Got a classic car?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The A35 had a decent competion history - without changing the engine for a modern one. Some got phenomenal power out of the old A Series. You'll still see A35s doing well against the much bigger opposition at the Goodwood revival, etc. The basic A35 was quite a bit lighter than the Minor - as well as having front suspension of a more conventional nature, so easier to tweak.

And at least they are still the same basic car - unlike many these days in current racing that simply look a bit like the car they claim to be. Which makes for much more exciting racing to watch, IMHO.

[damduck-egg]

At one time the V8 from a Daimler SP250 was supposed to be a fairly simple conversion, it's a long time for the old memory cells but I think if you used the gearbox as well then cutting a slot/notch in the top of the bell housing meant that you hardly had to cut away any metal of the Morris.

G.Harman

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Can't remember seeing one of those. The Daimler V8 being quite rare these days - even more so with manual box. Rover engines can be had for near scrap value.

[John Williamson]

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the Moggie was initially intended by Issigonis to be a sports saloon with a V8 (Chevrolet?) smallblock engine, which is why you can almost stand alongside the A-Series engine inside the engine bay. He was overruled by the accountants who would only let him put the A-series in with no options for anything bigger.

A common customising job was to fit the Jag/ Daimler engine, transmission and back axle to the body, and it didn't need any reinforcement to take the power. The front suspension/ steering could be fairly easily replaced by the Vauxhall Viva setup, and that apparently gave you a very fast, nimble car. Then you found out about the brakes...

My first car was a Moggie, and it's the only car I've ever owned that would let me balance the slide on a fast corner purely on throttle opening. I doubt I'd have the reflexes to do that nowadays. Actually, with modern radials, the thing would probably fall over before it slid.

[John Williamson]

Some people prefer to feel the car going straight on when you turn the wheel. Using opposite lock to control the tail is fun, but needs skill to master.

[Chris J Dixon]

Wasn't there also a late change to make the whole thing wider, which was accommodated in the bonnet design simply by inserting the section between the two parallel lines up its centre?

Chris

[Chris J Dixon]

My first car was a Beetle, apparently originally made in South Africa in 1971, and was a bit behind the European model changes. It still had king pins, IIRC the greasing interval was 1500 miles.

Another fun job was changing the spark plugs - on the 1500 engine you needed a plug spanner that would take the tommy bar at 45 degrees.

Then there was the heater designed so that, if it was going to stick, it would do so fully on.

My only success was once getting an exhaust fitted free - they took all day and had to change a stud.

Chris

[John Williamson]

Pass. Unless that's what they did to turn the Moggie into the Oxford. Which is still available new as the Hindustani Ambassador, but with a Japanese engine.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Crikey - that's some version of Chinese whispers. ;-)

The Minor was originally intended to have an all new small flat four engine - hence the width under the bonnet. The UK market for a sports saloon with a V-8 would have been tiny in the immediate post war period - and it was too small a car for that segment of the US market. Besides, Morris also owned MG and Riley - so one of those would have been the brand used for a sports saloon. Costs ruled out the new engine, so the pre-war side valve was originally used. After Austin and Nuffield amalgamated into BMC, the Austin A30 engine was fitted. This was a relatively new design which continued in production for the next 40 years or so.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You fit a Jag rear axle, Viva front suspension, but keep the Moggie brakes?

[The Natural Philosopher]

Rear brakes are always Jag...inboard discs..

Usual upgrade would be MGB discs on the front or Triumph herald..

[Huge]

Um, no. It was intended to have a flat-four.

[Chris J Dixon]

Although the Minor was originally designed to accept a flat-4 engine, with four distinctive gaps in the engine bay to accommodate it, late in the development stage it was replaced by a 918 cc (56.0 cu in) side-valve straight-4 producing 27.5 hp (21 kW) and 39 lbf·ft (53 N·m) of torque.

widening of the production car from the prototypes. This widening of 4 inches (102 mm) is also visible in the creases in the bonnet.

Chris

[Andy Champ]

Yes.

"Early cars had a painted section in the centre of the bumpers to cover the widening of the production car from the prototypes. This widening of

4 inches (102 mm) is also visible in the creases in the bonnet."

[The Other Mike]

Like most suspension failures you only hear of low speed incidents because if it happens at high speed the vehicle and the humans would be 'rearranged'

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Well, the effort needed to steer a car is at the maximum at low speeds, so that is likely the reason. And a broken kin pin or whatever would still be obvious after any high speed crash.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

I don't know of any that fell out at above parking speeds and at extreme angles. It was the one saving grace of the shit design.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Any such thing designed to be greased regularly will fail if neglected. I've seen track rod ends separate too - and pretty well every car has those.