I've only just come across this! All your information is just right! When you were showing the inside of your car, I suddenly remembered the smell of the leather inside my Morris 1000 which I had 17 years ago! I like the engine sound when you start driving off, and I noticed the rasp on the exhaust, which I always thought was less distinctive on the pre 1000 models. There won't be many Morris Minors with the 803 cc engine. I like your accent! Watching this with the snow on the ground, it makes me think of All Creatures Great and Small!
That's a cute car. There was someone in my neighborhood in Oklahoma who had a Morris Minor. That was in the early 1970's. It was such a strange car for an American to have. I had no idea what kind it was. I was a Volkswagen fan back then but now I think the Morris Minor looks much better.
Thanks for your comments; your picking up on my Lancs accent made me smile, I'm not far from Manchester. I plan to visit NZ in the future - a beautiful country.
I had one just like that. I bought it off my barber for £25, and it was one of the best cars I ever had. It was slow, I mean really slow. I think I never got it over 55 mph, but it was such a joy to drive. The road holding was reall excellent for its day and it was so easy to control on ice just like in your video. I believe the Smith's heater was an optional extra, but if you bought a used one where the original owner was too tight to pay for a heater, you could buy the identical item in Halfords and fit it as an after market add on. I don't know the origin of the thin red stripes on the bonnet. Mine didn't have them, but others did, so I got some masking tape and red paint, and added them on. I am now wondering if that is my old Moggie, because it's identical. PS. It ran for ever on a gallon of petrol.
I LOVE THE SERIES 2, THEY BUILT THEM WITH A 1098 ENGINE FROM 55 TO 56, SO FOR ONLY 18 MONTHS MAKING THEM VERY RARE WITH THE BIG ENGINE AS STANDARD, MEANING ALL THE NUMBERS MATCH, EXACTLY THE SAME AS YOUR CAR THERE BUT WITH BIG ENGINE AND BIGGER BRAKES, IT IS MY FAVOURIT MINOR AND A SUPERB COLLECTABLE,
+bobby craig Really? I was under the impression that the 1098cc engine only came out with the 1962-onwards Morris Minor 1000; prior to that it was the 948cc engine.
I love the series 2 too, owning a commercial variant, but all of them, 'cheese grater' or 'facelift' had the little 803s out of the factory. That's 1952 to 1956. No such thing as a factory 1098 split screen car I'm afraid. The 948 was the a series that replaced the 803. Still lovely cars, nice quality and finish for such a cheap car at the time.
@@FMFGUF Yeah, you're right. The 1098 engine did not exist until the 60s. Some split-screen cars were fitted with the 948 engine in 55 and early 56 and used by BMC as test beds for the engine before it went into mass production in the Minor 1000. Perhaps that's what Rose meant.
Good point about the Morris having `proper' electric motor powered wipers as compared to Ford who offered their budget cars with vacuum motors. Strange time of year for you to have a fight with the lawn mower !!
How can you compare cars from a huge country like the USA with a tiny place like England or tbe UK? These cars were not deigned to cruise huge freeways or traverse 3000 miles on route 66. These cars took the local schoolmistress from her house on the outskirts of a village to the school in the village. Once a year they might be used to drive a massive 300 miles to Cornwall and back. Its horses for courses.
1956 US autos all had options for v8s, automatic transmissions, power options of several degrees, tons of stainless and chrome among other items. Most offered seat belts, padded dashboards, child safety locks in rear doors, safety plate glass all around, automatic headlight dimmers, etc. Some such as Buick starting in 1958 offered many unique safety items such as aluminum brake drums (best in the industry for many years), self adjusting brakes, and recessed dash knobs. Nice British car though.
What a fabulous example of a classic model. Many years ago, I had an earlier sidevalve engine model, after fixing it up a bit, it went great. I found some footage of a 1998 Morris Club reunion meeting on some old videotapes I got when I bought an old video camera and have uploaded it to my account, videos number 231 and 232. My account is called "kiwicatherinejemma" and I love your pommie accent, you sound like my previous flatmate. He was from near Manchester. Cheerio from New Zealand :)
I am going to put a heat-shield between the carburettor and manifold and also look into moving the fuel pump underneath the exhaust away from the heat. I find the ignition very reliable - though be wary of modern replacement components.
My father once had a 1955 series 2, the 803cc sidevalve engine was garbage really, shocking how many rebuilds it needed. The trafficators often need attention too. Wierdly it was probably our favourite car though, still have a great fondness for them.
