Morris Minor engine swap - a success or total fail?!

[@eddiejones.redvees]

If only modern cars were so easy to replace the engine

[@NYCS19339]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@davidhinkson8856]

True

[@ianlaws3857]

Your advice about stopping what your doing if you become tired and hungry is spot on . Nobody likes to rush a good job

[@pagegreer5081]

Love how there are still parts around to keep this 60 yearold gem on the road.

[@daviemaclean61]

Glad to hear the proper technical terms in use! Hoick!!! ;-)

[@Firebrand55]

Routine for DIY aces in the 1950's...folks; Steph is absolutely right....this task is straightforward, and also other contemporary cars like the Ford Anglia 105E, the Austin Devon, and the Volvo 122S, which I did. The golden rule is: know what you're doing, have the right tools, work methodically and never ever rush. Modern cars?.....forget it. Great How To's Steph and very well explained.

[@stephenricketts7764]

Way back in the day my Dad had a friend who worked for a Ford dealership. When it came time to change the engine in his Mk 1 Cortina he got him to do it. They had a sort of 'Barter system' going on between them so my Dad being a Carpenter would do whatever needed to be done for his friend. I remember my late Mother put a sign in the rear window of the car 'Running in please pass'. I think the following Weekend we had to go to Birmingham to visit relatives (from Southampton) and the car didn't miss a beat and was 'run in' by the time we returned home. I have done a few engines since in my time but watching this video was not in any way boring, a 'Step by Step' for any one who needs to do such a task. The new engine looks great Steph and will give you many years of good service I am sure. Thanks for the video and thanks also to Ed and Paul for their help. 👍👍👍

[@AnthonySzolna]

Aussie here, manyyrz ago,late1970s a friend and i pulled the motor on a Morris Minor.We dropped a motor and 5 speed gearbox out of a 1970s Toyota Corolla. It went straight in, the motor was a KE70,the Lil slant motor, it went like a dream I used it as work drive for many years.Good Luck with yours I hope it works out for you😊😊

[@chrisharvey5113]

What a really enjoyable video.I wouldn't normally find changing an engine that interesting but it was great. Ps, you don't just drive classics, you know quite alot of technical stuff too. 😊

[@geoffrichards2706]

Excellent, this is what owning a classic car is all about .

[@kanton2485]

Nice you have friends and a workshop at hand. I still remember around 1969 Christmas changing the gearbox of my Renault 4 on the street while it started to snow. Then, I repaired the gearbox on the kitchen table in our flat on the 4th floor. :) My nails were always in those times because there was always something to repair on that car.

[@Vince_uk]

I have said it in the past and I wil say it again Steph, you know some wonderful people. A job well done.

[@philipwardle6820]

Always great fun to work with your friends when tackling the bigger jobs, you learn from each other and get motivation to carry on when the going gets tougher 🙂

[@tombache3426]

In our Land Rover club, if you had a project to do, club members showed up, helped with the job-you just had to provide lunch.

[@hectorshouse7348]

You’ve got some wonderful friends Steph😀👍

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

Putting the bungs straight into the old engine also acts as a great check to ensure you have removed all the ones on the new engine and not overlooked any. If you are a bung short on the old engine means you may have accidentally left one in the new one.

[@busterboy7505]

Well done Steph, Edd, Paul, I had to change the engine on my Vauxhall cavalier many years ago and luckily I could use the engineering work shop with a crane, would not like to do it now, hope she runs well Steph on her first journey 👍❤️.

[@choryferguson2196]

Great to watch how collaborative this process was. I can see now why you're a bit precious about this car…such a project and so beautifully come-together.

[@frenchfriar]

That's a beautiful new engine. Ed's certainly a handsome fella. And I absolutely adored your last outfit, with the bright dress & black leggings, it is so cute. Thanks, Steph, and goid luck with the brakes & stuff!

[@michaelhalsall5684]

Great to see an actual engine. So many workshop manuals will tell you to "remove the engine" without explaining the easiest way to do it. Great video!😊

[@bobmctague3713]

Your car sounds great. I love Morris Minors. They weren't too uncommon here in the US when i was young. I think they are the coolest British car. I love watching these videos, especially ones like these even though I will never have to replace an engine on a Morris Minor. I wish you many trouble free and fun miles with your new engine.

[@jeremylittle1581]

Always love the workshop videos when you do them!

