AlanT

Dave. Do your existing tyres hold air? If so, the rims are probably not bad. This was my situation (car also off the road for 2 decades+) so I: used paint stripper while the old tyres were still on (left on overnight - just B & Q stuff). Wire brush in drill to clean off the paint. It took two goes to get the lot off (quite messy...heavy rubber gloves). hand sanded, spray undercoat used the brightest silver paint I could find (makes all the difference to the look of a Spit vs. so called 'bright silver' from Halfords) lacquer spray. new tyres then fitted. The wheels look factory fresh.

Is the heat shield that sits between the carbs and down pipe in place? I had a Spit missing this and it stuttered like mad when hot.

If the crac was in Dublin then it wouldn’t be at all serious.

Agree! My wife would de-sanction many of my hobbies if I paid other people to do the maintenance. I’ve got the bills relating to maintenance on my Morris project and all I can say is that the previous owner really did love the car!

Re MOTs I’m in the ‘yes’ camp. Having said this, a Morris I had for 13 years never failed because I made sure it was right (self maintained). I looked it up on the MOT history thing and since selling it, it’s never passed first time, not from rust but deteriorated bushes, tyres, brake issues. Most owners need the MOT because they don’t know what is right.

Mintex are brilliant vs. Standard pads. I also had a scary ‘no brakes’ using the standard pads supplied by a well known stockist.

Don’t be worried it your timing ends up quite a bit advanced of factory settings. Mine requires this with modern fuels. There’s no power at factory setting level.

Ah, ok. Thanks @PeteH I’ll ring around. The ones I looked at seemed to go off code and registration only

Hi All, can I ask a cheeky question since you all helped me so much with my Spit.resto. I’ve just welded in new metal to a Morris I’m fixing but the car doesn’t match the official colour. You can see the new paint vs old in attached. Does anyone know a place that will create colour matched aerosols? Have asked on the Morris forum but no responses as yet. Thanks Alan

I also ended up replacing the entire B post. Far better fit.

Thanks All. I think I’m going to go for a new prop. Climbing about underneath isn’t my fav activity but it will be a break from welding what has turned out to be a very rusty Morris!

The windscreeen/door glass/door gap conundrum can be really tricky if a car has had previous repairs. Like @Josef I ended up with ratchet straps in all directions to get it done. Even so, door gaps are fantastic but windows could close 1-2mm tighter at the top…but I wonder if they ever did.

A few of these new switches aren’t quite right. The gearstick o/d switch on my Spit has the writing upside down!

Another vote for Mintex pads. They totally transformed braking on my Spit 1500. Far easier than a servo…but they do occasionally squeal.

Hi All, I’ve got the classic +50mph shake. The sliding joint on my prop has play in it so I’m looking at new props( have already tried changing UJs). Paddock’s have them at £135 which seems low vs. getting one made. Has anyone experience with these? Thanks Alan