Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Crashbox]

I've posted a reply in the Drive-it-Day thread where I mention I may well be in the Highlands of Scotland on DID, 23rd April. Thought I'd flesh out my thoughts and plans on how I'll get from my home in Worcestershire to the Highlands at the wheel of my 1932 Morris Minor Two-Seater, so here it is.

I've already mapped out a route that'll take me through Kidderminster, past Bridgenorth, Shrewsbury, Whitchurch, and Tarporley, before crossing the Mersey into Warrington. From there I can head west on the A57, then north through St Helens, pass between Ormskirk and Skelmersdale (definitely up north by this point!!) and on to Preston where I've found a route that'll take me through via leafy suburban streets. I'll then finally reach the A6 which will take me as far as Bay Horse then strike off NE to Catton on the A683. I follow the A683 NE to Kirkby Lonsdale, then up to Sedbergh. From there I'll take the B6257 through the settlements of Firbank and Beck Foot, under the M6 and onto the A685 to Tebay and Orton, and re-join the A6 to the south of Shap (but north of Shap Summit), and on through Penrith, bypass Carlisle to the east, and up to Gretna. I'll probably stop for the night anywhere between Tebay and Gretna, depending on how the journey is going. From Gretna I'll head along the old A75 to Dumfries and take the A76 NW to Kilmarnock and on to the west coast at Ardrossan where I'll follow the A78 coastal road north to Gourock/Castle Levan, and the ferry to Dunoon. From Dunoon I can head north into the Highlands while bypassing the central belt of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
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1989 2CV

1932 Morris Minor S.V. Two-Seater

[Ray White]

So, how far is that?

Looks like a proper drive it day out.

[Crashbox]

I'll probably look to leave home around 5am and see how far I get by 5pm on Day 1. The trip will be a week-long endeavour. The rest of the week will be taken at a much more relaxed pace, leaving the previous night's B&B around 9:30am and reaching that night's accommodation by 5pm.

I currently have Friday 21st April as my departure day, so if I stick with that then I *should* manage to get to Dunoon by the end of the following day. That'll give me a drive from Dunoon to Fort William on Drive-it-Day, which will only be about 110 miles. Day 1 could be anywhere between 190-240 miles, with Day 2 being anything from 125-175 miles, depending on whether-or-not I stop at Tebay or manage to reach Gretna.

After last June's journey over to Suffolk and Norfolk, where the car and I managed a tad under 600 miles between Thursday-Monday, the little Morris didn't miss a single beat over the entire weekend. I, on the other hand, was down a cylinder by Monday evening
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1989 2CV

1932 Morris Minor S.V. Two-Seater

[Ray White]

I would be nervous about breaking down. My biggest fear however is that something might happen that I can't fix at the roadside. Driving a completely standard 1930 Austin Seven Swallow I am well aware that the crankshaft could break or a half shaft could shear.

What spares and tools will you be carrying with you? Not much room in these little cars is there?

[Rootes75]

That is a proper drive on Drive It Day!!
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[Crashbox]

I'll take nothing other than points, maybe a spare condenser (not that I have one to hand as I type). The car will be given a thorough going over prior to departure, so fingers crossed it'll behave itself for the entire journey there and back. I've owned the car since 2016 and very early in my ownership it became a non-runner. It turned out to be a duff set of brand new Champion D16 spark plugs that I fitted and they failed within 100 miles. I was living in the Shetland Islands at the time, so the car was left sitting in the garage until I moved back to Worcestershire a few years ago and dropped it round to an old-school retired mechanic I've known for over 20-years. After much head-scratching he found the cause and fitted a set of plugs from one of his A7s and the engine fired into life and ran as sweet as a nut. I bought a brand new set of NGK AB-6 spark plugs and the car hasn't refused to start and run ever since. The only breakdowns I've suffered was running out of petrol once, so had to do a 3 mile (there and back) walk of shame, and a core plug popped on my second run up the hill at Pre-war Prescott. The plug was replaced in the paddock and the next day saw me completing the 80 mile Cotswold Tour before dropping my friend home to Leominster and driving back to Worcester (about 160 miles in total).
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1989 2CV

1932 Morris Minor S.V. Two-Seater

[Ray White]

Your post inspired me to get Trundles out for the first time this year.

