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Morris Minor Ratrod - First drive since 1989!


SiC

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2 minutes ago, mrbenn said:

Apologies if a thousand other people have already mentioned it but it looks to me like your oil pressure and ignition lights are swapped. The ignition light looks to go out roughly as the pressure gauge wakes up, while the oil pressure light matches ammeter behaviour (with possibly slightly lazy alternator).

No one has actually and that makes complete sense. Didn't think of that!

I'll disconnect the oil pressure switch and see if the alternator light goes out.

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8 minutes ago, mrbenn said:

You'll need the more curved housing for the 1275 with standard Minor radiator. Pictured is my Minor 1000 with 1275 engine and curved thermostat housing, but standard 1098 top hose and radiator.

Mine already has the radiator outlet chopped down to fit a 1275 hose. I think I might get the Charles Ware housing. Looks similar to what I mangled. Moss do a similar design but is twice the price.

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https://www.morrisminor.org.uk/parts/7-rocker-cover/324-thermostat-housing-elbow-water-outlet

 

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TBH I hadn't spotted the standard Midget (post '66 if I remember correctly...) top hose.

A previous owner of our Minor had run the cooling system on water so it was quite crusty, looked similar to yours. I had to break the previous thermostat housing off but it was a while ago and I can't remember the replacement cost - though I do remember getting it from Moss! A thorough flush of the cooling system seemed to bring this back around with no cooling related problems over the next couple of decades, though I did have to change the bypass hose in the head which was fiddly. Oh and the water pump.

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Found two candidate housings in my box of spares. The pipe end on both isn't in best of condition thanks to corrosion, but they should be good enough.
Car came with a whole load of bits and I'm still getting used to the fact that I can rummage through there for bits. No replacement studs though, so still will need to nip down to Moss. But at least those bits are cheap.
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Head surface on one is better than the other. Hopefully a clean up and a fresh gasket will seal fine.
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Fits perfectly on the 1275 with a 1275 hose and cut down radiator outlet.
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3 hours ago, mrbenn said:

Apologies if a thousand other people have already mentioned it but it looks to me like your oil pressure and ignition lights are swapped.

Correct! Many internet points go to you. I disconnected the oil pressure switch and the ignition light goes out.

Wiring colours are correct, so must have had the wrong bulbs pushed into the wrong hole. Will have to swap them around at some point.

Does also mean that my alternator is lazy though. I think it might also be where the noise is coming from too. I do have a rebuild kit somewhere but easier to swap the whole unit out and join my MGB alternator on the shelf that I will rebuild one day...

Now I've got a hydraulic press though, it should be trivial to push the old bearings out.

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Good news! Not the first I've seen with the bulbs the wrong way round tbh, easily done.

I reckon that 'stat housing should be ok with a new gasket, and perhaps a smear of the blue stuff for good measure.

The engine certainly sounded sweet in the video, and the whole car looks very solid. Sounds like you've got a good amount of spares to boot.

Very well bought!

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1 hour ago, SiC said:

Correct! Many internet points go to you. I disconnected the oil pressure switch and the ignition light goes out.

Wiring colours are correct, so must have had the wrong bulbs pushed into the wrong hole. Will have to swap them around at some point.

Does also mean that my alternator is lazy though. I think it might also be where the noise is coming from too. I do have a rebuild kit somewhere but easier to swap the whole unit out and join my MGB alternator on the shelf that I will rebuild one day...

Now I've got a hydraulic press though, it should be trivial to push the old bearings out.

put a 2w bulb in instead of the probably 1.2w- lowers the rpm the charge happens 😉

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Out of the two housings I found, I decided to use the one with the better block facing, even if the outlet was more damaged.
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Managed to find a pair of spare studs, so I cleaned up one of the original ones that wasn't awful.
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Fitted new bottom and top hoses.
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Heater matrix pipe literally snapped off.
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For now the heater is bypassed. Not least because the pipes going into the cabin do this.



