels fully.
I wonder if that's contributed to the steering wheel deterioration?

Possibly, though up until last week the steering wheel had a cover on it… it’s too hot to sit and stitch the cover back on so at the moment it has a towel over it to protect from the worst of the heat… she’s had an airing this morning but it’s getting to the hottest part of the day so I’ve draped her cover over to keep the sun off a bit. Sis in law is loaning me a gazebo, though not sure it will fit on our drive! Will see!

myoldjalopy wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 12:22 pm I'm out and about in my Moggie - just got back from the beach!
But I don't think its as hot down here as it is up-country, and she does live in a garage when not in use ...........

Ooh lucky you, I’d love a beach trip right now but our local beach is far too crowded, the perils of living in a densely populated area

I must say that I don't worry about the car in this hot weather. I remember driving in 1976 with similar temperatures and I have never had a Minor overheat. We've taken ours right down to the South of France in the past during hot summers and not had problems so I think we'll cope

We're all a bit more fragile nowadays I think..... Although I agree we should keep out of direct sun as much as possible and drink lots.
Our cars will be fine though.

ManyMinors wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 1:56 pm I must say that I don't worry about the car in this hot weather. I remember driving in 1976 with similar temperatures and I have never had a Minor overheat. We've taken ours right down to the South of France in the past during hot summers and not had problems so I think we'll cope

We're all a bit more fragile nowadays I think..... Although I agree we should keep out of direct sun as much as possible and drink lots.
Our cars will be fine though.

Exactly. We just have to be sensible. For instance, I am taking my car to have a gearbox oil leak fixed tomorrow. The forecast is very hot for East Sussex but I spoke to the garage. We agreed that I would get there early as they will probably want to clock off by the heat of the afternoon. I will take drinking water and if I am unlucky enough to break down, I will get into the shade and await the recovery service. When I worked in Gibraltar we worked "tropical hours" in Summer. Start very early before it gets hot, no lunch break and finish early for a siesta. Then full of beans again by time of the relative cool of the evening.

Stephen

A couple of us took our classics out for a picnic yesterday, it was pre planned before the heatwave hit and we decided to go anyway! It was fairly local though and we parked in the shade with bonnets up!

Nellie enjoyed herself I think! You guys are probably right, I think we’ll be suffering more than the cars

Due to a family bereavement, my Traveller will be destined to make quite a few trips along the A14 and M11 in the next few days.
I am getting a first signs of possible fuel vaporisation this year, so a Grumpy heat shield has been ordered and will go on at the earliest opportunity. Other than that, ROG clips along just fine, no extra oil or coolant used.
I have always thought the best thing for these cars is use, sensible regular use.

I couldn't agree more. Minors were exported when new to much hotter countries than ours and didn't seem to suffer. You just have to be sensible I think.

Funnily enough only one of the various Minors I have owned ever suffered from fuel vapourisation. I have no idea why that car did more than others. Complete mystery but I do try to avoid queuing on hot days and don't need to drive my car in any "rush hours".

Voice of doom here.....

A few weeks ago I accidentally nudged the heater knob with my knee as I got out of my minor. I never touch the heater knob, and always leave it open all year round because I know they can be a problem.
Next time I used my minor I went to my local tip....a round journey of less than a mile. When I got home, I found that most of the coolant had gone from the radiator.
Just nudging the control knob with my knee had been enough to make the heater valve start leaking, and I was surprised how much coolant had been lost in such a short journey.
I fitted a new valve, and now all is well.