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Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 3:57 pm
by Richie B
Hi everyone. Where do you start when your new to the topic board. Ah, the beginning is probably best so here I go. Can you picture the scene, its 1970 and Richie B (that's me) is a fresh faced and very young copper straight out of Hendon training school. I arrive at my first station which is Kingston in Surrey and there in the station yard is a line of Vauxhall Viva HB Panda cars. Really stylish, honest (well for the time anyway) So when i turn up for my first duty as a Panda driver I was shocked to see the Vivas had disappeared and there in the yard was a line of 6 brand new Morris 1000 Panda cars in Met Police light blue with a Police sign on the roof. Sorry to say but I was not amused as i felt my street cred drain away (well I was only 19 at the time)
Still I had my duties to do and if driving round in a (really sorry to say this folks, read on I think you might, I hope, forgive me) a blue bubble with no style or oomph, then so be it. So my career as a Police driver began with the Morris and we soon became the very best of friends. I loved them, they were great to drive, especially in the wet, well slide more than drive would be a better description!!
As i progressed, i was put on various driving courses and was able to wiz around in the Rover P6 3500 automatic, pure luxury for its time,
and not forgetting I'm getting paid as well!!
But true to say I loved those little Morris's not as fast or as comfortable but there was a special something about them that hooked me. A colleague introduced me to the Austin 7 Ruby. I restored one and I had the bug.
Moving forward (at last I hear you cry) 47 years and having left the Police through injury 40 years ago I am now retired and with the potential of too much time on my hands I have spent the last few months looking around for a Morris as a restoration project. After much time I found 'The One'. Not quite love at first sight, but I think you know what I mean.
So, I introduce you to Clarence, a 2 door 1962 saloon in blue with various shades of rust. I've actually had him for a couple of months now, having bought him on my wedding anniversary, who said romance was dead!! I must add my wife is fully supportive of this venture and it does mean she retains control of the tv remote!!
Clarence is in the garage having been completely stripped down and is now on my home made rotisserie. I copied it from a project I saw on You Tube.
Sorry if my intro is a bit long but I wanted to paint a picture of how, and I guess you all know how, these lovely pieces of great British engineering get under your skin.
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Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 4:23 pm
by Richie B
Heres a few more pics of Clarence. Usual places for rot with some good and some not so good repairs! What I love about the posts on here is the enthusiasm and encouragement as well as advice that's freely given. I'm definitely encouraged by looking at all the other projects and how folks have tackled various jobs. A real feeling of community.
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Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 6:12 pm
by biomed32uk
Welcome to the club, the bug does indeed bite.

Looks a good project and that you will be enhancing the welding skills very soon.

A perfect way to escape Christmas to go and do a bit in the workshop, nice when the management buy into the project, if only to regain control of the TV remote. :D

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 6:31 pm
by Richie B
The management has a purpose built studio in the garden with views across Eastbourne to the sea so shes very happy to be in there with all her creative art doings. Re christmas yup all we need is a fire and were both suckers for Christmas movies. Jobs a good un. :D

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 8:01 pm
by myoldjalopy
That car definately looks like it has potential!
Look forward to seeing further progress!

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 5:11 pm
by Richie B
Well, here we are again and its 12th Dec. Coming up to Clarences first christmas with us!! :o in his new home in Eastbourne. So what do you get your project Moggie for a pressie. I know ( is it that sad!!) a trip to Moggie Christmas Land better known as ESM. well it should be. :P
So off I go to buy the various parts to start the restoration proper. I had intended to make some of the panels myself but with limited space
and keen to get on with the job in hand I decided that for me, it was easier to buy from ESM and for me anyway its like a step back into the past there. Wooden flooring shelves stacked high with boxes of goodies. It was my first trip there and I was made to feel welcome and my lack of knowledge and inevitable list of questions were answered. I came away with a lot more confidence than when I went in as well as a box of bits. Like our Morris's the place has atmosphere. Ill be back there, soon hopefully.
Heres a couple of update pics.
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Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 5:27 pm
by DAVIDMCCULLOUGH
A good project and it looks like you have already made a great start! Perhaps you will have it ready for the National Rally at the end of June????

Good luck and keep us updated :D

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:55 pm
by Richie B
Thanks for encouragement David. Not sure my skills and budget will have him on the road next year. The interior was in a right old state as was the wiring. Still, slow and steady!

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 8:19 pm
by Richie B
Hi all, hope i'm not boring people but here's a progress update on Clarence and a bit of advice needed please.
Today i've turned Clarence to the right way up and secured him. My first job is repairing /replacing the metal work at the front of the left hand door. I have cut out some rusty metal out to see how much repair work is required. Fortunately when the floor and cill was replaced its remained sound so just needs treating and painting.
My question is I have a Flitch and hinge pillar repair panel. It is supplied (ESM RP 124L) with a RP123AL. I also have the hinge pillar RP123BL.
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Has anyone fitted all three of these and any tips would be welcome. TheFlitch panel doesnt seem to follow the existing curve of the old flitch panel. Is extra material supplied to be cut off or am I missing something.
Thank you in advance. Richard

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:12 pm
by westy24
Looks like a great little project you have there , unlike me ,you have plenty of time to work on it , you’ll have it all done before you know it , remember safety first , plenty of measurements and if your unsure always ask and also enjoy yourself learning new skills , good luck in your Morris quest

