show me morris/austin marina's, what caqn i do?

A or B series in a marina, and the suspension is more like the morris minor than the midget. Also, don't think there was an austin variant (unless you count the all-agrro)

I think they were used on the original Esprit!

top marina you have there! zetec power oooofff, that would be errrmmm nippy

a look would be great!

other than the old trunions there are quite a decent setup then! hmmm got me thinking has this

i've seen one locally with a a-series 1275 which i would'nt moan about ad i'm well familier with the a-series a+ & i have some metro turbo parts to make some extra ponys on the cheap just waiting for a phone call on a price for the old girl,

its cheaper than an escort mk1/2 & i need a rwd car again! + its genuine british BL tat, which i like

alot of engine/box options too

any idea how difficult it is to get a t series in one, i know its been done on the mgb's

THIS IS MY THOUGHTS SLATER!!!!!

i was in mayo in ireland last week & seen manta's a marina, sunbeams etcra & the rear wheel drive car is itching badly & i don't have much cash lol

i have a 1293 block & turbo bits soooooooooo.................. a nuce stock looking marina i'd love!!! look loverly as the coupe version i must say!!!!!

cheers for the ispirational pics, i like the drag one, real 70's cool!!!!!


i've contemplated a few cars recently the volvo 360 another mx5 but i want a cheap not rotten rwd motor! & i like BL cars i do hope i can get one for the right money!

gonna break out my old retrocar mags & ppc etc

Drop the back end on Grayston lowering blocks or decamber the springs 1.5" and you pretty much cure the understeer. Minimum 175 wide tyres help as well (typical BL penny-pinching!). There is a lot that can be done for beer money to improve these cars and have an ar53-happy beastie without paying Escrote scene tax. Kilroy in NZ has done front suspension experiments and come up with some interesting conclusions - look at the girth of wheel he runs on his Mk3's! don't go too crazy with the gee-gees to start with as the gearboxes can go pop, but Triumph Dolomite/Toledo ones go in and I suspect if it goes in a Caterfield it can go in one of these. Back axles are usually OK for 120Bhp then you're on borrowed time. From the flywheel back - its all Triumph bits(and yes the Sprint axle will go in!).

We had the 1.3 litre A series in ours. It wasn't sparkling in the performance stakes but since it's not a car that begs for performance that didn't matter. I remember it as a relaxed and comfortable drive.

Handling was what you'd expect for a 1950s car in a 1970s body. You certainly won't imagine you're in a RWD Escort if you close your eyes! That said, it would lose the rear at comically low speeds on wet roundabouts and was easy to control while sideways.

Annoyances I remember aside from the rust were those useless 1970s BL light clusters with the cast reflectors that turn to powder from electrolytic corrosion. We ended up soldering a wire to the side of all the bulbs and running it directly to the body.

Why did ours die? The engine bearings were audibly knackered and the rust had got rather bad. This was in 1992 so it lasted 16 years, not bad I suppose.

I think one of the reasons there are not many left is because they were only ever a bread and butter car for the masses. They were built to do the job at the time, that and they were just a mass of parts from the BL parts bin so have been hacked apart for all manner of cars from Kits to Minors.

They do rust. Early cars are better that later ones, people still spend £1000's on restos for them just check out this: www.fastmarinamagazine.com/viewtopic.php?t=1009&sid=caa899e7a6dc6bf6d6adba464e039f59

Handling may not be up there with your escorts but like Marinanut says they can be adapted for not a lot of money. I went to the extreme with mine but it won't take an afternoon in the garage to lower the car down and fit anti roll bars if you have a Mk1.

A lot of people have brought Marina's and then realised they need work and sold or scrapped them. We have noticed this more with the TC's as people think they go better than they do.

The post office trunions are called Walfords. They are ok but they do cause the bottom fulcrum pins to wear quicker causing a lot of MOT fails. Just make sure you grease them right!

The marina is a fun car and always puts a smile on my face but they are not everyones cup of tea! A turbo version would be fantastic! =)

Beniboyz