h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I think my Morris Minor has passed away. There was a little hole in the chassis by the rear spring hanger on which she failed her MOT. Only on investigating the hole it just got bigger and bigger. It could be done for a couple of hundred quid, and if my welding skills were up to it (and I had any welding gear) I could probably do it, but it's not worth paying somebody else to do it.

I only paid £500 for her and have used her for 3 years as a daily runner. She hasn't let me down and drives really well, and she's probably still worth £200 as she is, so she owes me nothing at all, but it's a shame. She's far too good to scrap, so hopefully somebody with more time and inclination will buy her and put her back on the road.

Goodbye little car...

NO!!!

Mrs manda is old and droping to bits, but I still get her fixed now and again

is it the moggy 1000
If you pay £200 to get her fixed, won't it be worth more than £400,
and you will still have a moggy to run about in

I wish I have a moggy 1000 to run about in


manda

Hiya Granny!

Manda - if you fancy a Moggy 1000 to run around in I know where there's one that just needs a couple of hundred quid spending on it for its MOT - it's going for a couple of hundred quid!

Seriously - yeah, if I paid £200 to have her welded she'd still be worth 4 or 5 hundred quid, but to be honest I was thinking of having a change anyway. Jemima has given me sterling service, but she's not terribly comfortable, she's a bit draughty in the winter, and Morris Minor heaters are famously, errrm, what's the word - oh yeah, crappy. And there's quite a bit of cosmetic stuff that I'd want to have done - the back wings are a bit bubbly, so are the door bottoms. And, to be frank, it's hard work on motorways - I usually use The Admiral's Escort when I want to blast down the motorway, and we've Violet (my 1961 Hillman Minx - I'm the second owner, had her since 1985) for holidays and trips out, but I'd like my everyday motor (which Jemima was) to be a bit better at 70 mph - I didn't like to go over 60 in the Moggy and it was a bit noisy even then.

Sooo - may I introduce Harriet? Harriet is a 1975 Rover 2200 TC. She's Lunar Grey (translates as baby's first poo green), she's done 83,000 miles, and she's been in the same family since 1980. She hasn't had an MOT since 2001, but has only done 103 miles since. She's got a rust bubble under the offside indicator, and one on each side of the front wing over the strengthening panel where Rovers always tend to go, and that's it - otherwise clean as a whistle. I saw her tonight, I'm going to pick her up Saturday - ringing to book an MOT tomorrow.

Incidentally Manda - if you really fancy a Moggy I do highly recommend them - they're good fun and dirt cheap motoring. Can I point you at A600977 - my very own Guide Entry on Moggies?

I used to drive a moggy 1000 in the late 70s, I found it very nice to drive, and like you said the Engine was very easy to maintain,

I would have another but I have just got a BMW last week, so it will have to wait untill this one claps out

BTW I think A600977 is a great entry,
how do you know that much about them

manda

Manda!

I think you may wait a while before a Beemer claps out.

How do I know so much about moggies? I've always been into cars, since I was little. When I was 4 I could recognise and name pretty much every British car on the road (and there were a lot more British cars in 1961) and most European ones. I read a lot about them, I know other people who are into them and discuss them, I've taken lots of them to bits! I've been into classics since I bought my Hillman in 1985. Oh - and I did do a bit of research for my article. Don't know much about modern ones, though - I never open the bonnet of The Admiral's Escort - well, only to check it's got some oil in it.

The other week a bloke was on Mastermind and took as his specialist subject British cars of the 60s and 70s (I think - it might have been 50s and 60s). He got one wrong and passed on one, I think. I got one wrong. The Admiral says I should have a go, but my general knowledge isn't so good - I usually get about 6 0r 7 - it's not enough.

I am impressed with your Knowledge of old cars
I used to have a 1953 car, it look Exactly like the moggy 1000 in every respect, except it was much bigger
That was about 25 years ago, I "think" it was called "Austin of England"
do you remember it, I know that there was another Austin of England but it was a very diferent shap

The way I would look at Master mind is,
It is not a job interview,its just a bit of fun, you are not going to lose "anything" if you don't get through, but you WILL have done something that the rest of us only dream of, (and that is if you lose )
But if you DO get through, WOW!!!!
There have been a lot of time that people have got though cos they did well in one part but not in the other
JUST GO FOR IT !!!!

manda

Well, you asked, although I suspect you didn't realise your peril!