I've cut them back for now and also bypassed the manifold coolant flow too. I think this might be worth reinstating as it'll keep the manifold cool from the heat of the exhaust. That exhaust I reckon I may have to wrap too.
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While I talk about cooling, the fan is certainly extremely close the breather canister. Just clears it!
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I had a quick look at the carb and gave the damper a quick clean too.

Needle was filthy. I scraped the worse of the varnish off and then used carb cleaner to finish.
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Bigger problem is that the jet is stuck down in partially choke engaged position. I think I'll need to get a rebuild/service kit for this carb next and strip it down. I did try tapping the jet to see if it'll loosen but it's completely seized.
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Mrs SiC is quite keen to have a go painting this soon. However my mind is changing a bit towards not painting as I quite like the patina. People pay a lot of money to get their car looking like this! However a good clean to get all the white blobs off has made a quite difference to how it looks imo. The white marks left are mostly primer showing through - especially on the fibreglass front wings. It's also definitely had a respray previously without having the glass taken out.
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However I might replace the bonnet as the black/white/rusty scabs looks like it's got a really bad perianal disease. Also I don't like the look of the commercial bonnets much either.

I plan to get the machine polisher out too and see what that does. Not sure if rusty blebs and shiny paint will work but being cellulose based, it'll fade back down soon enough if I don't wax it.

Nothing better than polishing a turd, right?
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33 minutes ago, bunglebus said:
Excuse my ignorance but what's the difference between the commercial and saloon bonnets?

I hadn't a clue until it was pointed out to me. Commercial doesn't have the trim and coach line that goes around the door to the front. Also missing the handle on the bonnet too. 

 
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I didn't know that about the bonnets either. I'd guess that the commercial bonnets are much rarer, and therefore could you swap your bonnet with a Minor specialist for a similarly scruffy Trafalgar blue saloon bonnet to match the rest of the car? I certainly wouldn't be painting the car at all - they look infinitely better (as most things do) with a bit of wear and tear.

I'm not sure I could live with the later sidelamps and tail lamps, though, which would be a conundrum. But again - I'm sure you could find some s/h wings in the right colour, with the correct lamps attached, if you were inclined to make it look nice. Oh, and those wing mirrors have to go!

Engine sounds healthy, and it doesn't look rusty, so it should be a relatively fun* straightforward project to just improve all those bits as you go along.

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9 hours ago, barrett said:

I didn't know that about the bonnets either. I'd guess that the commercial bonnets are much rarer, and therefore could you swap your bonnet with a Minor specialist for a similarly scruffy Trafalgar blue saloon bonnet to match the rest of the car? I certainly wouldn't be painting the car at all - they look infinitely better (as most things do) with a bit of wear and tear.

I'm not sure I could live with the later sidelamps and tail lamps, though, which would be a conundrum. But again - I'm sure you could find some s/h wings in the right colour, with the correct lamps attached, if you were inclined to make it look nice. Oh, and those wing mirrors have to go!

Engine sounds healthy, and it doesn't look rusty, so it should be a relatively fun* straightforward project to just improve all those bits as you go along.

I have thought of painting the bonnet but the problem is it'll look too shiny against the rest of the paintwork. Ideally I'll find a Trafalgar Blue lid like you said, as that should be a similar-ish shade. 

Rear tail lights don't offend me. I do have the older all red covers but I don't think I have the housing. But that means going to flashing red brake lights and I'm not sure most road users nowadays will understand them.

I'm not a huge fan of the front indicator and sidelight on the later cars like this has. Not sure if it's a straight swap hole size wise (probably not) but I would like the single indicator lamps. Wings are fibreglass anyway. Would also mean putting a pilot light into the headlamps. They're halogen conversion anyway. I guess 80s vintage. 

As a side note, the Driving Lights have DDR printed on them and so I did wonder if they were made in the DDR. 

Lights will stay as they are for now as they work and are all surprisingly bright too. Main priority is to get it back on the road before I get fed up with it sitting on the drive doing nothing. 

It's insured and taxed now. Just waiting for the DVLA to return the V5 again and then I can declare the correct engine size and code too. Insurance company has also told me that they expect me to change it. So a case of getting the brakes sorted and then I can give it a run up and down the road. If all good, then new tyres and it's ready to start being used!

