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'Needs Minor work' - dull old British car nonsense


barrett

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This captures so well the hidden side of the old car carry-on, those who have such fine abilities and appreciation of this world they understand the rightful pecking-order where money comes a long way down, if not quite at the very bottom.

 

Good pics, too.

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That has such great potential, It's going to look such at home on the streets of Brighton.

 

post-3625-0-93477700-1529882557_thumb.jpg

 

I got to take this one out for a drive on Friday, the oldest car I've ever driven and the first car I've driven a car on cross plys!, This ones got a 948cc and still felt pretty slow so god knows how a 803cc must feel, It was a lovely little thing to drive (slowly) though, I can see why, 70 years after first release they are still a popular classic car.

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That is lovely.   I hope you reach the Nirvana of long-term Minor ownership.  Its like having a faithful dog that never has to be put to sleep.   Mine is now in its second week of structural repairs 40 miles away and I am missing it.     

 

One of the bits of blurb that Charlie Ware (another saviour of the architectural as well as mechanical) used to sell his services with was "The Durable Car".   His point was that whilst the Minor is not intrinsically or materially more durable than any other mass-produced mid-century British tin their sheer usefulness and "fixability" which made them attractive to buyers long after they were fashionable.   It's these qualities which make them such a good choice today, especially if like me you just want to buck the trend and have a daily which owes nothing to modern values but everything to days when you paid good money for a quality product that was right for the job and would remain so for as long as you wanted to keep looking after it.

 

Enjoy it and take advantage of the Minor forums too - there is a wealth of information on them from all over the world.   

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I remember the Charles Ware "durable car" - I am sure it was even in the newspapers at the time.  He included calculations to show that despite poorer fuel economy etc and allowing for replacement of large sections of rusty body, they were cheaper to run than an equivalent new car.

 

Edit - it's on their website and there's even a book!

 

https://www.morrisminor.org.uk/55-durable-car-ownership

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That is lovely.   I hope you reach the Nirvana of long-term Minor ownership.  Its like having a faithful dog that never has to be put to sleep.   Mine is now in its second week of structural repairs 40 miles away and I am missing it.     

 

One of the bits of blurb that Charlie Ware (another saviour of the architectural as well as mechanical) used to sell his services with was "The Durable Car".   His point was that whilst the Minor is not intrinsically or materially more durable than any other mass-produced mid-century British tin their sheer usefulness and "fixability" which made them attractive to buyers long after they were fashionable.   It's these qualities which make them such a good choice today, especially if like me you just want to buck the trend and have a daily which owes nothing to modern values but everything to days when you paid good money for a quality product that was right for the job and would remain so for as long as you wanted to keep looking after it.

 

Enjoy it and take advantage of the Minor forums too - there is a wealth of information on them from all over the world.   

He was manufacturing parts in Sri Lanka I recall. Does that still happen? He could almost manufacture a new car. CW died a few years ago - I still have one of his catalogues somewhere.

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That has such great potential, It's going to look such at home on the streets of Brighton.

 

attachicon.gif35988512_2044019919183144_7927531866226163712_o.jpg

 

I got to take this one out for a drive on Friday, the oldest car I've ever driven and the first car I've driven a car on cross plys!, This ones got a 948cc and still felt pretty slow so god knows how a 803cc must feel, It was a lovely little thing to drive (slowly) though, I can see why, 70 years after first release they are still a popular classic car.

Glad you enjoyed your drive of the Moggy - it did look nice.  948cc cars are indeed slow - the later 1098cc Minors are much more usable in modern traffic.  I even overtook a few people in mine.

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A late 948 has ample power as they had the benefit of the later distributors and carburettor which were great improvements on the earlier examples, though there was nothing really wrong with them. But the carburettors especially were an improvement and essentially 'maintenance free' apart from topping up the oil when needed. The 948 is said to be the smoothest and quietest of all the A Series engines. From my experience, Thousands are 50 MPH cruisers and rather loud inside but will go faster if needed - you will thoroughly enjoy exploiting their capabilities on A and B roads.

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He was manufacturing parts in Sri Lanka I recall. Does that still happen? He could almost manufacture a new car. CW died a few years ago - I still have one of his catalogues somewhere.

They were but knocked it on the head a while ago. Basically because it worked out cheaper/easier to buy from the considerable number of people who were already manufacturing Minor bits in Sri Lanka.

 

Top purchasing Mr Barrett. Your pal sounds like a good egg. Looking forward to seeing where you go with this one.

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Love the story and the car looks a cracker.

 

Love the dog named being named Edison as well - here's our fluffy idiot, Tesla.

post-21985-0-86875700-1530145310_thumb.jpg

 

I've nearly bought several Morris Minors over the years, nearly as many as MGBs...however have never actually bought one of either yet.

 

Thought this year might be the year...then the Invacars happened.

 

Really do need to at least get a proper shot of one someday.

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Decades ago I had a 1967 "Minor 1000" which was 1100cc.  It still had the farting trombone exhaust note of other Minors but a bit more pep.  At the same time I had a VW Beetle and it was interesting to compare the two; the Volkswagen would cruise happily at 60mph while the Morris sounded like it needed another gear at 25mph when you were already in fourth.