I found the ignition warning light was staying on. This has happened before and it is where the residual magnetism has become depleted in the dynamo. The solution was to run a wire from the + side of the battery to the field terminal on the dynamo. By running the engine like this for a short time the magnetism is restored and the ignition warning light goes out when the engine is taken to charging revs. It is also reassuring to see the ammeter needle swing across to charge.

[Crashbox]

Excellent news Ray, they were meant to be used. A bus company in Glasgow (The Western Scottish Motor Traction Bus Company) bought a two-seater £100 Minor in 1931 to allow the bus inspectors to travel around the routes. Over the next two and a half years the car did 185,000 miles, which equates to over 200 miles every day, seven days a week. They reckoned it 'only required normal necessary repairs and replacements' and 'the engine and transmission have behaved splendidly' (whatever that means!!). On the strength of that little car I'm sure my little car will behave splendidly

I've altered my route north ever so slightly. On reaching Bridgnorth I'll actually pass through the eastern side of the town and head north to Shifnal, pass under the M54, and onto the A41 to bypass Newport and re-join my original route at Whitchurch. It's the same distance as the original plan of going through Much Wenlock and up to Shrewsbury, but means I won't need to fight my way through the fast, busy traffic on the A5/A49 Shrewsbury bypass with it's big roundabouts.
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1989 2CV

1932 Morris Minor S.V. Two-Seater

[Ray White]

I have to say that driving the Swallow is something of a challenge. Unlike an open car such as the Morris, the Saloon is noisy and claustrophobic. I find I can't do more than twenty miles before I have to stop and get out. Any sort of hill is enough to drop it down to second gear... and that is hard going.

Trundles is most happy on a flat road with a following wind; not something very often found in Derbyshire.

The furthest I have driven in one go was from our former home in Finchampstead (nr. Reading in Berkshire) to Foleshill in Coventry.

[Crashbox]

The Minor has been undergoing a major service and full examination over the last week, in anticipation of the Highlands Tour. The sump has been off, the manifold removed, tappets adjusted, brakes and clutch adjusted, every nut and bolt on the chassis/suspension/steering checked and retightened where necessary, oils/greasing done, and a full set of Blockley 3,50x19 tyres fitted (replacing the Avon Sidecar tyres).
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1989 2CV

1932 Morris Minor S.V. Two-Seater

[Bitumen Boy]

[Crashbox]

Thanks for the heads up, my route will take me along the B4379 from the roundabout at Sutton Maddock and out onto the A4169, east of Halesfield. I intend leaving home around 5am and should reach a cafe just north of the A49/A533 junction (93 miles from home) by around 8am for breakfast and a well earned hour's break. My next jaunt should see me reach Sedbergh for a little after midday. The route will be via Warrington, St. Helens and Preston, then turning off the A6 at Bay Horse to head up to the A683 at Caton. Once I'm on the A683 I'll follow it NE to Kirkby Lonsdales and finally Sedbergh for lunch (another 93 miles). The afternoon stint will be a relatively short 63 miles to Gretna, via the B6257 onto the A685 to Old Tebay, then the B road through Orton to the A6 south of Shap. After passing through Penrith I'll head across country in a NW direction and onto the western by-pass around Carlisle and finally reach day one's destination. It's slightly different to the route I mentioned in the first post as I've decided to by-pass Carlisle to the west and not to the east of the city.
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1989 2CV

1932 Morris Minor S.V. Two-Seater

[Bitumen Boy]

[Crashbox]

Good to know that junction is traffic light controlled. I've used Google Street View to recce all the bigger junctions/crossings along the route. Just helps to give me an idea of what I'll need to do on some of the dodgy looking ones.
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1989 2CV

1932 Morris Minor S.V. Two-Seater

[Crashbox]

Just a quick heads up; after travelling from Worcestershire to Rutland on Friday for the Pre-war (Morris) Minor Network's summer rally/tour weekend, I left there on Monday morning and headed north for the border. Monday night was spent in County Durham, and by 3pm yesterday (Tuesday) I was on the ferry to Dunoon from Gourock. Today I've driven a circular route that took in the 'Rest and Be Thankful', Loch Lomond, Rannoch Moor, Glen Coe, and down towards Oban. So far the little Morris Minor has travelled 800 miles with only the odd cough and just keeps plodding along. This little car continues to amaze me.
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1989 2CV

1932 Morris Minor S.V. Two-Seater