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Next step in Moggie awakening is the brakes. Starting on the rear first as they're cheaper to sort!
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Wheel came off easy enough. One of the retaining screws is mullered.
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I found these screw extractors that I bought from Aldi years ago and written off as useless. This time though they did the job perfectly. Pays to be a hoarder at times.
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Then the fun of getting the drum off.
I'm used to other British cars with the adjuster on the back, these however are on the front. There is a hole in the drum for adjusting the position. However I couldn't find where it was. Instead I used a screwdriver to prise the drum off and as it started shifting, I didn't bother looking or researching further. These cars do seem simple enough to simply figure this out as you go without needing a book.
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Other screw on the inside removes the half shaft. This goes from the studs/hub to the diff. No oil came out when I did this, so I presume the diff maybe on the dry side and need topping up?

Shoes look in reasonable condition with plenty of meat still on them. Certainly in my view good enough to not need replacing yet. I'll give this all a good clean with brake cleaner.
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I'm debating whether to just replace these cylinders. They don't look in bad condition but I generally err on the side of caution and always replace them.

Are they genuine Lockheed? I don't recognise the logo. I know genuine Lockheed are still available new, so if these are only cheap cylinders, I'll replace them with some decent ones.
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Rubber Flexi is on the other side but I will replace that as a matter of course and already have a replacement. Cheap enough to not even worry about the age and condition of the one on here, even if they look pretty decent condition.

Front flexis I want to change but I need to ID the calipers to ensure I get the right one. Also need to determine if the calipers are in usable condition or if they need rebuilding/replacing. Ideally not as they're quite expensive and I'm trying to keep costs down for now until I get it back on the road.

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  • SiC changed the title to Morris Minor Ratrod - Brakes

Not sure on the branding of the wheel cylinders, don't recognise the logo either.

Did you pull the halfshaft all the way out? Would definitely expect some oil to come out there. Either way do check the diff oil - they only hold about a litre and can easily become damaged with a low fluid level.

Should be able to tell whether you've got Marina or Ford disc brakes by the shape of the pads. Marina pads are quite square while Ford ones are a longer rectangular type shape.

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very pleased to see that things are progressing well with the Moggie :) 

I hope you plan to keep the standard but careworn look, I like it like that :) hopefully for once you can avoid a massive weldathon! 

(as a side note,  @mrbenn im very happy to see your about still I hope all is well :)

18 hours ago, SiC said:

It's insured and taxed now. Just waiting for the DVLA to return the V5 again and then I can declare the correct engine size and code too. Insurance company has also told me that they expect me to change it. So a case of getting the brakes sorted and then I can give it a run up and down the road. If all good, then new tyres and it's ready to start being used!

its worth noting for future reference that you can update vehicle details at the same time you send off a V5 to change it to historic vehicle tax, this saves having to wait for and send off too many V5s etc

just make sure you have filled in the relevent sections of the V5 of course with the new/corrected details before handing the V5 to the Post office worker

this one I know from first hand experience, because I had to update some details on the V5 of my car so I filled in the relevant changes on the V5 and then I handed the V5 to the post man to also change the tax class to historic vehicle, and all details that I had changed, came back duly updated along of course the tax class change :)

 

 

 

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Rear brake adjusters. Paint the head with tippex. Easier to spot through the hole. Also can mark the backplate with tippex in line with the screw, so you know where to look.

If you didn't pull the half shaft out, don't! There's a paper gasket that can break.

I'd leave the brake cylinders if the foot brake and hand brake work OK. 

Cylinders are cheap, but crap. Mine had seized on the handbrake  bit.

Hand brake was always just about adequate at best on all mine.

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27 minutes ago, Mally said:

If you didn't pull the half shaft out, don't! There's a paper gasket that can break.

Too late! I don't actually remember seeing the paper gasket thinking about it. Might order a new one and replace it as I've had it out. Better than it leaking once it's filled. Diff looks to be leaky so I wonder if it's simply many years of being sat it's all dripped out. Gearbox oil is pretty much ok though which surprised me. Engine oil wasn't that far off max either, despite being dirty.

