1959 Morris Minor Convertible

Out of 25-Year Storage. Rust-Free Survivor. 1959 Morris Minor 1000 Convertible

If you've been looking for a good Morris. you've finally found one worth buying. It's a 1959 Morris Minor 1000 convertible. make in Oxford. England for export to the U. S.   It's a great little car. A broker discovered it in Iowa in a secured garage with a cover over it where it had been stored for twenty-five years or more. The last time the car was registered was 1986. I purchased the car in late 2011 from the man who bought it from the broker.

Until recently. this was my forever fun car. My wife allowed me purchase a 61 RHD Traveller which is a bit more fun. so the convertible has to go.

As I examined the car. what I see tells me that the storage story is undoubtedly true. Everything that could leak. did leak. The tires were dated to the 80's. The car is remarkably rust free. As I am working on the 61 Traveller. I appreciate more and more the good condition of the convertible.

It's an amazingly rust-free car with nothing worse than some surface tarnish. The underneath is solid. the floors are solid. the trunk is solid. the fenders are solid and so are the inner and outer sills. I've looked all over this car and have not found any rot at all. most unusual in a Morris. It is a factory export model with left hand drive. not a right hand drive made for sale in the UK that has been converted. That's important because so many of these cars that have spent most of their lives in England are rotten underneath because of the damp. dreary climate. This car is in original condition. It has not been fluffed up with shiny new paint in some bright color to cover up all the rust and body work. The engine compartment has not been painted flat black to cover up a color change. You can even see the original factory sealant in some of the engine compartment pictures.

The paint appears to be a very old repaint in the original color. It still presents well and is shiny. but there are some touch-ups of nicks and scratches. Most of the paint is amazingly sound considering the age. The worst place is right below the gas filler where spilled gas has caused the paint to peel. This is shown in one of the pictures. The emblems and chrome appears to be original and all are in generally good condition. Both doors shut well. the windows crank up and down well and the shut lines are all good. There are two tiny stars in the windshield. It looks to me like some kid with a BB gun did it. You have to look closely to see them.

The interior also presents well. The dash is shiny with some touch-ups. the seats show very little wear and some of the carpet appears to be original. It has both the glove box doors that open and close easily. The inside of each glove box is original and clean. So many old Morris Minors seem to be missing one or both of these doors and they are hard to replace. I'm not sure about the seats and door panels. My guess is that they were replaced at the same time the paint was applied. but I'm not certain.

This was my daily driver. a very dependable car. In the time I had it. I put perhaps 3000 miles on it. All of it was around town. delivering meals on wheels. shopping. etc.

Since I've had it. I've replaced bushings. seals. gaskets etc. to make it roadworthy. All of the steering mechanisms have been refurbished. Likewise. the brakes.

I've installed a rebuilt transmission. and you won't find a nicer shifting smoothcase out there. While in there. I gave it a new oil pump. clutch and clutch linkage.

The wheels and tires were not standard Morris Minor. I don't know where the wheels came from. I've been told. “probably Vega. ” These wheels are 13 inch. Tires are easier to find. but you won't need any soon. as these are new 155-80 R13's.

I've installed a non standard 3. 90 differential which works very nicely.

The combination of wheel size and differential mandated a re-manufactured speedometer of the correct ratio. The black face speedometer and fuel gauge work well and are accurate.

The owner I bought from had installed a new top. and it is in very good condition.

I did a compression test early on. and got 165 to 175 psi on the 4 cylinders.

I cleaned and sealed the gas tank using the POR-15 system.

The fuel pump gave me problems that I later found out to be from the ethanol in the fuel. I installed a mechanical pump from the Classic Mini with the same engine. and the troubles went away.

When I got the car. the “trafficators” were not installed. I found a pair. and wired them in. and they work perfectly in conjunction with the flashing indicators fore and aft.

I would not hesitate to start up the car as it sits. and head out for anywhere in the country. It is in that good shape.

I've had an appraisal for the insurance company that values the car at $13. 00.

As I said above. if you've been looking for a Morris Minor convertible. you've finally found one worth buying.

Also published at eBay.com

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