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1959 Morris Minor aka William Leo Columbus


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Hi Ratsun Folks

 

The old 1940 Ford was regretfully sold in late Sept of 2021...I still want a Datsun 521 truck but this one popped up in Columbus Ohio and it was a stalled project...the previous owner and his brother had owned it for over 40 years....they were big British car guys...I don't have a clue anything about English cars except my father told me to stay away from them...they look so cute....I have had Jap stuff...German stuff...loads of American iron...so why not...they had put in the bigger 1275 motor...disc brakes in the front...subby seats as well...

 

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The paint finish sold me...I love old crusty rusty cars...

 

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Leaving Columbus Ohio and headed East to Mechanicville NY....

 

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The first I did was get out my WD 40 and give it a little skin conditioner action...

 

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I was told it sat inside for years...the color rusty black....

 

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The big motor...I was told it was running 2 weeks before I bought it...wiring looks kinda sketchy too...

 

I am giving my self 1 year to get it running again...I will be retiring from my govt job in Jan of 2023...I want this thing drivable by then...

 

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So much like the J13 Nissan engine. Electrical by Lucas... Prince of Darkness. There was one around the block but it's been gone now for years. There was a green one on the road but haven't seen it in a long long time and I haven't been on the road much the last 2 years. Oh there was a crushed on in the woods.

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Buddy of mine many years ago had an MG Midget that we turfed the English boat anchor motor & trans, swapped in an A14 with 4 speed and did a simple but crude adaptation of Bosch fuel injection from a VW Rabbit. Car weighed less, had more power, and was reliable. Our only real issue was the clutch essentially was an on/off switch - we hadn't figured out the balancing of the hydraulics between British master & Japanese slave. Removed the heater core due to packaging limits.

 

Have fun with your build!

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Had a good day n the shop last Sunday...under the rear seat I kept seeing light shining thru...right where the gas line mounted there was a 4" hole...so I jumped in...

 

It turned into the whole length of the left side of the seat...

 

Even had to do a little rear spring hanger action too...

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Had to keep diggin as I have given myself 1 year to get it rolling and driving again...the previous owner had put Subby seats in it...well the mounts were fine but the floor under the mounts needed some TLC...I had some 1/8" flat stock kicking around...

 

Not a fan of laying on my back and welding but I am not gonna tear this thing apart...trying to fix the broken parts and get it running....

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Left side quarter was so clean...it even still had the 1959 Morris Minor paint on it...but the inner structure was gone...

 

We got some 18-16 gauge steel from work when they were throwing some steel shelving...

 

I bought a out sill from the fine folks at ESM motors...I was gonna replace the whole section but the rear half was the only part rotted...so I cut it in half and did the MIG welding shuffle...

 

Had a good day..

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On 12/9/2021 at 9:23 PM, datzenmike said:

the electrics can be blamed on Lucas

The Prince of Darkness. They say that's why the Brits drink warm beer - they have Lucas refrigerators.

 

It's not too late to get your project onto a rotisserie - eliminate overhead welding and it will make your life much easier... Lumber isn't expensive.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am still adjusting to the fact this ole heap doesn't have a frame per say...I have not worked on something like this since my Dodge Neon roundy round days....

 

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I got the quarter panel all tacked back into place...had to cobble up a place to mount the fender bolt too...

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The pic above is or was the left rear frame rail...

 

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Then we had to this little deal to figure out...no instructions from the vendor...I guess I am supposed to be able to figure it out...sawzall and angle grinders to the rescue...

 

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Tack tack tack....I think I made 4 laps arounds this track...

 

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Grind grind grind....

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Then we had this little issue to figure out...

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tack tack tack...grind grind grind...repeat...

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It is been a learning curve on this old heap...but I have to say...I am pleasantly surprise by how this little car is built....

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, datsunfreak said:

 

Oh, they built them tough, just not waterproof.   😁

 

On the Morris Minors, (and other British cars of the time) They sandwiched multiple panels together and painted them AFTER.  In a climate where it rains a LOT, you'd think they would have known better by then..

 

Somewhere around here, I should have a copy of an article that featured me and my Official British Royal Mail Van that I owned a long time ago..

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

been able to keep sneaking out to the shop...

 

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The quarter I cut off...well I welded it back on...found some more rust...the scrap metal from the shelf unit is helping me tons...

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Tack tack tack....grind grind grind...repeat...

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the right side inner sill was a infested with tin worms...

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so thankful the folks at ESM sells almost every part for this heap...

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getting so I love painters tape...tack tack tack....grind grind grind...

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Right front floor pan needed some help too...

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still need to do some more grinding...

 

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I still cant believe I am able to weld 18 gauge metal to the 22-24 gauge floor pans...

 

The English really make a decent sheet metal...even rusty and crusty...

 

Still having fun...

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  • 3 weeks later...

Still stealing time in the shop....cut cut cut...tac tac tac...grind grind grind...

 

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trash can is getting fuller by the day with crusty Morris Minor parts...

 

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This is the right side inner fender panel....

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I was finally able to weld the old OEM quarter back on to the car again...

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They even make B pillar patch panels for this old man...

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I never would have bought this old heap if it were not for the aftermarket support...they make almost everything for these little cars...

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Strut rod mount was broken and the strut rod was hanging out in the breeze...

 

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All better now...

 

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the tires that came with the car were dry rotted....thank you internet to the recuse...

 

175/70/13 in stock and and shipped to my door...

 

Tac tac tac....grind grind grind...

 

repeat...

 

MikeC

 

 

 

 

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There's a big Morris supplier in either Sweden or Norway (I forgot which one) and he literally has a jungle village in Indonesia, and they make all the parts by hand.  It's just people with hammers and tree stumps pounding the replacement sheet metal parts out.  The parts usually need some fitting, but almost all of the usual rust areas are available..

 

 

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