'52 Morris Minor - A restoration dream

[srinand]

My father owned a 1949 low light two door in off white colour, i remember the day he took delivery of it from an old couple whose eyes were moist as they left their beloved baby in our place and waved goodbye for the last time. This was possibly the year 1988/89. I was about 5 years old and was thrilled at the first running car we had at home in years! I was by then tired of sitting in the dusty shell of the Fiat Balilla which had not run for possibly a decade at that time. I was now ready to enjoy something that worked, moved on its own and would accommodate us to go wherever we wanted to go. I still remember the scent of old upholstery mixed with oil that would fill my lungs every time i would get into that car.

With time we had done drives in it to several places surrounding the city and on one occasion all the way till Hyderabad as well, i remember my dad mentioning how it had done so well with regards to mileage of close to 14 miles per litre he claimed! Imagine, how much better it will be when i am done with the engine, he would say! But the morris soon met with the same fate that the Balilla did, my dad's search for perfection would lead him to take up a restoration amidst all the other projects that kept him busy.After a while the engine and gearbox was done, but that was all he would be able to do.

One thing led to another and my father's health deteriorated and ultimately led to his demise. The car lay half done and waiting for care.

After a while of looking at the car disintegrate little by little in the elements, my mother one day decided to get the car to a place where she would be looked after better than she was at our home, a kind gentlemen agreed to rid us of the burden and that day she left our home, while i was at school, to the gallows. She was scrapped.

I have since that day as a 14 year old wanted to bring back the car that had so many memories i cherished as a child. I started looking at cars and found several, but failed to think of how i would pay for one. The prices kept increasing and the number of cars kept decreasing, but i was nowhere close to being able to afford one! For years i have been talking of Morris minors while all my friends have been talking of girls and gadgets! Luckily this stuck in the head of a friend who immediately remembered me when someone spoke of a morris minor for sale. He told me about it at 9:00 p.m. and we saw the car at 10:30 and a deal was struck at 11:30 p.m. After all these years i finally managed to get hold of a Morris minor i could afford. Not the two door low light that i had in mind but a four door high light model. The two door low light is still on my wishlist.

Now is the time to put some action behind all the talking i have been doing for a long time, to do up the car. Here are some pictures of the car in the condition that I got it in. I would require as much advice as possible to do this baby up. Oh, and another thing is that i hope to do as much as possible on my own resorting to as little work from professional mechanics.

I have a soft copy of the workshop manual that was available on this wonderful forum, i am sorry i dont remember who posted it, but thank you.

I bought the book "Original Morris Minor - the restorer's guide by Ray Newell" as well.

Is there any other information that the experts would recommend?

Look forward to hearing from all the gurus.

Thank you,

Srinand.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Congrats, and all the best for the restoration.

I am infact restoring a 1950 low light convertible morris minor with a side-valve engine, and trust me, its a nightmare if you get through some wrong restorers. Although its a simple car to restore, parts can get difficult.

All the best

[harit]

Congrats on your aquisition.
Can you please post some pictures of your dads lowlight and the Balilla?

Cheers harit

[jagadeesh.b]

Hey Srinand, Congrats & Best of Luck.

[anjan_c2007]

Congratulations Srinand.The car appears to have a lot of its original parts and trims intact.Still there is a lot to be done. The side valve engine and the SU carburettor can be sighted. The dash, speedo and the two meters are intact and so are the steering and its horn button.
The only jobs are to get all the parts in place, see what is missing and then start up with the job. The body needs a thorough treatment before getting a fresh coat.Some of the chrome trims need some more shine with plating from a reputed place.
The spares that are needed may come by one after the other and sometimes this tests our patience. Get everything essential to get the car moving (remember the Essential Services Maintenance Act that the sarkar invokes to get things moving). The engine may need a lot of work to be done to get it cranking and firing. Once the engine starts the rest of the repairs can follow.
The non-essential, ornamental trims can come at later stages, as and when they become available.There is a Club in the UK where you can shop for spares that have the stamp of reliability. This is always better than shopping with unknown individuals on eBay and so on.
Morris Minor Owners Club •
Moreover, there are many such clubs in New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere where you can get ample information.
Lastly, Mumbai's Opera House and Chor Bazar offer lots of spares. The timing has to be right, as these are only momentarily available and bought very quickly by enthusiasts.
In 2003, I was offered a low-light, two-door, soft-top for Rs 25,000=00 but did not go for it due to parking space problems.The same may cost a bomb now.

