Exeter Archives - Classicaraddict

A Tale Of Two MGB GT’S Part Three.

Heading Home, Initial Problems

For the first two instalments, please follow these links. A Tale of Two MG MGB GT’S Part One

After connecting the sat nav I headed home, ahead of me 250 in changeable conditions and it with it getting dark. For the first few miles it spat back, misfired and generally misbehaved.

As the engine started to settle down the next issue rose it ugly head. What seemed like smoke started to rise from the dash board. As I pulled over, I prayed to Lucas, the god of old British cars not to let this one burn.

Now, I have a confession, my sense of smell is not that good, never has been. So there I was trying see if it was water vapour or smoke. Seeing how it condensed on the windscreen, it must be vapour. Not ideal. Thankfully I had a few litres with me and it is fairly easy to get more if needed. This being Britain I could just hold the bottle outside…

Reading Rush Hour Traffic, Teething issues.

I was guided towards and through Reading. It was now 6 pm and it seemed the city is just a collection of junctions with traffic lights, mostly red.
When I put the headlights on the fan belt squealed, an indication I should have tightened it. Apart from that and the steam coming from the dashboard the car was settling down. It wasn’t fair of me to ask it to cope with heavy traffic so soon after getting revived, yet oil pressure was good as was the temperature.

Finally The Motorway, First Stop, Adjusting The Fan Belt

Finally getting to M4, I opened her up. Nothing silly, but this was the first time I’d felt that lovely long-legged cruising ability that MGB’s are renown for. The overdrive clicked in and we sat at 65 mph. After about 15 miles we approached the next service station. An Ideal place for me to tighten the fan belt, check her over and of course stretch my legs.

The Belt adjusted, wheel bolts checked and I visited the services. Feeling more confident once again we found ourselves turning west. The next couple of hours was a question dealing with the endless road works and average speed check zones and heading towards my next planned stop at Exeter. Morris Minor Road Trip Part Two.

Flat Tyre On The Motorway

Entering the roadworks ahead of junction 29 I could hear a flapping, trying to work out what the noise was, for once I was thankful of 50 zone. After almost clearing them, the front right tyre popped. The B was still very controllable and stable as I eased my way towards the hard shoulder. Pulling in behind I large concrete barrier and with road work cone on my right I quickly changed it. Thankful of my foresight of packing a scissor jack.

A few miles later it started to rain and the drivers wiper didn’t, the passengers seemed good. It could wait for us to get to Exeter to swap them over. I pulled into the petrol station not far from where months before I bought Mog from. Finding the best wheel and tyre among the many in the back I used the free air to pump it, then topped the tank up.

Diversion, Beans On Toast

At this point I should have been heading down the A30, but instead I went down the A38 a few miles to see my friend Jude. After some much needed beans on toast and a mug of coffee. It was time for the final 100 miles or so. Deciding to head back to Exeter and the A30, rather than the shorter route through the Glynn Valley.

Final 100 Miles

With the conditions getting worse I carefully eased my way onto the A30. Rain was interchanged with fog. The going was slow, but steady. The rain came down sheets and the fog was thick. The B plodded on, each mile west taking me closer to home.

Parking her in an unrestricted area, I thanked her, locked her up and headed to my bed. We made it home, it was 2 am and easier trip than the previous one with Jess.

Morris Minor, Filling Some Of The Gaps.

Spares to a daily.

From buying the Morris Minor to driving to the Northeast, a jump worthy of any postmodern film or book. When I studied creative writing 10 years ago, we were taught show don’t tell. Yet how did Mog and I go from oh my god to being able to do a round a trip of 1200 miles? Morris Minor Road Trip, Part One.

The simple answer would be with a lot of hard work and many breakdowns. Perhaps not the most descriptive or in depth blog post especially for one that is theoretically about cars. This post is a less detailed overview of experience Mog and I shared during those months.

After Getting The Morris Minor Home.