[@Scouser22]

Hi Steph, great job. That's a lovely clean engine. Brings back memories. My brother was an expert car mechanic. Back in the 1960's I helped him (I was the dogsbody) strip down and rebuild the family Ford car engine. He borrowed a block and tackle from work and lifted out the engine where he stripped it into bits in the garage. He had the cylinder head re-machined in a workshop and the valve seats ground back, then replaced the crank bearings, ground in new valves and replaced the piston rings,new plugs, new clutch plate. After everything was put back together the car went on for another 10 years. Yes dermatitis has always been a problem for car mechanics. We always had tubs of Swarfega and barrier cream in the house.

[@MrPetercmorris]

A great video. Thank you. I have to admit that I would have liked to see more of what the lads were doing.

[@mikekellow6437]

You have a great wardrobe and a great taste in cars

[@markf3619]

congratulations Steph on your new engine , well done .great commentary. you look great too!! 🌺

[@ricolasroc5890]

Another great video. The open honesty, step by step guide. Speaking around issues. I love these videos when you work on things Steph. And yeah - do plug your place of work. They're clearly doing a great job!

[@davidjones6209]

Hi Steph great to see you upgrading your old Moggie with a Beautiful new unit. Also because your old unit was only tired and had no major calamity, there is an excellent chance it will live again once Ivor Searl has breathed on it & keep another motor on the road where it belongs. GOOD WORK all round, respect to the boys for helping you out

[@graemew7001]

When you jumped out of the car at the end I thought, Wow! all the pain of the op and the effort you put in has really paid off for you Steph, you look amazing 😊. The only A series I ever pulled out was from MG Midgets and removal of the bonnet made those easier.

[@OldcarsNmusic]

Well done all. I love the Elf in the background! I've seen just one in my lifetime, here in the U.S.

[@gbentley8176]

New lease of life and well worth the effort from you and the Boys. Great post thank you.

[@SuperRetroville]

Thats so helpful, you really took the fear out of it. Yes an angine crane really helps if you can rent or borrow one. A new engine... absoloute heaven. Looking forward to your running in tips. Ill be doing the same very soon.

[@alancartwright2244]

I once did this without an engine Crane - definitely a hernia job!

[@dennismccarthy7032]

Brilliant show Steph 👏 ❤

[@pamholton7166]

Absolutely Fabulous Video Steph .Reminds me when I did mine six years ago exactly like you.Definitely Grill out and front removal 👍👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️

[@johnbeckett2624]

Hi Steph, Good to see you are using an Ivor Searle engine, I use to work there about 25 years ago in the engine assembly room and built many A series engines along with many other types including Ford, Vauxhall, Rover and Triumph engines, they were and still are good engines, great to hear you have had it a while now and it's running well.

[@adeh503]

Nice one Steph and the boys great job. Love these old school restoration garages, but I must say that floor surface looks like a nightmare to roll an engine hoist around on.

[@highdownmartin]

Was hard work on my hand done block pave drive. Two hundred tdi swinging around, I was a bit worried that my Chinese crane was going to give way!

[@RonaldThomas-j9g]

well done Steph and the team from ADO and all that need's to be done is the one break and then you should be good to go yay and enjoy your new engine it should be a good one .

[@robertlambert8719]

Great job, Steph! Changed many a Minor engine in the early days of my career in the motor trade. We always removed the front panel, and one of the engine mounting towers. Made life so much easier! As an aside, I can highly recommend Ivor Searle engines. I've been in the trade for over 45 years and have fitted many engines from them. Never had a problem at all! Hope you have many miles of motoring! Drive safely.

[@theobster]

Nice job Steph! With care and modern oils that engine will run for ever!! Just a note, a long run is not the best way to run in an old design engine, if you must use the moggy for this trip my advice is to stay off motorways and long dual carriageways. Take the back route so the engine is varying load and RPM, also stop and let it cool for half an hour every 50 odd miles. This will help the rings bed into the bored better, then drive in the manner I have laid out for about the next thousand miles. I’ve rebuilt two A series engines and both had rebores and new pistons and rings and I never had any trouble from them after running in in this way👍

[@carguygibby]

Great job, Steph. Little moggy is good to go for many more years. How I miss working on older cars, even just changing spark plugs is a major job on lots of modern cars.😢

[@davidcole5803]

Oh so easy to work on, if only cars were made like this today. I had 2 of them and regret selling on.

