Restoration Dilemma

[ADO16]

Hello All,

My problem is do I restore this 1951 Mist Green 4 door MM high-light transition year Morris with the short bonnet or not. Upon inspecting further I noticed that the complete floor is gone along with the complete sill assembly and the big one being the center crossmember (or can I just replace the outer ends).
What would you do, bite the bullet and restore it or forget it and part it out. My Mig welding skills are good, but to tackle this I will soon hone them quicker.
The other problem is that I read about a 4 door that was recently restored and the person restoring it had to build a jig so the complete structure would not tweak out of square. Would this be true? And finally, where would one start, sills first then the rest of the structure. I guess what I'm trying to say is, what would be the start of the cutting and welding flow?

I do think that this car should be saved! Please advise.
Thank you very much in advance.
Cheers all,

Steve

[Dean]

I'd say, please save.. MM's are getting rare, particulary 4 doors. But it's your choice at the end of the day.

There are plenty on here I guess that have restored cars from this condition and would probably be able to give you quite a detailed account.

Have you looked at this webiste?
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/practical.htm

You may be able to pick something from this prior to someone answering your question.

[mike.perry]

It really comes down to can you afford to restore it? If you can work out the restoration costs and the cost of parts including anything which may have to be sent from UK and it is still within your budget then go for it.
I would imagine that the car will need a complete mechanical as well as body restoration.
The centre crossmember end sections can be replaced if the centre section is in good condition. This part usually gets sprayed with engine oil so doesn't rust so badly.
Go onto the bodywork forum for advice.

[rayofleamington]

If the doors fit well, then it would be a shame to loose that alignment! Therefore you ought to cross brace the door pillars - this sound a bit daunting but is really not too much of a chore once you've found some sturdy 1" square tube (or similar).

I'd thoroughly recomend getting a car roller for doing floor and sills. The basic type (without lifting gear) can be bought at a fair price and you can re-sell when finished should you so desire.

If you decide the crossmemebr just needs the ends doing - I'd advise against shortening the repair sections. They are made this size for a reason, and it's frustrating to have to re-repair the car by fitting a full repair piece when a cut down one was fitted a few years before (I've done the 2nd repair, but never the cut down one ).

As for the rarity value - floor, crossmember and sills should certainly not put you off. I've done at least that much work on Minor 1000's with no rarity value at all.

Go onto the bodywork forum for advice.

He has:
http://www.mmoc.org.uk/index.php?name=P ... highlight=

[ADO16]

Thank you all for the encouraging words of advise and keep them coming as I will attempt to take this on!
One big question I do have is, where do you start first? The car roller and cross bracing the door pillars will be a must do, but will I be able to take the complete cross-member out if this is done? Does sound very daunting.
I guess as soon as I can get a Photobucket or Flicker acct. I will then post pictures.

Thank you, I really appreciate and respect the advise from all of you!
Cheers,

Steve

[mike.perry]

Best of luck. Bodywork is not my department but plenty of others can help out. When to get to the mechanical work let me know.
If you get stuck for parts I may be able to help, no guarantees but I can try.

[teohenghooi]

I also own a 4 door 1951 series mm like yours.Mine had been idle for almost 20 years and the floor boards have been replaced recently.Many things to be done....I suggest you take your time to restore it to its former glory like i am doing now.Cheers.