Morris 1300

[RobT]

As mentioned in News 24, last week I did a buy.  It's effectively a two owner from new car, as the bloke I bought it from had only owned it for three months.  He's got 13 other ADO16s, so decided he'd better have a clearout...

As blind impulse purchases go I think I've done alright.  The same giffer owned it from 1979, there's 69,900 on the clock, and it's only done 860 odd miles in 16 years.  Oddly he kept getting it MoTd until 2017 despite it being exempt.  The history is clean too, with only advisories for ball joint dust covers, CV gaitors, tyres perishing and a few other bits.

Pics from the C&C advert.

The idea was to buy something properly old for a change, and to tinker with it during lockdown to try and maintain some sanity.  Let's see how long I last before I get bored or run out of skills!  But my initial thoughts are this will be sticking around for a while.

[Matty]

Ohh and 3 door as well. Brilliant. And so much more interesting than a mini. Wish I had the nuts to do something like this ?

[dozeydustman]

That looks pretty tidy on the surface, well bought!

[HMC]

Fantastic- well bought and as it’s from such a decent home I’m sure you Won’t need to come over Basil with it.

Ive always wanted one, ever since I saw the film clockwise . John Cleese seemed to have a thing for them.

[N Dentressangle]

I've always fancied an ADO16 at some point. Doubt it will ever happen.

My grandma would have gifted me her old one 20 odd years ago, but I couldn't weld (no change there, then) and as a 20something life just wasn't in the right place to do up an old car.

[Billy - Medhurst]

2 door

early model

strip speedo

1275cc motor

Its a winner!

[phil_lihp]

That looks like a lovely honest little thing Rob - should give you plenty of things to do.  What a fantastic history too.  Does it need much work?

Once things have settled a bit it'll have to meet its big sister - when I finally get my hands on it!

[SiC]

Honestly looking forward to this thread and super jealous. It's all what the Purple Peril 1100 I had would have loved to be. 

[Floatylight]

Mrs Fl had one of these as her first car as a learner (age 17 in 1997) it was gifted to her by her grandad who had owned it for many years.

Sadly the work needed to get it through its next MOT proved terminal and it was weighed in..

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk

[RobT]

First task was to sort out the front floors.  They weren't soaked, more just moist, and I've a suspicion there's some bulkhead rot letting water in.

They look worse than they are.

After a good wire brushing session, all I found were two pin head holes in the driver's side so that's crisis averted.  Then Vactan applied.

I had some red oxide lying about so that finished off the job nicely.

Not the neatest of jobs, but nothing will be I'm afraid.  Just trying to fettle this old thing best I can.

The carpets are a DIY job and look like Allied Carpets off cuts.  I see no reason to bin them seeing as a proper set will cost 100 sovs or thereabouts.  He made a decent job of them actually!

 

With the carpets up I took a peek in the sills.  Loads of waxoyl.  This is why it's still on the original sills then.  I'll top that up just in case there's cracks in it further along.

 

[lisbon_road]

Fantastic purchase Rob.  These used to rot out with minimal miles on them after only a few years, which was such a shame as they drove and rode quite well.  Looks like you've somehow got a good one.  Keep it dry!  Look forward to reading about your progress.  I'm about to start on the body of Rembrandt, my own lockdown project, so we'll be able to compare two very different cars.

[N Dentressangle]

15 minutes ago, Floatylight said:

Mrs Fl had one of these as her first car as a learner (age 17 in 1997) it was gifted to her by her grandad who had owned it for many years.

Sadly the work needed to get it through its next MOT proved terminal and it was weighed in..
 

I kind of knew I wasn't the only one with that story.

Great to see this one looked after - the 1100 is one of those cars I could have seen becoming extinct. My parents had a few in the late 60s - 70s, and hate them with a passion for their rottenness, oil leaks and general awful build quality. I never experienced any of that crap,  so see them more as a better Mini.

[HMC]

Looking good. I was obsessed with these as a teenager and even rang a Derek Baylis of the owners club in 1994 to ask about them in general. He was very polite and patient (I was 14)  I do remember he stressed to me to “CHECK THE TRUMPET PANELS”

To this day I still don’t know what they are. But chanelling Mr Baylis you should check yours Rob.

[lisbon_road]

MOT history is all harmless enough.  I'd say that's been kept in a garage as there's no mention of rust.  What a result!

[Skizzer]

This is a smashing wee thing and I’m very much hoping to come and have a ride around in it when that sort of craziness is allowed again.

It looks super tidy but honest and characterful. Perfect. Brilliant purchase.

[SiC]

2 minutes ago, HMC said:

Looking good. I was obsessed with these as a teenager and even rang a Derek Baylis of the owners club in 1994 to ask about them in general. He was very polite and patient (I was 14)  I do remember he stressed to me to “CHECK THE TRUMPET PANELS”
To this day I still don’t know what they are. But chanelling Mr Baylis you should check yours Rob.

His name and picture is mentioned in the current 1100 club magazine as the spares advisor. So I guess he's still around?

@BeEP probably would know if he is the same chap. Probably is?

[SiC]

Is that residue glue stuck on those subframe mounts? ? (Black bits)

 

[HMC]

I bet @SiC knows every square inch of these!

