Morris Minor Owners Club

Well done Edd, keep up the good work

Nick

Also having problems with our fiberglass bootlid, fits the hole fine but catches across the top, I am hoping a seal might help it by pushing up.

That is exactly the issue I'm having. I've tried moving the holes slightly on the boot lid itself but I just gave up and stomped out of the garage in frustration. I'm leaving it for a while and doing other jobs and keeping my eye out for a steel one.

RH door frame filled, primed and top coat. Same with RH door. Got carried away with the top coat because it was satisfying..I was only meant to be covering the primed section...
Boot lid finally aligned, catch, number plate and badge on. Also fitted bullet connectors to the wires for my headlights ready to pop them in.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

Excellent, you certainly seem to have got you mojo back

Certainly been hit by a second wind! Going to pop the door back on tomorrow, for good!!!! Haha. Fed up of taking it on and off, I remember when I thought that job was daunting!

Great work!

I think you absolutely nailed the essence of it with the phrase:

"I remember when I thought that job was daunting!"

Thanks Neil!

Only big problem I have now is I spend most waking minutes thinking about working on the car....

25th birthday came and went yesterday. Ordered the two repair panels to finish the LH door, a new jet. (I broke the other one being ham fisted and careless. Waste of money and lesson learned.) I also ordered a new gearbox to body earth strap, the car isn't starting at the minute, just going click, click. I had this before, it wasn't the solenoid as I changed that to no avail but did get it going after cleaning up my connections, I've just got to find which one is doing it.

Oh and I also put the needle in the float chamber upside down. Fool.

Update:

Both doors done, re hung and starting to put frames back in.

Can anyone tell me what size nut the two studs under the quarter light are? I need four as I don't appear to have any!!!!!

Wondering if I could get them from ESM or somewhere else.

Carb all fixed and tuned.

Click click click starter problem then began, charged battery, cleaned earths, checked solenoid and in the end it was the starter, bushes have given up, commutator face worn right down and spindle all worn. Decided it was time for a new starter. Dropped it in and boom, first turn he starts away!

Putting the back window in today, just lots of annoying little fettling jobs to do before the MOT. Oh and need to put a new spring on my NS rear brake, I hate hate hate that job!

well done edd,keep up the good work..Im having to use my "Ruby"(1968 2 door) as an every day car at the moment(rolling restoration) as i cant afford to fix my "modern" because Ruby needs so much doing! pleasure to drive though! im local to you,so hope to meet up soon.

Update.

Discovered to my horror after trying to do the handbrake cables and remove the nut thats in the body just under the back bench that there was a funny line, then some sealant, then some rivets and discovered my whole rear floor and inner sill steps with the seatbelt anchors on aren't welded to each other or anything at all, they're just floating and sealant together. The front floor pan also looks like its the replacement panel just tack welded on top of mega bodge.

This has me worried about the actual structural integrity of the car as the box sections aren't box sections, they're just sections loosely resembling a box? This is heart breaking after the welding and the time I did on the car from the underside I didn't even think that it would be like a 3-4ply thick floor of bodge and metal.

My current thoughts are this is too much for me. too much money and too complex a weld for my skills.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

I don't even know where to start or what panels I would even need.

My wife is 20 weeks pregnant with our second child (a boy this time!) and we are currently living with my parents as a mortgage application goes through for our first house which will stretch us financially more than ever. There is no garage at the property and the car is currently in a clarkes instant garage which is looking ropier everytime there is a strong wind.

As you can see earlier in this thread, I did a lot of welding just on top of the metal under the car, rather than cutting in and butt welding and to discover theres a rust sandwich of floors in this breaks my heart.

Help.

Anyone.

Edd, mine was a similar disappointment, but I am in my sixties, and finding something challenging to occupy my time was far from the end of the world. At your stage of life I think you need to seriously consider giving this game up for the time being, get on with all the good stuff you've got on your plate and come back to moggy world when you've the time and cash for a hobby.

You've proved your abilities already, and many of us have made far worse miscalculations of what our cars are hiding from us. I think the relevant saying is that when you're in a hole, stop digging!

Whatever you decide, good luck!

Mark

I have no idea what to do. Storage is an issue as I can't keep it in the instant garage for too long as it's falling apart.

I really don't want to sell it, and I hate the look of the shell and the rest of it is in such a state that the shells almost worth getting rid off and keeping just the parts off it. Every bolt on panel bar the front grill and bonnet are fibreglass, the chassis legs are a state behind the half chassis leg repairs I did, I accidentally cut through to the inner floor under the bench when cutting out the panels for the front Spring hanger repair so inside the car looks a mess, the arches and inner arches a mish mash of panels and body filler, the boot surround and lower are corroded badly that I don't know where to start there. There's no headlining or original bits for the headlining, the rear window surround is rusting and some of the door frames need proper repair, the roof is full of lumps and the gutters are shot.

Oh my.

A sad hard decision to make, but given your circumstances at the moment I agree with what's been said already. You need to concentrate on your family (congratulations by the way!) When everything is more settled come back to the wonderful world of Morris Minoring - we'll still be here to help . You will have the knowledge to find a better car and enjoy working on it. Many members who had cars in their early years have had to give them up for family life only to return later when the children are a bit bigger. Morris Minor boots and modern buggies don't work!!

Good luck.

It is such a shame after all the hard work you have done! But if you don't have the space to keep it then I have to agree with what has been said too. Now you have to spend time with your family and work towards providing for their needs. A short term distraction for the odd half hour a couple of times per week is one thing, but major restoration work without a garage close by is another. You have already performed your Minor miracle getting the car ready for the wedding and you have learned a heck of a lot along the way.
That knowledge will stay, as will the fond memories of your restoration. Especially, you now know exactly what to look for when buying a car in future!
Keep the memories, keep the knowledge, but move forward, and enjoy the best thing in the world, a growing (and growing up) family! They will provide more joy and satisfaction than any material object ever can.

It's a pity you don't know someone with a nice dry garage where you could store it for a while until you have the time/money/enthusiasm to carry on with it.
It's always much harder to justify purchasing another one at a later date than it is to eventually finish one you already own ( I know from bitter experience).

Thanks all.

Well there is no rush to get it out of the instant garage as of yet, I may get the grinder out and investigate more to find the extent of the rot, nothing to lose now?

The final update, investigating the passenger side:[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

So, that investigation has helped make my decision. If you can see from the previous photo, there is a hammer lying above two bolt holes (I removed the bolts), I take it this was not standard?

These bolt holes have been added on both sides and again to my horror, they are drilled through the cross member and it appears the cross member is bolted and fillered on. I am ashamed I didn't notice such a bodge earlier but I was so blinded by my goal is my excuse.

This car is unsafe, I only did the passenger side. The drivers side has the same patches and who knows what the rest of the car is like, I have now come to the decision to break Morris for parts, if anybody has any requests. Post them here, I have a BRAND new starter motor sat on it as well, I'll sort out prices and things soon.

Your soon to be Morris less morris friend, Edd.