+g0fvt The sidevalve engine was a 918 cc, Morris engine, only used on the Minor from 1948 to 1953. The series 2 was fitted with a 903cc overhead valve ehgine inherited from Austin after the 2 companies amalgamated to become BMC.. This was a brilliant little engine, christened the A series by BMC, and made in later years in various versions up to 1275 cc. First used in the 1951 Austin A30, it was used right up to 2000 in the Mini, when it was replaced with the new design K series engine. It was also used under licence by Nissan with their own improved cylinder head similar to the one used in later years by BMC/BL If you had a 55 Series 2 with the old sidevalve engine, maybe you live in another country than the UK, or someone retro fitted it.
+Replevideo You are right, ours must have been an A-series OHV engine, so it is a bit of a mystery why it needed so many rebuilds, they are usually a tough and long lived engine. The later, bigger capacity A-series Minors were positively rabid in comparison to ours. Though ours didn't collapse onto the ground with failed trunnion bushes, a bit of a consolation.
Correct, the car in the film had its original 803cc A Series unit, but I rebuilt it as the big end bearings failed. This first A Series was not a good engine at all, being very weak due to various design features, but it was developed into the later engines of the same name which were extremely good and long lived. 50 MPH really was its comfortable maximum speed.
In hindsight ours was probably an OHV 803cc engine, I was only about 8 years old when we sold it. It was a Series 2 Minor. It did have a few major rebuilds, and was on at least the 3rd rebore at just 12 years old. Later A series engines were certainly robust and long lived.
Good idea, I may follow suit and have a look into it myself. Also, would you happen to have an idea of just how rare split-screens are becoming these days? Just out of curiosity.
Avoid the 803 engine - too slow and not durable. Otherwise they are very nice to drive, really responsive, crisp steering etc and very reliable. This car was a daily driver but is not suited to high speeds (realistic max. is 50 MPH).
Its very peculiar. When my own moggie has done this, and ground to a spluttering halt; I checked the coil, fuel pump, and fuel feed pipe. But not the condenser (which I suspect is the cause as well as my mechanic!) Your theory on fuel vaporization I think is closest to what is actually happening! Like yours, my own is an early split-screen (1954)
It is completely original but I am doing some preservative work. The big ends have recently gone as they are prone to wear out quickly on the 803cc if flogged. This isn't exactly hard to do either as the max. speed is only 55-60mph.
Sorry, ran out of space to type. The video I found and uploaded includes a Morris Minor with an "articulated lorry" style trailer (I'm fairly sure that was custom made and NOT factory).The sidevalve models could not have a heater fitted (neither at the factory nor aftermarket) , as they had no waterpump. However living without a heater in a car in NZ isn't too bad, unless you are right down south, inland or in an alpine area. You'd certainly want a heater in a car in the UK. Cheerio
Comparison with Buick and Olds is not really fair to the Morris as they were quite a bit further up the ladder. Chev, Ford, Plymough and Studebaker were the social and economic equivalent, but the Morris does not come up very well against those - so much smaller and less powerful. The Minor is still a fun car though.
I love Morris Minors, but this one does not sound healthy. Maybe the audio is the problem, but low oil pressure and a grinding sound from under the hood does not bode well....
I think it's the potato quality audio mostly. Also sounds like it has a rattly timing chain which is fairly normal for earlier A-Series engines that don't have a tensioner.
no I mean did you buy it years back..I mean maybe it was your grandparent car..and later you took care of it or you have bought it and you restored it in a good condition? I just wanted to know the history of the car :)
Come on admit to it you stole this car from Noddy he is missing his car.. Big ears is on the case and when he find you ,all them rattles are going to be in your head..
I've only just come across this! All your information is just right! When you were showing the inside of your car, I suddenly remembered the smell of the leather inside my Morris 1000 which I had 17 years ago!
I like the engine sound when you start driving off, and I noticed the rasp on the exhaust, which I always thought was less distinctive on the pre 1000 models. There won't be many Morris Minors with the 803 cc engine. I like your accent!
Watching this with the snow on the ground, it makes me think of All Creatures Great and Small!
The shape is phenomenal. I love the curves and very visible front bonnet. You knew where you were with that bonnet.
