The choke cable has a built in locking device. As you pull the choke cable out, twist it to the right and it locks in position, turn to the left releases it.
Yep, some folk used to push it back in without twisting back to the left, which wore the spring clamp ring and they would no longer stay out, as this one sadly. Later chokes had a stepped detent so you just pulled or pushed, which did away with the problem. Then came automatic chokes... but let's leave that 😆
I can remember when these were everyday transport, perfectly reliable ( remember to gap the points every 2-3000 miles) and grease the rear trailing arms and other bits. Rust killed most of them, but i always thought they were good reliable transport. Just make sure the front bulkhead drain holes are not clogged. This was a favourite place for them to rust. If you got wet feet you knew you were in for a serious welding session. Thanks for the channel it brings back a lot of memories. Have a good day.
Those trailing arms were rarely greased on a service - I had to change them on two of my Metros. Oh and check the the distributor mechanical and vacuum advance, they can seize up without regular TLC. Easy vacuum test - suck on the vacuum tube and you should see the distributor plate turn. Fun times when we could do stuff ourselves without plugging in a diagnostic tool to tell you you can no longer do anything yourself...
The A series engine was always a great little thing to work on. I had one in my 1955 Morris Minor many years ago and it was so easy to take apart and put back together. BMC used this engine on many different cars and it served them well
My first car was a Morris 1100 which i purchased for £20 off an old chap i knew from delivering his paper every morning,it hadn't run for a few years & just like yours the engine needed shocking free, i was 13 & i just loved these cars as my dad had the MG 1300gt in white with a black vinyl roof,it looked so good & drove really well as he used to let me drive it down the back lanes😂. The A series engine was a perfect learning ground for me as they're so simple & basic. Not forgetting the sound of the straight cut gears. If me & my brother's were upto no good & we heard that whining sound of the gearbox we knew to stop immediately as dad was back & if he caught us messing around he'd whip his belt off faster that a lion tamer with his whip😂 But i learnt so much about engines from these cars. Great content & i hope your wife falls in love with this little beauty 👍
You've found another little gem! I really wanted to jump in and help with this. I grew up with the A series in Minis and the ADO16 as well as Morris Minors and MG Midgets. They are great little engines. Oh, by the way, if you twist the choke knob it should lock into place. Great car Adam. Looking forward to seing more of this and our wife's reaction. Cool. P.S, I see the Wolesley is still lurking in the background. I hopw we see more of that soon too.
I bet a paint restoration/ cutback/ & polish would revive that faded red paint. Those cars probably had one stage paint and no clear coat, so once the upper layer oxidation is removed, the red paint will pop once again. Great video.
These were the best selling car in Britain 63-72 and no wonder. The original 1100 was good if underpowered but the Austin/Morris (same) 1300 with the single carb 1275 was much better. Two door versions are rare! There was also twin carburettor Riley Kestrel /1300, MG1300 and Wolseley 1300 cars plus from '69 a 1300GT. These had something approaching a Cooper S tune engine with 70 bhp even if it wasn't the proper S unit. Really thought, you will find the 60 bhp 1300 more than adequate - they drive really well. The only modification I would do is to fit a brake servo. That looks to be a very good example. Sadly they were terrible for rust, mainly the inner wing 'trumpets', the sills and the rear subframe mounts - lift up the rear seat base and see what you find. I suspect this car will be solid though.
My first car was an 1100, followed by a 1300GT. I owned them doth from new. By todays standards they were still very comfortable, particularly the suspension, but the 3000 mile oil changes, along with replacing plugs and points was a pain. When the Allegro, came out, I was far from impressed, so I went for an Audi 100 and I stuck with Audi VW to this day. My Mk3 diesel golf did 285,000 miles on the original clutch, despite driving in central London daily. I never touched the throttle until full clutch, the engine was unstoppable. The Mk 5 golf was the best ever, returning up to 76 mpg. Since then, models have been downhill all the way. My claim to fame, is that I have never taken a car for service, luckily I am a chartered engineer, now well retired, but still working and maintaining the cars.
Nice smooth revival. Notice the thoughtful positioning of the coil on the transverse "A: motor to catch the maximum flow of water when driving in the rain. :-)* BL essentially came up with a dry suit for the coil to eliminate the frequent engine failures that ensued. Clothes pegs can be useful when controls like chokes won't stay put. If numbered, they can also help disambiguate plug wires and other things that need to be kept in order. Something went wrong with the audio in several places, e.g, around 14:40+ and other spots.
I think there should be a plastic cowl cover over the front of all models with the side radiator - as you say, otherwise there's no protection from the weather
This channel is getting better and better.. love the Rover but I just spent the most fun hour with this gem of yours...my very first car was an MG 1100, one of the many different versions of this and it was a great little car, design by Pininfarina I think...the ride is really good with that hidrolastic suspension...great show Sir, brought back memories...