All Austins of that era had "Austin of England" badges. I'd guess you are talking about the Austin A40 Somerset, or it may have been an A40 Devon. The Devon was replaced by the Somerset in 1952. It was a bit bigger than a Moggy, but I can see how you'd think they were similar looking - bulbous front wings and bonnet, raised headlamps, rounded boot. There was a 2-door version called the Dorset, but I think that was dropped a little earlier.

If it was really quite a big car (2200 cc) that would have been the Austin A70 Hereford. That had very similar styling to the Somerset but was much bigger - a full 6-seater. The earlier version of the A70 (which looked like a big Devon) was the Hampshire, but I think they dropped that in about 1950.

The Devon/Somerset range was superceded in 1954 (I think - I'd have to check exact dates if you really wanted to know) by the A40/A50 Cambridge range which had a much more modern, wider look without the big bulbous wings and bonnet. Around about the same time, the Hereford was replaced by the A90 (not a link!) Westminster, which again looked like a bigger version of the Cambridge. I think, but I wouldn't swear to it, that these had the "Austin of England" badging.

It's sometimes best not to get me started on old motors - I tend to go on a bit!

Thats ok, it is nice to talk about something that interests you

I have just had a look at the A40 Devon, and it was not that one,
mine had a split screen and it had a side valve engine,
it had the loverly colome gear change (I love colome gear change)


manda

Now that's intriguing. None of the Counties Austins had a split screen. What you describe (1953, split screen, column gears, side valve, looks just like a Moggie but a lot bigger) sounds exactly like the MO/MS series Morris Oxford or Morris Six. They would fit the description exactly. But you say it was badged as an Austin.

I'm not too well up on Austins (or anything else) before about 1950, but I don't recall them having a split screen either - I think the 10 and the 12 had a split rear screen, but the front screen was one piece, as it was on the Norfolk.

Have a look at Morris Oxfords and Sixes here - http://duke.usask.ca/~buydens/oxford/ and here http://homepage.ntlworld.com/kevgould/index.html - could one of these be the car?

I like column gears too - got 'em on my Minx.

THATS THE ONE!!!!
The Morris Oxford

Yep you do know your cars (So when are you going on master mind
It had the trafficators that came out of the door posts and someone had put indicators on it as well, so I got them both to work off the one swich

but I had to get rid of it in the end as it was to rusty underneath ) you know the feeling )

manda

- mystery solved!

I'm not sure I've got the bottle to go on the telly - I reckon I'd freeze - and if you'd met me you'd know I talk really quickly, and I get even quicker when I'm nervous, nobody can understand me!

It's a pity you haven't still got your Morris - that model is like rocking horse poo these days - I haven't seen one for years, not even at really big classic car shows (not that I go much now, I got bored with them). Trafficators are cool, but nowadays nobody knows what they are or thinks to look for them - I think you'd need to have flashing indicators as well like you did to be safe.

Car manufacturers made very little attempt to rustproof cars in those days, and even when they did try, from the 60s on, they weren't much good at it. It's only really been cracked in the last 15 years or so - you don't see modern cars with serious corrosion, they die of general mechanical malaise and low values. The last cars I can think of that really rusted for fun were Montegos. And what a pile of poo they were!

I do think of that can a lot, but I keep telling myself that there is no way I could of got rid of all that rust

another car we (well my dad) had was a morris ISIS (I think thats how it is spelt)
and no one will beleve me that it had the gear lever on the right, between the driver and the door
have you heard of it
now that was to drive

manda

Well, I got £375 for the Morris on Ebay. Chap said his first ever car was a Moggie, he's priced up all the necessary bits, he can weld, and he wants to do her up. Hope he enjoys driving her - I think he will.

*waves at the Captain, for the Admiral*

for the Moggy!!!!