That's a cute car. There was someone in my neighborhood in Oklahoma who had a Morris Minor. That was in the early 1970's. It was such a strange car for an American to have. I had no idea what kind it was. I was a Volkswagen fan back then but now I think the Morris Minor looks much better.
What a delightful Morris Minor. Had five or six of these, including a Traveller. Great to see this one in good hands.
Thanks for your comments; your picking up on my Lancs accent made me smile, I'm not far from Manchester. I plan to visit NZ in the future - a beautiful country.
My Aunty had one my neighbor had one and they were everywhere in Jamaica back in the 60ties
Cool car, I'm picking my 1957 4 door saloon tomorrow! Have owned 2 others before and always regretted selling them.
I had one just like that. I bought it off my barber for £25, and it was one of the best cars I ever had. It was slow, I mean really slow. I think I never got it over 55 mph, but it was such a joy to drive. The road holding was reall excellent for its day and it was so easy to control on ice just like in your video. I believe the Smith's heater was an optional extra, but if you bought a used one where the original owner was too tight to pay for a heater, you could buy the identical item in Halfords and fit it as an after market add on. I don't know the origin of the thin red stripes on the bonnet. Mine didn't have them, but others did, so I got some masking tape and red paint, and added them on. I am now wondering if that is my old Moggie, because it's identical. PS. It ran for ever on a gallon of petrol.
I LOVE THE SERIES 2, THEY BUILT THEM WITH A 1098 ENGINE FROM 55 TO 56, SO FOR ONLY 18 MONTHS MAKING THEM VERY RARE WITH THE BIG ENGINE AS STANDARD, MEANING ALL THE NUMBERS MATCH, EXACTLY THE SAME AS YOUR CAR THERE BUT WITH BIG ENGINE AND BIGGER BRAKES, IT IS MY FAVOURIT MINOR AND A SUPERB COLLECTABLE,
+bobby craig Really? I was under the impression that the 1098cc engine only came out with the 1962-onwards Morris Minor 1000; prior to that it was the 948cc engine.
I love the series 2 too, owning a commercial variant, but all of them, 'cheese grater' or 'facelift' had the little 803s out of the factory. That's 1952 to 1956. No such thing as a factory 1098 split screen car I'm afraid. The 948 was the a series that replaced the 803. Still lovely cars, nice quality and finish for such a cheap car at the time.
@@FMFGUF Yeah, you're right. The 1098 engine did not exist until the 60s. Some split-screen cars were fitted with the 948 engine in 55 and early 56 and used by BMC as test beds for the engine before it went into mass production in the Minor 1000. Perhaps that's what Rose meant.
My great grandparents had a 1957 2-door 1000 from new. I've got a 1967 4-door myself.
Good point about the Morris having `proper' electric motor powered wipers as compared to Ford who offered their budget cars with vacuum motors. Strange time of year for you to have a fight with the lawn mower !!
How can you compare cars from a huge country like the USA with a tiny place like England or tbe UK? These cars were not deigned to cruise huge freeways or traverse 3000 miles on route 66. These cars took the local schoolmistress from her house on the outskirts of a village to the school in the village. Once a year they might be used to drive a massive 300 miles to Cornwall and back. Its horses for courses.
1956 US autos all had options for v8s, automatic transmissions, power options of several degrees, tons of stainless and chrome among other items. Most offered seat belts, padded dashboards, child safety locks in rear doors, safety plate glass all around, automatic headlight dimmers, etc. Some such as Buick starting in 1958 offered many unique safety items such as aluminum brake drums (best in the industry for many years), self adjusting brakes, and recessed dash knobs. Nice British car though.
thats cool to have a gf that help you film your old car! mine is also like that and I loved that :)
What a fabulous example of a classic model. Many years ago, I had an earlier sidevalve engine model, after fixing it up a bit, it went great. I found some footage of a 1998 Morris Club reunion meeting on some old videotapes I got when I bought an old video camera and have uploaded it to my account, videos number 231 and 232. My account is called "kiwicatherinejemma" and I love your pommie accent, you sound like my previous flatmate. He was from near Manchester. Cheerio from New Zealand :)
Love it! Still have it?
Yes, on a regular basis. I thought it might be fuel vaporisation but can't get to the bottom of it. I'd be very interested to hear your views on this!
I am going to put a heat-shield between the carburettor and manifold and also look into moving the fuel pump underneath the exhaust away from the heat. I find the ignition very reliable - though be wary of modern replacement components.
great vid.
