| | |
|
|
Technical
Pages - GENERAL Model Development There were three main periods spanning nearly 25 years. The Series MM, produced between 1948 and 1952 was powered by the same side-valve engine as seen in the pre-war Morris Eight. The Series II gained the overhead valve engine of the Austin A30 in 1953 after the merger with Morris creating the British Motor Corporation. The Minor came of age in with the 1000 when the new 948cc was fitted and eventually ending up with the 1098cc engine in 1962. Although all models have their enthusiasts, it would be reasonable to suggest that the Minor 1000s are the most popular, although the early side-valve models have collector appeal. The 803cc-engined vehicles are probably the least popular because the Austin engine was not exactly a ball of fire and the gearbox fitted to this model was a little fragile. Many Series 2 cars have been fitted with transplanted 948cc engines and gearboxes over the years, to improve their performance and reliability. At first glance, all Minors look much the same, the main differences being the position of the headlamps which were originally fitted low down in the radiator grille in the earliest `low light' models. To comply with US regulations, headlamps were fitted in the guards from 1950 onwards (1949 for cars exported to USA). A curved one-piece windscreen replaced the two-piece flat version with the introduction of the 1000 in 1956, the rear edge of the bonnet changed as a result. At about this time, the mesh-type grill was replaced by a slatted type, the rear window was made larger and the instrument panel was redesigned. The passenger models were two- and four-door saloons, a convertible and an estate called the Traveller, often referred to affectionately as the `Woody'. Commercials included 5cwt vans (popular with the British GPO) and utility versions, as well as many specially bodied vehicles built by after-market body builders. MAJOR MINOR ACCIDENTS A few months ago the UK Minor Monthly magazine ran an article on the safety of Minors. While this was interesting the only really hard information was that Minors did not seem to be overly represented in accident statistics although they probably weren't as safe as modern cars. This got me thinking and I wondered how a Minor might actually perform in an accident, especially a head on collision. Firstly
I must stress that I am not a mechanical engineer and have only limited knowledge
of the behaviour of cars in collisions, I have simply tried to apply some basic
engineering to a knowledge of the construction of the Minor. Generally I would expect that the chassis rails will be relatively rigid while the flitch plates etc will be quite soft and "squishy". So what might happen if the car hits something? This will depend on the height of what is hit. If it is something like the rear of a truck that allows the chassis rails to go under it I would expect the radiator surround, guards etc to provide a reasonably soft crumple zone like a modern car. This should deform until the engine is pushed off its mounts and back into the firewall. The engine is then likely to drop out of the bottom of the car and probably push the back of the gearbox up into the passenger compartment and possibly sideways. Except for the gearbox thrashing around I would expect a Minor to perform reasonably well in this situation. However
in what is a more likely accident, if the chassis rails hit an object they are
likely to be rigid and provide a "sudden stop" with only limited deformation.
This is akin to jumping onto concrete instead of a mattress and reducing this
effect is a large part of modern car design. Added to this is the lack of internal
padding in the passenger compartment that leaves lots of hard surfaces for a person
to hit during the sudden stop. The other feature of modern car design is the "safety cell" provided by the passenger compartment. In this the Minor looks quite promising as the aim is to produce a rigid compartment that doesn't deform and trap people. The beam across the front bulkhead is quite strong and should support the front of the compartment quite well. The sill structures below the doors when in good condition (they are very rust prone) are very strong and combined with the heavy doors should give quite good side intrusion protection. Overall I would not expect a Minor to be as safe as an equivalent size modern car but would probably perform better than many of it's contemporaries. So what can you do to improve it? Well, not a lot as most of the safety is designed in and cannot be readily altered other than to ensure that the car is structurally sound. Fitting seat belts is an obvious (and normally required) addition. CLASSIC INSURANCE If you haven't already heard about classic insurance for your Morris it is well worth investigating. Classic Insurance is specifically designed for classic cars that are not used as everyday vehicles and recognises that these cars are relatively low risk. You will find that premiums are typically less than 1/2 the cost of ordinary cover and often will be less than third party only policies. For example I had a 1965 M1000 insured for $4000.00 on an ordinary policy costing over $300.00 per year. This dropped to $130.00 on a classic policy and I have recently got it down to $75.00. This is less than a third party policy on a Mini of $95.00 with the same company. In order to keep the premiums down on the classic policies there are a number of conditions, the most common ones are: (1) You must be a member of a recognised car club and you have to have been a member before applying for the insurance. (AMMCC seems to fit the bill for this) (2) There are limits on the total mileage the car can run per year, this is generally 3000 miles although some companies will extend this to 5000 at extra cost. (3) The car must be kept in a secure garage. (4) Usually the car can be driven only by named drivers and generally no under 25yr old's. (5) Some of the companies will want you to have a "modern" insured with them as well so they can see that the classic car is not a daily runner. The three main suppliers of classic insurance that I know of are AA
Insurance.
|