project Boris the '59 Minor.

[Joey spud]

I wasn't looking for another scabby motor vehicle but while Autoshite was briefly down the other weekend i had a quick nose about on Retrorides and spied Boris looking a bit sad in the for sale section.

To be honest i have always had zero interest in Morris Minors they have that "coffin dodger" / OAP stigma that BMC's finest can't seem to shake off but i guess now i have hit 50 plus my outlook has started to change.

A few WhatsApp messages and phone calls later and a deal was done.

Boris was loitering on a drive way in Mansfield unused since 2015 and 180 miles away from "Chez Spud" but the excellent World of Ceri collected and dropped him off at mine with zero fuss or drama. 

In the rain he looked half tidy and the miss matched paint on his rear quarter gives him added character honest.

 

[LightBulbFun]

Nice I do like a Morris minor  

bonus point for the fact she still retains her original  registration mark  

I look forward to seeing how she gets on!

[Joey spud]

14 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

bonus point for the fact she still retains her original  registration mark  

Where was Boris first registered ?

[LightBulbFun]

MU is a Middlesex marker  (and became a London marker in 1965 and in 1974 became a London North east marker until 1997)

she has had a few keepers too! (so again pleasantly surprised to see she was never robbed of her registration mark like so many vehicles have been)

I see on the DVLA she comes back as 1275cc and going by the wheels I assume she (or err he?) has had a few upgrades?  

[timolloyd]

7 keepers seems pretty reasonable for a vehicle like this. And only 3 keepers between ‘59 and ‘93!

[vulgalour]

That's got just the right amount of My First Car 1986 about it.

[LightBulbFun]

10 minutes ago, timolloyd said:

7 keepers seems pretty reasonable for a vehicle like this. And only 3 keepers between ‘59 and ‘93!

I would not read too much into the earlier keeper records

because when a vehicle was transferred from the buff logbook system, to the V5c system, the keeper counts did not always carry over

and so in the old days they had a special note on the V5 for that, where on the keeper count it would say "Number of former keepers" then the number of former keepers but then it would "since such and such date" and that date would be when the vehicle was computerised

to tell you that the keeper count only goes back to that date

you can see such an example here (not my picture or anything, just something I saved from the ebay tat thread, as example of this historic quirk of the british car registration system)

but I dont know if they still include it on modern V5's

[bunglebus]

That's cool, I'd happily own a Mog. Enjoy 15mph controlled slides around wet roundabouts 

[SiC]

If anything, Tiff Needle has a very fond attachment to them:

 

 

 

[Joey spud]

As mentioned in the grin thread the real reason i took Boris on is because he has a very sweet Ivor Searle reconditioned 1275cc Midget engine mated to a five speed Sierra gearbox lurking under his scruffy body and the diff has also been changed to give him longer legs.

 The suspension has been tweaked with telescopic shocks replacing the vintage lever arm items and the front drum brakes are now Marina based discs.

 

[MJK 24]

Great little car 👍

I love the Sierra gearknob, too!

[Joey spud]

On 03/10/2020 at 19:10, MJK 24 said:

Great little car 👍

I love the Sierra gearknob, too!

He has an after market short shifter kit fitted as the original ford lever is cranked backwards as standard resulting in it getting  closer to the seats when in 2nd or 4th.

[Tamworthbay]

Looks a little cracker! Everyone loves a Moggie!

[Joey spud]

Although it's now 1275cc  he is still running on the original 1098cc carb and pea shooter exhaust so there is definitely a few extra bhp to be liberated by uprating to an inch and a half SU from a Metro and a Marina twin down pipe exhaust manifold.

I have been looking on ebay for SU (hif) 1275cc carbs and they are now silly money,not so long ago you would trip over dozens of the things down the Scrappy's.

[Cavcraft]

What a great buy, these are ace little cars and those mods should help it.

[Mr Pastry]

1 minute ago, Joey spud said:

I have been looking on ebay for SU (hif) 1275cc carbs

Probably not worth the trouble and expense.  A large single SU is the thinking person's choice and will work just as well with the normal camshaft, plus it looks absolutely standard, old boy,  which is generally a good thing.  Will be watching progress with interest.

