edd china morris minor
YouTube: Wheeler Dealers

Edd China Restores Classic Morris Minor on "Wheeler Dealers"


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXX5ivrJLrg

When learning about a classic car, there's no better person to listen to than Edd China from the show Wheeler Dealers. In this episode, he takes on the project of this British '60s Morris Minor 1000 Traveller, and it's a very interesting and unique restoration to watch. What came in as a worn-down old car leaves the shop looking as if it just left the dealership.

While he goes through the different components for the restoration, Edd gives lots of information about the wooden frame that you'll see on the rear of the car. Finding some rotted wood meant that he had to replace many of these pieces, but it was well worth the extra effort. After it's all said and done, this Morris Minor Traveller got a fresh paint job, the interior was redone, and the wood looked brand new once more. Check out the video above to see more details on the restoration!

Morris Minor Traveller Specs

The Morris Minor was a British car designed by Alec Issigonis and first introduced at the Earls Court Motor Show back in 1948. It saw much success and became the very first British car to sell over a million units. It was initially offered with the body style options of a two-door saloon or a tourer (convertible), but as the Series II and Series III came out, it was eventually offered as a four-door saloon, a panel van, a pickup truck, and, of course, a wood-framed estate car known as the Traveller.

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As as the name suggests, the Morris Minor 1000 Traveller offered a 1,098cc 4-cylinder engine. The A-series engine was capable of producing 48 horsepower and pushed the car enough to reach a top speed of 73 MPH. The drivetrain also included a rear wheel drive layout with a 4-speed manual transmission. It sported a wheelbase of just under 86 inches and featured front torsion bar suspension with leaf springs in the rear. For stopping power, it was fitted with drum brakes in both the front and rear.

Its big round headlamps and open grille design were enough to capture your attention in the front, but the woody bodywork on the rear was what really made this motor car stand apart from the rest. It was a very versatile vehicle used for a variety of applications. The Minor van was utilized by many small businesses and was even used for post office drivers back in the day.

As the vehicle went into the late '60s, production seemed to slow down quite a bit. This was largely due to the increased interest in the Mini and 1100/1300, and they became the best selling BMC models by the middle of the decade. Since then, they have somewhat faded out, but that doesn't change the fact that the Morris Minor is an absolutely gorgeous looking classic.

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