Morris Minor ground up rebuild

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Ian
Posts: 397
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2013 6:17 pm
Location: Shrewsbury

Morris Minor ground up rebuild

#1 Post by Ian » Sat Jan 02, 2016 12:05 am

I have been asked to restore a Morris Minor 1000 2 door saloon for a couple ( very good friends of ours ). Naturally I jumped at the chance, it is British and old so how could I refuse? She has been laid in a front garden for quite some time and has quite a bit of rot in the usual places. I am currently working my way through a systematic strip down of the vehicle and listing the work needed and compiling a shopping list of parts but my aim is to build one of the best Moggies on the road. The car has covered just 68,000 miles from new. Really looking forward to pressing on with the work now that Christmas is over :)

Pics will be updated here.......

https://www.flickr.com/photos/136552835@N07/
Strive for perfection in everything you do

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TerryG
Posts: 6754
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:54 pm
Location: East Midlands

Re: Morris Minor ground up rebuild

#2 Post by TerryG » Sat Jan 02, 2016 12:13 am

oohh, I'll keep my eye on this. She's a year older than my one. What are the gutters like? The bottom of mine is fine, it's the top that's gone a bit frilly.
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.

rich.
Posts: 6804
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:18 pm

Re: Morris Minor ground up rebuild

#3 Post by rich. » Sun Jan 03, 2016 9:24 am

my dad bought a half restored one, i gave it away when he moved house :(

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TerryG
Posts: 6754
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:54 pm
Location: East Midlands

Re: Morris Minor ground up rebuild

#4 Post by TerryG » Sun Jan 03, 2016 11:52 am

You didn't give it to me. I'm disappointed in you rich. go and sit in a corner and eat a baguette while thinking about what you have done ;)
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.

rich.
Posts: 6804
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:18 pm

Re: Morris Minor ground up rebuild

#5 Post by rich. » Sun Jan 03, 2016 5:19 pm

im sorry terry, i gave away 2 mini vans at the same time :oops:

kstrutt1
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:55 pm
Location: essex

Re: Morris Minor ground up rebuild

#6 Post by kstrutt1 » Sun Jan 03, 2016 5:45 pm

Doesent look too bad ( at least comparred to ours when we started) you will probablybend up replacing most the usual areas though, once you start cutting even small areas of rust out I tend to end up replacing the whole area anyway.

The worst areas to repair on ours were the gutters, and the seam between the roof and rear deck.

Look forward to the results of your work.

Ian
Posts: 397
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2013 6:17 pm
Location: Shrewsbury

Re: Morris Minor ground up rebuild

#7 Post by Ian » Tue Jun 28, 2016 10:36 pm

Well, things have been slow with recent ill health but the Morris Minor is now in full swing :) So far I have commenced a full nut and bolt strip down and have documented everything, made lists of parts required as I go and set myself up with a brand new welder, I think I am going to need it :)

On first inspection, the boot floor is heavily rotted, both rear inner wings are holed, below the rear screen is peppered with tin worm, the front floors are a bit grotty, the offside sill is corroded badly but all in all, the car is a very solid base on which to start.

Parts are starting to arrive and the strip down is nearing completion.

The ultimate plan for this car is to make a very usable daily classic car and to this end, the Morris will have certain upgrades eg unleaded cylinder head, modified fuel pump, alternator conversion, electronic ignition etc No structural mods will be carried out so that the car can be easily returned to stock if desired in the future.

The original paint scheme of Trafalgar blue with light blue trim will be retained but I really want this car to look like it has just rolled out of the showroom when it is finished. I also plan to fit modern sound deadening under the carpets, heated seat bases and a hidden modern sound system but as I said, no mods on this car will be irreversible. Watch this space, I will upload photos just as soon as I work out how to do it :)
Strive for perfection in everything you do

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JPB
Posts: 10319
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:24 pm

Re: Morris Minor ground up rebuild

#8 Post by JPB » Wed Jun 29, 2016 10:27 am

A car forum can never have too much Minor content! Good luck with this. :thumbs:
J
"Home is where you park it", so the saying goes. That may yet come true.. :oops:

Ian
Posts: 397
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2013 6:17 pm
Location: Shrewsbury

Re: Morris Minor ground up rebuild

#9 Post by Ian » Wed Jun 29, 2016 8:10 pm

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Strive for perfection in everything you do

Ian
Posts: 397
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2013 6:17 pm
Location: Shrewsbury

Re: Morris Minor ground up rebuild

#10 Post by Ian » Wed Jun 29, 2016 8:15 pm

Now to put into practice years of working in restoration for other people and doing this one myself from start to finish :) Here is the Aston Martin I built 2 yrs ago
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Strive for perfection in everything you do

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