Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all,
I decided a while back I needed a reliable 948 for a daily runabout. This one came up on eBay and it looked reasonably solid, just needing recommisionning and a cosmetic touch up.


On closer inspection once home, the car was much better than expected so I set about doing some of the mechanics.



The car turns out to have been manufactured at the end of 1957 and registered in early 1958 going by the chassis number and the date stamp on the leaf springs...


As I begun taking things apart it was becoming clearer just how solid and untouched the car was. I begun to feel a bit sorry for it being thrown into every day use so i thought I would treat it to a coat of paint underneath. but as I uncovered more I realised that the car was in very good condition. You can see by the inner wings that they are unwelded.




So it was with a slightly heavy heart that I decided to do it properly rather than return her to the road unprotected. The paint on the shell had micro blistered where it had been stored under a cover so there was nothing for it.... a complete strip down (there goes my poor van again)







One of the rear wings needed a redundant hole closing up.



The shell ready for a coat of acid etch.


First coat of Acid etch


Wheels went off to be shot blasted.


Then were treated to some primer

Then for Gloss


So attention then to the panels














Currently most of the panels sit in primer awaiting gloss.... these are hardening up in the garage under the shadow of another unfinished project!


A few have made it into gloss....







So the plan is over the coming few weeks to get the last of the panels sorted then resume work on the shell..... simple

Excellent work!! Looks like a super project

Just showed the wife your picture of the leaf springs and back axle in the lounge and she said NO,not even with plastic sheeting down....want to trade?

John

Our first Minor was 1958 and after about a year the paint started to micro blister and Morris repainted it free of charge telling us it was something to do with the type of steel and use of the wrong primer.( This was in the days when you believed what the car maker told you!!)

Mine is a 58 registered 57, it's miles off being anything like as tidy as that though! Cracking job

Brilliant work! Looks fantastically solid. Great snaps

smithskids wrote:Our first Minor was 1958 and after about a year the paint started to micro blister and Morris repainted it free of charge telling us it was something to do with the type of steel and use of the wrong primer.( This was in the days when you believed what the car maker told you!!)

sounds like moisture contamination. thay suppose to drain the water trap sometimes

A little more progress, starting with the gloss on the panels. It's been a challenge to get the garage warm enough to spray and my heater keeps stirring up a lot of crap in the atmosphere. Having said all that the results could be worse.

Starting with the insides of the doors:










Then onto the last wing. This got the first coat. It needs to settle and have a final flat before topcoat:





Now the front off the doors get their first coat:







The front valence and inside of the bonnet get some treatment:





Managed to con Mother into allowing panels to 'harden' in the house



Bonnet tomorrow

epic restoration thread, with multiple Morris vehicles in your pictures. How did you strip the bonnet, chemical or bead blasted? a very watchable thread I have to say.

There has been a little more progress. I found that there was a lot of difficulty in preventing any foriegn matter setting on the panels when they were drying. I decided to create a homemade spray booth. A cheap gazebo from eBay





This enabled me to put the final coat onto the last of the panels.







I've also managed to take over the spare room....



Now that the panels are done, it is time to rage war on the shell. Small steps but I think it has been worthwhile spending the time to get things right.

davidmiles wrote:epic restoration thread, with multiple Morris vehicles in your pictures. How did you strip the bonnet, chemical or bead blasted? a very watchable thread I have to say.

I used a preparation wheel in the angle grinder. They are not the cheapest thing but they are amazing at removing old paint without damaging the metal.

Looking excellent. I did the same as you and restored my '57 4 door (May 57 production- June 57 registration) to original back and front lights so the post '63 holes in the back wings needed filling in. I noted that the front wings, in paint, had the post '63 holes. Are you going to put the original side lights on or the combo indicators and lights ? It looks in such good condition with the same interior as mine that originality would be great.

jm