Morris Minor Owners Club

Wow first drive of willy today, started half mile, then mile, done nearly 40 miles now, its a dream, my moggy drives realy well, 1959, 948, 4 door saloon, however, bet you knew that was coming, suspension on the rear is what can only be described as " wooden wheel horse cart " so think I will change damper oil as I'm not sure when last done, also really weird brakes, not soft seems to have pressure but not alot of stopping power, could this just be down to new pads and bedding in ?, otherwise I am truly and deeply in love please don't tell the wife☹ , so glad I got the chance to own a Morris minor, even better the insurance company say value is 2,900, never thought it, and don't care, I love ❤ my moggy

Welcome to the world of Morris minor driving.

The Minor rear suspension never has been like modern cars with coil springs. It is fitted with cart type leaf springs. Changing the damper oil may help and I do say may as the standard dampers are not the best but do the job (just).
The minor is not fitted with disc brakes unless someone has fitted an after market kit. The 7" drum brakes are adequate but not as efficient as discs.
You cannot compare a Minor to a modern car as they as different as chalk and cheese. The Minor has its own charm and quirks.
Accept the car as it is and enjoy.

Thanks phill makes me feel a little better as I defiantly wasn't expecting a modern ride, brakes are 7" drum, I do have a ford conversion kit to disc but wanted to keep original if I could,

It’s quite possible a couple of wheel cylinders are stiff or seized on the front brakes if the pedal feels rock hard but doesn’t do a lot. It would be worth checking them. If they’re kept in good order, even the 7” fronts are OK, assuming the car is standard. A lot of people change to discs thinking their brakes are rubbish when in actual fact it’s because they aren’t working properly. It’s like a lot of people changing to electronic ignition because they think the standard system is awful, but in reality it just isn’t set up correctly. I’d give the brakes a good going over and I reckon you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how good they can be. Like Phil says, though, they are never going to be up to modern standards

Hey, just leave it ‘as is’ and enjoy the experience!

Quite right! A standard car driven with some sense is perfectly good. Well adjusted drum brakes are not necessarily worse than disks, one could even make an argument about a the greater contact area a drum shoe offers over a disc pad. The disadvantage of drums being heat management. I've also found slightly different brake shoe materials from different manufacturers have made quite a difference.

Now that I have the luxury of a second car I find myself with a huge grin on my face when driving the Morris after a bit of a break.

Agreed - and if you truly love her, Darren, you won't try to change her!

Does my memory serve me correctly when I say a certain late gent on this site, used to recommend sae40 oil in the dampers?
Shoot me down if I am wrong.
As for being smitten, its the curves that do it.
The Marilyn Monroe effect.

No good just topping up with either SAE 30 or SAE 40 - the old damper oil must be drained off first.

I have used engine oil in my dampers for many years with no problems.

Agreed, I wouldnt just top up either, but engine oil sounds good.
Thanks for that.