Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Old-Nail]

I've never been one to keep a vehicle for very long before getting itchy feet and looking for a change, so I have been wondering what I should by next.

Usually a car manages to live with me for anything between three months and two years (although one week is my record ) but this time I was thinking of going for something of a 'keeper'.

The requirements of the car would be that it is reliable enough to be used as an everyday vehicle, and because of this mechanical parts need still be either readily available or quite common.

I'm looking for a four seater family saloon ideally from the mid to late 50's to early 60's manufacture.
Comfort would be nice but so long as it has a heater, electric wipers and indicators that for me is comfort!
Speed is not all that important so 60mph + is an acceptable top/cruising speed, and mpg can range from low 20's to 40's - I don't mind.

These are the cars I am considering, let me know what your opinions are and which would you recommend?

Austin A55 (pre-Farina model.)

Standard Vanguard Vignale.

Morris Minor.

Volkswagen Beetle.

I also quite like the Standard 10 but I'm unsure of spares availability?

So what do you think?... price range around £2500, am I barking mad or simply barking up the wrong tree? Your views please.....

[admin]

For £2500 you'd get a very nice Standard 10. I really like 'em, cheapest way to get spares is (if you have room) buy a donor car. Engine parts are the same as the 948 Herald so that bits easy. They drive quite well, are uber-economical, and have better engine accessibility than the A30/A35. An engine swap means dropping the front subframe and lifting the body up if I remember right from reading the manual.

The only slightly tricky bits to find relate to the front suspension, so buying one in good mechanical order is probably a good move. I've got a spare front subframe behind the garage here (condition unknown), with both hubs, so you could have that for a nominal sum if you wanted it. Check for rust in the usual places (floors, sills, boot floor) and also open the back doors, theres a leaded joint near the door catch on the pillar that can rot. The Standard Motor Club is a good setup, but you probably know that already being a Vanguard owner.

Amazons make an excellent daily driver, proper thick metal too unlike most Brit stuff, just check that the outriggers, boot floor and front inner wings are ok. Sills are galvanised all the way along on the 4dr model, but only part galvanised on the 2dr.

Rick

[admin]

Coincidentally, I had this Standard brochure in a pile of papers immediately behind my chair here, dated 1955..



If I found the Companion estate car, I'd be tempted..

R

[UKdave2002]

If you want a Morris Minor let me know….

My Dad bought a brand new convertible Morris in the late 50’s, it was our family car until the early 70’s, when he swapped it for a Triumph Herald. But he allways missed the Morris.

When he retired in the early 90’s he went to Wigan Minors picked a 2 door car and had them convert it to a soft top. He has since spent literally £1000’s on welding, new wings etc. This has been his everyday car for the last 14 years.
Just over a year ago he got ill and just before this the Morris had failed its MOT on a couple of small holes. The car has not moved from his garage since. He has decided he is past driving and just wants rid of the car. I have been promising him for the last 6 months that I’ll get the car to my place MOT it and sell it for him.

The car is currently in Chester, if anyone wants it as is let me know, it will need a small amount of welding and I know the hood needs replacing, and as panels have been replaced at different times the “Almond Green” is slightly different shades. It would make a cracking car. Otherwise I will sort the MOT out and probably list it on eBay in the spring.

If anyones interested let me know.

Dave

[alfanut]

Standard 10, Morris Minor might be a bit small for four, my choice would be a pre-Farina Morris Oxford (series 3 ?). I always thought they were better than the A55, rack and pinion steering and roomier inside. And of course they are still being made in India, although with Isuzu engines, so spares may not be a such a problem.

[Old-Nail]

It was only recently that I drove a Morris Minor for the first time and I was amazed - no wonder they were so popular!
I have driven relatively modern cars that haven't got the lightness of steering and easy controls of the minor so that is a real contender.

I have bookmarked a few on ebay that looked good-'uns but they always seem to be 200 miles away and I'd hate to buy a car for 2k upwards sight unseen.

The Standard 10 would be a little gem if a good one came along but they are quite rare in the type of condition I am picturing.
BTW Rick I love the brochure, if only I could find that exact model in that exact condition!

The Amazon is another I had thought of and actually nearly bought a couple of months ago, the car was a dead straight one owner vehicle on a 'F' reg but had been stored for ten years and needed fettling, what I'm looking for is what our American friends call a 'turnkey car', i.e. one that all the work has been done leaving me just to drive and enjoy it.

I suppose at my price range there are some cars that are out of my reach... in which case I might raise the price range LOL!

Anyone with experience of Volkswagen Beetles?

[Uncle Joe]

An Amazon is a good classic daily driver, but so as well are the earlier PV and Duett if you can find one. Risking upsetting some people, I'm not sure that Volvo have made a good car since they stopped making these!

I would have a tendency to look for any of the Oxford / Cambridges, even the later A60 variants, especially the diesel.

But what about one of my old favourites, the pre-Hunter Hillman Minx, or for that matter, any of the Rootes group cars? I'm not surewhat they are bringing nowadays, but to my mind, they were always a cut above the rest.

