And still they turn up!

[Ian Grace]

I have been contacted by a chap who owns the remains of two OHC Minors. When I checked the chassis register, neither car appears to have survived, but, oddly, I have the full build data for both cars. This menas that they have been the subject of my close research at some point in the past.

The first one - M20663. It turns out that I have the original brown logbook for this car - VE 2782! It was given to me by Geoff Thornton many moons ago.

The other is chassis M4282. This turns out to have been TM 4531. I know this because of the following note in the chassis regsiter: "Harry Edwards has a photo in his earliest M8TC photo album. He states: "Bedfordshire registration, late 1929. Remains of an OHV fabric saloon found by Geoff Thornton in 1968.""

So both cars were owned way back in time by Geoff.

So, going back to the owner's original e-mail - the dots begin to join up. He wrote: "About 42 years ago when I was about 18 years old I couldn't afford a complete car but someone was selling three incomplete Morris Minors all of which had been partly stripped down and robbed for spares. They were a 1929 and 1930 OHV and a 1931 SV. There was for instance only one OHV engine with a cracked block and an only one SV block minus pistons, cylinder head etc. however there were four OHV cylinder heads but not a decent camshaft amongst them. There were no seats and only one bonnet and the only instrument was one ammeter. I went to a local scrapyard where there were the remains of three further very rusty cars all missing their brass makers plates and with squashed on non existent bodywork but there were three very rusty engines one OHV one SV and one MG M-type which I acquired.
I'm afraid I never managed to get round to repairing them and they were kept under tarpaulins at my parent's house which did cause further deterioration particularly to the wheels that rusted away at the bottom in most cases so about fifteen years ago I dismantled two of them so I could store them indoors in various sheds where they remain today.
I was thinking about trying to restore one of them, at least to the extent of a rolling chassis and came across your website and hence the request to join the forum."

It is so rewarding when not one, but two cars that were thought lost decades ago, turn up - even if they are in a poor state.

It should be possible to obtain a V5C for VE 2792, since the original logbook has survived, but I am less hopeful about TM 4531. Harry presumably wrote the chassis number on the back of the photo - otherwise we would not have a record of it. I will ask him for guidance on both chassis.

[Ian Grace]

I have had less luck with this e-mail - which also arrived this morning:

"Dear Sir or madam

I have been trying to see if a 1934 Morris Minor (registration UG 8640) owned by my late mother in the early 1960's still exists. A while ago I made contact with Harry Edwards from the Morris Register and he was kindly able to inform me that the car, chassis number 41897, engine number 42533, registered on 21 March 1934 had been owned by a member of the Morris Register in 1980, but after that date there is no record. He was able to provide me with a contact address at the time however on writing to this address my letter was returned as the house no longer existed and there was no such address, there was however a Sports & Social Club where it used to be but this had closed and their telephone number had been reallocated.

A friend kindly put an item into the Morris Minor Owners Club magazine, it appeared quite prominently with the photograph I had provided and indeed provoked some follow up discussion in the next issue as oddly there was a story of a 1960's Morris Minor with virtually the same registration number in the same issue. I have also put an item in the Lost & Found section of the Classic and Sportscar magazine but these avenues have all drawn blanks.

If the car had survived until 1980 then I would have thought that it might still be in existence and I thought I would try again to see if it is, hence this e-mail message.

Any assistance or further suggestions you may be able to make would be most gratefully received, and I apologise in advance for taking up your time and thank you in advance for any assistance you may be able to provide.

Yours faithfully ..."

I checked the Chassis Register and Gaydon - no luck. I have asked for a copy of the photo, and also asked for the name of the MR member - to see if it rings any bells with anyone.

[Toby]

fantastic news about the cammy minors and what a stroke of luck you have the logbook! The other one should still be around? unless it's been broken up after the number was sold?

[prharris25]

Surely that side valve saloon must still be about somewhere....it looked very tidy and up together in the superb photo posted elsewhere. Look at the door shut lines.....near perfect.....most unusual !
Probably a bit like my first car...DG 7729....a 1933 reg saloon.......known to have survived and been restored again and living supposedly in Bexley....but totally gone off the radar.

Paul.

[Ian Grace]

Agreed, Paul. Not being on the DVLA doesn't mean a lot. Not being known to Harry means a bit more, and not being known by the VMR doesn't mean much either - at least for the SV cars, as I have only been working to assemble a SV chassis register for about three years and there are very many more to track down than there were OHC Minors, and I started that chassis register around 1993 - just out of personal interest, and some years before the formation of this formal Register.

Is that a bumper off a LWB OHC?

[prharris25]

Yes, it certainly looks like a 1932 season long wheelbase Eight front bumper. It has the correct replica Morris radiator shape centre clamp / number plate support holder in place. Unfortunately, on a swb car, unless you mount them on a pair of ohc triangular brackets, they always look the wrong height. The (Family) Eight of course does not have curved front dumb irons so it sits at a better height when used on its proper application.
Paul.

[Mike Stubbings]

Hi All, Would,nt it be a great idea if when we restored or owned these cars we fitted a chip which could be tracked or traced. Would also be a deterrent to theft.After all they do it with dogs. Mike

[Toby]

I'm sure we've all owned some cars that were dogs in disguise

Hi All, Would,nt it be a great idea if when we restored or owned these cars we fitted a chip which could be tracked or traced. Would also be a deterrent to theft.After all they do it with dogs. Mike

On the same vein, I've had contact with a chap in wales who is building an adhoc minor from a chassis! I have sent vmr details but he doesn't do internet stuff, if he doesn't come onto the radar I will try and get some more info.

[Ian Grace]

This is a remarkable photograph of TM 4531 (M4282), registered in Bedford in late 1929 and shown here around 1960, courtesy of Harry Edwards who found the photograph in his earliest Morris 8 Tourer Club album. Looking at this photograph, it is amazing that the car still survives fifty years later. Sadly, a restoration is highly unlikely, but valuable spares may support other restorations.

[Ian Grace]

It turns out that I have the original brown logbook for this car - VE 2782! It was given to me by Geoff Thornton many moons ago.

So I posted the logbook to Richard, and received this reply earlier today:

"Just to let you know that the Log Book for VE 2782 arrived safely yesterday. It appears to have taken about 35 days to arrive. This may be explained by the envelope having stamped upon it "Correspondencia Mal Encaminada A Panama" (Correspondence wrongly directed to Panama)!"

It's a funny old world!