Early '49 Tourer - Adelaide
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2018 10:59 am
Hi everyone
I don't currently own a Morris and yet I find myself breaking the golden rule and restoring a car that I didn't dismantle! I will though be restoring this early '49 tourer SMM2927 as if it was my own and I need to do it as fast as I can.
The long story is one of my best mates of nearly 50 yrs now has an inoperable brain tumour. We don't know how long he has and it is like 'the real Dave' is gone already with his short term memory totally gone and his mind having trouble focusing on pretty much anything anymore. His business was mainly building and maintaining a number of race cars but he had also taken on the restoration of a 1949 low light Morris Minor convertible for another school friend of ours. The car was her fathers who died before he could complete the restoration and she just wants to finish that and keep that memory or her Dad. She has been stuffed about by various cowboys over the years before Dave agreed to take it on and do it properly, until he got cancer.
At first i was just helping by trying to organise a company to take it on but after some scary quotes and me worrying that this whole cycle could just continue, I have decided to take it on. Somewhere in my head is that there was this mess that Dave had got on track to fix things and if i can finish it off and to that standard it becomes a good memory and honours his work, something finally 'fixed' rather than a bad memory and in all this mess it never gets fixed. It will be good for me too, with another close friend in hospital now looking like the end to a 14 year fight with cancer and I need to do something positive!
I started with the shell sitting up on a rotisserie after having a top level black spray job. I have space issues myself and the car needs to get back on its wheels to be shifted safely anyway, so I am full steam ahead! A number of parts have been missing but I have now worked my way through most of it and nearly to the point of it back on wheels with Motor to go in very soon.
I do have a soft spot for Morries - Early memories of my aunties 1000 called Matilda and always loved that distinctive exhaust note - my first car was a 1960 Series 5 Oxford, had a couple of minis, A 60, fond memories of mates cars.... not so fond too being in a rolled Minor!.... My only current connection is an Adelaide built 1964 Bacchus clubman with B series MGA motor, Major gearbox and diff.. google it if interested!
Thanks for all the help so far. I keep finding very specific things on this early car but so far all the answers i have found here.
Craig Baulderstone
I don't currently own a Morris and yet I find myself breaking the golden rule and restoring a car that I didn't dismantle! I will though be restoring this early '49 tourer SMM2927 as if it was my own and I need to do it as fast as I can.
The long story is one of my best mates of nearly 50 yrs now has an inoperable brain tumour. We don't know how long he has and it is like 'the real Dave' is gone already with his short term memory totally gone and his mind having trouble focusing on pretty much anything anymore. His business was mainly building and maintaining a number of race cars but he had also taken on the restoration of a 1949 low light Morris Minor convertible for another school friend of ours. The car was her fathers who died before he could complete the restoration and she just wants to finish that and keep that memory or her Dad. She has been stuffed about by various cowboys over the years before Dave agreed to take it on and do it properly, until he got cancer.
At first i was just helping by trying to organise a company to take it on but after some scary quotes and me worrying that this whole cycle could just continue, I have decided to take it on. Somewhere in my head is that there was this mess that Dave had got on track to fix things and if i can finish it off and to that standard it becomes a good memory and honours his work, something finally 'fixed' rather than a bad memory and in all this mess it never gets fixed. It will be good for me too, with another close friend in hospital now looking like the end to a 14 year fight with cancer and I need to do something positive!
I started with the shell sitting up on a rotisserie after having a top level black spray job. I have space issues myself and the car needs to get back on its wheels to be shifted safely anyway, so I am full steam ahead! A number of parts have been missing but I have now worked my way through most of it and nearly to the point of it back on wheels with Motor to go in very soon.
I do have a soft spot for Morries - Early memories of my aunties 1000 called Matilda and always loved that distinctive exhaust note - my first car was a 1960 Series 5 Oxford, had a couple of minis, A 60, fond memories of mates cars.... not so fond too being in a rolled Minor!.... My only current connection is an Adelaide built 1964 Bacchus clubman with B series MGA motor, Major gearbox and diff.. google it if interested!
Thanks for all the help so far. I keep finding very specific things on this early car but so far all the answers i have found here.
Craig Baulderstone