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The Morris Eight Tourer Club
of New Zealand (Inc)

Hi folks, guess I'd better explain the photo and short garble I sent
earlier.

Friend Lawrie called in today to show off a CD of his latest film to be
developed. Seems the processor is offering to put your film on disk. He
just had to try it out. "Did it once, didn't like it". But I had to give
it a flutter on the email.

Thought Peter, as I'd sent you something on the Bay to Birdwood, you may
like to see more of the Birdwood end. All of the cars in this photo are
oldies, and the scene is repeated behind the camera man in another field.
Some time I'll have to get a pic. of the Birdwood Mill Motor Museum
buildings for you.

Regards,
Barry B.
_________________________________
Elaine & Barry Booth .

Hi Dennis
                Welcome from the Morris 8 Tourer Club of New Zealand and
                congratulations on a very good web site. It's interesting
                to find out about fellow Morris 8 enthusiasts on the other
                side of the world, especially Sweden

The original material (pegamoid?) used for m8 roofs is hard to get, so most
members use vinyl for a concours restoration, others not so worried about
originality use aluminium to cover the hole.

I will see if I can get some photo's of a vinyl roof from a member who has
recently restored his M8. He replaced all the woodwork including the
slatts.

Our club carries a large range of new and used parts for Morris 8's but
you would have to become a member to get access to then.

Regards
Peter McAuley

Hello

I am the owner of a 1936 Morris 8 saloon. It´s a runner, but needs a fair
bit of attention as it has never been restored.

I have tried to find information on how to replace the pegamoid roof, but
so far I have not been very successful. Have any of your members any
experience of this kind of work? Any information (drawings, photos) would
be much appreciated.

Please, 

I am also looking for spares, see my homepage at
http://user.tninet.se/~utb979i/  Especially the headlamps seem to be hard
to find. Again, any help would be much appreciated. And, of course, if I
can return a favour, I´ll be only too pleased to help your members.

Regards,

Dennis Sockander
Sweden
Check my homepage at: http://user.tninet.se/~utb979i/

Hello

On and off, I surf the net to see if I can find any new Morris 8 related sites and last week I found yours.

In 1983, I bought a 1935 tourer from the original owner in England and brought it back to Sweden. I started restoring it, but later sold it to a friend.
A couple of years ago, I bought my second Morris 8. This time, a 1936 2 door saloon.

Over the years, I have owned a number of cars from the 1930:s - 1970:s including 2 split window VW:s, 2 VW Convertibles, two Morris 8:s, and 3 MG:s. I still own the Morris 8 saloon, and one of the MG:s (an MGB:GT). You can take a look at some of my cars (and cars I have met on the way) at http://user.tninet.se/~utb979i/

It would be nice to hear from you.

Best regards,

Dennis Sockander

Dear Chris
              I agree with what you are saying, It's not necessary to
              publish all M8 technical detail, it's adequately covered in
              Workshop manuals handbooks etc and as you point out other
              web sites. There's masses of it, from tappet clearances to
              gear ratio's, piston sizes, ring gaps, con rod side
              clearance and on and on it goes.

I was thinking more in terms of a Members Technical Page  where members
could send in articles, detail, information etc as it effects them
restoring and maintaining their Morris 8. About adapting or altering hard
to get parts, problems they strike, talking and comparing notes with other
members.

A very good example of this would be Richard Fuller's article a couple of
years back when the engine of his Tourer broke down at the Nelson Rally.
Richard wrote an excellent article about his trip down from Auckland, what
happened to the engine and all about the repair work that was carried out
to fix it. I would have to get Richard's permission but if it is ok by him
I could send the article up or if Richard is reading this. Would you mind
sending it in to the web site Richard

The Members Technical Page could include questions and answers as they
effect Morris 8's in NZ. and Australia. Alex Fry's Morris 8 site covers a
wide range of subjects including questions and answers. One in particular,
engine oils, well answered by Alex but the type of oils quoted may not be
available in N.Z.

I have been in contact with Aussie (Adelaide) member Barry Booth, he sends
such incredibly interesting e-mails that I asked him if it would be ok to
put the ones he approves on our web site so we can all enjoy them

Pam and I enjoy your humour Barry! I'm still chuckling about your "Tea
Totaller's Pub Crawl"  viewed from the outside!!!!

Attached photo was taken at the Dunedin Christmas Rally. The first run,
round the south side of t Otago Harbour to  Taiaroa Heads for lunch and a
look at the Albatross colony. On the way back we stopped at Portobello a
seaside township, for an icecream, then we split up. Half took the low
road to the Marine Aquarum while the rest of us were introduced to Dunedin
hills on the journey to Larnach Castle.

Photo shows members enjoying an icecream. We parked our cars outside the
Portobello Pub and walked across the road to buy the icecreams.

