Rescued Minor

[red5]

Proper barn find rescue - was on the EvilBay I believe. My friend rescued it on Monday evening...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Going to try and get her running sometime next week.

[Cavcraft]

They're a piece of cake to get running-usually. Looks quite terminal, is he getting it back on the road? Ask Scarey Old Cortina if he would do the work and test if you give him the numberplate!

[bigstraight6]

I love seeing really old tat like this being dragged out of long term storage, does the engine turn over? Or will it need a good soaking in diesel

[RoadworkUK]

Ouch. A hell of a project, but the Felly in me says I'd call that Parts Only when there are so many cheap useable Minors out there anyway... Mind you, it's a good blank canvas if you fancy going the "custom" route and have the Skillorz to avoid it becoming a rancid piece of motorized toss en route. Good luck mate!

 

EDIT: If it's a semaphore equipped job, aren't these worth Ming vase levels of coin or sommat?

[Split_Pin]

Blimey, as said, that looks like a parts car, although it looks like it will yield a lot of them

[red5]

Yeah, semaphore in the lower B post - filled over at the moment. No intention of it being a parts donor gents - should be back on the road at some point*

 

 

 

 

* the same time as Satan skating to work I suspect, but have done worse...

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

No intention of it being a parts donor gents - should be back on the road at some point

 

Awesome

 

Date of liability 1st Dec 1996. From the tyres alone I'd have guessed much earlier than that.

[RedSparrow]

Well to me (no expert) that looks utterly fucked.

But at the same time if you and your mate plan to recomission it I have nothing but respect for you. All the best with it!

[benwallace]

No intention of it being a parts donor gents - should be back on the road at some point

 

Awesome

 

Date of liability 1st Dec 1996. From the tyres alone I'd have guessed much earlier than that.

battery looks 1996 , awesome project

[oman5]

That would be a parts only car to me as well...however I have seen worse than that brought back from the brink, but only by a very good fabricator/welder. utmost respect to your mate for taking it on.

As a pre-56 model it also has rarity on its side and is well worth doing. Plus of course, you can get pretty much any panels you need from someone like Charles Ware in Bath.

I bet it will still run too. those A series are bomb proof..but I reckon it will want the electric fuel pump replaced as a matter of course.

[wuvvum]

Bugger me, I thought my last Minor was rotten...

 

Good luck with it.

[theorganist]

Yes good luck with it!

 

I bet shares in Oerlikon are about to go through the roof!!

[trigger]

That would be a parts only car to me as well...however I have seen worse than that brought back from the brink, but only by a very good fabricator/welder.

 

Well you remember the story about Amir Kham buying his dad a £10k Cortina?,

 

 

well this is how it looked before it's restoration...

 

[oman5]

Hmmm. I can see why they fitted a vinyl roof..they'd need it to cover the tons of filler used to get that roof straight again

[AnthonyG]

Normally a Mk3 in that condition would get bangered or just crushed.

 

Was there anything particularly special about it, or did someone just fancy a real challenge?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Loving the Minor - looks like 54-56 Series 11 that would have had the 803cc engine, but the facelift with the centre speedo and slatted grille. Most were changed to 948 or 1098 units. I'd say the original colour was Clarendon grey.

 

There's a few of these in Smiths scrapyard in Bloxham, including a Series 11 which might be better than yours...

[Polystratus]

Looks like a Minor I once went to have look at - it was being sold on eBay, of course the tyres were better condition but the bodywork was in a similar condition and it had a current MOT Owner said he spent £2000 on it , told him it was a pile of crap and he stormed off saying I knew nothing about cars!

 

Thats well restorable - underneath like the floor pans and the chassis legs will need attention as well as the sills.

[benwallace]

There's a few of these in Smiths scrapyard in Bloxham, including a Series 11 which might be better than yours...

[Lankytim]

Gotta be honest. This Minor looks terrible! Well saved all the same!

[eddyramrod]

Best of luck with that! At least everything is available. I'm assuming your mate is pretty handy with a Mig? Engine is easy, the ol' A-series is a simple bit of kit and again, you can buy almost anything you want, right up to a supercharger. What he will need, in order: warehouse, WD40, credit card, Mig. Bish bosh. Could be a right nice motor when it's finished. Says a man who has no love for Minors at all...

[Justin Case]

That is probably more straightforward than it looks at first sight. Cars of that era were built from a large number of pressings welded togethere so it is possible to take out the remains of one panel, and as all the replacements are available, weld another one in its place. The bulkhead looks fairly sound so there should be no real problem replacing floors, sills etc, and as it is all original you shouldn't find any hidden horrors.

 

Plus it has the bonus of appearing to be complete, so refurbishing as many of the original parts as possible should make it an enjoyable if lengthy restoration. Good luck with it, it's definitely worth doing.

[dollywobbler]

I quite like original mechanicals but in this case, I'd beg and plead for a later engine and gearbox to be fitted! As standard, these Series IIs seem out of breath by 30mph. They're surprisingly horrific.

 

I hope he can manage to restore it and keep some of its charm. Far too many over-restored Moggies about.

[scooters]

Ian's right.

 

I had a Series II which I sold last year - lovely wee car, my one had an 1000 engine and gearbox and 1000 brakes - the SII brakes were smaller - as well as a late Marina rear axel - you will want to do all these things if you are going to use it as a daily.

 

These do not make as much money as you would think. Moggy owners are an odd lot and tend to use their cars as daiy drivers rather than weekenders - therefore useability is very important to them - the sum of improvements they made in 1956 with the launch of the 1000 makes the two cars a VERY different driving prospect. The 1000 feels and drives like a more modern car, the engine is responsive, the brakes are good and the overall package just feels better on the road. Not to mention it is bigger where it needs to be - larger rear window - less of a tail - the split window looks cute but isn' t grerat and doesn't shed the water like a modern windscreen so has to be watched. Trafficators, whilst amusing are a pain in the arse in modern traffic as folk don't look out for them.

 

My one was a condition 3 black Series 2 which had a brand new gearbox, windscreens, a new offside wing (NOS) and was in very good daily condition. Only a tiny bot of corrosion on the boot lid - in addition it had a 1000 engine, electronic ignition (a must for a reliable daily moggy- if anything it makes diagnosing ignitoin issues much easier (it's the coil!) and in addition bigger brakes and a better rear axel which stopped the car 'bunny hopping' round corners. I sold it for £1100 having had it unsold for ages at £1500 - so if your mate is restoring to use - best of luck - but if he is looking for some return - forget it!

[michael1703]

I wouldnt worry about getting that running yet, thats a two year restoration there

 

strip it, shot blast it, fit 2x new floor pans,'A' post 'B' posts, boot floor, chassis legs,wheelarch repairs,doorskin lowers etc etc

 

not much change from £2k to get that sound and looking smart and rot free doing it all yourself

[worldofceri]

Yeah, but don't forget the number plate is worth about a million pounds.

 

Keep us updated wontcha!

[red5]

Will-do. Need to finish his Herald rag-top, then fettle the TR7 Might get the wings and doors off after bracing it and see how much of it collapses into a heap.

 

All of it probably.

[Angrydicky]

Nice

 

Any other car and it would be off to the scrapyard, but the parts availability of Minors makes even the worst ones viable. Having said that, this is far rustier than the Traveller I scrapped last year, and I never thought I'd say that! Love these Splitcreens, there's a seriously shitey one used as a daily around here as well as a tidy black lowlight that crawls along everywhere at 20mph, driven by this old lady who must be 90-odd!