Conversion of a 1959 2 door into a convertable

[benb]

After finishing our lowlight thought it was time to start another project, so have decided on a convertable conversion.
So after a quick search for a donor car one was located in Singleton by a fellow morris minor friend so we drove up and
collected it the following weekend.
Car is a 1959 2 door 1000 originaly Murlong grey now hideous Orange



On rotisserie headed for the sandblaster's

[Alex'n'Ane]

Looks a good project. Love the not too subtle 'cut here' lines

[Fingolfin]

But two-doors are awesome... Obviously, it's your Minor, and you must do what you will with it! I'm just very attached to my own '59 two-door. I look forward to seeing your progress and I wish you luck!

[benb]

Just picked the car up from the sandblaster's, looks pretty good.

[chickenjohn]

Good idea removing the seat box to get at all the surface rust in there. SHame you cut it out though as it is easier to remove the box and re fit if you drill out all the spot welds. Can then simply plug weld the seat box back in place via the drill holes.

Amazing condition body, but then I guess you get that in Australia with the dry warm climate!

[benb]

Made great progress today, both chassis rails replaced and begain reapairs to the a pillars.

[Fingolfin]

Looking really excellent! Can't wait to see the finished product.

[benb]

Thank's Fingolfin.
How's youre two door going? Do you see many on the roads in the states? How do you find getting parts, do you get most of it from England.

Good luck with youre project!

[chrisd87]

I must confess, I do rather like the orange!

[benb]

Hehe our yellow car was a same colour!

[Fingolfin]

Hi there benb (I'm guessing your name is Ben?), Mog is coming along rather well. A lot of structure work (not unlike yours), and periodic mistakes by me. There aren't too many on the road here, unfortunately. America could do with some smaller cars, I think! Parts mostly come from England, yeah, though there are some people over here who hoard parts and I can get some from them.

Good luck with yours, too!

[benb]

Finished repairs to the A pillars and i have fitted the sill strengthener's and started to remake the rear seat mount.

[plumby74]

Hi,

I am Phil in Melbourne. I'd LOVE to have your car Rotisserie and improved weather!

Am doing a similar conversion at present, but I got the parts and Plates from an original, super-rare for Australia M1000 Convertible that was rusted out. I cut off the parts I needed to use again (or for reference) and scrapped the rest. Am using a 1960 2-dr which was pretty sound, but it of course needed the usual rust spots done underneath (A pillars), plus one half of a NS chassis rail. For that work I was able to borrow a Car-rolla.

Have reinforced the sills internally with curved rectangular tube, removed the roof, fitted the side window-frames and brackets, and am now just grafting on the windscreen top. I tried welding years ago and was hopeless, so I bring in a young friend and his MIG for occasional, intense sessions at cost. I am taking my time as the windscreen sizing and angle is so critical.

My car had had a smash on the RHS, damaging the trafficator-slot area, so that is a piece of sheet-metal I have to find off a scrap car and and insert.

Have the hood bows powder-coated and ready, and lashed-out on the front and rear wood sticks (for the hood) from UK. Need still a wiring loom, a red hood (I have a new one in black, but that is to be sold), and also the B post strengthener brackets. Phil[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

[benb]

Improved weather!! our weather's been terrible torential rain,gail force winds then black ice my wife's been sliding all
over the road in the lowlight and then it snowed for a bit yesterday!

I also reinforced the sills internaly (cant see in the picture).I have done a convertable before, my dads.

[benb]

After finishing the repairs to the floor and a pillars i welded in the new back seat i had made. I then stoneguarded and
painted underneath. Have decided to paint the current new Mini colour "Pepper white".

[plumby74]

Hi Ben,
You are making great strides, and really get things done when you can weld AND spray-paint. It appears you have not yet removed the roof and cut the windscreen-top? I have the pics and detailed instructions on DVD for that to be done, which I purchased from a source in the UK.
Have you got the hood bows, and what are you planning for the seat-belt mounting on the pillar? I had rather fancied putting a strong T framework inside the B pillar so that the upper mounting could be in the usual place (above the driver's and passenger's shoulder). However, the space/access in that area is very restricted, so nothing in that regard may be possible. What do you think? Phil.

[ASL642]

Hi. I've got a converted 2 dr and had this problem with the top seat belt mounting being too low down. Tom Roy do a laser cut steel "L" shaped part that bolts (2 bolts) to the B post and also to where the top mount hole is (under the window) for a standard 2 dr. It works really well and is almost hidden by the seat belt. See the current picture on the Home page of this site = my car. Good luck with your conversion

[benb]

Hi Phil,
I have a dvd and templates from when we did my dad's car but we will need to buy the hood bows. Havnt yet decided on the seat belt mounting, i dont mind the L shape bracket on ASL642 car but will depend on the engineer.
Whereabout's in Melbourne are you? Are you in the Victorian club?Great bunch of people.

ASL642 i really like the idea of the L shape bracket any chance you could Pm me a closer picture.Lovely car by the way

Cheers Ben

[plumby74]

Thanks ASL 642, that is word of a great + simpler solution, so please post the closer pics of the bracket that Tom Roy sells, as fitted to your car, on this thread if you can. What are your seats in the feature car taken from, and was making up under-frames difficult?

Ben yes, I was involved at the very start of the Victorian MM Car Club back in 1976-77, but have not done many Rallies except the one some 5 yrs ago to Tasmania. I also dropped out of the Club during the 1980's when the family was small, but always had at least one Minor, sometimes several! P

[ASL642]

Hi to both of you! The seats are Newton Commercial Suffolk. They come with the under frame so just bolt in using the two original front bolt holes plus two new ones at the back (total 4 holes) which makes them very stable. They flip forward and adjust very quickly on a slide mechanism. I'll get some close up photos of the plates and post them up tonight for you.