[@johndavey72]

Well done Steph . But it does help when you have the boys giving you their expert advice . 😅

[@highdownmartin]

Everyone needs advice.

[@lucythemoggy1970]

steph, that is how i did my engine, front panel off, removed it on my own with an engine crane, never done it before, was really chuffed. and the fan i used hammerite yellow and it is perfect shade

[@Lucan44.40]

My first car, a moggy in 1964, was 6 years old and needed a new mill . So my pal and I put a new recon one in. On the road outside my parents.. Always having to replace parts throughout 2 years of ownership 😂 I wouldn't know where to start these days. Under the bonnet looks like the back of my tele😮

[@jamesmiller6977]

Make sure you take it easy with the new engine for the first few hundred miles, then do an early oil and filter change to get the "running in" swarf out of the engine.

[@colinevans39]

Its so good that you have managed to find all those genuine people to help you out we all need a little help some more than others love your channel but you haven't answered re the price of the engine ❤😊 thanks

[@farnthboy]

Here in Aussie in the late 60's my brother had a canary yellow Morris Minor low light & he put a worked grey 138 ci holden six in it. Used to run 15 sec quarter mile which was fairly quick in those days & even got a write up in Australian Hot Rod Magazine at the time. Steel cars are real cars.

[@emiluppa4175]

My uncle had a minor that had been built as a show car in the 80s with purple paint and flake silver flashes and stars going from the front and fading away towards the back. It had a flip front and a 1700cc v4 from a saab 96. Really fun car.

[@LangleyBeck]

Beautiful job well worth doing brilliant cars reliable British engineering at it's very best

[@steveball2307]

My first engine out was on a Marina 1300 with a block and tackle borrowed from work attached to the stout branch of a tree outside the flat I was living in at the time - there's always a way 😅. Think the replacement engine was about forty quid from a local breakers, bit of fettling and it did another 30k miles.

[@biker_dan]

Great job done, must admit I do prefer a bit tinkering and mechanics to reviews, keeps me more interested.. great work.

[@delbertgenewoods6837]

I remember pulling my first 4 banger. Back in the day. There is no greater high. Than when you fire that bad boy up and go for the first drive I've been dangling motors in the air since I was a young boy. No regrets

[@simplyexcellent.9749]

I fitted a new engine but unfortunately now the gearbox needs repair. That’s motoring 😅😊

[@chrisskelhorn5727]

Our lovely Steph + inappropriate jokes = mind blown! 😲 I'm glad all is going well though! 🙂

[@roberthoey8944]

Job well done ...happy Motoring

[@rupert7874]

Excellent as usual,best wishes

[@clairependrous4512]

Well done, another informative video. Thank you.

[@paulhutchins6019]

Rozalex barrier cream is your friend. I never liked or wore gloves, they made my hands sweat so bad.

[@JrSamples-g4v]

They do mine as well but I prefer that over the ground in grease and dirt and the smells is gas and 90w.

[@melvynjollysmith4997]

I am 76yrs and I always used to take the engines out through the front. Good engines, can take a bit of tuning.

[@brianwillis9673]

If I was after a classic as a daily driver it would have to be a toss up between an MGBGT or a Morris Minor - preferably a Traveller. It's purely because parts and panels are still readily available for both and if it's your daily driver that is a big plus. Great video - you had me worried when it didn't start first time, but glad it worked out in the end. Is the car in the background an Elf or a Hornet? My first car was a Hornet Mk III affectionately known as Walter. Great car, great fun, totally reliable and real freedom not being tied to bus and train timetables.

[@allanmollison6971]

Excellent Steph 😊👍

[@tedcorey3054]

Good work , and it sounds good .

[@spokesmann]

Beautiful job guys.

[@MrDmjay]

Nice work luv.

[@lepod]

I did not know you could take the engine out of the front, that's a good tip. Much easier.

[@earlbigod]

She runs! Success!

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

Barrier cream for the hands ! Deb Protect before, Deb Restore after….

[@JrSamples-g4v]

Back in the 80s my mechanic friends used to laugh at me for buying gloves at the printer shop supply. It seemed like Napa was the only place that had Liquid Glove in the States and that wasn't close or convenient many times.

