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I love them until I sit in them

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2026 11:54 am
by mikec4193
Hi Morris Minor folks

I have been fiddling with these cars off and on since Covid hit....love love love the looks of them...parts suppliers are great (the money exchange rate does make it very costly to purchase and ship parts)...I am very thankful that there is aftermarket support all in place for guys like me...I had a Datsun truck in 2025/26 that I saved and there is no real aftermarket for them..

The cars themselves seem like very cool little cars...I think I could fit 2 of them in my shop and still have room to tinker on them...

Then I sit in the drivers seat...holey cow...I get so claustrophobic I have to open the door to not have that feeling...

I was told that when these little cars were first built they were considered a big car compared to the pre-war stuff...

So I will be selling my current project I picked up in June of 2026. I got it to a point where I think it would run but I have no desire to drive.

Makes me feel like I am in a sardine car I guess...never been in a sardine can but my dad used the term back in the day for being in a tight place...

I will be continuing on my rat rod project but that I will probably never drive it either.
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How do you guys drive them and not feel all closed in?? That steering wheel is literally right on top of the windshield...

Just wondering out loud...

MikeC

Re: I love them until I sit in them

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2026 12:11 pm
by jaekl
You said you had Beetles. Aren't they are worse? The seat to door post can be tight and Benson and Hedges had to put a bubble in the windscreen for their mm extra cigarettes. The later steering wheel is farther from the screen.

Re: I love them until I sit in them

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2026 12:11 pm
by geoberni
Yes, the windscreen in the MM/SII really is close, I've had mine 9 years and I still bang my fingers on the 'screen if attempting a wave of acknowledgement to another classic.... :roll:

As to interior size, best you never even consider a Classic Mini..... :lol:

Re: I love them until I sit in them

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2026 12:42 pm
by Bill_qaz
Have you sat in a later series 5,with seat mounts on the rearmost set of holes and a std minor but adjustable option seat.
Having owned an original Fiat 500 it seems roomy by comparison but all UK cars of the era are small compared with American cars.
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Re: I love them until I sit in them

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2026 5:17 pm
by Mr Spigot
Bill_qaz wrote: ↑Wed Nov 04, 2026 12:42 pm ...... all UK cars of the era are small compared with American cars.
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UK cars of any era are small compared to American cars! We hired a car to take 5 of us to a family wedding in the US a couple of years ago and it was like driving a bungalow! Having just returned from New York, the majority of cars are enormous SUVs and 6 lane highways abound.

Re: I love them until I sit in them

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2026 12:13 am
by mikec4193
I have actually thought about building a Mini...over the UK you guys have Mini-Stox I think they are called...they are very very intriguing to me...I would love to build one...not sure I would want to drive it...but building one I think it would be fun...
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Re: I love them until I sit in them

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2026 9:12 am
by myoldjalopy
Why not get an early 50's Morris Oxford? Its like a big version of the Minor!