Vintage Minor Register

Very smart
Any ideas about the fanbelt?

I'd talk to Ian Harris who probably has the corect one. Will be a regular V-belt - not Whittle belting.

(H) 01462/456330
ian@harris84.fsnet.co.uk

Thanks!

I have a normal fanbelt so that will be fine than...
Just another question, on the front cross member there are holes for both the early and later radiator. Is that normal or just for the few 1930 model cars built in say September 1929?
I also noticed something about different fronts for the early chassis with the very early narrow front dumbirons - with front spring mounting pins the same length as the shackle pins.
Could you give me the details about that?



regards,
Halbe

Halbe,

I'll have to have a think about those radiator holes, and I know your car was made around the transition.

But I can answer your query regarding the front dumbirons. If you check out http://www.vintageminor.co.uk/tech/index.htm, you will notice that the dumbirons were stengthened from chassis MM1162. And if you look in the original Morris parts list, you find that the front spring front pins prior to this change were the same part number as the shackle pins, whereas after this chassis, the front pins were longer that the shackle pins to accommodate the wider dumbiron. This was an odd change, given that the spring width did not change, so the lateral rigidity of the suspension would not have been improved, so it must have been the strength of the dumbiron itself that was the weakness, and it obviously revealed itself quite early on in production.

Some years ago, someone (who shall remain nameless) claimed to have a very early chassis, and the numbers stamped on the dumbiron were indistinct, but the wide dumbirons told a different story.

Radiator ready waxed band and the correct clips !



Regards,
Halbe

Update:
Front finished, bodywork, radiator, steering ect ect .



Regards,
Halbe

But brakes not adjusted yet, by the looks of it!

Outstanding work Halbe.

Question regarding your upcoming fabric work. Do you intend to unbolt the rear body to insert the fabric in the two vertical joints up the back of the body?

The reason I ask is that DO 7820, which I'll be looking at in July appears to have been fabricked in one piece across the back, and doesn't have the vertical seams - which makes it look very different.

Hello Ian,

Yes , the rear was a separate panel. Also notice the extra white bit of beading!
There are no period pictures of the rear of the car that i know and the 1928 cars could be different from the 1929 version..........



Regards,
Halbe

Halbe,

This looks identical to the back of my 1930 fabric saloon (the ex-Olive Willats car here in Seattle), and I suspect the early 1928 cars would have been the same. I'll be interested to see how difficult you find it to unbolt things and bolt them up as you fit the new fabric.

Me too.

Halbe, a question from Eric Mouser who has a fabric-bodied Morris Major. He asks whether the cotton base and wadding were used all over the Morris fabric bodies or just on the corners. I'm pretty sure they were used all over, including the flatter areas like the doors, but you would be in a good position to answer this definitively.

Hi Ian,

Only the " holes" are covered by the cotton. Not the metalwork (corners) and most of the woodwork. The wadding was used all over in a thinner than expected layer, Anything upto 3 mm but the thinner the better.

Eric,
If you need pictures just let me know . I took plenty of the original fabric.

Regards,
Halbe

Thanks Halbe,

Have passed that on.

Have a good weekend,

Ian

OK,
Here is an example.



Halbe

Thanks Halbe, I'll pass that on.

Ian