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Old 2nd January 2020, 15:44   #31
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Re: Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM

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Originally Posted by 53BHP View Post
Congratulations on a wonderful, detailed and sympathetic restoration. Kudos to the team. The attention to detail is just out standing

The colour choice is fabulous. Wish you many happy years of motoring
Thanks, very much indeed!

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Originally Posted by Jeroen View Post
Well, I hope you are correct, but I doubt it very much. Shocks do not affect the ride height at all.

Nothing should need settling down in a suspension set up.

Good luck

Jeroeb
I will circle back with Krishna on this. I had the same question for him when the car was being put back together during resto. Thanks for pointing out, though.

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Originally Posted by Bulldogji View Post
Dear 51Morris,

First and foremost let me congratulate you on a job well done.



However , I do notice certain areas which could do with improvement,at least in my mind.

1.The rear view mirror does not seem to be the correct one.

2.the screws on the internal frame of the front windshield need to be uniform. Some are flat headed and countersunk to fit flush with the frame, others are rounded and appear to be proud of the frame.

3.the red beading on the sunvisor could be neater

4.the front seats look odd, especially the sides.

5. you have fitted a modern ignition coil with a ballast. But these coils are not designed to be fitted upside down. This may lead to problems after some time.



Trust you will not be offended by my observations, just that you seem so passionate about the car, I thought I should point out what I noticed.



Happy motoring and enjoy the fruits of your labour.
Thanks very much for your kind words, and more importantly for your observations - these are most welcome!

1. The rear view mirror is the original that came with the car. Its a nice convex mirror giving a nice wide view of the rear. However, I could not find a replacement mirror in the same convex setup, hence decided to keep the original as is. Looking out for this and a few other parts, will replace as and when I find them.

2. Very good observation on the windshield screws - some are indeed not as flush as others. Added this to the list of "to dos" for Krishna!

3. Yes, these could be cleaner. But considering that this will mostly be folded up, it will be slightly lower on my list of things to do

4. Never noticed this, will take a closer look!

5. Great observation - will flag this to Krishna.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeroen View Post
The biggest problem with fuel for old classic cars is never the octane number, but the lack of lead and possibly ethanol in modern fuels.

Lead was added to fuel in the past to obtain a higher octane number. But also it had an important function to reduce valve and vale seat wear.

If you have not replaced the valve and the valve seats on your engine you will have additional wear. If you do little mileage not a problem at all. Or you could add a lead additive.

Ethanol in modern fuels could be a huge problem in vintage cars. It will literally eat up and corrode many parts in the fuel system. From the carburator to the fuel tanks, pump, filters etc.

So you really need to check whether the new parts you have used are ethanol proof. Even so, ethanol will ruin old petrol tanks etc. So you really want to be cautious. Adding an anti ethanol additive will help a bit. But so far I have not seen anything on the market that really counters ethanol problems on old cars adequately. In Europe you can still get ethanol free petrol, which I am using for all my classics.

Good luck

Jeroen
Thanks a lot, Jeroen, for this! I will do some research on this, based on your advice. Will reach out to you separately on this, I'm sure I'll need more help on this matter
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Old 2nd January 2020, 15:50   #32
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Re: Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM

Excellent job at the restoration there. One of most beautiful Morris Minors I have ever seen. Actually I had seen Vinty on December 1st near my home. And she looks as beautiful as in the pictures here.

Here is one pic which I clicked
Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM-screenshot_20200102153716__01.jpg

Wanted to stop them for a chat and click more pictures but the traffic conditions were not friendly as can be seen in the pic.

One of Vinty's siblings of the same age lives with my uncle in a small town called Muvattupuzha in Kerala. It's again a 1951 Morris Minor still running on the original side valve engine.

Here is a pic I had clicked when I took her out for a spin a couple of months back

Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM-screenshot_20200102154557.jpg

Looking forward to seeing more updates on the thread with more and more pictures.
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Old 2nd January 2020, 15:53   #33
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Re: Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM

WOW WOW WOW!! rarely do i go speechless, only when i am droolin, this is one of the occasions. Krishna is a wizard. Should get him a magic wand and hat. BRILLIANT.
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Old 2nd January 2020, 16:00   #34
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Originally Posted by aravind511 View Post
Looking forward to seeing more updates on the thread with more and more pictures.
Thanks a lot, Aravind! Nice to see a candid picture of the car in traffic!!

