Bringing a 1959 Morris Minor 1000 Back to Life

As is our custom at the end of each summer, my middle son, Nick, and I volunteer as vote counters at the Portland All British Field Meet. At the end of our commitment we walk the field to admire the old British cars. They may look tired from the ravages of time and neglect or pristine examples looking as if they had been freshly freed from the production line. Most, however, are somewhere in between. Perhaps daily drivers or fair weather explorers.

While walking the field, a Series III 1959 Morris Minor 1000 coupe with a For Sale sign on it caught our eye. I own a 1974 MG Midget that I use for transportation to work. Its a means of adding a bit of fun in running errands here and there, but it is very small and hard to get in and out of. Consequently, we were at least willing to look at a possible change. We looked closely at it recognizing the engine and transmission upgrades, as well as the  after market front disc brakes. The car has minimal surface rust and a patina that is  surprisingly clean considering it's sixty years.

On the other side of the ledger, changes to the wiring apparently resulted in burning up the wiring harness. It would need to be replaced.  The battery box was rusted thru; not surprising since it hadn't been driven since 1992. The brakes were non-existent, which would require a new master cylinder, shoes and wheel cylinders. The emergency brake had been removed as well as the headliner, parcel shelf and glove box liners.  

As with most British cars, it carried  a moniker given to it by its owner.The owner of this car named it Kirby. As a consideration to the to the owner, we told his representative that if we purchase the car, we would keep that name and not disturb the existing patina for the foreseeable future. We also agreed to join the Northwest Morris Minor Owner's Club so Kirby would get exposure at the annual Field Meet representing the Morris Minor line. The asking price was a modest $2000 USD and after some negotiation Nick and I found ourselves to be the new owners. With help from a friend, Nick pushed it up on the trailer and it was spirited off to a warm dry garage at Nick's house.

This blog will serve as the chronicle of Kirby's journey back to it's rightful place as a survivor and example of a piece of British automotive history.