Regards
Peter McAuley

"Antiquated" White Metal - John Henderson

I cannot understand anyone doing a complete motor recondition and white
metaling the bearings if there are other options available. One reason
could be plenty of money but I certainly don't know many people in this
category - these people tend more to E Type Jags and cars far too big for
my garage.

If you have an original Morris 8 motor with good metal bearings don't
knock it but if the motor is passed it's used by date use a Series E motor
 as shell bearings are a lot cheaper and it is still a Morris 8 motor.

About 30 years ago before leaving Timaru and after 7 years in the plumbing
and sheet-metal trade, because of my interest in cars I was asked if I
would like to work at Auto Engineers and learn automotive reconditioning.
This certainly appealed more than crawling under floors and cleaning
sewers.

Consequently after a year of learning I was in the workshop reboring
motors and repairing cylinder heads. Once the boring bar was set up and
stops set I used to wander over and talk to "Old Bill" who did the white
metaling there. We got on quite well and he told me a lot about the
heating and cooling process, he had been doing this for years.

One Christmas after 3 weeks at Wanaka and returning to work the boss asked
me what I knew about white metaling. When I replied, not a lot, he said
nor does anyone else. Old Bill died over Christmas so from then on I was
the new "Old Bill" It was a great winter job especially in the morning but
not so good in summer standing over hot pots of metal. Basically the rod
or cap was tinned with a grey powder applied with heat then set on a jig,
heated to the correct temperature and the molten metal poured in. After
this the object had to be cooled quickly to stop air pockets forming.

I had some early rods with blow holes but these were found by the
machinistand I don't remember any metal coming unstuck. The in thing then
was Ford 10 rods and we kept 6 sets remetaled and exchanged them for worn
ones.

There were some Morris 8 rods done and bigger vintage ones including Model
T The Ford Model T blocks were a challenge as they took a long time to
prepare,tinning mains, setting up jigs and packing wet clay around areas
where metal could leak then the big heat up and metal pour followed by
cooling. About half a day for all that. The Firm had experimeted with
different metals but found the best to be an English one called  Hoyts and
the dearest. When they arrived they looked like gold bars but white.
they certainly were not stored in the workshop. No one was going to make
fishing sinkers with this white gold.

Dear Chris
              Below is the article written by Christchurch club member
              John Henderson, to use at your discretion. Personally I
              think it's as good as anything you will find in a text book.
              After reading Door Chain, I went to the local hardware store
              and bought a door chain for the passenger door on our Morris
             8 - the best thing I have ever done. It's easy to fit, looks
              good and  a safety feature for a door that opens the "wrong"
              way

John's article Restoring a Morris 8 Sports is in one of last years
Newsletter when I get a bit of spare time I will send it up but I will
have to get the photos off him again

We met up with John and Ann at the Dunedin Christmas Rally. On one of the
runs the wind whipped the passenger door back on their car and snapped the
leather door stop. The car was stationary at the time. I must ask John
what he replaced it with. I used reinforced belting covered with
upholstery vinyl on ours

Lessons from a M8 Sports Restoration  -   John Henderson
Like many older Kiwi's I come from a line of tradesman who will have a
crack at anything, sometimes not with the best results. So after reading
my restoration article again I realised there were a lot of traps which
were not covered so here are the sticky bits you don't always hear about.
They are not in order of progress but an overall review.

Windscreen
After my joy of receiving the windscreen from Bruce Shadbolt and because
they are brass, I only had to make new inner brackets that hold the sides
together, which I imagine would be standard procedure for any old screen.
All I needed was a new glass fitted to this. So finding a Firm to cut a
glass was no trouble but at the quote my Scottish decent bristled at the
cost, $100 for the glass and $40 to fit it. Yes and no I said, you can cut
the glass and I will fit it. So a couple of days later picking up the
glass I then inquired about some silicon

Now the learning curve! Because the glass is laminated the silicon had to
be a special type so as not to eat into the laminations. Looking at a
cartridge of silicon I felt perhaps one might not be enough so promptly
bought two. The cost $40. To finilise, what a mess, black silicon on my
clothes, in my hair, on my hands and workbenck, not a good idea. Then to
make matters worse I only used one cartridge. Moral of the story, leave it
to the experts.

Rear Axle Unit
Murphy's Law here. Pulled out the diff assembly initially, looked at it,
put it back and later had to replace bearings which fell apart on later
disassembly

Bumpers
Toward the end of the restoration, with about $350 left for the vin and
registration (which is what it cost) I was quoted $200 to rechrome both
bumpers. At this stage I had no intentions of taking out a mortgage for
this amount and because the only chrome parts visible are the three raised
strips I painted everything black then stuck on three strips of silver
pinstriping along the raised bits. It does have the desired effect and
when I win Lotto will chrome everything

Blinkers
Leaving the original indicator arms intact I rewired flasher units to the
front side lights and attached small blinkers on to the rear bumper. This
all worked well except Ann and I kept forgeting to turn the indicator
switch back after turning corners. The modern car with their automatic
return mechanisms do spoil you.