Wow, that car brings back memories for me. My dad had an Austin 1300 when I was a kid back in the 70's, a 4 door version, and because I am in the UK it was right hand drive. But other than that the dashboard was the same. One thing I do remember about it was that on the right hand inner wing there was a push button for cranking the engine. Handy for working on the engine, not so great for theft prevention. Am so surprised how well your Morris has survived, I remember my dad's 1970 model was failing mot's due to rust after just 6 or so years.
Oh wow that takes me back. In 1981 my parents bought a new mk2 Ford Escort 1600 ghia. Instead of part exing their Morris 1300 they offered it to me and I snapped it up. It was identical to yours except U.K. rh drive. Tartan red with black interior. What a great find Adam, looking forward to watching your progress on this beauty.
What a nice video again Adam. So happy to see you working with A-series engine. I worked with similar issues last autumn to get my newcomer Austin A35 back to road after it had been stored since 1992. So nice cars to work also for beginner like me due to simple technic!
Really enjoyed that all 52 minutes. Brought back happy memories. Bought my first A-Series car in 1970. A new Mini 1000. I threw out the sales Invoice a few years ago. £702 UK Pounds new on the road price. Used it for my work travel for the next five years. As it was so economical, 40 + MPG ( UK Gallon ) and with my work travel allowances, that alone was as we say in the UK, a "Nice little Earner". Did my own servicing once the free first service was done and dusted by the dealership. Never missed a beat. Then with promotion came company cars. In 1982, bought a new MG Metro 1300 as the family runabout to replace the Mini 1000. That MG car did over 100,000 hard driven reliable miles by the family. Both my sons learned how to handle a car in it off road well before they were legally able to drive. Both passed their Driving Test first time aged seventeen. Mind you, it did start to fall to pieces here and there fifteen years and all those hard miles later. It's fine 1275 A-Series lived on in another car.
Your channel gets more diverse and more interesting with every new video. I love all the Jaguar content but the 'other' cars you are now featuring is the cherry on top o the cake.
Oh how that car takes me back! FYI, the starter Bendix throws the starter pinion into flywheel engagement purely by inertia and the Bendix winds the gear into engagement with the flywheel ring gear. When the engine fires, the speed of the flywheel ring gear exceeds to speed of the starter motor and the Bendix carries the starter back to the rest position. The big fat spring on the end of the starter motor is there purely to cushion the impact of the Bendix returning to its park position.
What a great car for your wife's starter classic. I liked these much more than the Allegro's which followed them. (No comparison). You'll be very lucky if the rear subframe isn't rotten. I did dozens of them as an apprentice. The cylinder head isn't a cooper as they had an additional head stud at the thermostat. There should be a rubberised 'belt' at the rad - to - cowl. But later cars didn't have the cowl, from MK3 onwards this is a MK2. These cars need very little choke and the knob should be turned counter clockwise before pushing it off. The carb needle and seat needs replaced or cleaned if it floods. The radiator needs to be filled to the very top and the 'blank' non-pressure cap fitted, then the expansion tank filled but not to the top. Enjoy driving this little gem. I used to love driving them especially the MG 1300 with twin SUs.
Great little cars. When we got married in the 1980's we had no money so ran around in several 1100 &1300 that I bought for £50 each! Just a thought if this is the original engine this may not have hardened valve seats so you may have to run on an additive. 👍
Yes sir. That is correct with all English cars of that era. The problem was the valve seats not hardened.They only do about 45000miles and they need a valve grind. Then they need new ring, & so on. Jef Carter suggested fuel additive & I agree.It will save that engine.Might pay to give it a compression test as well, just to see what the condition of the valves are like.
This model of car is what I learnt to drive in and then purchased my first mini, they are both such simple cars, but watch out for sub-frame rot and the elastic suspension, Also check the bypass hose that goes between the Cylinder head and the block it is a pig to get too and is located on the back of the engine the side of the thermostat housing, unless they changed the design that I am not aware of. Ah so your trading your wife as well, probably a good idea, how can she not like RED I have had six red cars and yes it IS my favorite colour. Not sure if I heard you right did you say you were going to buy a small compressor, my suggestion would be buy the biggest belt driven one you can afford it makes working on cars so much easier.
My first car at 14 was a Vanden Plas Princess version of the 1300. It had the princess grille and built in fog lights, leather interior and walnut dash with picnic trays in the back of the front seats. It was 8 years old when I got it with 30000 miles but had failed its MOT due to corrosion on the subframe. For the next 3 years it just went up and down my parents drive way. It never went back on the road.
