Good (or bad) vibrations
W e have made steady progress on the Morris van. My dad has repaired it many times before, so there haven’t been any major surprises. As always, there’s more rust than we’d expected, often next to previously welded areas. The major focus has been getting the cab solid once more, including fabricating much of the lower B-post area and the rear part of the floor.
With this done, we will turn our attention to the front of the van body, enabling this to be reunited – once the chassis has been thoroughly inspected, cleaned and painted. I must confess that dad has been taking the lead on this, as I’ve had my hands full keeping the daily driver, now the Minor Lowlight, in running order.
Having been on some long journeys with the new propshaft fitted to the car, I’m glad to say this has cured the worst of the vibrations. However, this has merely affirmed another problem; that of the noise level of the ‘big bore’ exhaust fitted to match the car’s 1275cc engine. This whole affair is rather frustrating, as there doesn’t seem to be much point in massively improving the running gear for cruising at speed, only to fit an exhaust which is much louder than the standard one. I deliberately bought a mild steel exhaust, having read that these are actually quieter than their stainless counterparts. This also has the added advantage of being cheaper and easier to modify.
Having recently spent some time underneath a friend’s modern car jury-rigging up a rusted exhaust, I’m convinced that the key to making it quieter lies in replacing or adding a silencer to the system from a modern car. If any reader have had any success, could you please let me know
what silencer was used? The removal of the vibration caused by the old propshaft also confirms that the modified running gear could also take a higher ratio differential. This is something I’m looking to fit as another way of making long journeys more comfortable.
Meanwhile, I have been making improvements to improve the cars general usability. With the recent cold weather, it became apparent that the heater failed to emit any heat. I suspected this was something to do with the coolant temperature not getting above 40 degrees – I’m glad I fitted the gauge! The first port of call was to fit a new higher temperature thermostat, this has improved things and there is now some useful heat coming out. It’s fairly obvious why this heater was replaced on later Morris Minors!
It’s possible to get a new, more efficient heater matrix and better motors to push air out more efficiently and this option is still on the cards. Although of course, the early type heater does look far more appealing! Perhaps I should try to reduce the icy drafts whistling up from under the doors instead!
There are still a few smaller jobs left to do before I’m one hundred per cent happy with the car. An oil leak coming from the gearbox or overdrive unit could do with a proper investigation by carefully jacking the car up and carefully examining it while the engine is running. Hopefully, the box will not need removing. I’d also like to get the white pinstripe painted to the side of the car.
All of these jobs shouldn’t take that much time and I’m close getting to the stage when the car is finally finished. I suppose I should think about getting the 1950 Tourer out of storage ready for assessment and appraisal as my next long-term project.
The removal of the Minor’s vibration caused by the old propshaft also confirms that the modified running gear could now take a higher ratio differential