[GrumpiusMaximus]

An absolutely smashing buy, Rob.  And it looks like you've scored with it being rust protected.  Fantastic.

[RobT]

Three days later.  Bollocks.  It cut out on me whilst going for a blez around the block.  Luckily it happened just as I pulled on to the communal driveway.  A friendly neighbour helped me push it.  I thought I was being a weakling needing help to push this, but the brakes might be binding a tad.  They're on the list anyway.

After some random investigating I changed the manky inline fuel filter, and gave the float chamber a clean out.

Still nothing.  It'fired OK, but then died within seconds.  After some rudimentary use of a test light (my multimeter is on the blink) I thought it might be the coil and/or condenser, so bought replacements.

Yet again, nothing.  Some more random acts involved lobbing some Easy Start down it just to see if it is indeed fuel and not ignition related (I'd tried this previously to no effect) and BOOM.  Running lovely again.  It really does tickover and run nicely this thing, so despite doing no mileage in recent years he kept it running well.  However, the inline filter isn't filling up the way it should, so I'm wondering if there's an intermittent fault with the fuel pump.  I cleaned up the earth on the pump and will have another go running it tomorrow.  I hope it isn't knackered, as a new SU pump is £105.

Still, at least it's small enough to fit in my single garage and I can just about work on it comfortably.  Our flats were built in 1964 so I'm sure there were a few ADO16s hidden in these garages back in the day.

 

[spartacus]

That looks great Rob, I was drooling over it myself, well bought!

[SiC]

16 minutes ago, HMC said:

I bet @SiC knows every square inch of these!

I do too well and so also know where to (not) go looking. Don't remove that rear seat! ?

[SiC]

Fuel pump - checked and cleaned the points? You can pretty easily rebuild the SU pumps for not terrible amounts. Worth checking the rubber fuel lines haven't succumbed to Ethanol if not compliant hoses. I changed all my classic hoses to genuine Gates hose. Don't want it splitting and having a fire on your hands. 

[N Dentressangle]

Inline filters rarely 'fill', as such, so I wouldn't set too much store by that.

My first tests would be ignition system ones. Remember the old maxim: 90% of problems with SU are caused by Joseph Lucas. I always suspect the ignition system until proven otherwise.

Having said which, the tank does look rusty as you like. I'd be inclined to run a hose from a clean can of fuel through the pump and see what that does as an opening gambit.

[BeEP]

21 minutes ago, SiC said:

His name and picture is mentioned in the current 1100 club magazine as the spares advisor. So I guess he's still around?

@BeEP probably would know if he is the same chap. Probably is?

Yes, it's the same Derek Bayliss.  He's been around 1100s (and the club) for a long time.

If the fuel pump does turn out to be at fault then fitting a mechanical pump would be a cheaper, if less original, fix.  There should be a blanking plate over where it would go on the back of the block.  Pretty sure all 1275 engines had them, as well as the 1100 variety from somewhere around 67/68.  Simple to convert back in the future if you wanted to.

I did give Rob a few pointers before he committed to this, and checking trumpets and removing the rear seat were both included ?

[Isaac Hunt]

Check the needle in the SU Carb.  The needle in the Dashpot.  I’ve had one drop out of the Dashpot Piston, acts like a plug for the jet.

[RobT]

One more post and I'm up to date.  More wire brush action on the underside this time.  Again, it looks worse than it is in places as you can tell it's had periodic rust treatments done.  Some of it with whatever the old boy had knocking about, such as the silver paint here.  It's a school of thought I tend to follow too.  Better to do something than do nowt, and if it helps keep the cost down double win.

MOAR Vactan

After a few days it was cavity wax and stone chip time.  I know Dynax is the stuff to have, but I'm mindful of costs mounting on this.  Still managed to spend 85 quid on numerous cans though.

This first in the box section parts of the rear subframe and other areas. 

Jizzing it up!  I should probably have stone chipped those upper parts of the subframe.  The extension lance thing is essential in jobs like this for the harder to reach areas.  Plus the jiz shoots out at a greater pressure, which is nice.

Places like the boot floor and fuel tank have been done in the past, so they are in really good nick.  I've been so lucky....

Then stone chip time.  This was very satisfying after the mucky job of wire brushing earlier in the week.

More cheap shit.  20 quid for 4 cans.

This still needs finishing.  The front passenger floor section still needs wire brushing and Vactanning, and the part under the exhaust.  I'll try and get the chip up in the gap rather than drop the exhaust, although it's not exactly a complicated arrangement.

Next job is to start it tomorrow and risk a run up and down the communal driveway.  I reckon it's just running on residual fuel at the moment, but it'll be good to shunt it up and down as it's such an amusing thing to drive.  Loads of character!

[RobT]

1 hour ago, phil_lihp said:

Once things have settled a bit it'll have to meet its big sister - when I finally get my hands on it!

Woah, what have I missed?!

[RobT]

46 minutes ago, lisbon_road said:

MOT history is all harmless enough.  I'd say that's been kept in a garage as there's no mention of rust.  What a result!

I reckon so.  I'll just choose to ignore the inevitable bulkhead rot.  MoT exempt m8 [does a little dance].

[Kiltox]

Ooo where’s the cheapo stonechip from?