After towing Mog back behind Tug from Exeter I was allowed to borrow a driveway to work on her. 15 years before and 3 weeks after buying my Triumph Spitfire this was the same place I changed the gearbox. I said a week then and I did it. Again, I said a week and 6 days after I started welding Mog was solid enough to drive down. Buying a Morris Minor.

During that time, I didn’t just weld but also had to fit a new thermostat, water pump and a few other parts. But we made it, sadly the dynamo stopped working, but thankfully Jess had a spare so we swapped them over. If at that point I thought it was over, and it would be possible to enjoy the pleasure a new car how wrong was I?

Ignition Issues. Road Side Solutions.

I spent the day doing little jobs and just as it was getting to late evening was about 6 miles away from home Mog died. Her ignition switched fell apart. In fading light and with my phone battery low I had to find a solution. This was made far harder due to inexperience with Morris Minors. What would be easy a few months later was a struggle.

An older car needs fuel and ignition. If I could get those working there was still time for us to get back safely before it got dark. Thankfully the Morris Minor design came to my aid. The bulkhead has the fuel pump on the left, battery in the middle and coil on the right. Even with my lack of electrical knowledge it was a simple question of running a live feed to both the pump and coil. We made it back. The following day I made the repair a little more permanent. It held until last few miles of my return from the North.

The Muppet Factor.

Nigel popped down the following weekend. Quickly getting the indicators working and one or two other little issues. We then settled into a two-week cycle, something would break. I’d fix it then two weeks later something else would. https://youtu.be/VaRNZn4OYh4

The next major thing was down to my own muppet factor… With Sheldon from Classic Britain I showed how good the brakes were. In the Process breaking the engine mounts. Not only was this caught on film, but also it meant Mog had to get recovered. With no local specialist parts were ordered and the wait began, the combination of parcel farce 24 and Cornwall meaning that it could take up to 5 days for anything to arrive. The job itself not difficult. Repairing the radiator taking longer, as the steel fan had clipped the top.

Cylinder Head

Having repaired her and after a few days, she started to run badly and misfire whilst in Falmouth. Managing to make it back safely and after few days I took the cylinder head off. There was a crack between the combustion chambers of number 3 and 4. Once again Jess came to my aid. After upgrading his engine last year from a 948 to a 1275 he let me have his old engine for a good price. The swap was soon complete and Mog was running once again.

Lack Of Preparation, More Problems.

A simple job of changing the rear leaf springs became far harder to a combination of my lack of preparation and the parts supplier mixing nuts of the same diameter but different threads together. Again, once bitten, twice shy. This sums up those months, simple jobs often made far harder due to previous repairs, (bodges,) my lack of Morris Minor knowledge and the main parts suppliers being a long wait away with parcel farce.

Axle Issues.

I mentioned during the introduction of Morris Minor Road Trip Part One the axle was changed. The day before I was due to go to Liskeard and Bridgewater to pick up some spares. I decided to change the driver’s side oil seal. This was a mistake, after tapping the locking washer flat the nut holding the half shaft on was loose. Praying the threads were worn on the nut and not the axle casing, of course the casing was worn. I spoke with gent at Liskeard and he did have an axle for sale as well at a good price. A few days later I spot welded the nut to the casing. Something which I wish I’d thought of on the Saturday.

The axle change wasn’t easy, likewise the week after almost cutting my finger off the gearbox went. Mog’s mismatched combination of early and later parts meaning that was far harder than it should have been.

So?

Reading through this there is an intentional dryness to the post. I’ve not written about my emotional experience of owning and driving a Morris Minor, an early one at that. Now that is real story and will be saved for another post.

Morris Minor Road Trip, Part One.

“To travel hopefully is better than to arrive.” Wrote Robert Louis Stephenson in 1881. Red in the Shawshank Redemption narrates at the end of the film, “I feel like a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain.”

Before leaving.

Two weeks ago, I loaded Mog my 1952 Morris Minor up and prepared to leave on a long journey. Here was a car that hadn’t been on the road for ten years until only a few short months before. After I completed the initial welding work had an immense amount done as what could fail did. The fews week prior had seen me change a gearbox, passenger front wing, weld in two large repair panels due to a bodge creating a rust trap, a rear axle, two brake pipes, several oil seals. Oh, and another oil change. Buying a Morris Minor.