My father once had a 1955 series 2, the 803cc sidevalve engine was garbage really, shocking how many rebuilds it needed. The trafficators often need attention too. Wierdly it was probably our favourite car though, still have a great fondness for them.
+g0fvt The sidevalve engine was a 918 cc, Morris engine, only used on the Minor from 1948 to 1953. The series 2 was fitted with a 903cc overhead valve ehgine inherited from Austin after the 2 companies amalgamated to become BMC.. This was a brilliant little engine, christened the A series by BMC, and made in later years in various versions up to 1275 cc. First used in the 1951 Austin A30, it was used right up to 2000 in the Mini, when it was replaced with the new design K series engine. It was also used under licence by Nissan with their own improved cylinder head similar to the one used in later years by BMC/BL If you had a 55 Series 2 with the old sidevalve engine, maybe you live in another country than the UK, or someone retro fitted it.
+Replevideo You are right, ours must have been an A-series OHV engine, so it is a bit of a mystery why it needed so many rebuilds, they are usually a tough and long lived engine. The later, bigger capacity A-series Minors were positively rabid in comparison to ours. Though ours didn't collapse onto the ground with failed trunnion bushes, a bit of a consolation.
Correct, the car in the film had its original 803cc A Series unit, but I rebuilt it as the big end bearings failed. This first A Series was not a good engine at all, being very weak due to various design features, but it was developed into the later engines of the same name which were extremely good and long lived. 50 MPH really was its comfortable maximum speed.
In hindsight ours was probably an OHV 803cc engine, I was only about 8 years old when we sold it. It was a Series 2 Minor. It did have a few major rebuilds, and was on at least the 3rd rebore at just 12 years old. Later A series engines were certainly robust and long lived.
beautiful example.
Good idea, I may follow suit and have a look into it myself. Also, would you happen to have an idea of just how rare split-screens are becoming these days? Just out of curiosity.
Great car
Avoid the 803 engine - too slow and not durable. Otherwise they are very nice to drive, really responsive, crisp steering etc and very reliable. This car was a daily driver but is not suited to high speeds (realistic max. is 50 MPH).
be careful if you step out of the car with indicator on...I kept a box full of them cos I used to snap them off
Its very peculiar. When my own moggie has done this, and ground to a spluttering halt; I checked the coil, fuel pump, and fuel feed pipe. But not the condenser (which I suspect is the cause as well as my mechanic!) Your theory on fuel vaporization I think is closest to what is actually happening! Like yours, my own is an early split-screen (1954)
It is completely original but I am doing some preservative work.
The big ends have recently gone as they are prone to wear out quickly on the 803cc if flogged. This isn't exactly hard to do either as the max. speed is only 55-60mph.
Hey there. great car. I'm thinking of buying one myself. how do you get on with it in modern day traffic?
Sorry, ran out of space to type. The video I found and uploaded includes a Morris Minor with an "articulated lorry" style trailer (I'm fairly sure that was custom made and NOT factory).The sidevalve models could not have a heater fitted (neither at the factory nor aftermarket) , as they had no waterpump. However living without a heater in a car in NZ isn't too bad, unless you are right down south, inland or in an alpine area. You'd certainly want a heater in a car in the UK. Cheerio
Awesome :)
They remind me of the beetle, I bet they gave them competition
Comparison with Buick and Olds is not really fair to the Morris as they were quite a bit further up the ladder. Chev, Ford, Plymough and Studebaker were the social and economic equivalent, but the Morris does not come up very well against those - so much smaller and less powerful. The Minor is still a fun car though.
I love Morris Minors, but this one does not sound healthy. Maybe the audio is the problem, but low oil pressure and a grinding sound from under the hood does not bode well....
I think it's the potato quality audio mostly. Also sounds like it has a rattly timing chain which is fairly normal for earlier A-Series engines that don't have a tensioner.
Have you still got her??
Have you ever experienced the car developing a "kangarooing" effect, as though it is out of fuel, during long journeys or very hot days?
Did you buy it and restored it or you had it long ago?
belo carro....
no I mean did you buy it years back..I mean maybe it was your grandparent car..and later you took care of it or you have bought it and you restored it in a good condition? I just wanted to know the history of the car :)
Come on admit to it you stole this car from Noddy he is missing his car.. Big ears is on the case and when he find you ,all them rattles are going to be in your head..