[srinand]

Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM

Congrats, and all the best for the restoration.

I am infact restoring a 1950 low light convertible morris minor with a side-valve engine, and trust me, its a nightmare if you get through some wrong restorers. Although its a simple car to restore, parts can get difficult.

All the best

Originally Posted by harit

Congrats on your aquisition.
Can you please post some pictures of your dads lowlight and the Balilla?

Cheers harit

Originally Posted by jagadeesh.b

Hey Srinand, Congrats & Best of Luck.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Congratulations Srinand.The car appears to have a lot of its original parts and trims intact.Still there is a lot to be done. The side valve engine and the SU carburettor can be sighted. The dash, speedo and the two meters are intact and so are the steering and its horn button...

Hi Everyone,

Thanks to each of you for your wishes and comments.

Pavan Sir, yes i am following almost all of your restorations including the morris minor as well. I dont think there has been an update for a while now. Please do update the thread, i am sure there are several others who wait eagerly for an update.
With regards to the restoration of my car, i am being very ambitious and hope to do most things myself, lets see how it goes! (In this case, i may be the wrong restorer ).

Harit Sir, thank you for your wishes. I only have a couple of pics of the morris minor, where it is an innocent bystander and not the main focus of the picture. There are a few pics of the Fiat Balilla with a lot of family members in them, will choose the appropriate pics and post them. Been wanting to do so for a while, just not been able to. Will definitely do so at the earliest. I also believe the car actually exists in Mumbai from what i heard a long time ago. Any idea where she is?

Mr.Jagadeesh, thank you so much. Would definitely need a lot of luck with my ambitious plans!

Anjan Sir, Yes it is quite nice that the car still has a lot of parts intact. A few things seem to be missing and at the moment I am making a list of things that are missing and need to be sourced. One of the issues at the moment is the gearbox which was opened up by a mechanic who could not put it back together and hence came to me in a bag. Initial looks seem to have most of the big bits but a few small parts seem to be missing. I dont know much (actually nothing) about gearboxes and and am just comparing the parts that are present with the exploded view of the gearbox as shown in the workshop manual. Thank you so much for the information sir. Will definitely scout through all these places you mention on the internet for sourcing the necessary spares and info.
It is quite a sad thing that you did not buy the Tourer back in 2003. I would love to get one for a price like that now, but then who wouldnt?
Also Sir, any idea how these websites are for spares;
Bull Motif - Morris Minor Spares Specialist - Morris Minor Parts - Classic Car Spares and G S Jones Morris Minor Parts

It is really nice to see the support and encouragement that i have got so far.

regards,

Srinand.

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by srinand

Hi Everyone,

Thanks to each of you for your wishes and comments.

Pavan Sir, yes i am following almost all of your restorations including the morris minor as well. I dont think there has been an update for a while now. Please do update the thread, i am sure there are several others who wait eagerly for an update.
With regards to the restoration of my car, i am being very ambitious and hope to do most things myself, lets see how it goes! (In this case, i may be the wrong restorer ).

Harit Sir, thank you for your wishes. I only have a couple of pics of the morris minor, where it is an innocent bystander and not the main focus of the picture. There are a few pics of the Fiat Balilla with a lot of family members in them, will choose the appropriate pics and post them. Been wanting to do so for a while, just not been able to. Will definitely do so at the earliest. I also believe the car actually exists in Mumbai from what i heard a long time ago. Any idea where she is?

