Desperates Morris 8
 
 

DESPERATE’S CURRENT TRANSPORT
When I was 18 I bought a 1939 Austin 8 for ten shillings It was in bloody good nick, but it had no engine. Soon sorted that by fitting a modern (then) Morris Minor unit. It went really well, but the rod-brakes struggled a bit, especially when I was coming down a really steep hill in Devon and they completely disappeared! But I really loved that car, and have yearned for one ever since. Looked everywhere but couldn’t find one. Then I came across this on Ebay.
It was bashed and dented, black, covered in rust, the interior was outside, and it had no glass in it, but the little side valve engine purred. Someone had also sold the number.
It’s not an Austin 8, it’s a 1947 Morris 8. Exactly the same body, but different headlamps and grille. I fell in love with this one too. It had an opening screen, and “Suicide” doors (they open the wrong way). After several months of work, I got it road-legal and an age-related plate assigned. The neighbours loved the swastikas!

I drove it around for exactly two weeks and decided it was boring and unpractical, as I’m always carting junk around, so I decided to convert it into a pickup. At the same time, I thought it would be a good idea to chop the roof  by 6”. This meant cutting the whole body from the windscreen back, completely off….with a small angle grinder. 35 discs later, it was in a pile outside my house.

Now….cutting it to bits was the easy part. Putting it back together wasn’t, as the roof and body taper out from the front!
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There are 7 sections to the roof alone! Then a new screen had to be made. The side windows are acrylic. Four months later it was back on the road. I was happy with it now….no….I tell a lie. It was now too slow, so I decided I’d do an engine swap.
I wanted to fit the motor out of a little Suzuki jeep. Couldn’t find one anywhere, so I bought a complete FJ410. Transplanted the engine, box, radiator and electrics (and the heater). Now it needed a decent rear axle. Couldn’t find one anywhere! I bought a complete scrap Morris Minor. That went in, as did the Minor front brakes and a servo.
Final jobs…hooking everything up, making a propshaft from scratch and a full rewire.
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I wanted to give it the appearance it was an old relic from the second world war. It does the job admirably and fools all the old geezers, even though it’s lowered, has a roofchop, Wolferace Wheels  and is only just over 4ft high! I left the dash and interior standard-looking, the only giveaway being the revcounter on the steering column. I purposely don’t wash it (look at my lane) and it’s now my only form of transport. It’s bloody good fun, and quite nippy with its SOHC motor and 5-speed box.

All the work on this car was done in my little workshop at the side of my house, using basic tools and a small 130 amp welder! Took a while, but it was worth it.
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