Morris Minor Owners Club

Might interest someone. This is my parts list book that was originally owned by the army. The book is stamped "22623" which is the army code for "car, utility, 4X2, Morris 1000". The book contains some typed loose sheets as well.

Stephen

Brings back memories of when I worked as an equipment examiner for R.E.M.E. in the late 1970s.
The military Minor 1000 parts list was essential as the Minor traveller was the staff car being used at the time.
All parts were ordered using the military part number and only very occasionally were the makers part numbers used.
The Minor traveller replaced a Hillman Huskey and the Minor was replaced by a Ford Escort.
We had a store full of brand new Minor traveller spares and the workshop had all of the Minor special tools.
Happy days.

philthehill wrote: ↑Wed Feb 14, 2024 11:00 pm Brings back memories of when I worked as an equipment examiner for R.E.M.E. in the late 1970s.
The military Minor 1000 parts list was essential as the Minor traveller was the staff car being used at the time.
All parts were ordered using the military part number and only very occasionally were the makers part numbers used.
The Minor traveller replaced a Hillman Huskey and the Minor was replaced by a Ford Escort.
We had a store full of brand new Minor traveller spares and the workshop had all of the Minor special tools.
Happy days.

I have a colleague whose brother was R.E.M.E. He tells me that when they sold off cars they were usually in extremely good condition having been meticulously serviced. Sometimes they would pretty much restore cars to factory condition before selling them. Any poor condition cars weren't sold and were used as tank targets. All of the services used Minors. The army had bomb disposal travellers with red wings, the RAF used them for runabouts on airfields. I believe RN officers had to have 4 door saloons.

Stephen

svenedin wrote: ↑Wed Feb 14, 2024 11:57 pm

philthehill wrote: ↑Wed Feb 14, 2024 11:00 pm Brings back memories of when I worked as an equipment examiner for R.E.M.E. in the late 1970s.
The military Minor 1000 parts list was essential as the Minor traveller was the staff car being used at the time.
All parts were ordered using the military part number and only very occasionally were the makers part numbers used.
The Minor traveller replaced a Hillman Huskey and the Minor was replaced by a Ford Escort.
We had a store full of brand new Minor traveller spares and the workshop had all of the Minor special tools.
Happy days.

I have a colleague whose brother was R.E.M.E. He tells me that when they sold off cars they were usually in extremely good condition having been meticulously serviced. Sometimes they would pretty much restore cars to factory condition before selling them. Any poor condition cars weren't sold and were used as tank targets. All of the services used Minors. The army had bomb disposal travellers with red wings, the RAF used them for runabouts on airfields. I believe RN officers had to have 4 door saloons.

Stephen

The reason Military vehicles were generally always in good condition was because of the way their maintenance budget worked.

So using fictitious costs, it would go like this....
New vehicle, be it Landie or Staff car, it would have a maintenance spares budget, of say £5000. I can't remember if manpower hours were also included, they might have been, since the hours expended would have been recorded.
So if a vehicle never has any major work or bits replaced, ir might last quite a few years, with the occasional Brake or Clutch replacement.
But it could also have major bit changes, say a gearbox springs a leak and it ends up having a gearbox change, then a few weeks later a bad pothole smashes the steering, it might suddenly be leaving the workshop all tip top condition with only £50 left on it's budget.
The following week, it's parked up and someone backs into it, requiring a front wing, headlight and respray.
Budget's all gone, send for disposal.

These days, since the 1990s, all non specialist vehicles are on lease contracts.
So Aircraft Tractors/Tugs, Fuel Bowsers, Fork Lifts, 4x4 Military trucks etc are still on MOD Plates, but daily use car, vans, buses are lease, resulting in major manpower saving in MT Tech personnel and all the spares holding for them too.

Tax man claws some revenue back by them all being road taxed, which they weren't as Government vehicles, but of course that's included in the lease fees.

Another forum member asked whether there was any car number data in the book so here it is. Also the explanation of engine codes and chassis numbers (which I know everybody here already knows).

Stephen

All repair requirements would be passed to the Production Planner for perusal and costing. Anything that could not be authorise there and then because the costs were near or above the then current cost limit would be referred to the casting committee for a final decision on repair or cast.
I believe that the Minor traveller was given a life of six years after which it was considered by the casting committee for casting or retention whether it needed repairs or not.

Yes 6 years useful service sounds about right. My 68 Traveller has covered 55,000 miles and was sold out of Ruddington in 1974, just after the army had rebuilt the Engine.
Its quite unique in that it was dry stored ever since and never UK registered or used , so basically stands just as it did when it was released from Army service in 74 and still with Arny tags and plates.
I don't intend to register it, but will keep it as is..even with original rubber floor matting etc.