'54 split screen

[ampwhu]

25 years ago, me and an old school pal, got into these old BMC cars. Russ was into the minors, and I was into the A30,35's.

how it started was Russ's dad, found and purchased 2 split screen minors from west sussex somewhere (I did go with them to view, but vaguely remember where/when). there was a 54 and 55 for sale. he bought both for £1000 I think. Russ had the '55 and drove it around for years before it was involved in an accident that ended its days. the '54 was given to his brother who wanted to modify it. this then went off to the restorers to be done. this is the last thing I ever heard of it. it was completely rebuilt and painted I last heard. this was around 20 years ago. along with this car, another couple of cars were purchased for breaking and a huge amount of spares was garaged. what happened was the dad bought 2 garages outright and filled them up with the parts.

fast forward to this year and my old mate Russ and I were in touch with each other. he was in the process of a divorce, skint and down on his luck. I was looking for an engineer for a position that needed filling and I thought he would be ideal. anyway, he got the job without the need for an interview. (wink wink).

whilst having a beer, I asked him about the old days and the fun we had with the minors and austins and about the end of the '55 split screen. we laughed and had another beer. then the conversation turned to the '54 and what happened to it.

he said do you remember the 2 garages that his dad I bought. well the spares are in one and the '54 is in the other. the car was 80% restored years ago. apparently all that it requires is headlining, door cards, carpet and a few other bits and pieces. it has sat in this garage for around 15 years. the bodywork is 100%, the paint is 100% and it hasn't moved since.

whilst chatting today about this, he also mentioned that the upgrades included 1098 running gear along with a complete re-wire and new pipework, brakes and petrol tank.

so this coming Saturday (23rd) we are going over to take a look with a view to getting it back on the road. I am fully aware that we can't put a battery on it, fill it with fuel and take it for a spin. it will require a full check over to see whats required to get it back on the road.

there is also the garage next door which is full of spares. it apparently includes several NOS panels, including cheese grater grills and some other bits and pieces that may not have seen daylight for 20+ years.

I am so looking forward to this............. I shall hopefully get some pictures of the garage door as it opens.................

[busguy]

Brilliant story! Enjoy the moment!!

[stevey]

Excellent, look forward to the snaps

[Dean]

looking forward to the rest of the story. Fingers crossed everything is how it was last left.

[ampwhu]

photo's from yesterday.









it was late last night when it was located. what we found was what was expected. all 4 tyres were flat, battery didn't turn over and it was covered in dust. the parking permit reads 1998, so this is no surprise!

the dent to the grill is unexplained. bumpers are in the garage, so when the car is moved, we should be able to access the mountains of spares that are behind it. several grilles, wings and other panels have been spotted.

the engine fitted is a 1098. so we aim to get it running in the next couple of weeks.

it retains it original reg which is 4 digits.

[ampwhu]

so we returned yesterday to 'dig' the moggy out. we pumped the tyres up and she rolled out.













obviously all 4 tyres were flat and need replacing. also, we need to replace all other rubber parts. the engine wasn't seized as I could turn the crank by hand!.

after checking it over, there is zero rust and 99% of the parts to finish the car.

this is the 1st time since 1998 that it has seen daylight.

[panky]

What a brilliant story, the type that usually turn out to be 'urban legends' but there it is for real