In the days of tall ships, the saying was, one hand for the ship, one for the sailor. The modern version went, the boot is for the car, the interior for me. Carrying more spares and tools than some mobile mechanics. Yes, I was overprepared, but still not enough. With my paddleboard on the roof, clothes, paddles, wetsuit on the backseat off we set. Filling up at Truro the next stop would be just before the M5 at Exeter, not far from where I got Mog from. MX5 Goodbye.

Initial 100 Miles.

Those first 90 miles were a shake down, and if not shake they certainly rattled. We headed off up the A30. Where I found to my pleasure that with all the work completed Mog would sit at 55 to 60 MPH, well unless the hill was steep… The Paddleboard affected her crosswind handling a little, ensuring a mild tail waggle in certain conditions. Nothing to worry about, just to be aware and take account of.

Early Issues.

No, the biggest issue was the rattle coming from the gearbox selector cup. One that amplified leading to a deeper understanding of those who suffer tinnitus. Running locally not an issue, but after an hour or so, wearing. Working out that the lightest pressure damped it and remembering that I had a couple of shorter bungee cords in the boot it meant that when we stopped, I was sure it could get sorted.

We pulled into the well known supermarket at Exeter, 90 miles into an initial 230. Filling up cost £14 of the premium fuel, not too bad considering. After giving Mog a quick visual check over followed by her oil and water off we headed for coffee stop at Taunton Deane. With the less steep gradients on the motorway Mog would easily keep up with the slower traffic. The rattle from the gear lever fixed with a combination of bungee cord and hairband. Yet my radar pinged.

Loosing water.

It is said that those who have been around older machinery often develop a sixth sense when it comes to problems. I pulled to a stop mine was on overload. Popping her bonnet, oil was fine, but water was down. Clearly there was an issue with her cooling system. After checking all the hoses and fastenings and topping her up we pulled tentatively back onto the motorway. Running the heater and pulling in every 20 miles or so. On the second stop there was a discarded 5 litre container. For once being thankful for our selfish society I quickly wiped it down and refilled it.

For the next 100 miles or so that was how we travelled, slow but steady. Thankfully not to far to our stop, a deluxe garden shed high up on the hills in Gloucestershire.

We had made it, tired, I even had a paddle on the Stroudwater canal.

Tomorrow could wait, time for a beer and dinner.

Buying a Morris Minor.

Quick Recap

My friend Jess and I found ourselves at the edge of Exeter looking at a Morris Minor 2dr saloon. A few days before I had been looking at classified adds on Gumtree…Classified Classic Car Hunting

Running?

With a battery attached the engine was coaxed into running for a few seconds. Whilst I might not know much about Morris Minors, I do about the A series engine and this one was sweet sounding. Assessing a Car

Dashboard & General Condition
After wrestling a seat into the empty cabin, I sat behind the wheel, the dash being very different to the later ones. The iconic central Morris Minor Speedo not only stylish but also very practical as it allowed both right hand and left drive vehicles to be made much cheaper.

Yet here was a dash that looked much less 1950’s and more 1940’s. Cream painted tin, chrome, and bakerlite with Banjo 3 spoke steering wheel… The lighter panels offset by the rich blue of an earlier window out respray.

All the tyres would need replacing and to be honest the amount of welding needed scared me silly. Yet… Welding One Small Patch?

Jess and I went back for a little chat beside Bel, my MX 5. He said it was bad, but it could be far worse. The expense being the body on a Morris Minor as the rest is fairly cheap. Yet the engine was good and we gambled on the transmission. He went on to say, Morris Minors seem to have either good oily bits and poor bodies or the other way round…

From the floors up she was solid.

https://youtu.be/q9WvF7gD_3M

https://youtu.be/_5qK4wW33Mk

Negotiating a price.

As Jess looked over the Moggie again I sat down with the seller.

