Oddball car

[jeff]

Something has puzzled my for years.
Way back in 1977, I bought from a reputable dealer a lovely mk2 Morris 1800. Mk2 allegedly.

It's was K registered. That letter ran from August 1972 to July 1973.

However the car seemed to be a bit of a mongrel. Featuring a mix of MK2 and MK3.

It had cable gear Change, positive earth with dynamo and a mk2 grille, plus a few other mk2 features. But...it had a floor mounted handbrake and no sign of a dash mounted one. It had a MK2 steering wheel and MK2 badge on the boot.

The question is were there some crossover cars built around that time? Its reg was CCG 188K.

[Penguin45]

That's a very good question. We know that there were some MkI/MkII cross-over cars; usually relating to interior trim.

The other glaring MkIII change was the ignition switch on the left of the steering column.

But the answer to the actual question is "I don't know"!

Chris.

[jeff]

Thanks Chris.
The ignition switch was on the right. I remember having to replace it.

[dave1800]

Some under the bonnet changes from Mk11 to Mk111, PCV valve disappeared as crankcase vented into the modified) carb(also modified crankcase breather cover and oil trap), valve train modified with single valve springs, different tappets and pushrods, single timing chain and gears. Some early Mk111 cars retained the dynamo and original style pas pump,but some overseas market Mk11 cars were fitted with alternators as standard from the factory but not sure if they used the later radiators. Probably lots more. As Chris says there were definitely some Mk11 features on late Mk1 cars (I owned one) such as the higher ratio steering rack.

David

[jeff]

Thanks Dave. As far as I remember it was very much MK2 with the pseudo metal wood effect dash with a centre section holding heater controls. It also had the flappy paddle door handles inside.
It's the floor mounted parking brake that's puzzling me.

I didn't think that came in until MK111. It also had the narrower pvc front seats.

[1800heap]

Hi Jeff

Thinking about your oddball car. It is quite likely that the car was a MK2.5 changeover. If you think about the changes between MK2 and MK3, the handbrake change actually requires a body shell mod. There are small brackets for the handbrake and no holes in the firewall for the MK3 shell. Most of the other mods are interchangeable like the grill, alternator etc unlike the handbrake. I expect the bodyshell came on line slightly in advance of the rest of the cosmetic changes for the MK3. They may have had some parts to get rid of too. You may be able to confirm this with the parts catalogue depending on how keen you are.

Nick

[jeff]

Thanks Nick,
I did think about that possibility but having no vin to go on,I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with your assumption. It does seem logical, thanks.

Jeff

[1800heap]

Interesting you say about the vin as I did look up the number plate on the DVLA site, and no records! From what I have found with that lookup, any cars that were last taxed before the 1980's dont seem to be listed. So assuming you didn't make a mistake with the number plate, the car did not last very long before it was scrapped!

Nick

Apr 19, 2023 21:49:39 GMT jeff said:

Thanks Nick,
I did think about that possibility but having no vin to go on,I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with your assumption. It does seem logical, thanks.

Jeff

[jeff]

I part exchanged it in 1980, for a 1976 1750 HL maxi. (Shock horror)! So I don't know where it ended up.

I well remember the reg as it was the first decent car I owned. £795, with £120 allowed for my ancient A60 Cambridge. The rest was on HP. It was the cheapest car on the forecourt.

I couldn't test drive it as the reverse gear cable had to be replaced. But oh boy! The day I picked it up, it was raining and there she was, all waxed and shining, light blue paint with navy blue interior. I couldn't get over how smooth and quiet it ran compared to the old bangers I'd had.
That did it for me. Been hooked on Landcrabs ever since. I taught my then wife to drive in that car. She was only 5 foot tall and passed her test in it.

I don't recall a oil breather valve on that car, like on my MK1. Talking of which, a new diaphragm has just arrived in the post. I've decided to replace the old one as a precaution. I had one bust once and filled Towcester high street with clouds of smoke much to the annoyance of pedestrians and motorists. Happy days.