Vintage Minor Register

Here's a question....
My 4 seater 1932 sv tourer has the 2 piece hinges with brass balls and saloon door handles fitted to tourer door catches. I am aware that some 4 seaters had hinges at the rear of the door and that mine is not a cut down saloon so is this correct/superior or has it been the subject of an upgrade in the past!? A lot of "improvement was done to the car in the past!I want to try and stay original.

so the ball type are what you termed "self aligning" in the indian minor post and introduced on the cammy minor but maybe not the sv tourer? I would assume the £100 minor would have the plain hinges on a cost basis and the 34 2 seaters appear to use them but as they may have been used on the more expensive tourers I think I will stick with them, especially as they appear to be readily available!!!

Correct - the '31 season OHC Minors had hinges with balls and special bolt and springs in - hence self-aligning, as opposed to plain steel pins. I wouldn't like to say what was fitted to each SV Minor by model and season. I just checked the Hundred Pound body in my garage, but the doors are off, and the hinges aren't with it.

I'd start by making contact with other members with SV 4-str tourers. They are listed in the members' list and chassis register online. You never know, one of them might need a new ash frame - or at least parts of a frame perhaps.

My SV folding head saloon has the self-aligning ball and spring hinges. I suspect they are original as nobody worried about putting authentic parts on in previous rebuilds, so had they been lost I would expect the easiest/cheapest replacements..

Ian Grace wrote:Correct - the '31 season OHC Minors had hinges with balls and special bolt and springs in - hence self-aligning, as opposed to plain steel pins. I wouldn't like to say what was fitted to each SV Minor by model and season. I just checked the Hundred Pound body in my garage, but the doors are off, and the hinges aren't with it.

I'd start by making contact with other members with SV 4-str tourers. They are listed in the members' list and chassis register online. You never know, one of them might need a new ash frame - or at least parts of a frame perhaps.