This
is one of the few vehicles we have built for other people. Nigel is a
good friend I met at polytechnic. He is my navigator on motorsport events
and is responsible for introducing us to mountain biking. His Morris Minor
convertible is unique as it is built on a van chassis. A normal convertible
is only a saloon with the roof cut off and as the saloon is of monocoque
construction it looses a lot of its strength. However a van has a proper
box section chassis, so if the van was used as a base a stronger vehicle
will result. As it was we knew of a very solid van which already had a
Fiat engine installed and the brakes and suspension uprated. This was
the base of the vehicle. The basic construction procedure was to remove
the van back and fit saloon doors to the van. ( The van doors are shorter
than the saloon / convertible. ) A saloon was purchased and the back cut
off. This would then be sat on the van chassis and metal cut away from
the floor until it sat correctly. The resultant holes would then be filled
in. The convertible conversion would follow standard practices.
Specification
Body..........................................Morris
Minor convertible on a van chassis. Underneath bare metal etch primed, stone
chipped and painted body colour. Smooth engine bay.
Engine.......................................2000cc Fiat twin cam.
Recent £1500 rebuild. Rebore, new pistons, reground crank, new oil pump,
new tensioner pulley, new crank belt pulley, new valve guides, recut seats,
valves refaced, flywheel refaced, full length raised and baffled sump. Oil
cooler and thermostat. Recon. alternator. Competition clutch cover and plate.
K & N air filter.
Exhaust.....................................Tony Law ( the `man' for
exhausts ) 4 into 1 manifold and system. ( £450 )
Brakes......................................Marina discs and calipers.
( Recent new calipers, discs, pads, master cylinder and bearings.)
Suspension...............................Lowered 3". Marina torsion
bars, Spax telescopic dampers ( recently new ), lowering blocks, poly bushes.
Wheels.....................................6 x 14 alloy 5 spoke
Tyres........................................185 50 14
Music.......................................CD auto changer, Alpine
head unit, 2 x 12" subs, front speakers and tweeters etc. It is loud
and the quality is superb. Over £2000 worth of sounds.
Interior.....................................Corbeau reclining seats.
Retrimmed panels in black cloth. Spa digital gauge for water temp and oil
pressure.
The van back was sold
to a lad who was converting a pickup to a van. I later bought this van and
turned it into the rally prepared van.( See home page. )
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The cab roof was cut
off as per a normal convertible conversion. Robin will weld a new capping
piece in on top of the screen.
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The underneath is fully
seam welded. The chassis is an integral part of the floor and a new transmission
tunnel has been fabricated. The metal was cleaned, sanded, degreased, sanded,
etch primed, primed, stone chipped and painted. It is a finish that will last.
The box sections are waxoyled.
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The top is also prepared
very thoroughly and sprayed in cellulose.
