Morris Minor 1000 first look. New owner has some concerns

[@drmagnificentdesigncontrap3377]

Those front chassis legs 😳 such a shame. Valuable video. Great to see some enthusiasts outside of the UK too

[@MGOHIO]

Replacement bits are readily available in all of the areas where they have welded angle and other pieces of metal. Replacement boxes for the two frame rails in the front are designed to fit over the existing rails then get welded into place and provide a very strong (and proper) repair. From Rob’s pictures, the cross member appears to be in good shape (which is critical) since that’s where the front suspension attaches to. Tony Burgess - Chairman, Morris Minor Registry of North America.

[@brucefraser5363]

Morris Minor fun fact: Alec Issigonis designed it, and later designed the abfab Mini. When he was designing the original Morris Minor (the MM lowlight), the story goes that at the last minute he woke up in the night and decided the car needed to be 4” wider. But some cars were already built or had parts already manufactured. So he had them cut in half from front to back and widened. Hence the 4” raised panel in the middle of the bonnet. Also the very early MM bumpers were cut in half and a strip of metal was riveted (bolted) on to accommodate the wider car. It even had a hole for crank starting if necessary!

[@babaganoush6106]

just to be clear the Austin-Healey Sprite MK1 was a collaboration between Healey and Austin and so used mainly Austin parts taken from the Austin A35. As far as i recall the only Morris part was the final drive.

[@richardbooth4573]

You seem to be a good honest mechanic. the kind of guy i want.

[@FMFGUF]

Very dangerous front chassis rails; if you were to hit a kerb or pothole hard, the lower arm pivot (eyebolt) will be torn out, also ripping out your brake line so you can't stop - ask me how I know! They need chopping out and replacing.

[@timr31908]

That particular car always did have a hell of a rust problem my guess is the welds are going to rust in that heavy steel is going to fall out of place

[@kenlydon1395]

No you are wrong , the Morris Minor was never the base for the Austin Healy sprite , the only things the two cars had in common was the engine and gearbox, which where in fact Austin not Morris . The Austin Healy Sprite Mk1 was based on the older Austin A30 sedan , same front suspension and running gear except for the rack and pinion steering on theSprite.

[@grahamepigney8565]

Looks like a car that has had money spent on the "pretty" bits but the basics have been ignored. Some of the plating of the chassis and the repair sections between the floor and the sills is decidely unprofessional.

[@peterplouf2836]

Some people should not be selling classic cars and some people should not be buying classic cars. This is what happens when the two get together.

[@keithhooper6123]

Strange. So much work done, but not the main under structure.

[@mgbgtguy]

It’s actually not as unusual as you might think. I’ve seen a lot of cars with quick patching underneath and a fair bit of work to make them look good on the outside.

[@robpassfield1035]

Super bodge!!!!

[@williamwade641]

The whole thing looks catastrophic and my advice would be not to drive it on public roads in that condition.

[@charlesmarsh9608]

What a mess, the colour tells all.

[@williamwade641]

It’s horrible, isn’t it?

[@christopherbenn1097]

If the underside is that bad then the top will be full of fibreglass and filler. The car is either in need of full restoration or just left as is.