[@BerwhaleTheAvenger-b5s]

Minor engines are not quite as easy as you'd think. An Escort Mark 1 or 2 is as easy as it gets - an hour (90 minutes tops) and the engine and box is out as one. Ditto the Cortina etc.

[@davidhinkson8856]

I admire your approach to working on your cars. I agree with you, once the car is out of commission for one fault and you find others, it is best to attend to everything before you put it back on the road. You might save yourself a lot of grief later on. BTW, whatever became of your Triumph?

[@wibble417]

Go Steph & co get that moggy back on the road!!!

[@MrGman2804]

Crickey. I remember the first 'engine out' I did was a BMC 1275cc 'A series' engine from my 1972 MG Midget. Being a 6ft2 bloke, i could (just about) lift the engine off the garage floor on my own.... but not for long. I am guessing they weigh about 85kg+++???? but you 100% need a hoist to get one out. I bought an untested 1275cc engine from a breakers called 'Richardsons' near Staines for roughly £80???? It was >45 years ago. I struck gold. No idea what the mileage was on that 2nd hand engine, but it ran beautifully for the rest of the time I had the car which was at least 5 years after the 'swap'. I then sold my original old engine for about £50. Those were the days. I loved that MG Midget, but I eventually had a couple of fairly 'ordinary' cars ( a VW jetta then a Volvo) before getting very bold and buying my first used UR audi quattro. Those were indeed the days. Now I am now retired, so I am looking out for an old 'weekend car' classic... and no idea what to get.. but as with many people, apart from cost, the issue is space. Where to keep it..... aha....If I only had the space I could see me gathering a few... but in reality.. I can't. Nowhere to put them. Great channel this. I am impressed to see Steph not just in vintage fashion, but also in a boiler suit and getting stuck into it.

[@alistairriggs5911]

this is brilliant I love the log moggie but are torn between a moggy traveller or a moggy van as I am a bee keeper and I could put a hive in the van but may be not in the traveller

[@tichwykes]

A little bit sweary working on cars surely not ha ha, my best mates brother bought a Morris minor van way back in the early eighties for £15 a couple of years later the engine went so he bought one for a tenner, the guy even had it running on a concrete floor so he could see it going, that engine was running for years afterwards until he eventually sold it ah those were the days, older cars sure are easier to work on though you say you got sweary working on the Minor try tackling some jobs on a modern vehicle you'll soon have a complete new vocabulary ha ha. Great job Steph great to see it running again.

[@JrSamples-g4v]

This will make Nurse Gladys very happy Granville.

[@wolfhalupka8992]

can recommend MGOC spares- during my MG days, I got all sorts of spares and really nice accessories from them.

[@ianmckeand2265]

Did you check what was wrong with the old engine? Running on three cylinders might mean it just needs a valve job.

[@eddkennedy6458]

That's what I was thinking but they said it was burning oil as well

[@KiwiCatherineJemma]

I notice your fan blade only has two "arms" or blades. I recall reading in a text manual for some British car (not necessarily Morris Minor) that the 2 bladed fans were specified for Britain while 4 bladed fans were specified for "export" models (ie those sent to Australia and NZ etc). Perhaps fitting an "export" fan should give better cooling, especially for those cars used only during Summer or in slow moving traffic jams.

[@davidhall4499]

I enjoyed watching your video changing the engine of your Morris Minor. I worked in the automotive manufacturing industry for 50 odd years and enjoyed working on things like the Morris and Austin A series engines. Today it is a different matter my 2024 Mazda has a computer with a 2 litre petrol engine attached and I can do nothing unless I can access the programmes in the ECU. I would suggest you buy a Haynes (£18 ) service manual with all you need to know and some basic tools like a set of feeler gauges, a good set of combination spanners imperial and metric and a socket set. I know that I can solve most problems by looking on KZbin for a repair - Good luck

[@mikekellow6437]

Now I want another morris minor...

[@oliverdann3155]

1 hr job in the snow with an adjustable spanner

[@stewartmcmanus3991]

LUXURY !!!

[@TheObnoxiousMrPug]

Insert "we've got a badass over here" meme...

[@iainmacleod4007]

Classic cars are so much easier to work on than today’s over specified rubbish. Even the tricky to access bolts can be worked on with patience and a basic tool kit.

[@donaldasayers]

Having been left stranded on the M23/M1 junction in the middle of the road on the hatched area where the two motorways join, stranded by my Luminition electronic ignition, I would never fit one again. There are better self contained products out there. I fitted points back to get it running and they stayed on the car til I sold it.