One day while traveling a major road in Christchurch some silly hoon
roared past between the curb and said Morrie and scared the pants off me.
Further down the road I woke up to the fact my left indicator was blinking
away merrily. I realised I was probably the hoon.

Looking at two options, one was to put a flashing light somewhere on the
dash, the other to install small beepers in the circuit. The latter has
been very sucessful and electronic wizardry certainly reminds one when the
indicators are functioning.

Windscreen Wiper
Changing from 6 to 12 volt electrics meant a different wiper unit. An
early Landrover one, although slightly larger fits perfictly but needs a
rehashed wiper blade. Someone said they were hard to obtain but the
wrecking yard in Blenheim road had plenty of them at $20 each second hand
and they don't stall in real bad weather like the 6 volt units.

Stearing Box
Because there was some play in the original steering box I acquired
another one from the club which was better and when I adjusted up the worm
made sure everything was reasonably tight. Bad mistake! When A framing it
to the upholsters the wheels wouldn't track properly and it jack-knifed
into the side of my van slightly damaging the front drivers guard. One of
these days when I have nothing to do I will take the guard off, straighten
and repaint it. Ironically the stearing box was rejected at the WOF check
and Lindsay had to rebush it. Also at the WOF check, what looked like a
small fracture was pointed out to me in the chassis which had been
repainted at some previous time. The mechanic let it through but told me
to keep an eye on it. That night I sanded it down and discovered it was
only a fine hair impregnated in the paint. Even the experts are not
infallable.

Front Mascot
The original die cast mascot on the radiator surround was tatty to say the
least, so rummaging through the parts shed I found a much better one, had
the old plating stripped then filed and polished any pit marks from the
surface finally taking it to be rechromed.

After the usual legthy period I was disappointed to receive it back with
lots of pits and blow holes in the plating. I don't know a lot about this
process but I couldn't see how this could be unless they had polished the
object before chroming which again exposed holes. Anyway there was only
one way to solve this and that was with a better casting. I approached a
small foundry who cast one for me in brass and after more filing and
polishing went back to the platers and told them to find a hole in this
one.

The end result was excellent but Ann cannot understand why I spend so much
time on a small car part then rush through house maintenance. The answer
of course is the house does not have wheels.

Door Chain
Although making my own door striker plates with double catches I still
fitted a door chain on the off drivers door as with two adults and a child
in the front seat it does place a strain on the door and you can't replace
people.

Side Curtain Stays
Because D section rod which holds the side curtain on to the door is
obsolete I bought a piece if 1/2 round steel rod and a new hacksaw blade
then cut the rod down the middle. When the cutting depth reached the
handle I had to turn the blade at right angles to the handle, it was a bit
tricky keeping the cut straight but eventually ended up with two D
sections of rod. After this there was no trouble bending these in a vice.
Talking to other members afterwards another popular way is to weld two
pieces of flat steel together then grind to the D shape. For me, without
the luxury of a gas plant the hacksaw method was very satisfactory.

I presume by "Technical Tips Index" you mean the Search Tool as I have not yet published the "Technical Tips Index" I have created.

With the technology available today we could publish every bit of M8 technical knowledge available, but this would diminish the need for owners to belong to the various clubs.  Is that really a good thing?

I have a very good article about white metal bearings from John Henderson, but cannot reformat it for HTML.

I will store any tech. emails in Forum for possible inclusion in a technical section later.

Regards
Chris

Dear Chris
              I like the Technical Tips index, a lot of technical detail
              applies to most vehicles but would it be posible to also
              have a M8 Members   Technical Page where members can send in
              articles, technical, parts and service detail

Web sites and newsletters need technical detail from text books but it's
refreshing to read articles from members like Richard Fuller's  6-12 volt
as it applied to his motorcycle.

I have several articles from Christchurch member John Henderson that have
been in the newsletter and one  earmarked for the next (Sept)  they not
only make excellent reading they are great tips as well

Greg Gaskin did you have any luck with your search for a Morris 12/4 rear
axle? I will advertise for one in our next newsletter and make enquiries.

There is a very interesting article in the pipeline about a Morris Z Van.
Aussie member Barry Booth is working on it. One of his mates restored it
so it's  a restoration with Barry and the van involved in a  50th
celebration

Regards
Peter McAuley

Good evening, Chris,

Peter McAuley asked me to transmit my notes on 12v conversions to you. He
seems to think the website could do with more technical input. Anyway,
here it is, for you to use or reject at your discretion.