Mr.Jagadeesh, thank you so much. Would definitely need a lot of luck with my ambitious plans!

Anjan Sir, Yes it is quite nice that the car still has a lot of parts intact. A few things seem to be missing and at the moment I am making a list of things that are missing and need to be sourced. One of the issues at the moment is the gearbox which was opened up by a mechanic who could not put it back together and hence came to me in a bag. Initial looks seem to have most of the big bits but a few small parts seem to be missing. I dont know much (actually nothing) about gearboxes and and am just comparing the parts that are present with the exploded view of the gearbox as shown in the workshop manual. Thank you so much for the information sir. Will definitely scout through all these places you mention on the internet for sourcing the necessary spares and info.
It is quite a sad thing that you did not buy the Tourer back in 2003. I would love to get one for a price like that now, but then who wouldnt?
Also Sir, any idea how these websites are for spares;
Bull Motif - Morris Minor Spares Specialist - Morris Minor Parts - Classic Car Spares and G S Jones Morris Minor Parts

It is really nice to see the support and encouragement that i have got so far.

regards,

Srinand.

all the sources quoted are very good, and also ebay UK is a very good source for British car spares.some old stock morris minor spares are still available in some old parts shops in the country

[beetle_boy]

Srinand,

All the very best for this baby, lets catch up sometime want to see the car personally as I am eying one for myself.Get hold of all the parts required before you strip your vehicle. Its better you make a list few part are still available with in our bangalore gugri which I happen to see couple of months back.

Saleem

[ariesonu]

Hi Sri,
First of all accept my heartiest congratulations for this wonderful acquisition. I hv recently completd a 1956 Fiat 110 resto & will very shortly follow your suit of restoring a MM.
As luck would have it, few days back I was browsing through a book shop & found "The book of the MORRIS EIGHT AND THE MORRIS MINOR" by Staton Abbey.
I'm posting first page & contents page for your reference. I'll scan important requiste pages, whenever'll you need them.




A nostalgic ad on the back page:


Raab rakha.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by srinand

Also Sir, any idea how these websites are for spares;
Bull Motif - Morris Minor Spares Specialist - Morris Minor Parts - Classic Car Spares and G S Jones Morris Minor Parts

It is really nice to see the support and encouragement that i have got so far.

regards,

Srinand.

I have had a look at both the websites.This one appears to be reliable with the stamp of approval the "British Motor Heritage". I cannot comment about the other one.
Bull Motif - Morris Minor Spares Specialist - Morris Minor Parts - Classic Car Spares
The safest I found are the clubs as these are managed by an elected body and generally they do a good job.
eBay is not very, very safe as the particular individual's reputation is all that counts. If the payment is made and the seller disappears, nothing much can be done.I know about one such case and hence until its a very rare spare, eBay is better relegated to the second place,keeping the reputed, registered clubs first.

[srinand]

Originally Posted by ajay99

all the sources quoted are very good, and also ebay UK is a very good source for British car spares.some old stock morris minor spares are still available in some old parts shops in the country

Originally Posted by beetle_boy

Srinand,

All the very best for this baby, lets catch up sometime want to see the car personally as I am eying one for myself.Get hold of all the parts required before you strip your vehicle. Its better you make a list few part are still available with in our bangalore gugri which I happen to see couple of months back.

Saleem

Originally Posted by ariesonu

Hi Sri,
First of all accept my heartiest congratulations for this wonderful acquisition. I hv recently completd a 1956 Fiat 110 resto & will very shortly follow your suit of restoring a MM.
As luck would have it, few days back I was browsing through a book shop & found "The book of the MORRIS EIGHT AND THE MORRIS MINOR" by Staton Abbey.
I'm posting first page & contents page for your reference. I'll scan important requiste pages, whenever'll you need them.