25 minutes ago, Mally said:

Be careful with the wheel nuts. Only 3/8" studs and easy to snap.

Not as bad as the Dolomite. That has 3/8 studs too but over three times the power and aluminium nuts! That iirc is only around 45lb/ft on them.

31 minutes ago, Mally said:

I'd leave the brake cylinders if the foot brake and hand brake work OK. 

 No fluid at the moment, so don't work right now. I might get a set of cylinders and then rebuild these if original. Can't get Delphi (formally Lockheed) at the moment as out of stock in most places. So would be cheap ones. Apparently the rear cheap aren't too bad, but the fronts are crap.

Handbrake doesn't hold the car at the moment. I think that may just be from solidified grease. 

3 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

its worth noting for future reference that you can update vehicle details at the same time you send off a V5 to change it to historic vehicle tax, this saves having to wait for and send off too many V5s etc

I'm not 100% the 1275 is staying just yet. Depends if it runs ok with decent pressures and without chucking out ridiculous levels of oil out the back.

3 hours ago, Kiltox said:

Well impressed by how you’re motoring through this revival, fair play. 

I'm quite enjoying not having to do welding at the moment and doing mechanicals is a welcome change. It was getting a bit tiresome. 

Once the brakes are sorted, I need to rebuild the carb and tune the engine up. Then pretty much ready for going on local runs! Once I know I can trust it, I'll venture into Bristol to get it MOT'd. Seemingly going too easy right now... (Tempted fate there)

4 hours ago, PhilA said:

Genuine Lockheed, they use that triangle. 

I knew I recognised that triangle from somewhere! Thanks.

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On 7/27/2021 at 10:59 PM, SiC said:

As a side note, the Driving Lights have DDR printed on them and so I did wonder if they were made in the DDR. 

Defiantly made in the DDR - probably an AKA-Ruhla or possibly the comically named FEK.  Most were sold by Ring and many were marked as 'Ring' rather than AKA etc etc.

In the '80's my father bought a replacement  reversing light* for his Viva after I smashed the old one off, reversing into a low wall hours after passing my driving test.... He bought it from Grandways (nee Jacksons) a local supermarket in Cottingham. It was a Ring, made in the DDR. Ring still market auxiliary lights but I would guess that they are now cheap Chinese tat rather than cheap sturdily built East German quality products.

* home fitted, with an on/off switch on the dashboard.

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8 minutes ago, barrett said:

Looking on my big screen, those rear brakes all look pretty decent to me. I'd be changing the flexis and filling it up with fluid to see what happens - might be a cheap/easy win, unless you know something we don't about the M/C

I've ordered new rear cylinders and master cylinder already and they should be in their way. Genuine master and aftermarket rear. Couldn't get genuine rear at the moment unfortunately. Apparently the aftermarket is alright quality on the rears though. 

A pair of rear cylinders are only £25 so cheap enough to not worry. I'll keep the original ones for rebuild. 

The master cylinder can be of two sizes, pre-62 and post-62. I didn't know which this was, so makes it difficult to know which rebuild kit to get. I could pull it and have a look, but once I've done that I might as well replace it. Will need to strip either to make sure the rubber piece is out of the master cylinder. This is apparently needed with discs as this valve will stop them releasing back off when the pedal is released.

Likewise there are two sizes of rear cylinders and the change over year is '62. So I don't know exactly which rebuild kits I need on them either!

They probably fine to fill up and just use but with single circuit brakes I don't like to take any risk for the sake of a hundred quid or so to replace all the bits that can perish. Even if they are fine, I know it will stress me out if they're an unknown quantity. 

So for less hassle, speed and my own reassurance, I'm just lobbing all new bits on. Calipers I'm going to try and get away with not changing as they're really quite pricey! However I may end up having to rebuild them depending the state of the pistons. Got new flexis for them but I don't know for sure they're Marina, Midget or Ford. Based on the front PCD being 3.75inch on the hubs, I've made the assumption they're Marina. 

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