Morris Minor Owners Club

Can anyone shed any light (pun entirely deliberate) on this for me please?
Max the Moggie (4-door, late split-screen) was built June/July 1956 and is a 'Deluxe' version, which among other things means it would have left the production line with an interior lamp (pictured here) but no courtesy switches. I have a feeling that the lamp fitted is not the correct one, and might be from a 'Series 3' Minor. Your comments as to whether the lamp is/isn't correct will be received with interest. If any of you have a correct/original lamp in a Series II saloon, I'd be grateful if you could post a photo of it.

Adjacent to my interior lamp there is a very old bakelite-bodied toggle switch (also pictured here). It's about 2cm in diameter with a brass toggle. It's a bit damaged, and it doesn't appear to do anything. I was wondering if the original interior lamp came with no integral switch, and this was simply the original switch for it.

The white plastic light is identical to the in my 1957 4 dr 'de luxe'. I think the even later ones had a central lens meant to focus the beam.

I have looked in Ray Newell's book and on p48 there is a photo of the headlong of a series II with only one sun visor and no interior light. It is a 2 door and I can't see whether it is early / late model.

I may be wrong but the light looks like an upgrade to later SII or SIII models.

As to the bakelite switch, it looks aftermarket and its purpose elusive.

firedrake1942 wrote: I have looked in Ray Newell's book and on p48 there is a photo of the headlong of a series II with only one sun visor and no interior light. It is a 2 door and I can't see whether it is early / late model.

I was hoping to use Ray's book as a reference point. The photo on p48 is likely a standard (non-deluxe) car, probably the 1955 2-door pictured on p41 (MUN295 without overriders).

your interior lamp is correct with the chrome switch for a series 2, the Bakelite swtich is non standard.

I did wonder, although I thought I could see the stainless steel door tops, must be a trick of the light. Are there any wires coming from the bakelite switch and if so have you traced them ? Probably like the tension wires, down one front pillar or the other. It may be aftermarket, but it looks good there.

No wires connected to switch. It's sole purpose seems to be as a cover for a hole in the headlining!

What came first, I wonder ? The hole for wires or the switch to cover the hole?

I'm thinking hole first. Headlining from donor car with roof-mounted radio aerial maybe? Aerial would possibly have had an internal knob to turn it through 90 degrees, to avoid low garage doorways

stevey wrote:your interior lamp is correct with the chrome switch for a series 2, the Bakelite swtich is non standard.P5310001.JPG

Thanks for your confirmation Stevey. The car was restored back in 1990 with concours in mind. I'd be quite surprised if the owner/restorer had let a non-standard lamp slip the net!

nope definitely original

Yes, same as in my 1955 SII ........

I'll leave it well alone then! Thanks for the input folks