This will be my first build thread or thread period, so I don't know if I posted this correctly. Not sure of the Year but believe it's Pre-1952 still trying to decode vin plate, it's very oxidized & trying to clean it without damage. I'm calling it the "Minor Threat", for now.. My goal is to build a period looking gasser / altered of the early to mid 60's.. I am currently collecting parts.. As of now I only have the body and an Anglia front straight axle.. This will be a slow budget friendly build.. I picked up the body for $350 and is pretty solid.. Any ideas and input are greatly appreciated. I have thick skin.. Haha. I'm going to start building the frame within the next couple weeks with 3x2 square tubing 1/8" wall.. I want to make the body removable from the chassis.. Removable doors and one piece front end.. I'd like to find a 1957 Pontiac rear end, but I have a fabricated 9" housing that looks really cool.. We shall see, I'll start cutting and cleaning body for now.. I'll post progress photos as I go.. Thanks in advance.
This will help identify the year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Minor Yours appears to be the 2nd series. (52-56)
Hey thanks for the info. I know from the identification plate Car No. Starts out MM which is 1948-53.. And when I was looking online to buy parts they made two different trunk hinges short & long, and by the hinges on my Morris it's Pre-52.. I need to get the vin plate cleaned up.. Hopefully I can read the whole number.. Thanks
Trying to make it "Period Correct" will be difficult,because Morris Minor were too short in wheel base to run in Gas Classes[ 92 inch was the minimum] In the very late 60's Anglia's were allowed in at 90 inch. Prior to this Anglia's ran in Altered Classes. Gas Classes were not allowed to alter Factory wheelbase. Have fun building your project
Agreed. I had 2 of these little cars many years ago. Good luck with your build. Check out some of the Morries on this link. http://www.britishv8.org/Photos-British-Conversions.htm
Morris the cat would approve.....had a couple of them , rusty...years back , yours is the cats meow...
There are at least 1 other guy building straight axle Morris' here. I helped my brother put a 61 together some years back. He designed the frame [2X4", 1/8th in wall] and I welded it up for him. We made 1/8 inch wall inner rockers and welded "stringers" or brackets to the inners....welded corresponding brackets to the outer frame rails and used hard rubber cushions in between with a bolt down the middle...worked out great. He chose to keep his car low with a complete '69 Opel GT front crossmember welded to the bottoms of the frame rails. Trailer rear leaf springs with a shortened 8&3/4ths mopar axle... He ran a 406 SBC with an aluminum 'glide and went 10.32s at 132 and drove it on the street...no long trips! He used aluminum sheeting for floors, a T-bird cross flow radiator and a Moon gas tank in the trunk.
Thanks for all the help guys.. You learn something new everyday. I guess I'll change the title to Morris Minor Altered.. Haha.. Yes I was definitely stretching the wheel base..
A friend had one years back with a Buick holden 3.8 v6 in one. The Ute's and vans were alot easier to do stuff with being full chassis and proper rear suspension. I'm in new Zealand where they were pretty common. There's a big hot rod fest here called beach hop. There was a traveller there with a nitroed SBC that was supercharged. I'll throw a pic up later Sent from my ZTE Blade A462 using Tapatalk
Well they make cool rods for sure. it may make a better altered than a gasser. But that's just semantics I suppose. Build it and run it. Those old Morris bodies are hard to pinpoint, seems like they didn't change for about a decade. The upside is that lots of bits interchange. Well that and they don't weigh much so it doesn't take as much motor to go fast. I'll watch and see where this goes. Should be interesting.
I am building my straight axle gasser Morris Minor . My build is posted on here. It will end up with a 90 inch wheelbase. I built a pro street version a few years back . The post was My Morris Minor Hot Rod. It ended up being my daily driver for almost 2 years. I use small block Ford motors because the distributor is up front and the motor is narrower than a small block Chevy. With the set back you need to get everything in the car it is something to consider. If I ever build another one it will probably have a turbocharged 4 cylinder. Fatman makes a cross member and narrowed rack if you decide against a straight axle. Pete& Jakes Model A ladder bar setup works really well for the rear. I will be using coil springs on the rear with a set of Quain's designed bars. The front axle is a narrowed 54 F100 because I got it for free with disc brakes. Do not set up the car like a street freak for your own safety. These are short wheelbase evil little cars that can get away from you in a hurry. My rockers are set at 10 inches in the back and 11 inches in the front. To comply with the Southeast Gassers rule book. If I could go lower ,it would be lower. An Anglia roll cage kit from Jeg's fits like it was made for it. Good luck and if I can help in any way let me know.
http://www.oocities.org/morrismodified/scottys_v8morris_drag_car.html. that's s link to that v8 Morrie. Sent from my ZTE Blade A462 using Tapatalk
http://www.britishv8.org/other/micksinclair.htm Weirdly I reckon that's the same one that was here in nz. Sent from my ZTE Blade A462 using Tapatalk
This was my old daily driver 58 Morris. Home built tube chassis. H.O. 5.0 with aluminum heads, .512 roller cam. AOD ,9 inch Ford with 4.11 gears.
Ok guys need some help identifying these 2 axles I acquired for free .. 1st one in the pictures rust chromed.. The guy said it was off an Anglia and measures 48-3/4" outside to out side.. What are your thoughts on this axle.. Is it a candidate? The second looks to be stock / factory Model A What do you guys think? The so called Anglia axle, I'm trying to understand it? I'm assuming the outer brackets are for radius arms and the inner brackets are for shock mounting .. Thanks guys Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Also cut off all the front suspension mounting unibody stuff and cut out fire wall.. I'm in contact with someone in the UK for a hood and two fenders.. Very very reasonable, but shipping is my main concern.. But he should email me today with costs.. One piece Fiberglass front nose is $1,400.. Ouch.. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Here are some pictures of the engine 496 BBC, 11.5:1, Full roller 680 lift cam.. I believe the cyl. heads are L88 427cid corvette also have a 2 spd powerglide with trans brake and 4,500 stall, Victor 2-R 4500, 1050 Dominator.. I know the BBC 454cid did not come about till early 70's and I know it's not period correct but its what I have Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
You can make a tilting steel front easy enough. The old triumph herald had all the hinges and stuff required. We were going to do it to my van but never did. It had a low light grill as well as the high light guards. So had four head lights. Had custom air dam to. Bottom of the guards extended. No bumpers. Sent from my ZTE Blade A462 using Tapatalk
I had an Anglia with a 1969 427 that ran at the Indy Nationals in 1970 so that is the time frame that I'm fond of. So period correct ? It had fuel injection, so the holley dominator is a little new, but how picky are you going to be. Have fun with the build and build it safe. I might want a brand new front axle. They got beat on petty hard. Gary Morris
The front end sheetmetal is so light on a Morris you don't really need fiberglass. A big block will make it scary fast and that's a lot of weight over the nose. It may go straight most of the time , but when you lift and load the suspension is when it will get weird. Packing that big block in the car will be interesting. I looked at a 460 Ford ,but realized the radiator would have to be in the trunk and that's against southeast gasser rules.
"The front end sheetmetal is so light on a Morris you don't really need fiberglass" Yeah, in fact the body shell is light too. My brother and I lifted his shell with doors up onto the back of my stepside chevy pickup with 2X4s across toe bed tops...yeah we were in our 20s and 30s but it was really light. I love these cars.
I have a Facebook friend with a 496 powered straight axle Morris and here's one a somewhat local friend owns, this one is 351C powered.
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