*** Welcome to piglix ***

Morris Minor (1928)

Morris Minor
1928MorrisMinor.jpg
4-seat 2-door fabric saloon 1928
Overview
Manufacturer Morris Motors Limited
Production 1928–1934
86,318
Body and chassis
Class Small car
Body style
  • 4-seat 2-door fabric saloon
  • 4-seat 2-door tourer
  • 4-seat 2-door coachbuilt saloon
  • 4-seat 4-door coachbuilt saloon
  • 2-seat semi-sports
  • 2-seat 2-door S.V.
  • Special Coupé
  • 5-cwt van
Layout front engine rear wheel drive
Related Wolseley Hornet, MG Midget
Powertrain
Engine Engine clutch and gearbox mounted as a unit at four points on rubber washers.
Transmission
  • three speed gearbox
    central gear change lever
    Clutch: single plate dry
    propellor shaft: inside torque tube
    Hardy disc joints
    final drive: spiral bevel
  • four speed gearbox Sept. 1932(not on base model)
Dimensions
Wheelbase
  • standard

78 in (2,000 mm)
track 42 in (1,100 mm)

  • 4-door saloon
91 in (2,300 mm)
Length
  • 120 in (3,000 mm)
  • 13 in (330 mm)
Width
  • 49.5 in (1,260 mm)
Height depending on coachwork
Kerb weight 700 kg (1,543 lb) 13¾ cwt (2-door saloon)
Chronology
Predecessor None
Successor Morris Eight
Wolseley SOHC
Morris SV
Morris Minor OHC Engine 1932 (14108998472).jpg
SOHC engine under the bonnet of
Family Eight Special Coupé 1932
Overview
Manufacturer
Production
  • SOHC 39,087
  • SV — 47,231
Combustion chamber
Configuration 4 in-line
Displacement 847 cc (52 cu in)
Cylinder bore 57 mm (2.2 in)
Piston stroke 83 mm (3.3 in)
Cylinder block alloy iron, cast en bloc
detachable head
pistons: aluminium
connecting rods: steel
crankshaft:
main bearings: two, roller in front, plain behind
Cylinder head alloy detachable without disturbing camshaft or valve gear.
Valvetrain
  • overhead valves
    single overhead camshaft
    camshaft driven by vertical drive at the front of the engine
    valves operated by fingers mounted in eccentric bushes.
  • side valves
Combustion
Fuel system S.U. carburettor
Fuel type petrol, tank in the scuttle
Oil system force-feed lubrication to all parts
Cooling system water
circulated by thermo-siphon
2-bladed fan
Output
Power output
  • 20 bhp (15 kW; 20 PS) @4,000 rpm
  • 19.25 bhp (14.35 kW; 19.52 PS) @4,000 rpm
    Tax horsepower 8.06
Chronology
Predecessor none
Successor 918 cc Morris Eight

78 in (2,000 mm)
track 42 in (1,100 mm)

This article refers to the motor car manufactured by Morris Motors Limited from 1928–1934. For the Morris Minor manufactured by Morris Motors Limited from 1948–1971, see Morris Minor.

The Morris Minor was a small 4-seater car with an 850 cc engine manufactured by Morris Motors Limited from 1928 to 1934. The name was resurrected for another newer car for the same market in 1948.

Beginning in 1922 the tiny seven horsepower Austin had brought motoring to a new public and broadened the market. Against that Morris's Oxfords and Cowleys had taken 41 per cent of the entire 1925 British private car market. Morris sales had begun to slow in 1926. They were revived by a new face for the Morris Oxford and Cowley and an expansion of Morris's range both up and down the scale.

The same year William Morris realised millions from the sale and stock market listing of preference shares in his business and he privately bought Wolseley, founded by Herbert Austin, which up to a few years earlier had been Britain's largest car manufacturer.

William Morris now had ample wherewithal to go after Herbert Austin's little car with his own small Morris. With a surplus of production facilities, and Wolseley's design engineers added to his own at Morris Commercial Cars, little time was taken for development of the Morris Minor. A more complex design than Austin's Seven the all-new car was on the market before the middle of 1928.

The new Morris engine was designed by Wolseley by this time also personally owned by William Morris. It was largely a new design but following a conventional Wolseley SOHC front camshaft drive concept if much smaller than any existing Wolseley unit. The overhead camshaft was driven by a vertical spiral bevel geared shaft that passed through the dynamo carrying the armature. A single SU carburettor was fitted and coil ignition used. The engine produced 20 bhp (15 kW) at 4000 rpm allowing a top speed of 55 mph (88 km/h). The electrical system was 6 volt.

The Morris Minor's engine was produced in two versions. From 1928 to 1930 all the cars had an 847 cc overhead-camshaft engine designed and made by Wolseley. It remained in production for the more expensive Minors until 1932.

Morris's in-house engineers at Morris Commercial Cars led by Percy Rose, who had designed the chassis, devised a simpler valve train for the same block. This more conventional side-valve unit of slightly lower power output entered production in late 1930 at Morris Commercial Cars' new premises in the former Wolseley works at Adderley Park, under the supervision of the young Leonard Lord. Initially for the lower-priced cars —first for the £100 car, later for others — it remained in production until 1934.


...
Wikipedia

...