Kind regards,

Richard
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I've just been going through some back issues of the Newsletter and have re-read the article on converting Austins to 12v electrics.  More than twenty years ago I converted my BMW motorcycle by similar means, so my experience might be of interest to anyone considering such a procedure.

The machine, a 1964 model, had 6v electrics (the Germans were among the last to abandon 6v in favour of 12v), but nonetheless had earned a reputation for the best lighting amongst its contemporaries.  By the mid-seventies, however, with quartz halogen bulbs commonplace, it could no longer compete with the batteries of searchlights fitted to new cars, and the generator's maximum output of 90 watts severely restricted the potential for improvement.  At that time a chap in England by the name of John Greenwood was experimenting with electronic devices on his vintage racers, and he came up with a convertor consisting of a few electronic components "potted" in an aluminium box about 3" long and 1" square which served exactly the same function as the system described by the Austin man.  Thus my 6v 90w generator was magically transformed into one producing 12v 180w, enabling me to fit a Marchal double headlamp with a 100w bulb for dipped beam, plus the 55w main beam when the dip switch was flicked.  If 155w from one headlamp sounds excessive, bear in mind that without an electric starter and with ignition provided by the super-reliable Bosch magneto, it is still possible to start the machine with a completely flat battery and put a healthy charge into it whilst running at night.  Another benefit of the magneto was that, apart from changing bulbs, battery and indicator relay, no further modifications were necessary.

The improvement was palpable.  Quite apart from the power of the Marchal, the horn was transformed from the mundane to the deafening and the indicators assumed a snappy brilliance which contrasted sharply with their previous apathy.

Unfortunately the story is not an entirely happy one, for after a couple of years the JG unit handed in its portfolio and it took several months and a lot of postage to get a replacement sent to South Africa. Thanks to the magneto I was still able to use the old machine during daytime by trickle charging the battery overnight to power brake light and indicators on a "total loss" basis.  At least the replacement continued to serve until I stopped using the machine about fifteen years ago, but if it packed up again I would simply take it to someone who knows enough about electronics to be able to test the components and detect the faulty one.  The other problem is that it devours dynamo brushes at an alarming rate, but that's a price I was prepared to pay.  The only detectable differences the conversion made from a cosmetic standpoint were the 12v battery and bigger headlamp, which in any case are disguised by the full touring fairing.

In light of the above, you're probably asking yourself why I should dismiss any thought of converting my Morris to 12v, and the answer is that it's a matter of horses for courses.  Firstly, in the BMW's case it was a straightforward conversion of an uncomplicated electrical system, rather than the messy business of hanging resistors here, there and everywhere to mollify various electrical components which cannot easily be converted to 12v.  Secondly, whereas the Morris' electrics are reliable and compatible with the car's modest performance, the BMW was built to run all day and all night at full throttle, mixing it with the best of the four-wheeled world, so it was habitually ridden hard on South Africa's roads, and on England's before that, averaging 80 mph over several hundred miles as a matter of routine (in their day BMWs were unique amongst motorcycles in that the harder and longer they were ridden, the faster and smoother they became).  In other words it was an everyday, everywhere machine for covering ground at high average speeds in all weathers, and powerful lighting makes all the difference in those circumstances.

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Greg Gaskin
> To: Forum
> Sent: Monday, July 31, 2000 12:09 AM
> Subject: morris 12/4 series III

> Please help. I am writing from Australia and I am searching for
> information and parts in particular, rear axle assembly drum to drum,
> hubcaps and wheel rim.    If  anyone can help please contact me on
thankyou.

Our club carries parts (members only) for Morris 8 Series 1,2 and Series
E. The rear axle for a 12/4 would be a bit bigger. Greg I will send your
e-mail to two Morris enthusiasts who may be able to help. Shaun McCarthy
may have a register of Morris vehicles above 10hp and Dave Pringle from
the Morris Owners Club S.I. may be able to help. If anyone  can help
please 

Hi Chris

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Please help. I am writing from Australia and I am searching for
information and parts in particular, rear axle assembly drum to drum,
hubcaps and wheel rim.    If  anyone can help please contact me
on  thankyou.

My father my son and I have just started to restore a 1951/52 Morris Series Z and would be grateful for any info which may help us.  I believe they came to New Zealand as a cab/chassis, windscreen, bonnet, front guards etc and a set or sets of plans for a woody, and or panel style van body and possibly a flat deck.  I don't know how true it is but the story goes that they were using up the leftover Series E bits after the introduction of the Morris Minor although the headlights are mounted on the guards rather than built in. Any information, history or contacts who may have info about the Series Z or copies of the plans would be very much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Graham Barr
Christchurch
New Zealand