It's a MK2 2-door - quite rare and in a great period colour. My Dad had a whole series of these when I was young (including the sister car to this one - a 1970 Austin 1300 MK2, 2-door) and I know and love them well! Looks like that rear right wheelarch has been rebuilt/bodged in the past - the profile doesn't look right. But generally looks pretty solid for one of these. The reclining front seats were a pretty rare option on these.
That was a long video but what fun! And a great, very successful finish, too. I think that model was massively under-appreciated in North America (where it was generally ill-suited) but a car I always thought could be enjoyable for what it is.
True. It's a dead rare car in North America. I drive an Austin America, a 1300 with an automatic transmission. It may be part of the reason they didn't sell well here: with an automatic, the car is dreadfully powerless. A friend gave me the car for free. He concluded that the car was so gutless it was actually dangerous to drive in American traffic. He thought it might be safer for me because I lived in a small town with calmer traffic. Sadly, parts are hard to find. I could use a set of front hubs, as mine are slightly out of balance, causing shaking at speeds over 50 mph.
I've been driving and enjoying my Austin America with full synchro manual gearbox for 52 years and enjoying it all the while, Looks and drives like new with 109,000 miles. Kudos to you for also having one operating with the unique AP four speed automatic gearbox.
What a lovely find well done, these were ten a penny at one time as everything was them days, l have the Austin 1300 Princess and absolutely love the thing🙂
Well Adam, that maybe the longest video that you have ever produced. I suppose that since that Morris is for your dear wife, it should have been the longest, showing your care and precision working on her car ! Nice one, thanks. Also good to see that you have over 20k subscribers, well done !
I come across this channel while on utube and this peaked my interest i had the traveller mk 2 i think In 82 when i learned to drive great little car reall enjoyed the video
Great little car, amazing to find one so original ! To be fair it does need a full stripdown and refresh, but it could easily be run for a year just for fun or as you say moved on to a new owner to take it to the next level.
My first FWD car was a 69 Austin America which is USA version of this car. I bought it in 1972. It was fun but I didn't know enough about working on cars back then to keep it running well. Needless to say, it didn't stay around very long.
Nice. I found a rare Morris in Australia. It was an automatic 1800 cc motor. Transmission was stuffed unfortunately. Only reverse worked nobody would fix the transmission 😢😢
Awesome car. Austin/Morris' big mistake was to replace this with the Allegro when they did. I _think_ that this was still the UK's best seller in its last full year's production.
Rust is the main thing you need to worry about, given most mechanical parts are similar to the Mini, yet you seem to have snagged a real solid example. Protect it!
Those were sold in the USA first in the mid-1960's first in the MG Sport Sedan version with a 1100cc engine (I think), and then around 1969-1970 as the Austin America with the 1300cc engine and a very odd automatic transmission. The Austin Americas were universally derided and hated by the American automotive press as BMC/British Leyland was then going downhill with a strong tailwind when it came to quality.
soon after graduation in 1970 one of my buddies bought one of the 1100 MGa. it was already rusting out after only a few years and 30,000 miles. the drive-train was already knackered. i had a '61 mga at the same time and it was only marginally better. :)
Your car was born the same years as me!! I have always liked the Morris (Austin) 1300 since I was a kid, and this is the first left hand drive one I've seen. The estate version of the Morris 1300 was the one you see Basil Fawlty (played by John Cleese) hitting with a branch in the British sitcom Fawlty Towers. There was also one in the road movie Clockwise (1985) which also starred John Cleese.
My brother had an 1100 S here in OZ and the S meant it had the 1275 engine in it and not the 1100. it was an excellent vehicle and was four door of course. He wrote it off on a mountain road after hitting a Wallaby much the pity for the car and the Wallaby. He was not hurt fortunately.
This car is all nostalgia for me, from my time in UK during the 1980s. Had an Austin 1300 automatic and starter motor got stuck now and then. Always carried a hammer to knock on the starter to get it going. The car had one of the best seats and a very advanced hydraulic suspension. Bought it for 100 Pounds in the 1980s and used it for three years. Sold it for 50 Pounds to the car wreck guy in a running condition. Lot of rust all around. Would love to own one now if available. Did the choke not go in by itself as the engine warmed up as I recall? On a sunny day, the damn car smellt of that false leather called rexin I think. I can still smell it today. That is deja vu for you. 😊
That poor Bendix on the Starter motor being hit with a hammer and blowlamp had me cringing 😢, i was brought up working on old British Cars tho so i knew it just needed turning and oiling to free it up. No Hammer necessary. Well done getting it going 👏 👍 😊
I used to sell these in the UK. Reclining seats which you have, were always an option in the UK and the electric screen wash was Scandinavia only so you have a (comparatively) up spec car, manual pump otherwise. Engine displacement is 1275 cc.