 

However as they knew back in the 15th century, comparisons are odious so driving the Minor as it feels right to be driven is a very pleasant experience.  Perfect for popping into St Mary Mead to pick up Miss Marple and sort out that body in the fucking library.

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They were but knocked it on the head a while ago. Basically because it worked out cheaper/easier to buy from the considerable number of people who were already manufacturing Minor bits in Sri Lanka.

 

Top purchasing Mr Barrett. Your pal sounds like a good egg. Looking forward to seeing where you go with this one.

I see the Charles Ware operation is still going...moved from Bath to Bristol.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=morris+minor+centre+bath&oq=morris+minor+centre+bath&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.10182j1j7&client=ms-android-samsung&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#trex=m_t:lcl_akp,rc_f:nav,rc_ludocids:5329517592330422445,rc_q:Charles%2520Ware's%2520Morris%2520Minor%2520Centre%2520Ltd,ru_q:Charles%2520Ware's%2520Morris%2520Minor%2520Centre%2520Ltd

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A late 948 has ample power as they had the benefit of the later distributors and carburettor which were great improvements on the earlier examples, though there was nothing really wrong with them. But the carburettors especially were an improvement and essentially 'maintenance free' apart from topping up the oil when needed. The 948 is said to be the smoothest and quietest of all the A Series engines. From my experience, Thousands are 50 MPH cruisers and rather loud inside but will go faster if needed - you will thoroughly enjoy exploiting their capabilities on A and B roads.

The one Trigbert drove was a '57, so pretty early I think.  Agree about the 948 being smoother though - the 1098 always sounds to me like it's about to put a rod through the block at anything about about 3,500rpm.

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I’d have bought anything with a back story like that.

 

I said elsewhere that I’m keen on the whole ‘car for life’ ethos atm. I’ve no plans to ever shift the Granvia on; once kids fly the nest it’ll be converted into a camper. The Avensis is 20 next year and already has 216720 miles on it. The 190 is probably what would get compromised for something like a Minor - but I’m delighted with it atm.

 

Enjoy the car dude. Looks brilliant.

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Great story, and looks like an example well worthy of attention.

 

I’ve had mine 17 years now and have turned my hand to everything except welding. That is the next thing to learn. As noted, they’re very simple to work on, parts are cheap and availability is excellent.

 

Just don’t go round corners too quick, particularly on poor road surfaces. It’s amazing how much of a vinyl seat you can gather up when you realise you’ve overcooked it.

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Just don’t go round corners too quick, particularly on poor road surfaces. It’s amazing how much of a vinyl seat you can gather up when you realise you’ve overcooked it.

Same goes for vinyl bus driver's seats. Especially if there's no seatbelt.

 

Nothing like suddenly realising halfway around a roundabout that the only thing keeping you in the seat is the death grip you have on the steering wheel...

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Right, first things first. It was wearing five different brands of tyre, and each was cracked, perished or flattened in a slightly different way. I ordered a new set at the beginning of the week and had them fitted to the rims yesterday. Today I got around to putting them back on and already it's a huge improvement. I have fitted some very expensive Pirelli Cinturatos which have literally doubled the value of the car in one fell swoop. This part of the project was kindly sponsored by Longstone Tyres so I feel obliged to say you should all had over to www.longstonetyres.co.uk and buy some rubber, whether you need it or not.

 

Whilst the car was up on axle stands this evening I had all the brake drums off. The rear brakes actually look pretty good. The cylinders look like they were fitted just prior to lay up and seem to be moving easily enough, but with no fluid in the system it's hard to be sure. I'm leaving these well alone until I'm certain they need fiddling with. The fronts are a different matter entirely, all four cylinders are seized solid and the flexis are well past their use by date. I'll order some new bits later and, hopefully, the brakes will be all sorted. Assuming the mater cylinder is fine etc etc. We'll cross that bridge later.

 

Annoyingly, taking the o/s drum off has revealed a very nasty axle oil leak so that'll be a half shaft out to replace the hub seal whatsit. Way beyond my skill set I think so I'll farm that one out. This will have to wait til the brakes are done and the car is movable under its own steam.

 

Here is a photograph almost identical to the last one, but showing the new tyres. I reckon they look great!

post-3924-0-97639500-1530225969_thumb.jpg

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I remember the Charles Ware "durable car" - I am sure it was even in the newspapers at the time. He included calculations to show that despite poorer fuel economy etc and allowing for replacement of large sections of rusty body, they were cheaper to run than an equivalent new car.

 

Edit - it's on their website and there's even a book!

 

https://www.morrisminor.org.uk/55-durable-car-ownership

I read about him in 1986 and was interested in his plan to make parts in the far East. I needed a year out in industry on my HND in production engineering. he sent me the book (lent out and never seen again.) and forwarded my details to AD engineering of Wells Somerset who were doing development work for him.

I had an interview with them and they took me out in a rally minor. 1275 Marina engine with the best mods vizard could suggest a 5 Speed Toyota gear box and disc brakes along with a full roll cage.

 

There were 2 issues that later imerged. 1) they didn't want to pay me. and explores to me how I'm to spend 12 months in Wells with no money coming in. 2) I transferred from the 1st year of the hnd to second year of degree and they didn't think it would meet the requirements of the course.

shame.

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