Practically Classics Forum

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/

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

A car forum can never have too much Minor content! Good luck with this.

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