Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) morris minor 1000 as good as a Mog?

G'day morganeers,
I learnt to drive and pass my driving test in England (1964 age 20) in a Morris Minor 1000, light blue, rack and pinion steering and a tiger in the tank.
Now I have been thinking about morries lately? and am leaning to the convertibles..
Has anyone on here have one in there garage and keeping very quiet about it?
If so, I would like to know how they shape up to and compare to a Morgan? after all they have 4 wheels, a rag top, 4 cylinders, and an impeccable pedigree.....even Garry McDonald drove one in "Mother and son". what a car
just a thought,
before I explore the possibility of becoming an owner of 2 convertibles..

For a great many people a Morris 1000 is a Mog

No dont do it unless:

a. Brakes have been upgraded
b. Engine has been upgraded

Classic car and all that but IMHO over rated and hence over priced. Find a nice Herald 1360 convertible and you will have a far better car.

Peter,
You might find some interesting ideas here:

http://www.charleswaresmorrisminorcentre.co.uk/

Cheers,
G

GLLHG:
thank you for the link, that is an amazing site for Morris cars. I now wish that I lived in England and have all these resources available to me as you have with Morgan facilities and parts.

Biggles:
I remember the triumph Herald convertibles well and the 6 cylinder Vitese was the wolf in sheep's clothing.
Unfortunately, I also vividly remember that most of them were rusting away with every winters salt from the roads.
They has a chassis but the body's in many cases were almost falling of the frames.
I wonder if there are many left in a restored condition?
I have never seen one in Australia.
I agree that the upgrades you mention are a must. I keep an eye out on Ebay and most of the Morris's have those mods.
Just wish that I could spirit one of Charles Ware's convertibles in an email to my big shed

Morris minors are very fine cars... Issigonis was a inspired designer and engineer ..beautiful rack and pinion steering...stone age mechanicals ...once drove one back from France with a blown head gasket ...filling it up with water every 10 or 15 miles as it boiled over.Took the head off to find it had warped by 15 thou...had it skimmed (without even taking the valves out) and it went better than ever .However woe betide you if you neglected to grease the front trunions.

In my experience you could stand and watch a Triumph Herald going rusty before your very eyes whilst you drank a cup of tea.
Two litre Vitesses were known by my friends in the motor trade as flying coffins.
Regards
Gerry

Buy a Mini Moke Peter

Cheers,

Graham: I have a Series one land-rover, so dont need a "Moke". They (the Moke) were very popular over here in the 70's. Sometimes see them for sale for silly prices, but never tempted
Always had a soft spot for Morris minor convertibles if genuine! The Charles Ware ones are magnificent, but the prices are too

I bought a 2 Litre Vitesse from a one eyed man in the local mining village in 1977 to teach MrsW to drive. Although it had a full MOT, the brakes were dodgy. It turned out that only one pad each side was contacting the disc. I got some new pads but they would only fit one side. The other caliper was different - Herald Coupe maybe, or Vitesse 1600. So I ground a bit off to make em fit. The sump plug was totally rounded off, so to drain the oil I slackened the filter housing and ran the engine until it pumped dry. Every outrigger was rotten, but it was far cheaper than a Mini or Minor 1000, and it did the job. She learned to drive on it, even though it brought new meaning to the term "scuttle shake". Did I mention that I brush painted it Dulux Brilliant White? It looked great from over the road. When I sold it with 4 weeks test remaining, a Vitesse enthusiast turned up. Walked round it once. Told me he never thought he'd find one rougher than his own, and bought it in the spot for £150.

Ah, nostalgia!
G