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Hello Retro Rides!
I have returned from my long sabbatical in the wide, flat, red outback to home on the coast of Australia. Where the beaches are beach-like, there are hills and twisty roads aplenty, 50 degree days are not as common - and with an increase in the old Mojo.
With the impending sale of my dust collecting Commodore and therefore a freeing up of a prized car space in the shed, I'm thinking about a worthy replacement. Common sense dictates I find a new Mk2 Cortina 440 as quickly as possible. However, I rather like the look of the Wolseley 1500 - and the equivalent Riley 1.5 / Austin Lancer / Morris Major.
So please, kind ladys and gentlemen. Educate me on these charming little BMC monsters! And perhaps you can answer the ultimate question - how different are they to Morris Minors? Oh, and can you fit 13x7 Mini wheels to them?
Thankyou ever so kindly in advance, Prud.
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They are very Minor like underneath (as in the same). Front brakes are bigger. The main thing is rust, lots of rust. A mate and I had a couple in the early 70's and they were rotten then. The intervening years will not have helped. Body panels are rare/extinct. Rust may not apply in Oz. Did I mention rust?
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Proton Jumbuck-deceased :-( 2005 Kia Sorento the parts hauling heap V8 Humber Hawk 1948 Standard12 pickup SOLD 1953 Pop build (wifey's BIVA build).
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not really applicable to your choice but as a very small child i had a recurring nightmare about being alone in the back of my mums black 1500 on the cliffs at night with a dark hairy figure prowling outside. still a cute car though!
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'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating '80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip '97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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Also has a brother known has the Riley 1.5 - some panels are available - I think Radford made / stocked panels for a while & expressed steel panels do the sills & front wings - the cars appear in the UK market on occasions but are not that popular - most of the mechanicals are shared with other models & makes but has already stated you probably need to find yourself a pretty solid one if at all possible - here is a pic of one just to remind everyone of what a smart little car they are
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Last Edit: Nov 7, 2018 18:39:22 GMT by Deleted
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Rob M
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,915
Club RR Member Number: 41
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A car that I also plan to own at some point. A significant difference, as I have understood it, between the Wolseley spec and the Riley spec is the Riley had twin carbs and the Wolseley a single... so you might want to go for the Riley or at least a twin carb manifold otherwise.
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Thanks for the replys. Oh they are pretty. Especially when they're race cars. So tiny and cute, yet so aggressive! We rust in Australia. Oh we rust. Mostly because of summer. When it hits 40+ degrees people park their cars under trees to keep cool. And because our native trees have such tiny leaves, when they drop onto a car they tend to clog the drainage points from the top down when the summer storms hit. It's not unusual to see the roof separated at the rain gutters and the sills rotting from the inside out. I once had a Mk2 Cortina that had perfectly sound outer sills and zero inner sills due to cancer. So the lack of panels is concerning. Just means I'll have to find one that someone has already done a bodywork restoration on it. Always better off spending more money on a sound car initially I feel. Interesting point about the Riley vs Wolseley. I'm not surprised, though. I ran into a lot of BMC badge engineering when I was rocking a Morris 1100 - robbed a lot of bits off a rusty MG1100. Although, being Australian, I'm looking at using a later model 4 cylinder with a fair bit more poke and fuel injection. Probably something from the Mitsubishi 4G series. I was recently involved in putting a Ford Barra XR6 turbo motor into a Holden Kingswood. Anythings possible if you have someone who can mess with sumps, make motor mounts and find a suitable bellhousing. This Riley looks especially awesome.