Your Uncles' MM is a beautiful car too - love the paint scheme and that it still has the original thin white walled tyres. From what I could see - looks like it has the sun visor too

Quote:
Originally Posted by G-One View Post
WOW WOW WOW!! rarely do i go speechless, only when i am droolin, this is one of the occasions. Krishna is a wizard. Should get him a magic wand and hat. BRILLIANT.
Thanks, G-One!

I noticed you are in Ho Chi Minh City! Saigon has been one of the cities I want to visit sometime.

Last edited by BlackPearl : 3rd January 2020 at 06:01. Reason: Merged back to back posts. Thanks.
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Old 2nd January 2020, 16:12   #35
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Re: Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM

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Originally Posted by 51morris View Post
Thanks a lot, Aravind! Nice to see a candid picture of the car in traffic!!

Your Uncles' MM is a beautiful car too - love the paint scheme and that it still has the original thin white walled tyres. From what I could see - looks like it has the sun visor too
Thank you for the compliments but those are aftermarket white wall inserts. However they complete the look. It has a sun visor as you correctly noticed.

Driving it on good village roads with the windows down and quarter glasses open is a beautiful experience and I make sure I take it out for a drive whenever I am home.
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Old 2nd January 2020, 16:40   #36
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Re: Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM

Lovely restoration in a time and age where the old car artists perished.

What clear did you use on the paint? how many coats and did you color sand it?

Was the upholstery used leather?

Carpeting is very very neatly done along with the paint .

The chrome came out real well , yes copper plating is important as i learnt doing my vintage British motorcycles.

Finally how does it drive compared to before, any road test report coming? Did the pu bushes stiffen the ride.

Can you help me to get cross ply tires for ambassador?
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Old 2nd January 2020, 17:16   #37
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Re: Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM

This is a car which is so so close to my heart. I learnt how to drive in a 1951 Morris Minor. As a matter of fact the other car in the house was a 1962 Super Select which I used to drive to college along with the Minor. A definite head turner in 2001 amongst all the Marutis which others had.

What I loved about the car was the low fuel indicator. No lights but the 'dug dug dug' noise it made when you running low on fuel. I still remember the tyre size, 5'20'14.

Now this thread too is close to my heart

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Originally Posted by avi_swift View Post

Please don't mind if this is a stupid question but what is this in the above picture? Some sort of indicator? Or a purely decorative thing?
That's the indicator

Last edited by Altocumulus : 2nd January 2020 at 17:21.
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Old 2nd January 2020, 17:31   #38
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Originally Posted by avi_swift View Post
Congratulations 51Morris!!

The car indeed looks fabulous

Attachment 1952074

Please don't mind if this is a stupid question but what is this in the above picture? Some sort of indicator? Or a purely decorative thing?

Also, how are the maintenance schedules for these vintage cars? Like do you have to run the car every week/month? And when you do, do you have to run for some time to allow the engine to reach its optimum temperature? I believe in modern cars, these things are planned for when they are designed, but I am not sure if cars from these era can be used with the ease of modern automobiles.
Thanks!

That is called a "Trafficator". Its controlled by a lever below the dashboard. I was able to find the trafficator switch which works on the basis of a vacuum - this way, after a few seconds the vacuum is released and the lever comes back to neutral position (and the trafficator pops back into the B pillar).

Maintenance on old cars is normally an ongoing thing These cars definitely need to be driven regularly, to keep them in good shape. My Mom's driver takes it out for a spin once a week in Bangalore. A 5 kilometers drive is enough to warm the engine up sufficiently and also charge the battery.

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Originally Posted by Altocumulus View Post
This is a car which is so so close to my heart. I learnt how to drive in a 1951 Morris Minor. As a matter of fact the other car in the house was a 1962 Super Select which I used to drive to college along with the Minor. A definite head turner in 2001 amongst all the Marutis which others had.

What I loved about the car was the low fuel indicator. No lights but the 'dug dug dug' noise it made when you running low on fuel. I still remember the tyre size, 5'20'14.

Now this thread too is close to my heart



That's the indicator
Thanks! Nice car to learn driving on!!

Yes, the Super Selects were the last of the Fiats with the suicide doors - my 1960 Select was quite popular on roads, especially when I opened the door to step out!