Raab rakha.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

I have had a look at both the websites.This one appears to be reliable with the stamp of approval the "British Motor Heritage". I cannot comment about the other one.
Bull Motif - Morris Minor Spares Specialist - Morris Minor Parts - Classic Car Spares
The safest I found are the clubs as these are managed by an elected body and generally they do a good job.
eBay is not very, very safe as the particular individual's reputation is all that counts. If the payment is made and the seller disappears, nothing much can be done.I know about one such case and hence until its a very rare spare, eBay is better relegated to the second place,keeping the reputed, registered clubs first.

Hi Ajay99, thank you for the info, would you happen to know of any such old shops which still stock new old stock for this car? It would be of great help if i could find parts locally than go through the whole e-shopping routine.

Hi Saleem, you are welcome to come and visit whenever you want. I am put up in Basavanagudi. Could you elaborate on what parts were available or caught your eye in the gujri? Thank you.

Hi Ariesonu Sir, Yes i did follow the restoration of the Fiat, not closely i admit. I did see your post with the morris minor and that you were trying to get hold of it. Did you manage to do that? Also, i think it is a much later model from what i remember, which model was it? Thank you for the scans that you have put up. I would love a copy of the book if possible. I have the following books if you would want a copy do please let me know;
1. Morris minor owners manual.
2. Morris minor workshop manual (soft copy).
3. Original morris minor - a restoration guide by Ray Newell - This is still in print and available on flipkart.com which is where i bought it from. I have to thank forum member Tonrag sir for recommending this book, it is extremely nice as it provides information which is very hard to find and pictures supplementing the same.

Hi Sir, Thank you for going through the websites and doing the homework for me. I will keep your advice in mind and act when it comes to buying online. I hope i will be able to find stuff required locally and only if not will go the online way or if it makes a difference financially.

Thank you everyone,

regards,

Srinand.

[srinand]

Hi Everyone,

I have been reading about the car from the workshop manual and other books about the originality of the car. So far i have managed to open up the carburretor, fuel pump from the car and have been trying to clean up the engine bay a little. I would like to know what is the usual process to get an engine that has not run in a while, started? I look forward to hearing from all the experts and gurus.

Thank you in advance.

Srinand.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by srinand

Hi Everyone,

I have been reading about the car from the workshop manual and other books about the originality of the car. So far i have managed to open up the carburretor, fuel pump from the car and have been trying to clean up the engine bay a little. I would like to know what is the usual process to get an engine that has not run in a while, started? I look forward to hearing from all the experts and gurus.

Thank you in advance.

Srinand.

Nice to see you are doing few things on your Own

1) Clean / Change oil filter
2) Change Engine oil
3) Change Gearbox/transmission oil
4) Clean the radiator and check for leakages
5) Do the necessary connection and you can start the car

[srinand]

Originally Posted by harit

Congrats on your aquisition.
Can you please post some pictures of your dads lowlight and the Balilla?
Cheers harit

Hi Sir,

A picture of the Balilla posted here;

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vintag...ml#post2777439

regards,

Srinand.

[deutscheafrikar]

Originally Posted by srinand

I recently acquired a morris minor 1952, you can read more about it here Do please let me know if you have any spares that you would like to dispose off. It would be very helpful, as of now i am doing some reading and am slowly dismantling the car little by little, i hope to have a lot more time in the future to do up this car myself or if i am unable to do so, then get it done .

regards,

Srinand.

Hi Srinand. I have to say congratulations, Your thread is very similar to sushil_n79 bajaj 150 thread and both are making my eyes moist on a wed afternoon. My Dad had two door from what I can remember with two SU Electric pumps that worked on a toggle switch on the right lower portion of the dash. Horn button was there too or was it starter push button. Are you going to do an engine overhaul? If you are and you need valves and the ones I have match ( I could send you a photo when I get them out from where they are, I sure my Father told me it was of the MM) You can have it for no charge. Best regards
Nigel