Adderley Park Traveller's

[Nickol]

I was interested to know where Adderley PArk is or was . Having done the search using ixquick.de ( a safer site than googly) it gave me this interesting link and history of the place

https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/wolsele ... ley-works/

[Mark Wilson]

Better records perhaps. more conscientious in recording in the 1940's / 50's than in late 60's / 70's when the Minor run was coming to an end. Keep the good work!

I still can't believe that UK has only 745 Travellers left ! How many are in a reasonable state How many saloons / convertibles I wonder remain?

The records seem to be pretty good for all but Adderley Park Travellers and LCVs, but someone decided to bin all the AP records when they closed it.

There's actually 1169 Travellers currently recorded on the DVLA database if you include SORN. Not all SORNS are piles of scrap - mine was, but will hopefully emerge from winter as a showroom fresh resto! Total of 14,176 Minors of all types registered, 22,412 incuding SORNS.

Interestingly the number of Travellers has increased by about 50 over the last couple of years. If I put all my spare pieces together and buy one of those "memorabilia" chassis plates from Ebay perhaps I could make another one......

[firedrake1942]

lol

[POMMReg]

Panky, would you pm your Trav's regn please?

[panky]

PM sent

[POMMReg]

PM sent

Thanks Mr.P.!!

[POMMReg]

Getting a bit obsessive on this topic now, but my working life has involved a degree of statistical analysis. Taking figures from the How Many Left website and from Ray Newell's "Morris Minor Traveller" book I have calculated that from 1960 (the earliest figures to hand) to mid 1969 there were 150,161 Travellers constructed, with 745 survivors (including SORN), making a survival rate of 0.49%. For the Adderley Park Travellers the figures are 18,116 built and 188 survivors, so a survival rate of 1.03%, or twice the rate for the Cowley cars. These are UK survival figures only and the Adderley Park numbers are a bit less accurate, but after making allowances there is clearly no evidence for the AP cars being significantly worse than earlier ones. They are newer, of course, but with the newest being 46 years old that will have only a marginal effect.

188 survivors is wrong somewhere, have 170 chassis numbers listed on my database, probably increase if I spend many many more hours searching.

Fighting for the truth for over 30yrs.....but STILL cannot untangle xmas tree lights...

[firedrake1942]

One of life's most profound mysteries. Every year I put them away, perfectly coiled. Every year, out they come, tangled as a tangly thing!

[Mark Wilson]

188 survivors is wrong somewhere, have 170 chassis numbers listed on my database, probably increase if I spend many many more hours searching.

Hi Chris,

The numbers I used are from the How Many Left database, using 2016 Q4 Morris Minor Traveller by year of first registration (their year of manufacture figures definitely look wrong!).

1969 61 licensed, 30 sorn, total 91 - as the transfer to Adderley Park was in July 1969 I included half of these - probably a bit over generous as it would have taken a few months for registrations to catch up with manufacture. My April 71 registration was definitely manufactured at Adderely Park prior to December 1970.

1970 39 licensed, 32 sorn, total 71
1971 51 licensed,19 sorn, total 70
1972 1 licensed, 0 sorn, total 1

I'm absolutely certain your records will be better than the DVLA figures used by How Many Left, just shows the value of your work. Assuming the recording errors are reasonably evenly distributed, though, this still supports my contention that Adderley Park Travellers shouldn't be sniffed at as somehow less durable!

Mark

[POMMReg]

Up to 215 now.

Mark, amount excludes those built in 1969

Wonder whether laminated rear posts were introduced upon the formation of BLMC?

We've got to bounce ideas here, were laminated thingy's any cheaper to produce, or easier to construct?

[Nickol]

The survivors mentioned whether in total or just from Adderley are of course only the GB ones. Some 15 to 20 Travellers are registered here in Germany and probably similar number in the other euro countries not to mention Australia NZ, south Africa etc

[POMMReg]

Fleet/Dealer?

HPA 891K(Van), HPA 892-898K(Traveller's)

Anyone on here own one & has details of first owner?

[SteveClem]

This is as complicated and controversial as Egyptology... despite being a little more recent

[POMMReg]

This is as complicated and controversial as Egyptology... despite being a little more recent

Tell me about it!!

Is it only me recording details & researching CL/AddPk assembled/built Minor's(?). LCV Club stopped years ago, NOT even interested in the "Magnificent 700" saga!!

