MAKING CONNECTIONS

There are so many connections to make; fuel lines, carburetor linkage, heater hoses, cooling system hoses, heater blower hoses, and last but not least...wiring.

Pictured to the right is the electric fuel pump and the supply and discharge hoses leading to the carburetors.

In the photo to the left, you will notice the heater hoses, battery cables, cooling system hoses and starter wiring has been connected.

It has been an eventful week.  Last Saturday morning the paint was applied and we began assembling the drive train on Monday.  

It's coming together..

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843-338-2253

THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT

Now that the engine and transmission are in place, we are focused on the wiring.  The new wiring harness is a thing of beauty.  All the connectors are in the proper place and the wires are the correct colors.

The voltage regulator, flasher and fuse box have been installed.

The heater blower and horn have been installed and the blower tubes connected.  These are all original to the car and as you can see they are in exceptional condition.

I love this car...

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

FITTING THE INTAKE AND EXHAUST MANIFOLDS

The exhaust manifold, which was made especially for the Morris Minor with the 1275 cc conversion, fit perfectly.  But as you can see, the header extends horizontally from the mounting flanges instead of turning down as most headers do.  

When we fitted the intake manifold, we realized that the heat shield would not clear the exhaust header without some modification.

After the alterations were made to the heat shield, the intake manifold and new SU carburetors fit perfectly.

As a part of the alteration, another set of spacer blocks were added to the manifold.  

Rock-n-roll...

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

BACK FROM THE PAINT BOOTH

Today we moved Morris back into the shop for assembly.

The bonnet and boot lid are stored in a safe location.

The engine is attached to the hoist and moved into position.

The engine and transmission are carefully fitted in the engine compartment.  

Finally, the engine is positioned and the mounts are fastened to the frame.

The assembly begins...

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

ENGINE IS PREPARED FOR INSTALLATION

We have had the engine built and painted for some time now, but chose to leave it on the engine stand just for convenience.  When the engine is mounted on a stand, the flywheel and clutch assembly cannot be fitted because the stand is attached at the rear.

The engine is removed from the stand and placed on a table.  Then the aluminum flywheel is attached and the bolts are torqued to the correct specification.  Next the clutch assembly is fitted to the engine and the new release bearing is fitted to the transmission.

Then, the transmission is fitted to the engine and the new high torque starter is attached.

The engine and transmission assembly is now ready to be fitted to the car.

Stay tuned...

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

THE GREEN MACHINE

After hours and hours of blocking and priming and devoting all our attention to even the slightest detail in the body lines and minor imperfections, the final coats of paint have been applied.

We moved Morris into the paint booth on Friday afternoon and began the process of masking and cleaning the body.  A foam rod with an adhesive strip is applied to the surface of the trunk, door and engine compartment openings.  

The doors, boot lid and bonnet are then set in place resting against the foam.  This process allows the edges of the openings and doors to be coated simultaneously without the use of masking paper and tape; a real time-saver.

The wheels are bagged and the grille opening is masked.  Then, that beautiful shade of green single stage paint is applied.

Monday morning, Morris will be moved back to the shop for final assembly.

Exciting times are ahead...

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

INSTALLATION OF HEAT/SOUND SHIELDS

There is absolutely no sound deadening or heat resistant materials used in these automobiles.  The exhaust system is routed directly beneath the driver's seat (on left hand drive cars) which can lead to some  uncomfortable driving conditions in the summer.  And the road noise allows you to hear the radio or your passenger's riveting conversation only while you are parked. 

It is for these reasons that the installation of heat/sound shields are installed inside the door panels, on the floor beneath the carpeting and on the interior side of the firewall.  This material will make an appreciable difference in the overall comfort of the Morris.

Stay tuned...

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS

Every automobile restoration is judged by its attention to detail.  Each nut, bolt, clamp, etc. must be refinished.  You can see, in the photo to the left, how an unfinished part stands out against the backdrop of new paint.

The shock absorber has been cleaned and refinished with matte finish POR 15 paint.  

I spent the afternoon sanding and priming some of the peripheral body parts.  The green finish will be applied tomorrow.

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

FINALLY, SOME GREEN PAINT

After so many hours of hammering, filling, sanding, priming and blocking; the moment you have all been waiting for arrived today.  We actually applied some green paint.

First, the body must be trimmed, that is, the door openings and door edges are painted.

Also, the boot and bonnet area frames are trimmed.  When the body is painted, the bonnet and boot lid can be fitted and the entire body painted simultaneously.

The engine compartment was  painted.  After the remainder of the body is painted, the engine and wiring harness will be fitted.

The underside of the bonnet...

and the underside of the boot lid were also painted.  These areas will be masked before the final paint is applied to the body.

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253

THE BODY IS READY FOR FINAL BLOCKING

Now that the bodywork has been completed, we are ready to apply the final coats of primer.  All the areas where sanding the first coats of primer exposed bare metal were coated with self etching primer.

Next, the Morris was moved to the paint booth so that the final coats of primer could be applied.

Tomorrow, the entire body will be wet sanded with 600 grit paper and any blemishes will be repaired.

Almost green...

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com

843.338.2253