Six Cylinders Motoring Notes - Momentous day for my Mini Mayfair yesterday, it moved under its own power for the first time in in 25 years

[High Jetter]

17 hours ago, hairnet said:

what was the estate version of these called?

Countryman, IIRC

[Westbay]

11 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Countryman, IIRC

Austin was Countryman

Morris was Traveller

 

Couldn't find an anorak emoji sorry ..🤣

[Slowsilver]

Almost identical to the one I owned in the mid-seventies. 1969 Austin 1300 2-door. The roof was painted gloss black, not vinyl. These were apparently also sold in the USA as the Austin America. Bought from my brother-in-law's father who worked at Longbridge and bought it new via the employee discount scheme. Ran it for a few years until I started doing road rallies and decided that it was too nice to use for that so I sold it and bought a tatty Mark 1 Escort instead. Big mistake! A really good car, the only minor downside I found was that the boot was quite awkward to load as it was very low and the lid was more vertical than horizontal and opened upwards, meaning quite a lot of bending and stretching. Sadly No record of ROC490G on the DVLA website.

Potatocam pictures, probably taken on a Kodak Instamatic then scanned in.

[hairnet]

37 minutes ago, Westbay said:

Austin was Countryman

Morris was Traveller

 

Couldn't find an anorak emoji sorry ..🤣

Slowsilver or six cyl edit mrs 6 cyl woll know where the nerd one is

[Six-cylinder]

34 minutes ago, Slowsilver said:

Almost identical to the one I owned in the mid-seventies. 1969 Austin 1300 2-door. The roof was painted gloss black, not vinyl. These were apparently also sold in the USA as the Austin America. Bought from my brother-in-law's father who worked at Longbridge and bought it new via the employee discount scheme. Ran it for a few years until I started doing road rallies and decided that it was too nice to use for that so I sold it and bought a tatty Mark 1 Escort instead. Big mistake! A really good car, the only minor downside I found was that the boot was quite awkward to load as it was very low and the lid was more vertical than horizontal and opened upwards, meaning quite a lot of bending and stretching. Sadly No record of ROC490G on the DVLA website.

Potatocam pictures, probably taken on a Kodak Instamatic then scanned in.

Wow that is close to mine and look at those spotlights, so sporty.

but you know you are either an Austin man built in Longbridge or a Morris man built in Cowley!

[Westbay]

Ooouuu! lusted after a two door for years... never got one sadly ...

[quicksilver]

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

Wow that is close to mine and look at those spotlights, so sporty.

but you know you are either an Austin man built in Longbridge or a Morris man built in Cowley!

But the Maxi is an Austin built in Cowley so where does that leave us?

[LightBulbFun]

2 hours ago, quicksilver said:

But the Maxi is an Austin built in Cowley so where does that leave us?

towing a Model 70 backwards into a field?

[Six-cylinder]

1 hour ago, quicksilver said:

But the Maxi is an Austin built in Cowley so where does that leave us?

This means you are banned from Pride of Longbridge show!

We will have to divide my storage into the Longbridge and Cowley areas!

[Slowsilver]

The pictures show the car as bought. I don't remember doing any modifications or even repairs to it, just routine servicing. But the black roof and the spotlights definitely weren't standard so I am guessing that they were specified by the original owner and added when it was new. I don't know if Longbridge employees got their discounted vehicles direct from the factory but I suspect they were sourced via their local dealer using some sort of discount voucher scheme. So the mods may have been done by the factory or the dealer.
 

[beko1987]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

towing an a Model 70 backwards into a field?

Is that the new version of the horse running into the train tunnel meme? 

[GMcD]

23 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

 

 

Very nice!. I do have pangs of regret about selling mine (ex  @SiC). It was a lovely thing to tootle about in.  Never had more attention, compliments or random chats with strangers about a car.

Almost made the world a nicer place to be in. 

[SiC]

23 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Incoming!

Man maths says this should not count against me in 2024 because I first asked to buy this 1968 Morris 1300  in July 2022 and it has taken this long to come to fruition!

As I knew I was buying a car that needed some fettling I had it taken to the FoD but when it arrived it started easily and sounded sweet so when it became time to go back to the house I could not resist taking it home. It has a bit of a misfire but still cruised along at 50 mph no trouble.

Winter is not a great time for a 55 year old BMC product, but I am looking forward to the summer with it.

Is that @RobT 's?

 

[SiC]

4 minutes ago, GMcD said:

Very nice!. I do have pangs of regret about selling mine (ex  @SiC). It was a lovely thing to tootle about it.  Never had more attention, compliments or random chats with strange about a car.

Almost made the world a nicer place to be in. 

I have regrets selling it to and really should have kept it longer. However COVID meant I couldn't really use it and the 520i was too cool to ignore. Alas I didn't get on with the 520i and wish I kept the blue 1100 longer.

A 2dr 1300 is still my ultimate desired spec for one though!

[Six-cylinder]

42 minutes ago, SiC said:

Is that @RobT 's?

 

 

WAS is the word, it’s all mine now!

