Morris Minor Owners Club

Hello knowledgeable people, I have just paid my deposit to Simon Morspeed for a lovely stage 3 head

However, after reading a few threads regarding swapping the head I was wondering if I need to chat to him again...

Am I likely to receive a head which requires the heater blanking plate drilling out and is there anything else regarding the water pump that might spring a supprise on me when I'm doing the job?

Should I simply talk to Simon at Morspeed and ask him to drill it out or do you think that with the spec I gave him (1275, Ital A+) he will get it right?

cheers

You will probably get a Metro one back (like I did). Mind you, I did not ask him for an Ital head and I THINK I gave him a 1275 GT one (with bypass hose and heater take off). But he seemed to have a lot of Metro heads sans hose & heater which is what I got back.

Have a word with him and see if he can work on your original head?

unfortunately he cant work on my original head because its a brand new (600 miles) unleaded one that cost £180 and I think I can probably get more for it than the surcharge. So he is providing one for £50.

I'll give him a call but what do I need? The heater blanking plate drilling out and anything else?

thanks

Oh right, yes, sorry I forgot about that!

If you want to fit it in with the original Minor plumbing then you'll need the heater blanking plate drilling out and a bypass hose spigot fitting!

I did not have the bypass hose spigot so my heater is always in circuit.

Many thanks for your knowledge as usual Cam!

I'll give him a call.

Out of interest what is the bypass hose spigot? And can they fit one for me/will they know what the hell i'm talking about?

Given the chance I fit a Metro water pump and blank off the bypass in the head anyway, so using a Metro head saves part of the job anyway!

Without the bypass though you do need to drill a few holes in the stat to allow some flow before it opens. A wonderful mod that removes that nasty impossible to fit always blows in the middle of nowhere at night in the rain bit of rubber

The bypass hose spigot is the bit of pipe that sticks out of the head at the lower front area. The bypass hose goes between this and the waterpump.

Drilling the stat is of course another option, it does not replicate the original plumbing (as the radiator is now in circuit) but lots of folks prefer it to relying on the bypass hose.

If you drill the stat then of course you'll need to re-drill any replacements you have to fit and also the engine will take a little longer to warm up. If you replace the bypass hose with a non-bellows type then they are very reliable:



You can see though that it's just a piece of heater hose cut to the correct length!

I would not decry anyone for drilling the thermostat but I prefer not to myself.

I've just chatted with Simon at Morspeed and they are going to drill out the blanking plate and provide the head with a bypass hose spigot (which I now assume is a bit of pipe to attach the bypass hose to).

That will be easier on my small brain when it comes to doing the swap

PS: Thanks Cam, you must have posted your piccy as I was writing. I now Know rather than just assume!

You would be FAR better without the bypass hose spigot - just stick on a mEtro water pump. the heater works far better and you have eliminated a source of breakdown. No need to drill holes in the stat provided you keep the heater tap open all the time. In winter I use an 88 stat with no holes (and no bypass) and my heater comes on line almost immediately - and pours out lovely hot air. Summer gets a 72 sta with 2 x 1.8" holes in the rim of the stat. Only takes 5 mins to change them over - and the antifreeze gets added then too.
By the way - these heads sell on ebay all the time for £10/15 so Simon is punching a bit high at £50 !! Also your 1275GT head may have had the bigger inlet valves in it - are you getting it back ?

Ello, £50 seems to be the going rate as a surcharge for cylinder heads. In fact there are several firms that charge more. I guess their costs are not just the ebay fee. Add the time to source them and shipping then it creeps up.

I haven't sent him a 1275GT head - that was Cam. My current head is a new/recon unleaded one from C.ware in Bath - it's only done 600 miles so I should be able to sell it for more than £50. So it doesn't make financial sence to send Simon a head that is worth more than £50 to save me £50!

I thought about sourcing one on ebay and sending it to him but by the time you add up the cost (£20) and the P&P it's only going to save £10, if that.

Yes - but I know Morspeed has buyers on ebay snapping up heads ! 'Shabs' for one ! Anyway - it should be a good head - he gets a good reputation on the Mini forums.