Neil’s new car had an interesting history. It was actually one of the last cars built when production ceased in favour of the model “7Y” in 1937. His first job was to un-pack all the boxes and lay the bits out in the clubs container. Graham had assured Neil that 98% of the bits were there and Neil was more than delighted to discover he was right! As I said earlier Neil’s acquisition of the car was a complex deal, part of which involved him completing the restoration to drive the car on the clubs 2004 Welsh Rally, so time was at a premium!

An earlier owner had started to convert the poor little Y into a hotrod and Neil soon discovered that the three cross members had all been removed in a failed attempt to fit a V8. All the bits were shot blasted across at Finish Line UK and Neil then had to solve the puzzle of which bit went where, and which way round, before bolting and welding it all together. It was important to get this exactly right otherwise the suspension mounting points would be all wrong. Inevitably the tin worm had been nibbling away as well and some of the rather thin sections had to be plated. The rear of the chassis was in a very bad way and had to be replaced with fresh U sections that Neil had fabricated.

The next job was to fit all the bits and pieces to the chassis in an un-restored state to make sure they were all there. The container yielded a main brake rod centre bracket, front suspension and a steering box with rather worn track rod ends. Neil then came to fit the gearbox, only to find that there were no rubber mountings in the container. Fortunately he was able to purchase some new ones from the club and the box soon went in along with the axle and torque tube. This as important as it defined the exact location of the rear cross member.

Now came a big decision, which motor to fit? What with Primrose and his “C” type restoration, Neil had acquired a few 8 and 10 hp power units over the years, so he went hunting amongst his stock. He had in mind his silver 8hp engine, which he knew was a runner, to get the car rolling. In digging around he noticed a 10hp lump with a large starter attached. This was acquired from Ross Nuten when Neil became the proud owner of Ross’s 1935 Morris 8 Series 1 2-door saloon.

Taking the engine into his workshop Neil soon discovered it was seized solid, so out came the plugs and in went a couple of cans of WD40. Coming back a week later it now spun, although not too freely. Removing the head and sump there was a lot of solidified oil but underneath there was a brand new engine that had never turned in anger! Out came the crank and pistons to reveal rings and white metal bearings in perfect order! All that was necessary was to lap the rust off the valve seats, clean everything up and apply a bit of paint.

Returning to the chassis Neil fitted the handbrake lever and attempted to sort out the brake rods. Four hours later he decided that while he had the right number of rods they weren’t a set, but the club soon sorted that out. Then it was back to the container to find the final bits and pieces. But there were no shock absorbers to be seen and what’s more no mountings on the chassis! The club came to the rescue again with a set of shocks and enough information to fabricate the mountings. Now for the body!

Above and Below - The container revealed its secrets

The chassis is complete. Now where's the body?