Do you own a wood shop or at least have some nice woodworking equipment? If so, this might be a nice project for you. This 1959 Morris Minor 1000 Traveller is in the Big-D: Dallas, Texas. The seller has it listed here on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $3,250. The current owner mentions that this car sold once before but the seller may have been intimidated by the amount of work that it needed and they backed out, so be prepared!
Upon first glance this car doesn’t look too bad, but the seller fears that “at speed the roof would lift and the windows would fall out!” That’s rarely a good thing when that happens, I don’t know if anyone has that experience on their bucket list. Barn Finds writer David highlighted a Morris Minor Traveller a few months ago. That car, a 1965, was in much nicer condition and for $1,250 more there is really no comparison between the condition of the two cars.
There is a Wheeler Dealers episode where Edd China restores a car like this and if you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a watch. I don’t need an excuse to watch that show whenever I can. You’ll need some metalworking skills to bring this car back to life, too. There is some “body rust, floor rust and chassis rust”, according to the seller.
The steering wheel and dash look almost perfect, so you can concentrate on the other 95% of the car. The owner installed a new brake line but they haven’t bled the brakes yet, but they’ll try to get them working by the time you get there to pick it up. They think that the car is 100% complete which is always nice when restoring a vehicle.
This 37hp engine has to pull this 1,830 pound car along with all of your picnicking gear and a couple friends, so plan ahead if you want to get to Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex before high tide. Under the bonnet here lies a new rad(iator) and the owner has cleaned the petrol tank and carb and says that it runs nicely. I really like these cars, but this one may be beyond my restoration skill level. Do you have the skill or the will to restore a car like this one, or do you prefer all-metal bodies on your rides?
Somebody should do a woody wagon hot rod.
How about a lotus or better yet Cosworth 4cyl, 15 inch TR6 wires. Don’t forget the boogie board on top.
And after everything falls off, the proud new owner is left with a Cos-powered skateboard.
Excellent
You get it
I miss the days when you purchased cars like this for hundreds of dollars, and both sides were happy.
Yes I must be getting old
“at speed the roof would lift and the windows would fall out!”
This is a Morris Minor. Speed will not be an issue…
I’ve always wanted one of these, but looking at this, maybe not so much. I guess if it was clean, one could update it with a little more oomph, like a Cooper S engine and overdrive, but it may not be wise to do that. Lot of work here, but I’m sure it’s worth it to someone. Cool find, but I think I’ll stay with the Volvo 122s wagon.
Why are people so scared of wood?
When finished right,wood lasts in weather.
We work on the big dollar sportfishermen at the marina,and they all have lots of varnish.
When epoxy covered and finished right it lasts just fine.
Those big boy boats stay in saltwater and sun and the varnish shines like glass.
I have restored 4 Ford woodie wagons in last 10 years.
Starting one for myself next month.
Do not be scared of a little wood.
It does not bite.
It’s cause saltwater preserves wood. Look at most glass boats, especially with carpet on the decks (why would you do this?!?!, but it’s common….) if they’re kept in freshwater break out the cutting wheels and practice your carpentry and fiberglass lay-up skills. 20 year old boats are cheap because the plywood cores for the decks and transom is all soft. And even on the big sportfishers, that varnish is being redone at least every other year, although teak and most hardwoods will hold up better.
I have raised boats that had been sunk for years where the wood was still good and the steel was gone.
Bid on this car along with the current owner some 20 yrs back – not sure if it would be in better shape now with me – but I do know how to take care of a woody…sadly it was in damn better shape then….blame this mostly on poor storage….sad to see….
Dave- I believe it! An anaerobic environment is a good wood preservative too. Unfortunately this poor car has more than its share of “soft wood.”
“The owner installed a new brake line but they haven’t bled the brakes yet, but they’ll try to get them working by the time you get there to pick it up.”
If you bought this car, this would be the least your problems.
Just as an aside, I went to Phuket last week, and there was a sign on a taxi, “DRIVER SPEAKS ENGLISH.” Now if we could just have that in Australia, it would be great.