Morris Minor Owners Club

I have just bought a 1962 Traveller which isn’t very original.

It’s Smoke Grey. Should it have a blue duotone interior?

Should it have a front parcel shelf? If so, are the new replacements suitable? Would it have been black or cream originally?

Thanks

Don't know about your interior but the parcel shelf will be black and is available from suppliers like Esm Minors

The interior may be duo-tone (light blue with silver-beige) or single tone (light blue).

A 1962 Minor would have had the duotone IF it was a deluxe model. Otherwise it would have been plain light blue. If it was a deluxe there will be a "D" contained within the chassis number stamped on the oval plate on the bulkhead.
The parcel shelf itself would have been cream and the crash rail along the front would have been covered in headlining material, not the black vinyl of the later cars. Your car would still have the earlier round heater with a cream coloured shroud assuming a heater was fitted.

With regard to the parcel shelf in Minors, what supports it? On my car the edge nearer the driver is held firmly by the metal dashboard but the forward end appears to be held by sky-hooks, ie nothing. Being made of hardboard , it tends to droop down at the bulkhead end and items put on it fall through into the footwells. Seems to me that, even with the money-saving approach of the 1950's/60's British car industry, this cannot have been a design feature and perhaps my car is missing whatever it was that was there when it left the factory.

The car is off being recommissioned for me so I will need to check when I get it back.
I have some more creature comfort modifications planned but I would like it to look fairly standard.

What is the difference between standard and de luxe trim? I had assumed all 62-64 Minors were duotone.

I think mine has a later interior in to match the Suffolk front seats

Myrtles Man wrote: ↑Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:21 am With regard to the parcel shelf in Minors, what supports it? On my car the edge nearer the driver is held firmly by the metal dashboard but the forward end appears to be held by sky-hooks, ie nothing. Being made of hardboard , it tends to droop down at the bulkhead end and items put on it fall through into the footwells. Seems to me that, even with the money-saving approach of the 1950's/60's British car industry, this cannot have been a design feature and perhaps my car is missing whatever it was that was there when it left the factory.

Does this help?
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1613/ ... 6417444504

Cream parcel shelf, really?

"Does this help?
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1613/ ... 6417444504"


It certainly does - very many thanks; now I can set about fitting it properly.

les wrote: ↑Sun Nov 25, 2018 11:06 am Cream parcel shelf, really?

Yes Les. The cream parcel shelf was fitted to all Minor 1000s with the pull type switches and cream speedo. This arrangement lasted until about September 1964 when the key starter switch and toggle switches, black speedo etc were introduced.

The parcel shelf is supported by the metal bar at its "rear" and by rivets into the bulkhead at its "front" as well as the 2 beneath the battery.

Thanks for the info, you live and learn!

"The parcel shelf is supported by the metal bar at its "rear" and by rivets into the bulkhead at its "front" as well as the 2 beneath the battery."

The parcel shelf in my car, though supported, as you say, by the metal bar at its rear, is merely a flat piece of black hardboard material with nothing at the front, as far as I can see, that could be riveted to the bulkhead - ie there is no flange or bracket or anything else that could butt up to the bulkhead.

I recently fitted a new parcel shelf to a 66 saloon and the rear of the shelf was fixed to the bulkhead with a number of large screws (similar to those holding the gearbox cover on) into tapped holes rather than rivets.

philipkearney wrote: ↑Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:41 pm I recently fitted a new parcel shelf to a 66 saloon and the rear of the shelf was fixed to the bulkhead with a number of large screws (similar to those holding the gearbox cover on) into tapped holes rather than rivets.

That will be because a previous owner had no facility to use rivets and used screws instead - probably when he replaced the shelf because the original was falling to bits. They are only a hardboard/millboard material and don't last too long once they become damp. Acid from the battery above can seep through the securing holes beneath the battery and rot it out....... Originally all were secured with bifurcated rivets but Used pop rivets and large diameter washers on my car when I fitted a new one. There is no securing device which attaches the parcel shelf to the bulkhead. The board material is simply riveted to the bulkhead.

"The board material is simply riveted to the bulkhead."

Am I right in assuming then that 'correct' replacement parcel shelves have their forward edges folded over to 90 degrees to enable them to be riveted/screwed? Mine has no such feature, being merely flat, albeit correctly-shaped hardboard.

Parcel shelves did vary between models. I fitted one to a SII last year and that definately had a 'folded' front edge where I used bi-furcated rivets to fix to the bulkhead. See the thread here and you can see the folded edge on the old one I took out: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=65935

The attachment to the bulkhead didn't vary though. Early and late types were attached with the same rivets. My car is a late (1969) model.
The new replacement parcel shelf boards are indeed supplied flat but it is surely simple enough to bend the board along the marked line so that it forms the correct shape prior to fitting? I didn't have any problem doing that and it has fitted very well. I purchased mine from Bull Motif Spares but it is probably from the same original source as others on the market.

399NRO wrote: ↑Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:40 am
What is the difference between standard and de luxe trim? I had assumed all 62-64 Minors were duotone.

As stated above. Duo-tone seats and door cards if 'Deluxe' trim. Single-tone if 'Standard' trim.

ManyMinors wrote: ↑Mon Nov 26, 2018 2:18 pm The attachment to the bulkhead didn't vary though. Early and late types were attached with the same rivets. My car is a late (1969) model.
The new replacement parcel shelf boards are indeed supplied flat but it is surely simple enough to bend the board along the marked line so that it forms the correct shape prior to fitting? I didn't have any problem doing that and it has fitted very well. I purchased mine from Bull Motif Spares but it is probably from the same original source as others on the market.

Well, there you have it then. From his description, it may be that the shelf belonging to 'Myrtles Man' is non-standard?

I think you could be right. There's certainly no foldable-line on mine as it only just spans the distance from the rail under the dash to the bulkhead which, in any case, is carpeted so I haven't been able to check yet for rivet/screw holes therein (I suppose i should have a look from the engine bay side to confirm their presence).