[@gmpltd114]

Nice one Steph, you should drop a V8 in it, that could be somewhat amusing. Cheers, Greg , New Zealand.

[@RobertLacsmp]

Your little Minor will still be going when all these EVs are dead. Keep it up, Stef.

[@r1273m]

Will you be taking the head off the old engine to see what the pistons and valves were actually like? I would want to know that, in fact I think I would have done that before committing to a new engine.

[@Mgnostic]

Perhaps I missed it but what displacement is the new engine? I suspect a standard bore A series is scarce, even in Great Britain.

[@rkhayden]

15:48 "A few bolts that were an absolute swine." I'm guessing that's not quite the phrase you used at the time. 🤬🙂

[@adrianmassey6673]

Is the replacement engine brand new? I didn't realise the A series was still made.

[@deemdoubleu]

Glad you got it sorted. Question: what happens to the old engine? Can it be recycled?

[@ianparking]

Yeah Nice thing about old engines is that they can easily be rebuilt Or buy one that's already done for you as Steph did

[@johnbeckett2624]

It will go back to Ivor Searle they will strip it down clean it, and machine or replace most of the moving parts so it's almost like new again.

[@deemdoubleu]

@ good to know, I was just hoping it wouldn't be scrapped.

[@HarryMac1]

Easy way to do it is pull the engine and gearbox as one unit and split them on the bench.

[@Dhira108]

Sadly that's why most modern cars won't make it to classic status, the basic mechanics and ease of maintenance of these old cars means time and tlc will keep them on the road

[@dshafterh3897]

Not to nitpick but you could hurt yourself wearing a ring like that while doing that kind of work, really easy to get your finger caught up in things.

[@colvaughan9596]

I do hope you have a piece of cardbord in the rear window with RUNNING IN PLEASE PASS written on it 😊

[@brandywell44]

It is not clear to me what was wrong with the old engine, why it started to run on three cylinders.

[@alancartwright2244]

Probably a burnt exhaust valve (running on unleaded without additive) - or just general bore wear. Steph did say it had no compression and was burning oil like crazy, so probably the latter.

[@johnbeckett2624]

Probably a burnt out exhaust valve on number three cylinder as it had low compression on that cylinder, fairly common problem on A series engines, and the rest of the engine is probably tired as well.

[@idriveaclassic]

Engine was totally knackered. I was doing 5 litres of oil from home to Coventry and I thought wow, the next time this gives me hassle, I am treating myself 😂

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

@@idriveaclassicAre both engines 1100 cc ?

[@PlattLaneEnd]

I still think there is a lot to be said environmentally for keeping old cars and motorcycles going. In terms of whole of life inpact, re-use of second hand parts etc. Plus sourcing parts built from within a few hundred miles maximum - rather than coming from China has to be a winner.

[@callyboy5228]

Undo the bonnet stay pull the bonnet all the way up then run a piece of string over the roof and secure to boot handle,much better to work in engine bay

[@pagegreer5081]

So what do you guys call the engine you bought to replace it in the US it long block short block is the internals pistons and crank. Long block is the head mounted

[@timjones143]

Is it a brand new engine, or a reconditioned engine??

[@bernarddegrasse8753]

Hi Steph.I'm also looking for an engine for my 1967 moggy.You say it's from Ivor Searle but who was it that got it for you from them.

[@idriveaclassic]

It was MGOC spares! If you ring and speak to Chris and his team, say you just want a 1098 like Steph from idriveaclassic had. Also ask them for any bits you need like a clutch.

[@bernarddegrasse8753]

Thanks for that Steph.I learnt a lot.Great to hear the new engine start up.

[@jimmeltonbradley1497]

I've had contact dermatitis. It is not fun! These days I always wear gloves for jobs on the car.

[@timjones143]

How long ago did you replace the burnt valve and skim the head?

[@suznet]

Wasn’t that on the Standard

[@timjones143]

​@@suznetI dont think so...

[@suznet]

@ I just looked, it was a year ago on the moggy 👍

[@timjones143]

@@suznet Yip. So all that, 12 months ago, was not perhaps, the bestcdecision?

[@idriveaclassic]

Did over 10k on the head and went on many adventures. Well worth it.

[@colrhodes377]

How long did the whole process take?