On another posting I wrote how I brought her back to life after being stored in a garage on wooden blocks for over 35 years in total.
She had lived in the same street for 42 years,having had two owners who lived next door to each other..
Purchased new in Portsmouth she had lived there all her life.
After her MOT I used her in the condition you see in the first few photo`s,but really I wanted the car to look a lot better as she has never been welded,all the panels are original and rust free,and the underside is how it left the factory.
She deserved better.!!!
The red oxide was put on her paintwork about 20 years ago. It made the car look worse than she really was.
Once removed there were only small stone chips,small rust spots,or the odd dent.
I took her back to bare metal,before any work was carried out.
Nearly all the Morris Minors I have seen or worked on have had some sort of welding carried out over the years,replacement panels (new or secondhand) or repairs under repaired in paintwork.There cannot be that many factory fresh examples out there in total rust free un-worked on condition.
All of the other fitments and fixtures are in very good original condition.
The bonnet line and door shuts are perfect,including the timber rear doors..
As she is from 1961 and the Duo Tone model, it is refreshing to work on something different after the usual later 1960`s models.
Apart from a very smart respray in her original Almond Green, we only plan to replace the chrome work as this seems to have seen better day`s,especially when put against fresh paint work.
A new carpet set in the front area will be fitted,but nothing else will be replaced as it just needs a good clean.
At 44,000 genuine miles the mechanicals are in perfect condition,she has a very good feel and drives better than many other Morris cars I have driven even those that have had full restorations.
I will post photo`s of her progress.
M M
[frame]