UJ

PS, liked the portrait you posted. Well done!

[kaybee]

Hi Old Nail, here's a Standard that was on Ebay Aust. last week,

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Standard-Super-10_W0QQitemZ130073700154QQihZ003QQcategoryZ101895QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

We have a lot of fine English iron that seems not to be appreciated. You need to go shopping in Oz , cheers, Col.

[Old-Nail]

Hi kaybee,

Mate - I want to go Living in Oz let alone shopping!

I know there are quite a few old Brit vehicles over there and presumably the weather is a lot kinder to the metal which is not the case over here unfortunately.

I have often wondered why it is that someone over there isn't buying up all the old Vanguards and Austin A40's and so on that can still yield good solid body parts, because you just can't get them over here.

[kaybee]

Hi O/N, I've thought the same myself, there should be a potential market for all the unloved Pommy stuff that is being sent to scrap here. We have a local yard that picks up old clunkers, stockpiles them until they have 400 cars and then the scrap metal agents send their on-site crusher to flatten them, then they go on a semi trailer 12 at a time to be turned into Toyota's and hyundai's and other blemishes on society . Unfortunately there are a lot of good restorable cars that get caught in the net, at the moment there is a very nice Austin Cambridge sitting to one side of the pile, hoping to be saved. Probably go to the Wreckers down the road to sit in their yard and be dis-membered. There is a pretty decent Austin 1800 Ute ( don't think you guys had these) already there being stripped out, doesn't seem right somehow. There's a good 60's Hillman in the scrap pile with a couple of cars on top. Emigrate, quick...come and save 'em . Seriously though, if there's anything you really need or want, it might be worth investigating freight costs,etc. Might be better than trying to save badly rusted examples over there, and the exchange rate is certainly favourable, regards, Col.

[admin]

Exactly what I did with the Bedford utes last year, brought 3 back in a container and none has serious corrosion. Things to watch for are majorly knack'ed interiors if they've been out in the sun, and watch for creepy crawlies in the recesses underneath! but yeah, there is a lot of good tin out there to rescue, although with the scrap prices being high, don't hang about!

Rick

[Old-Nail]

I'd love to look into that as I'm sure the commercial value of some of sound the body panels and doors alone could be worth filling a container or two.

After a quick bead blast and a coat of zinc primer they could very well make a decent return. Some of the smaller items like door handles etc. are likely to have been re-manufactured but there's certainly room over here for rust free metal!

I guess the importation and storage issues are what deters people from setting it up in the UK, but we did import Morris Minor bits from Malaysia or somewhere and other Morris bits from India, maybe someone will pick up on this before all the old classics are crushed.

[admin]

In theory it could be worthwhile to do, although making any £ out of it could be a bit hit and miss I suspect.

I think the distances involved with travelling across Oz means that you'd have to have some good leads lined up for finding parts over there, before visiting in person to save wasting time chasing duff leads. And you need people in place who are willing to help out when you couldn't be in the country.

Not all the parts would be found at the same time, so you'd need to arrange a holding storage area, until such time as a container could be filled. Some panels might not be that sought after even over here, so it'd need picking carefully I suspect. Bring Austin, Vauxhall and Morris panels and you'd do ok probably, bring Hillman or Wolseley stuff over and I suspect you'd struggle to sell them for a reasonable price, or in a reasonable time after importing them.

Sometimes if you have an arrangement with customs, you can have a container delivered straight to your premises, where you can unload it, whereas us Joe Bloggses would have to put up with deliveries going into a port (perhaps Chatham or Folkestone), and shelling out for dock staff emptying the container and storing your parts til you collect, and pay the import duty.

They'd take up a bit of storage over here too while homes were found for them, which would involve a lot of advertising and having stalls at autojumbles, eBaying, and so on.

I looked into this when bringing the utes back, to see if there was anything available nearby that could be slung in the container with the vehicles, but was only offered stuff that probably wouldn't be too sought after, so I passed them over. If I'd spent more time at it, perhaps I'd have found some more sale-able panels to go in the container - a chap I met down south a few weeks ago does just this, bringing panels over by the container load, but he's been at it for years, doesn't do anything else, and has all his contacts in place.

Although if I find a hoard of new-old-stock E83W truck cabs & windscreen frames in an Oz barn, I might look into it again

Rick

[Old-Nail]

"Although if I find a hoard of new-old-stock E83W truck cabs & windscreen frames in an Oz barn, I might look into it again"

Anything's possible heh heh!





Those two are actually available on the net somewhere as a print, if i can find the link again I'll post it - I think they're great! According to the photographer these are the actual scenes that he has discovered in barns down in Oz, he maintains there is nothing added but his own lighting and composition.

[buzzy bee]

I will second the E83W bits!!

What amazing pictures Old-Nail, I would love to find something like that over here, even just to have a root through, could give many happy hours. Actually what could be better than going on holiday to say... australia and just spend the time rooting through stuff!! Good job I don't have a misis as it may take a bit to convince her and also it would be very dangerous in that you would find yourself hiring a Cargo plane to bring back goodies!

Cheers

Dave