We have all watched those shows where people rip the seller off and flip the car for a big profit. Others have described them as sharks with smiles…
I’m not like that, but when I do low ball, I’ve learnt that if we are getting on it is much easier.
After telling the seller that I was going to take the mickey and that he wasn’t going to get upset. He wasn’t, told me up the price by £100 and knowing he was being a gent, we didn’t shake hands, but I gave him a £200 deposit… I knew it that he had come down a long way and I wasn’t going to insult him any further. MX5 Goodbye.

After visiting a nearby supermarket, taking the rest of the money out I paid the seller. Arranging to pick the car up soon, Jess and I left to see a friend locally for a socially distanced coffee before heading back down the A30 to Cornwall roof down…
I’d bought a Morris Minor, and early one, but what had I actually bought?

Classified Classic Car Hunting

Classified Hunting.

Late night classified add looking is never a good thing.
Hunting that bargain, odd wording, fuzzy pictures or lack whereof spark the interest.

Requirements

As I’ve already mentioned, the car to replace Bel would have to be an historic one, tax and mot free with cheap insurance. Also, the parts would have to be plentiful and cheap. That immediately discounts anything with a VW badge, as yes there lots about but you pay a premium. http://www.classicaraddict.com/mx5-goodbye/

My requirements meant an older British car, ideally an MG MGB GT, but they are little expensive. To be honest I’m horrified how much once cheap cars are now worth, Ford Capris as an example, a few years ago bangers now anything is worth thousands. After this shock I found myself looking at adds and this is when living in Cornwall is an issue, for many Bristol is the far southwest, Exeter might as well be France and Cornwall Outer Mongolia. Combined with the amount of salt in the air here, especially near the North Coast we have to travel. 18 months ago I found a MK1 Toyota Rave 4 Auto for a friend at Honiton and felt I’d got away lightly. Finding a Unicorn Car for a Friend.

What To Look For In An Add.

After looking on Facebook Market Place and eBay I tried Gumtree. Lots of adds full of clear pictures and well written and with each one my heart sank a little lower. Then one stood out, a single fuzzy picture not too far away by our standards as only 100 miles, well 96 away. After getting used to how gumtree works I contacted the seller and asked if we could have a look at the weekend. It would have to be Sunday as I was towing a car back from Plymouth for a friend on the Saturday. https://www.gumtree.com/

Initial Contact With The Seller.

We agreed a time, this was Thursday evening, on Saturday I confirmed that we would be aiming to be there at midday and if we came to an agreement £200 pounds would be a suitable deposit. Just before we left on Sunday morning in Bel my soon to be sold MX5 I messaged to let the seller know we were on our way.

Arriving / Initial Impressions.

Aiming for midday I rang 2 minutes passed to let him know we were outside. As he opened the gate, the seller said, “the price is not fixed.” Not the thing to say to a buyer… The seller is a true gent and to see his lifetime collection of pushbikes, cars, and paraphernal was amazing. He showed us his much loved 1925 Citroen Cloverleaf looking just like Brum the children television series and not that much bigger.

Three generations of petrolheads together all sharing the same passion. The seller, myself and my mate Jess in his early 20’s. Those who know Jess would have guessed the car now. For those who don’t, Jess has two cars on the road, one 1956 2dr rat rod and the other a very original 1966 4dr and this was the reason he was with me. Both Jess’s cars are Morris Minors and the car was a one, except it was a little rarer than many. http://www.classicaraddict.com/importance-of-gut-instinct/

A Morris Minor, But what Type?

I’d found a 1952 split screen 2dr Minor, listed as a series two and needing a lot of work. She had been stood standing for over 10 years the seller having rescued it from a possible destruction a few years back. Yet not having the welding skills, he never managed to get her on the road. With the arrival of the Citroen it was time to let her go.
To be honest my first impression was oh bugger as the interior was stripped out and clearly both sills and lot more needed doing. Yet as Jess clambered all over her, and we managed to make her fire up she spoke to me. Running enough to let me know she wanted to live. http://www.classicaraddict.com/33/

This is the first of a whole series of posts, and yes there is little hint there…