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Rob M
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,915
Club RR Member Number: 41
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Just a thought. As you are well clued up on engine work/ transplants have you considered the possibility of tuning the boggo stock lump? In the Riley it kicks out nearly a whole 65bhp but, maybe, with head work, a good exhaust system and other tweaks finishing off with a fuel injection system you may well see over 100bhp. That is bog all nowdays but it will be powering a car with a 50s designed chassis. You end up with a peppy, quick car that still sounds like a tuned B series lump and it could be coupled to a 5 speed box. Just an idea. 😊
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I've been looking at that one from Taree! So tempting. So very tempting. And it's only 3 hours or so away. Basically next door. Tuning the motor definitely has merit. I cut my teeth as a tiny fella helping my Grandad tune the B series in his Austin 1800. And I do love the sound of a BMC 4 cylinder. In fact, I currently have a fairly serious 1380A+ lying around the shed. Big cam, compression, heads, HiF44 etc, roughly 100hp. Used to live in my Morris 1100s (plural) and classic Minis. They do go really well in something small and light. But the reason I'm not going down that path is because they're a genuinely scary proposition to drive with 40+ degree heat and terrible fuel. Even with a big radiator and expansion tanks you have problems keeping them cool the moment they aren't moving (read: stop-start traffic). And even if you can keep them cool, detonation is always nearby. Only takes one bad fillup and you not noticing quickly enough to mess with the timing and you've damaged your motor. Besides, I know me. As soon as I start tuning a motor, I'm always way too tempted to go just that little bit bigger, that little bit more powerful. Before I know it, I've got a proper monster on my hands. I just seem to be totally incapable of a "mild" engine build So if I get this straight, for the most part Wolseley 1500s/Riley 1.5s are pretty much a Minor in a party dress. I'll have to track down a complete one at some point just to have a really good look (and a tape measure) over the engine bay. Because from what I've seen they are tight, length-wise. And the RMS (our registering body) can be ... challenging to deal with if you cut a firewall. Thanks for the input guys!
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I've seen enough engine swapped Morris Minors in NSW to know it shouldn't be an issue. Datsun engines are the most popular, I've seen a couple of 4AGE conversions though! There is a company that sells lots of gear to get through the engineering process - look at the "Magic Developments" section www.minormagic.com.au/collections/brake-improvements-modifications
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They do look nice once given the clubman race look 1965 WOLSELEY 1500 by shagracer, on Flickr although i think the A40 is where i would go for a small 60's racer
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Please don't throw litter, take it home.
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Characterful and under-rated classics, they've always been easily affordable but prices seem to be creeping up of late. We had one in the car mechanics shop when I was still in school, (early '80s), it was unceremoniously altered to a convertible with an angle grinder and broke in two when test driven across the rugby pitch, (see crockpot 's comments on rust).
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Last Edit: Nov 9, 2018 17:59:16 GMT by MkX
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Nov 10, 2018 14:52:32 GMT
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Nov 10, 2018 21:16:31 GMT
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Id love to see one of these given the 2 door treatment, slammed, banded steels, unfussed abit.. I used to see them as the slight odd mix of morris minor and farina. Really like them now.
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I needed to see what one might look like as a 2 door, so I did. Anyone fancy finnishing it off with some wide steels and a slap with the lowering stick?
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Oh they do look pretty two-doored! It's just such a shame you can't get panels for them. As someone who lives in Kangaroo Country, that's unpleasant to say the least.
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madmog
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,155
Club RR Member Number: 46
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Tell me about Wolseley 1500smadmog
@madmog
Club Retro Rides Member 46
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just to put it out there, you know the Morris, upon which the Wolseley/Riley/Major was based, also spawned the Hindustan Ambassador which was in production in India until recently? It might be a source of parts that can be adapted a bit. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindustan_Ambassador
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Last Edit: Jan 7, 2019 15:53:05 GMT by madmog
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would that not be retrograde engineering??
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'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating '80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip '97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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madmog
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,155
Club RR Member Number: 46
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Tell me about Wolseley 1500smadmog
@madmog
Club Retro Rides Member 46
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I don't know. I believe the Hindustan's had beefed up suspension to cope with Indian roads plus an Isuzu diesel engine. Perhaps the front wings, grill and bonnet are all that's different visually and interchangeable.
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