2000cc Fiat Twin Cam Morris Minor

Here we have the reluctant sale of my 1965 2000cc Fiat Twincam powered Morris Minor.

I bought this car as a standard morris minor in dove grey. Over the following years it proved itself to be a much loved reliable runabout. Each year it needed a few small bits of welding needed as is normal for cars of that age. Eventually patches being welded on-top of other. now rotten. patches. The day came when this had to end. Unfortunately the MOT inspector did not have much respect for classics. and said it should be scrapped! So. I promised myself that I would not only restore this car back to its former glory. I would make it better than the average tin cars he normally passes!

I have done a lot of research for each component of the car. The plan was to try and build the car. as the original manufacturers would have done if they were designing a 2000cc of the original. The parts were chosen to be reliable. compatible. safe and maintainable. For example there is no point installing a high powered engine without upgrading the axle. The standard half shafts will snap! Also. the suspension and braking has to match the higher anticipated road speed. Wheels and tyres need to be easily available so they don't cost the earth when replacements are needed. And while I was able to. I wanted to address a few of the small niggles that existed in standard morris minors such as comfy seats!

So its taken a long time. and much of the recent years its been stored awaiting the time. money. and parts to make progress.

I would say its 95% done. but personal circumstances dictate that it now needs a new home. It needs to go to an enthusiast with time to tinker with it to get it perform as well as its extensive specification should perform.

The body was completely stripped. and fitted with new boot. door bottoms. wings. floor pans. sills. n fact a complete underside. with new spring hangers etc. The engine was then fitted. and any bodywork modifications made to accommodate it. The engine was then removed again. and the car stripped for its complete shell respray.

The whole body was painted in a brilliant white (which matched a Subaru Impreza turbo I was driving at the time! - I have the paint code)

The power comes from a reconditioned 2000cc Fiat Twin cam engine. For those that don't know. this engine was designed by Aurelio Lampredi. An Italian designer who also designed Ferrari engines and F1 racing engines. The Engine itself is highly respected as its powerful and reliable in its standard form (as this one is). But also needs little modification for power enhancement with such things as Twin/Quad Carbs. Turbos. or even nitrous oxide. You should not have too much trouble sourcing parts or expertise for the engine because it has such a great following.

I acquired the engine having had a re-bore. new piston rings. bearings etc. The oil pressure is always good. It was supplied to me with a basic fitting kit. including engine mounts an exhaust downpipe. The engine originated from a Fiat Argenta. I have the Argenta Haynes manual. and the excellent Roy Croft book on tuning the Fiat Twin Cam. Both will be included in the sale.

My dad fabricated a cam-belt cover which you can see on the photos. He also incuded a hinged door so you can check on the condition of the cam belt. The cam belt was new when I fitted the engine.

The air filter is a K&N on top of a Webber single carb.

The power then goes through a cable operated standard fiat Argenta clutch to the Fiat 5 speed gearbox. His was clean when I fitted it. and showed no signs of wear.

The prop shaft was professionally built by specialists. Des Shelly shafts of Wolverhampton. and has new UJ joints fitted and was correctly balanced by them.

That then leads to the Ford RS 2000 back axle. (Which I drove 300 miles to collect!). I Chose this because its very close width to the standard back axle for a Morris Minor. and is perfectly capable of dealing with the increased torque. Also it provides Ford PCD wheel studs to match the Front. (More on this later on).

The axle itself is fitted to the body with with new leaf springs. and anti-tramp bars to stop the springs being distorted when laying on the power.

Suspension dampening is provided by Spax adjustable shock absorbers. (All round).

The rear brakes are Ford RS2000 units with new cylinders. The fronts are Ford Sierra vented disks. which were new when fitted. The braking system has a remote power assistance servo. (There is no servo originally fitted on a standard morris minor. )

The Ford running gear means that the wheels all have the same PCD. Meaning that a single spare will do for each corner. and the wheels can be swapped around as required.

As well as the adjustable spax shock absorbers the front suspension is also assisted by an anti-roll bar.

I chose the alloy rims to be not too over the top. and I selected them to look roughly in-keeping the car with the general 'spoke' appearance of a classic. but without the hassle of cleaning them! The tyres are Toyo Proxys. which are good high performance Japanese racing tyres.

The inside is mostly original. with new carpets. The front seats are from an MG TD. These fit nicely. are adjustable. have headrests. and are of similar colour and style to the standard ones.

Some modifications were made to accommodate the 5 speed gears. and some instruments were added to keep an eye on the engine oil pressure and temperature. There is also a rev counter to amaze your friends!

There is a tow bar fitted. complete with its electrics. The power and stability of the car makes it perfectly suitable for towing a caravan or trailer.

The front headlights have standard halogen bulbs. and plastic buckets. (The standard steal ones were a typical rust problem on morris minors. )

I want this car to go to a good home. and its only fair that I mention the defects that I know of. In general the car is not yet complete. There are bits of trim missing. some carpets are lose. window and door seals are missing. as are the covers that normally fit below the doors.

Some of the panels are not very well fitted. In the case of the doors. this is probably just a matter of carefully adjusting them from the hinge. and maybe fitting shims. Some of the other panels may require refitting entirely to make them perfect.

The car has been standing for a long time in a garage. Because of this there is some surface rust on the underside. I have had a look. and it all looks solid still. I would be very surprised if anything needs more than a wire brush and a coat of Red-lead.

Whilst it was in the garage. last winter a mouse moved in. For some reason he/she took a liking to the passenger seat. and the expansion tank (see photo). The hole in the seat is not too noticeable because its where the seat meets the back. but the expansion tank will need replacing. (I think it was from a Maestro. but anything similar will do.

The car does not have an MOT. and is registered SORN. I would recommend that the new owner gives it a good check over before taking it out on the road. So you will need to trailer it away.

The engine runs fine. It was always my intention to get it professionally tuned on a rolling road to get it setup perfectly. This was to get the most out of it. and so I knew what 'normal' should be like.

Here is a video of me starting it from cold. i put my hand on the exhaust manifold to prove its cold :)

As you can see its a lovely car. with a great specification. It needs to go to a classic/modified car enthusiast who can finish it off. and get it back on the road where it belongs. leaving other cars standing at the lights!

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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