One of the accessories I wanted was a Smiths clock for the glove box cover. All Morris Minors came with a standard monogram on the glove box. The clock was sold as an accessory - and hence is incredibly difficult to find. One in really good condition is being offered on ebay for £250!

This morning, I found one in reasonably good shape being offered for waaaaaay less. Made an offer and it was accepted! I should have it with me in a few days. Will have this fitted onto the car during my next visit to Bangalore.

Here's what the clock looks like.

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Last edited by Aditya : 3rd January 2020 at 08:26. Reason: Back to back posts merged. Please use the multi quote feature.
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Old 2nd January 2020, 18:11   #39
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Re: Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM

Lovely. What an restoration!! Congrats to you and the technical Team Krishna and folks. Marvelous effort. Love the attention to detail and those color scheme is literally an eye candy. I want to have the third pic from the 6th post on this thread as my wallpaper.

If you can put up a video on how those turn indicators work will be an absolute bliss. Never saw one
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Old 2nd January 2020, 18:16   #40
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Re: Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM

Very well restored by Krishna. Superb commitment 51morris for this rebuild. Loved the way this restoration panned out. The car is a looker.

We had met once when I come for a small rally in my 1932 Plymouth. It was "no plastics" theme rally.

Congratulations again

cheers

KPS
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Old 2nd January 2020, 18:23   #41
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Re: Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM

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Originally Posted by saisree View Post
Lovely. What an restoration!! Congrats to you and the technical Team Krishna and folks. Marvelous effort. Love the attention to detail and those color scheme is literally an eye candy. I want to have the third pic from the 6th post on this thread as my wallpaper.

If you can put up a video on how those turn indicators work will be an absolute bliss. Never saw one
Thanks Saisree! I will have someone in Bangalore do a quick video of the trafficators and post it here soon.

Quote:
Originally Posted by KPS View Post
Very well restored by Krishna. Superb commitment 51morris for this rebuild. Loved the way this restoration panned out. The car is a looker.

We had met once when I come for a small rally in my 1932 Plymouth. It was "no plastics" theme rally.

Congratulations again

cheers

KPS
Hello KPS!

Thanks for the feedback - means a lot coming from someone like you who is working on one of the best restorations I have seen so far (the Diamler!). I've been closely following that thread.

Yes, I remember meeting you and your father at the rally in Jayanagar.

Cheers!
Praveen
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Old 3rd January 2020, 09:58   #42
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Hi,

You have got a beautiful and an original car,iam a big fan of Morris Minor since the age of 5,Iam yet to own one though
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Old 3rd January 2020, 10:49   #43
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Re: Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM

Came across this lovely September 1950 (!) write up in motoring magazine about a morris minor purchase & restoration. Thought I'd share.

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...e-morris-minor
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Old 3rd January 2020, 11:28   #44
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Re: Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM

Classic and Beautiful. I can only imagine the patience level required to do classic restoration. This looks like done with so much attention and love. And thanks a lot for not installing any stupid stereo to ruin it's classic character. .
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Old 3rd January 2020, 12:01   #45
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Re: Restoration of "Vinty" - My 1951 Morris Minor Series MM

@ Praveen,

I second the comments made by Hormusji Cama's (aka bulldogji). For the ignition coil, the coil is actually 6 volt and therefore the ballast. This works only on the systems built for it. Also removing the resistor alone form circuit will not help. Get the old style ignition coil. You can still find a Fiat ignition coil without ballast.

In case you do not find one, I have a spare.

For the fuel, the current generation fuel will work with no issues, the higher the octane the better the detonation (please note it is not knocking which is a different thing all together) resistance.

Also note that this will not give you any benefits as well.

The downside of current generation fuel is absence of lead. As rightly pointed out, some people add additives in the fuel. Which i the same thing - more pollution. There would be accelerated valve seat wear for sure.

The other way is to put hardened seat inserts that will cure the problem. You have to machine out the current one and add the new hardened ones.

I did discussed with Krishna and his opinion was against this as he said our running is low and then he suspects the quality of work. And I agree to his point.

However there are very good machine shops in Coimbatore that can do the job professionally and would be a life long solution. You would get the seat inserts easily in UK. Alternatively we can look for matching inserts from a local vehicle in India (having same size of valves).
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