Lovely old cars those ADO16's. My auntie had one - an Austin 1100. The rust got it in the end. By the way you should only lubricate inertia starters with graphite powder - if you use grease or WD40 the clutch dust will eventually stick to it and muck it up again.
Nice, my first car, which saw me through learning to drive, and passing my test in 1973, was a Morris II00 it cost me the princely sum of £50, I loved that little car, one of the first things I had to do, was having the hydrolastic suspension pumped up, I believe it should be around 13 - 13 1/2 inches from the centre of the hub nut to the wheel arch.👍
I passed my driving test in a purple one in 1975 aged 18. Our family in total had around four of these but given it rains a lot here in Scotland rust did kill them off. Always remember to drop a bit of oil into the carburettor - the little black thing in the middle of the air filter just unscrews off and drop in some 3 in 1. Does your wife like cars with no power steering...lol? At least to compensate Morris did provide a very large steering wheel.
I remember my Father buying one a Gt model in red brand spanking new from the factory it arrived on the Friday and we as a family was going to Brighton for a short holiday on the Saturday .So we all packed up this new car on Saturday morning and yes you guessed it The thing would not start.Turned out the distributor had not been tightened up properly and the timing was out My Father went ballistic that day never seen him like that before or thankfully ever again...............🤠
If memory serves me right? When you pull the choke out, turn it slightly to the right to lock it in place and the reverse to let the choke back in. Great little cars and easy to work on.
Make sure to use leaded ⛽ they were not made to run on unleaded. My 1300 ended up loosing compression due to broken valve's and valve seat's i replaced the cylinder head only to have the valve's seat's crack after a few 1000 miles. I added lead additive to the fuel.
Runs sweet. Those were great little cars. Popular here in Australia, as the ride quality was good. They were a real SOB to change the water pump or drive belt though. My thoughts on them is they needed a bigger engine. 2 litre engine in one could be interesting. The mind boggles. Body work is very good. That hole in the right front guard you'll easily fix, as I'm sure you know what method you want to use.
My 72 escort restoration has an equally poorly tune on its 1300 Kent engine. It stalls the instant the choke is pushed in regardless of temperature. Not everything is as simple when sitting on your couch. My solution is a 1600 and twin choke which I have junked the auto choke to retain the oh so cool manual. I miss manual chokes.
Must be great being a keyboard warrior. Have you ever started a car that hasn’t run for a decade? They often need a bit more fuel to start with and run right. I’m well aware of manual chokes and I have several cars with it. However things are sometimes different in the real world compared to your couche
When I lived in Australia dad had a Morris marina , he said it was a awful car,sold it and bought a ford falcon, when we returned to the UK in Oct 1976, he bought a 1300 vanden plas princess, mum bought a 2 door Morris 1100 , with the strip speedo, in the vanden plas 1300 , wood,leather and little flip down picnic, dad preferred this car, than the wedge shaped austin 18/22 or the allegro😊
I had a white one way back. It was an Austin America. Unfortunately, it had been thrashed and the body had lots of hidden rust. I loved the way it handled with that Hydrolastic suspension. At the time, I was working at a British Leyland dealership, and one thing to watch for was a little braided wire in the distributor that allowed the points to advance and retard. I sold lots of them. You can't see when they break because of the covering.
The petrol pump should stop when the float is full! I would suggest you get a new one but remember, If you put it in the rear you need a short suck long push and, Obviously the opposite if you fit an electric one to the front, Long suck short push! Looks like either there is a fault with the ignition switch or the PO has been very anti theft conscious and disconnected it in favour of seperate switches! If the smoke from the exhaust continues it may be valve stem oil seals leaking if it has not run for a year or so? Good Luck, Hope your wife likes the little Morris!
The Facet fuel pumps do not suck very well so it was always better if you mounted them level with the bottom of the fuel tank so once they were primed they performed better with a little syphon assist. They are also very noisy and need to be mounted on rubber silent block mounts. There are much better fuel pumps than them.
It's a two door as well , not meany left . You'll find it's a very comfortable car considering it's quite a small car . Pull the choke out & turn the knob & it will stay out
Will it run? Of course it will. Whack it with a hammer, curse at it, kick the bastard, spray in some instant start & away it goes. I always thought they were a lovely well designed little car, but BMC manufacturing let it down badly. I woz there.
@@LivingWithAClassic I knew that British Leyland imported these vehicles as I saw them on pictures here on RU-vid, but never knew what the model was called until a video of the Austin America popped up as a recommended video. Headrests, rear seat belts and side marker lights are US DOT mandatory since 1968, so it makes the US Austin very unique! Just like the Stag that I feature as my thumbnail.