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:17 pm
by westy24
Richie B wrote:Hi all, hope i'm not boring people but here's a progress update on Clarence and a bit of advice needed please.
Today i've turned Clarence to the right way up and secured him. My first job is repairing /replacing the metal work at the front of the left hand door. I have cut out some rusty metal out to see how much repair work is required. Fortunately when the floor and cill was replaced its remained sound so just needs treating and painting.
My question is I have a Flitch and hinge pillar repair panel. It is supplied (ESM RP 124L) with a RP123AL. I also have the hinge pillar RP123BL. DSC_0004.JPGDSC_0003.JPG
Has anyone fitted all three of these and any tips would be welcome. TheFlitch panel doesnt seem to follow the existing curve of the old flitch panel. Is extra material supplied to be cut off or am I missing something.
Thank you in advance. Richard
The main flitch panel repair section may well be a little different to the original, I would measure the wing holes carefully to make sure they are correct , are you replacing the the full repair section ? I had trouble replacing the full flitch on mine

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 10:45 pm
by Richie B
Thanks Westy, much appreciated. Lots pics and measurements then tea then more measuring. I think with me it's a matter of building my confidence and checking out the posts. There is so much information here and seeing how people have taken some real wrecks and transformed them into better than new vehicles is inspirational. As you say I have the time which is a big bonus. Hope I can do the restoration justice. Thanks again for you advice. Richard

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 10:47 pm
by DAVIDMCCULLOUGH
The flitch panel repair you have probably isnt enough if you plan to replace the hinge pillar as well. The flat part of the flitch continues on behind the pillar and then is welded on were the door draught excluder goes on. The repair section you have is more of a cover up type of panel thats welded onto the edge of the exsisting hinge.

You would need this panel to use a new pillar with,

http://www.morrisminorspares.com/body-i ... de-p828571

or this one that goes the whole way down to the seem on the inner wing.

http://www.morrisminorspares.com/body-i ... de-p828504

check out Stevies car, think its page 5 were its shows the pillar.

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=40334&start=80

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 11:03 pm
by Richie B
Thank you David. The 1st panel you recommend looks more like it does the job I want so that'll be ordered. Plenty of other things to get on with in the meantime. One other question if I may. I came across a lovely restoration of a black 2 door saloon on you tube called Restosaga. Would that be yourself or someone you know? I found it really helpful in deciding to take on a Morris project for my retirement. Thanks again for the advice. Richard

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 11:12 pm
by Richie B
Thanks David, I found Stevies post really helped thanks. Richard

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 9:21 am
by westy24
I fitted my near side flitch by removing the pillers and joining the flitch inside the piller box section . Under the cover panel , as I wasn’t keen on fully removing the main door piller . Instead I used a repair section on the main piller at the bottom . There is always ways around thing but it all depends on the structure and condition the car is in . I fitted a full flitch on the offside and I struggled to get the door to fit . It does fit now but it was a ball ache .if you want to replace the full flitch then replacing the pillers are part of the job and fitting a complete panel makes it a better job and structurally sound

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:49 am
by greendefender123
Nice project. You've made an excellent start with it. Enjoying the updates.

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 12:40 pm
by mogbob
Richard
You're doing great keep plugging away at it.
With each section ,fix your " end goal " in mind and aim for something that is safe and looks good.
Make a realistic assessment of what you've got to deal with from all angles.
What decent metal is there around to weld to and align to / take measurements from , etc. ?

Choose the biggest repair panel that will fill the gap and trim back to actual size. ( very rarely so you find a repair panel that doesn't need some form of fettling to get it to fit. Only be surprised if you find one that does fit exactly , straight away ! ).
Buying panels that come up , short is false economy. The extra time you spend making / adding patches from scratch is time consuming.
Only adopt this course of action when it's a simple flat surface hole or right angled section.

Research each section at a time , comparing the problem to what is available from suppliers. Look at their photos on their website and look at your car and decide what is going to do the job for you ... effectively.
You know where the rust / non existent metal is and although exact dimensions are not quoted on repair panels , suppliers will normally oblige if you ring them to check. Repair panels have been developed to cope with the "usual " rusty areas.
Pieces of cardboard cereal packets will be your friend. Use them to make templates and then tape them to the repair panels before you chop out excess material.
Best to err on the side of caution ( so you can cut some more off later if need be ) until you get "your eye in ". As the resto progresses you'll be doing it in your sleep.

You've got the right attitude... just enjoy the experience. It's addictive stuff and fortunately not illegal !!
Bob

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 8:36 pm
by Richie B
Thanks everyone for the advice today. All helpful and makes perfect sense. Re the flitch and door pillar managed to grab a couple of hours today to find the door pillar is sound and solid to the inside of the door frame. Been fettling the flitch panel and although the old wing is knackered there was enough of it to trial fit and the bolt holes all line up. :D Thanks again. Richard

Re: Clarence 2 door 62 saloon

Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 5:43 pm
by Richie B
Just a short update as I didn't want anyone to thing the 'newbie' has run away lol.
I've ordered the full size Flitch panel that David recommended and its supposed to be here today but no show so that's the plans for the week b---- messed up! :roll:
I'm a volunteer Community First Responder for our local NHS Ambulance Service so on duty tomorrow. Friday and Saturday were off to Sudbury to collect my sister - in - law and bringing her home for Christmas to recover from an op. Bottom line not much work going on with 'Clarence' for a good few days.