It is a running project with a bit of a misfire and a terrible clonk from the front end but it started up well today and I did some local errands with it. I had forgotten how some cars just attract friendly interactions even in Tesco’s carpark!

I just love the strip speedo (don't worry photographing it while driving was done on a farm road)

Even the key ring has pleased me with its Duckhams 20-50 tag and this was my favourite oil in the 1970s/1980s.

[High Jetter]

IIRC they are highly susceptible to wear in the engine/box tie bar bushes, leading to a clonk on and off the loud* pedal, as I'm sure you're aware.

[hairnet]

the clonk will be him being excited

 

[Six-cylinder]

3 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

IIRC they are highly susceptible to wear in the engine/box tie bar bushes, leading to a clonk on and off the loud* pedal, as I'm sure you're aware.

The loud clunking noise is when you drive over bumps in the road.

[High Jetter]

Ah. Well, at least the suspension isn't overly complicated on them.

[BeEP]

If it feels/sounds like the clonk is through the toeboard under the front passenger's feet it will be the bush in the steering rack.  Pretty much every ado16 (and Allegro, and Landcrab) I've had has done the same to some degree!  NOS or refurbished rack is the solution, made harder on the ado16 by the need to drop the rear of the subframe slightly to remove it (no such need on Allegro, Landcrab or Maxi).

[Six-cylinder]

56 minutes ago, BeEP said:

If it feels/sounds like the clonk is through the toeboard under the front passenger's feet it will be the bush in the steering rack.  Pretty much every ado16 (and Allegro, and Landcrab) I've had has done the same to some degree!  NOS or refurbished rack is the solution, made harder on the ado16 by the need to drop the rear of the subframe slightly to remove it (no such need on Allegro, Landcrab or Maxi).

Hard to be sure because my feet were on the pedals but nearside front is what I was thinking. I have seen bushes advertised, can you get racks?

[richardmorris]

My gran had a bright red 1100? Four door? In the late 1970s  It met its end when it was parked outside my parent’s house and a drunk driver ( she fell out of the car apparently) in an Austin princess rear ended it. In the middle of the day too in a 30mph road. 

[Six-cylinder]

I know I have put this picture up before but I guess it is the picture that guided me to buying this Morris 1300. The picture is my dad's new 1963 Morris 1100 on Holiday in Germany.

@LightBulbFunwhat can you tell me about AMY 281A, which office and when?

[richardmorris]

31 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

I know I have put this picture up before but I guess it is the picture that guided me to buying this Morris 1300. The picture is my dad's new 1963 Morris 1100 on Holiday in Germany.

@LightBulbFunwhat can you tell me about AMY 281A, which office and when?

Ok, which little blond boy is you? I see mum also has the green sunvisor things I remember from tennis.

[Six-cylinder]

3 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Ok, which little blond boy is you? I see mum also has the green sunvisor things I remember from tennis.

I am on the left.

Morris 1100s did not have tinted glass!

[LightBulbFun]

41 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

I know I have put this picture up before but I guess it is the picture that guided me to buying this Morris 1300. The picture is my dad's new 1963 Morris 1100 on Holiday in Germany.

@LightBulbFunwhat can you tell me about AMY 281A, which office and when?

hah funny you should bring up that picture, when I realised you got Rob's ADO16 I thought it was very fitting since I remember you showing us that picture during the pandemic years zoom calls

and both AMY281A and TMY265F are both the same "MY" Middlesex issue  which was one of the reasons I remember that picture since Middlesex was the first county to issue suffix plates and thus issued A suffix plates in period, which AMY281A is, a rare genuine A suffix plate, not a replacement one like so many otherwise are  

AMYxxxA is April 1963 issue from what I can tell, and as mentioned is of Middlesex issue 

[Six-cylinder]

2 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

hah funny you should mention that when I realised you got Rob's ADO16 I thought it was very fitting since I remember you showing us that picture during the pandemic years zoom calls

and both AMY281A and TMY265F are both the same Middlesex issue  which was one of the reasons I remember that picture since Middlesex was the first county to issue suffix plates and thus issued A suffix plates in period, which AMY281A is, a rare genuine A suffix plate, not a replacement one like so many otherwise are  

AMYxxxA is April 1963 issue from what I can tell, and as mentioned is of Middlesex issue 

My parents lived in Hurley Berkshire, but it was a company car and I can't remember who he worked for then.

[richardmorris]

7 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

My parents lived in Hurley Berkshire, but it was a company car and I can't remember who he worked for then.

Now called, Hurley under Thames.

[hairnet]

56 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

I know I have put this picture up before but I guess it is the picture that guided me to buying this Morris 1300. The picture is my dad's new 1963 Morris 1100 on Holiday in Germany.

@LightBulbFunwhat can you tell me about AMY 281A, which office and when?

i think ive said before balls man for driving that to germany

we thought we were bad driving an 1100 to ireland then an allegro after that

 

[Six-cylinder]

5 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Now called, Hurley under Thames.

Not problem there was a boat builder just down the lane.

The first photo is my dad physically building the house, I think they bought the land in 1959. The second photo is just off street view today. It was in 1 acre plot of a former market garden.