[garellikatia]

Lovely looking thing. I'm surprised they aren't more popular! They look a doddle to work on! Must have a load of space under the bonnet for maintenance 

[Joey spud]

The original seats are leather faced and a bit tired.

But he comes with a pair of these period buckets.

To be honest i quite like the  originals.

 

[xtriple]

Big single SU is the bollox on these engines, twins just use more fuel and go out of tune/synch I have a Cooper 'S' cam somewhere floating about, I'll see if I can find it for you... don't hold your breath!
 

Mate of mine from the days when cars were just something to use in winter to stop your bike from falling apart from ice and salt had a Moggie. It was a truly reprehensible heap and yet everyone loved it and when the spring sprang, instead of it going to Eva's yard like every other winter heap, it got put away and gently restored/repaired and used for many year. Great cars and with the mods on yours, truly brilliant cars.

[Joey spud]

Xtriple i think you have 100% hit the nail smack bang on its head.

I am at that time in my life where i just want something a bit quirky and slightly warmed over to bav about my locality and this little thing hits the spot.

Obviously all this win has a catch and in this case its the R word.

He needs fairly urgent attention to his sills,A posts/inner wings,rear inner arches and a spring hanger or two but he turned up with various repro panels stashed on his back seat to aid his resurection.

[Amishtat]

Nothing that can't be repaired there. Love it on the Weller 8-spokes,takes me back to my childhood. Minors are fucking great little things, I only got to try one about four years ago and suddenly realised how much of my motoring life had been wasted. 

[Joey spud]

Is it just me that suffers from buyers regret ??

My plan for Boris is to keep him "100% honest".

He is 61 years old and it would (in my opinon) be criminal to wipe out his blemishes/ originality so he is going to be totally solid and safe but carry his "patina" with pride.

In the cold light of day (no rain) his paint work is a bit challenged and i have no idea what hue of grey he is but a quick scrub with some 3M quick cut on the front wing and he aint too bad at all.

Look at the shiney,shiney..

[bunglebus]

Most jealous of a car I've been in ages. Nice upgrades and enough work needed so you'll feel like it's really yours once it's done.

Wellers would be going over a hedge if it was mine though, in favour of some widened stock steelies

[Joey spud]

On 03/10/2020 at 21:10, bunglebus said:

Most jealous of a car I've been in ages. Nice upgrades and enough work needed so you'll feel like it's really yours once it's done.

Wellers would be going over a hedge if it was mine though, in favour of some widened stock steelies

Hell no the Wellers are period but may well end up red or Kawasaki green along with the grill and a pin stripe.

There was an A35 on here a while back with period upgrades that i really lusted after that sold for silly (as in cheap) money ever since i have kept an eye out for something similar.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Bloody love that. It's bringing back very fond memories of my own 1969 trafalgar blue Moggie which I proudly ragged around the Cornish lanes in the mid 1990s as a DM booted, long-haired teenager. The only thing which remains of my old girl is the rear number plate, which I'll never get rid of. 

[danthecapriman]

That is utterly cool as fuck! Looks fantastic just as it is to me, like some kind of leftover 80’s hotted up one. I bet it’s great fun to drive too.

There used to be one down this way that was similar, but had been painted satin black and was on a set of slotmags. Not seen it in a while though.

[Angrydicky]

That's Clarendon Grey IIRC.

[bigfella2]

15 hours ago, bunglebus said:

That's cool, I'd happily own a Mog. Enjoy 15mph controlled slides around wet roundabouts 

Well if that floats your boat, then check this out. Stolen moggey in Bradford being chased by police and gets away!! With added j turn antics.

https://m.facebook.com/Idiotukdriversmedia/videos/2414093005544613/

[bunglebus]

Liked for the car, not for the oxygen thief that stole the learner's Moggie

[bangernomics]

That’s fab I’d love to own one of those one day.