Page 39 - MM_Sep Oct 2021

intention being to leave it as original as possible. The headlights have had the sealed beam units removed and halogen replacements fitted. These required an alternator and negative earth conversion the latter eliminating rust and rot that can be caused by electrolysis. A spin-on oil filter replaced the original cartridge type for ease of servicing. I did fit electronic ignition but after 32 miles this packed up
so it is again running using points and condenser and will now continue thus.
The Mini-type steering wheel that the
later cars were fitted did not meet with my approval and so to bring it in line with my perception of a Morris Minor the one fitted has been replaced with an original banjo type which looks and suits the car much better. l
Mike Cranswick
of alignment. It took two months of work before she came back to me, and I had to set about rebuilding the car. When I got Jean back, she had been fitted with my spare grille, giving her a red nose, which ended up being massive laugh for my friends, who relentlessly tormented me for owning a ‘clown car’.
It was a solid three months of work where I spent pretty much every day working on Jean, often working under an umbrella to keep both the rain and sun off my back. I had to rush because I suddenly went from living with my parents, to getting a place to live in a town away from where I worked. I had planned to move out in December, but as I was moving out four months early, I had to work fast and get Jean in a state that she could be safely driven again. I ended up making a bet with a friend that I wouldn’t be
able to finish it before September. I had to refit the entire interior, repaint the inner wings, Waxoyl everything, fit the grille, wings and bumpers so they fitted, sort out issues with the engine, fix issues with the wiring loom – something I still need to replace – as well as about 100 little jobs that were all fiddly but I did. I ended up getting Jean put back together, safe and drivable, a day before my original deadline - and I won a free takeaway from my friend for it, ha!
I took her to a mechanic so he could check over my work and he gave the green light that she was fully roadworthy again, which
was a massive weight off my mind. I had ended up throwing my back out completely, wearing myself to the ground and pulled many a late night, but I did it in time. I couldn’t have done
it without the help of my Grandad Peter, my parents and my friends who all helped me out massively. With that, I moved house and started driving Jean again to and from work each day. There were hiccups along the way, with some of the parts I didn’t service causing me issues such as
a fuel pump failure. I also had to replace the trunnions in the front suspension.
As I drove Jean pretty much every day during the winter, it was horrendously cold and saw me wrapping up in about five layers
to stay warm. This unfortunately meant my disability acted up a lot, making life just a tad more difficult. Funnily though, it was common to see people stop and stare, baffled at me driving past in the snow in a 55 years old car. The best part about driving a classic car is the looks on people faces when you drive by. On a lovely summer’s day, people smile, wave, nudge their partners or give me a thumbs up. In the winter or on a rainy day however, everyone looks at you like you’ve gone completely insane, which is endlessly entertaining. I even had an older guy pull up next to me to joke if I was cold or not, while I was wearing a scarf, hat, gloves and a thick coat driving the car, which did give me a good chuckle.
This leads me to today, where I have been happily driving her
to work and back pretty much every day. I’ve been able to see
my friends and meet them (safely socially distanced) and got my freedom to go places, all thanks to this lovely old car. After driving for almost three years, I can safely say I’ve enjoyed it. Luckily with the glorious weather we are currently having, driving Jean is a dream but I think that this winter I will hang up the keys, at least for the winter. I finally have a more modern – albeit much more boring – car that’s fitted with hand controls, so if my leg acts up, I don’t need to use my feet to drive. Then this winter, I will spend the time getting the things sorted on Jean I didn’t get the chance to get round to last year, so that next year I will be able to use her daily again, in better than ever condition. l
Matthew Clark
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