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Paul's Morris Minor PJ2693 Restoration

Paul · Morris Minor PJ2693

Morris Minor

Morris Minor PJ2693

Read the full write-up at Morris Minor PJ2693 ↗

Photo: Morris Minor PJ2693

Paul's long-running restoration of his late father's Morris Minor PJ2693

Paul inherited this Morris Minor, bought new by his mother in 1960 and restored once before by his father, and has been rebuilding it slowly since 2004 in a single garage. The blog follows the engine and chassis rebuild, extensive timber-framed body repairs, rewiring, painting and the ongoing fight with a juddering clutch. It is a candid, unhurried amateur restoration diary rather than a finished showcase.

Specs

As stated in the original write-up.

Engine
Original block, skimmed and rebuilt with new valves, guides and lead-free exhaust valve seats
Gearbox
Original gearbox, rebuilt and reinstalled with relined clutch
Rear axle
Rebuilt and mounted in refurbished chassis
Chassis
Powder coated black
Body frame
Rebuilt with new ash timber front and rear frames
Rear springs
Powder coated leaf springs, later stripped and relubricated with new clips fitted
Wheels
Repainted
Tyres
New tyres fitted
Paint
Professionally sprayed by Bonhams, Ascot Drive, Derby, after an earlier unsatisfactory attempt by another painter
Wiring harness
New harness bought (for a 1934 Minor) to replace piecemeal rewiring
Dashboard
New dashboard made and varnished

Parts used

Parts named as used in the original write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.

Engine 2

Fuel & Ignition 2

  • Distributor

    Rebuilt and fitted; later required correcting its orientation in the oil pump drive for timing

  • Fuel gauge sender

    Repaired and tested before fitting rear body

Gearbox & Drivetrain 1

Suspension & Steering 1

Wheels & Tyres 1

  • Tyres

    New tyres fitted to the painted wheels

Body & Trim 8

Interior 1

  • Dashboard

    New dashboard made to replace the old holed one, varnished

Electrical 3

Other 1

  • Body transportLucra Automotive, Shardlow

    Main body transported to the paint shop

Photos

12 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from Morris Minor PJ2693. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.

Naylor 6Photo: Morris Minor PJ2693
Frame3Photo: Morris Minor PJ2693
Restoration work in progressPhoto: Morris Minor PJ2693
Restoration work in progressPhoto: Morris Minor PJ2693
Restoration work in progressPhoto: Morris Minor PJ2693
Restoration work in progressPhoto: Morris Minor PJ2693
Restoration work in progressPhoto: Morris Minor PJ2693
Restoration work in progressPhoto: Morris Minor PJ2693
The Morris Minor during restorationPhoto: Morris Minor PJ2693
The Morris Minor during restorationPhoto: Morris Minor PJ2693
The Morris Minor during restorationPhoto: Morris Minor PJ2693
The Morris Minor during restorationPhoto: Morris Minor PJ2693

How it was done

History and starting point

Paul's mother bought the Minor around 1960 for his father, who rebuilt the rear bodywork and much else before the car came off the road around 1995 due to ill health. Paul inherited it in 2004 and began restoring it in retirement, limited by having only a single garage.

Engine and chassis work

Paul completed the engine, gearbox and rear axle and mounted them in a freshly powder coated chassis. The engine block was machined for lead-free valve seats with new valves and guides, and all peripherals including carburettor and distributor were rebuilt with hand-made gaskets.

Body and wood frame repairs

The bulkhead was remade and aluminium skinned, outer panels needed new welded side pieces, and the wooden frame was refurbished with new ash. The rear frame also required repair with ash, and fitting doors, bonnet and wings proved persistently difficult.

Wiring, interior and small jobs

Paul made an instrument panel sub-harness, a new dashboard, repaired the fuel sender, fitted the windscreen, wiper motor and semaphore indicators, and eventually bought a complete new wiring harness rather than finish the piecemeal rewiring himself.

First start and debugging

In 2017 the engine ran for the first time since 1992, after sorting distributor-to-oil-pump timing issues and confirming cooling and oil pressure were sound. Later debugging in 2020 revealed the rear leaf springs had been glued solid by poor powder coating, requiring rework, and the clutch judder problem began.

Painting and reassembly

After a poor aerosol attempt and a bad job by another painter, the body and loose panels were professionally painted by Bonhams in Derby, with the main body transported by Lucra Automotive. Paul has since been reassembling the car, repeatedly troubled by a persistent clutch judder requiring multiple clutch relines.

Progress so far

As of September 2022 the gearbox and reworked clutch are reinstalled and Paul is setting up the cross shaft and brakes. The car is not complete, with hood, side screens and final fitting still to do, and no completion date is given.

A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at Morris Minor PJ2693 ↗

Worth knowing

  • Powder coating leaf springs can glue the leaves together if not done carefully
  • Get a painter to do a trial piece before committing to the full job
  • Piecemeal rewiring is harder than fitting a complete new harness

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Paul's Morris Minor PJ2693 Restoration | Restomod Life