TALKING MINOR - Contains ferrous oxide

[mercrocker]

Do your cars talk to  you?   Mine do.

 

At least, I swear I hear the Oxford  saying "about time you bastard" as  it hears me open up the barn door to give it its monthly run-up.   Maybe that's just my guilty conscience at leaving it so long.

 

But, my Minor does talk.   No, really it thinks stuff up  by itself and then tells me.

 

Last week it told me that the alternator had  popped  a diode.   The little red light on the speedo flickered, stayed on, went off, flickered and then glowed like a screaming step-child.   OK, OK I  will get you a new one.   But that's not  what Minor wanted  to tell me.   No, it waited until I was just  threading on the adjuster nut after fitting a new 17ACR.   Then it made me drop the nut so  I could look for it under the cross-member and SEE THE RUSTY CHASSIS LEG.  "LOOK!" it was saying.  "I Hurt.  Rust.  Hole.  Split.  What are you GONNA DO".   OK I said off you go to the welders.  AGAIN.  But I  am driving you to work  until all that new tank of fuel is gone before you go on the rollover jig.  So you better not pop that tie-rod out of your scabby chassis leg I muttered.   Well, it did one trip there.   Coming home that night the bastard started running like a bag of shit.  Leads, dizzy cap, probably.   Or is he telling me that the chassis leg is SO BAD he is going to spit his tie-rod out?    Best listen, I suppose.   

 

 

[Squire_Dawson]

Get the Oxford on the road and flog the Minor would be my advice. I was glad to see the back of mine, although it was just starting to behave itself before I got rid.

[barefoot]

When I was a lad, my old man had a morry thou.

Oversteer at 20 mph on a provisional licence,

Consequently oversteer holds no fear for me!

 

To the point...

 

As a newly appointed driver, it suffered a bit from FTP.

I was not fazed,

There was a big fuck off starting handle in the boot,

The old A fired first cylinder for a couple of weeks until my old man went out in it....

 

"Why the billyho hadn't I told him the fucker wouldn't start.....'

'Because it would'

 

Apparently all the brushes had fallen out of the alternator

 

Somehow, this was my fault.

[mercrocker]

I would not rush to buy another  Minor but  I have bonded pretty well with it despite the horrendous amount of welding it has consumed.   Been getting me to work for 10 years now as well as my wedding day and holidays etc.   Sometimes  it has been my only working vehicle and sometimes the only one that doesn't work although its certainly the only one that has not needed a yellow van (so far).   I like the Oxford but it has not been as reliable as the Minor and rots just as easily.   Its also harder to fix on account of the Austin ancestry which demands a bog-off great cross-member where there should be fresh air and free and easy access to  dizzy, oil filter etc.   Best compromise between the two is my Cowley which is a massively better car than the Farina, IMHO....Rack & pinion, tele shocks, torsion bars etc.

[oman5]

I never got very attached to my minor. superb steering, hilarious exhaust fart when changing gear but oh, those brakes!!

[Angrydicky]

I never really bonded with my Farina. Instead I kept my pre-Farina, which was as rotten as a pear. That Cowley of yours looks superb, must be nice having rack and pinion steering in an old BMC barge.

[mercrocker]

To be honest, Dicky, its a  revelation!   As are the gigantic telescopic shocks.   Some don't like the offset steering column, but if you hunch up into the door it feels quite natural and with the lighter steering its no effort to spin the wheel.  I  am also pleased about the lack  of horn ring on the Cowley - the number of times the Oxford one caught on a shirt cuff button or zip on my leather jacket was unbelievable!   I will post some pics  of the Cowley once he comes back from his overhaul...

[skoda_fan]

Bought my Minor from a dealer only to find it needed a grand's worth of fixing. Had this done then enjoyed tooling around in it for a while. Used to get quite a bit of admiration. Sold it on before it developed the need for another grand of spending. Prob should have saved up for a better one in the first place. Was fun though I do agree the brakes are rubbish.

[mercrocker]

Brakes need not be rubbish....Got Marina discs and servo on mine.   Biggest problem I have with these cars is the resolute determination of POs not to have ever spent money on them.   Minors are only simple mechanically,  they are  quite complex bodily as you know.   Patching is not the way to ensure long life.   I have spent closer to  three grand on mine  in 10 years and now it needs another monkey's worth of  welding.   Still works out around six quid a week though and given the tax and insurance is free/cheap I can still laugh at  depreciation addicts at work every day.   Really, this car would cover 90pc of  my use of a vehicle.  Its only late night 50-60 mile runs back from rock and roll  clubs that we need the Merc  for - and that's only so Mrs  R. will drive  home.....

[Squire_Dawson]

Biggest problem I have with these cars is the resolute determination of POs not to have ever spent money on them.  

 

I agree with that.

 

10 year's daily use is very good going. The shape of the boot means that you can't fit a lot in, though the rear seat folds down if needs be. So a traveller would be my best choice if going for another, but as we know the wood frame needs even more attention. I never had a problem stopping mine, which had the smaller drums. Having them adjusted once or twice a year kept them tip-top. Handbrake held on a 1 in 3 hill.

[mercrocker]

You are right about the brakes, Squire....I  have driven Minors with well adjusted drums and they stop just as quick as mine does.  Only slight advantage  is less  maintenance for every day use.   The shape of the boot also means lots of water gets in and rots the boot floor!   I have quick release nuts on the back  rest which means dropping it for long loads is as quick as all that hatchbackery....Rotting tree and metal plus a bit of ally corrosion does not make  me want a Traveller!   Tourers must be just like driving a sieve  and the two door  rots out the sills directly from the rear side windows instead  of the sacrificial rear doors on mine.  Vans and pickups are stupid money so it had to be a 4 door default choice.  Only trouble is getting in and out from those comedy seats.