Perhaps someone within the MMOC - and having a special interest in B'ham built Minor's - fancies starting a AddPk group(?).

Production records are gone, but some of the vehicles are still with us, which themselves carry production records.....

Just a thought, but anyone seriously interested, please feel free to contact me.

[IaininTenbury]

Up to 215 now.

Mark, amount excludes those built in 1969

Wonder whether laminated rear posts were introduced upon the formation of BLMC?

We've got to bounce ideas here, were laminated thingy's any cheaper to produce, or easier to construct?

A lot easier and cheaper in materials, as can be made out of smaller thinner lengths of timber - less wastage than trying to get a large solid shape out of a piece of tree... Downside is, its several pieces to cut, bond together then shape to templates, but the material savings probably justified the extra labour.

[Chipper]

Hi

Do you mind if I ask a potentially daft question ?

I have been told by a few people that the late Adderley Park travellers were not built to the same standards and that both the woodwork and the metal used was poorer quality. And they tend to rot quicker than the earlier models.
Is this true or just an old wives tale ?

I am looking to buy my first traveller next spring all being well, and I have been advised to try and find a good 1967 or 68 model rather than say a 1970 or 71.

Thanks
Phil

From my own experience with a 1970 Adderley-Park built Traveller, it has now clocked up over 160,000 miles and still retains most of its original wood, aside from the thin ladder rail sections behind the rear number plate panel which succumbed to dry rot.

Of course, some areas of bodywork have needed replacement over the years, primarily the nearside chassis leg, nearside front floor, some welding of the inner sills, nearside front spring hanger and all external wings (now fibreglass on the rear).

It still drives nicely and feels pretty 'together' for a 47-year old car.

[POMMReg]

After lots of mezzonotte oil burning, Nescafe Toffee Nut latte's & cigarettes, think we're getting somewhere...
Intro of Neiman & ditto with blk engines PLUS rough guesstimate when the "J" suffix has been reached...info IS out there, just have to badger & pester ppl to get it!

Alas, the "Magnificent 700" saga is a non runner, found 400, but looking increasingly like AddPk voided in blocks of "50", the likelyhood of me getting 1 in every 50 LCVs built VERY slim. DO have a list of these if anyone is interested.

[squire]

Have just sent you a pm
Martyn.

[Blaketon]

Hi

Do you mind if I ask a potentially daft question ?

I have been told by a few people that the late Adderley Park travellers were not built to the same standards and that both the woodwork and the metal used was poorer quality. And they tend to rot quicker than the earlier models.
Is this true or just an old wives tale ?

I am looking to buy my first traveller next spring all being well, and I have been advised to try and find a good 1967 or 68 model rather than say a 1970 or 71.

Thanks
Phil

From my own experience with a 1970 Adderley-Park built Traveller, it has now clocked up over 160,000 miles and still retains most of its original wood, aside from the thin ladder rail sections behind the rear number plate panel which succumbed to dry rot.

Of course, some areas of bodywork have needed replacement over the years, primarily the nearside chassis leg, nearside front floor, some welding of the inner sills, nearside front spring hanger and all external wings (now fibreglass on the rear).

It still drives nicely and feels pretty 'together' for a 47-year old car.

I had understood that all late Travellers had laminated wood but I don't now think this is the case. I know that the wood on mine lasted 30 years, having been rubbed down and re coated in 1991. The original owner owned it for 20 years and did about 85000 miles in it. The bills show a small patch on the rear spring hanger in 1979, some other small job underneath in the mid 80s but the first major welding was in 1991, when it had new sills and four new wings. That seems pretty durable to me. From what I gather, during the 1960s, Minors were still selling well enough to justify production but not well enough to justify any major spec changes or re tooling (To permit the use of thinner gauge steel), so they remained overbuilt (By the standards of the time) to the end.

There were differences in BL plants; Speke had a shocking name, whilst Abingdon was regarded as one of the best. However, if you take a Triumph TR7 today, it's condition and standard of workmanship is more likely to be influenced by who has owned it and who has worked on it over the years, than whether it was built in Speke, Canley or Solihull.

[ianmack]

Speke Triumphs were notorious. Some years ago a local enthusiast restored one, with great emphasis on originality. When the time came for painting it he told them how keen he was to get it just like when it left the factory.

'Okay' said the sprayer, 'do you want me to paint it like when it left the factory? Or shall I do it properly?