Your Letters
Icouldn’t help noticing the photo of Nick Larkin driving a 1933 Morris Minor, registration MJ 1143, in your news story on smart motorways ( CCW, 6 June).
I’m the current owner of this car, having purchased it in 2016.
The car has clearly not been driven much at all over the last 20 years according to the history file and the warnings in your article are very valid. In my ownership I have driven locally and the cylinder head gasket has failed three times, each time after less than 100 miles. First time I had the head skimmed, second time engine out and block and head skimmed, including replacing engine block core plugs and cleaning out waterways.
The third time I decided to check head core plugs and, lo and behold, more than 50 years of rust and crud between cylinders two and three. I hope it’s cured the problem as it’s all good so far!
Lesson – take nothing for granted even with a large history file and a wellpresented and restored old car. I’d be interested to know how the picture with Nick came to be taken.
Gordon Cox, Glasgow
It’s good to hear that the Morris is in safe hands, Gordon! Nick drove it back in summer 2015 for a CCW road test and clearly liked it because he described it as having ‘immense vintage charm and massive character’. High praise indeed from our notoriously difficult-to-please newshound! – Ed.