sold my van

[morrymadness]

Hi all yes long time no show
I have sold my 58 van as bought a bout 3 years ago to new member DON58VAN
Hope you guys can help him as you helped me over the years
His name is Don

regards peter

[tortron]

thats nice, whats the colour?

[Scouse]

Hi Peter - long time, no hear. I hope all is well at your end.

Is Don planning on keeping the rotary engine in it?

[DON58VAN]

Tortron, Scott and others

Hi. I'm not new to Morries, having owned four (not all at once!) when I was much younger.

Getting this little chap back on the road is a big assignment for me, so I hope MDU members will give me a hand.

Tortron, asked about the colour. Not a simple question. It is a metalic green. But the flecks look gold, so in strong light, it takes on a bit of a gold/brown/greenish tone.

Unfortunately, the paintwork has lots of scrapes and knocks and will have to be totally redone. Note that the photos Peter (morrymadness) posted are nine years old. The car hasn't been on the road in all that time, but it has been knocked about while in storage. I will probably go for a light colour. It was originally Gull Grey so that is a possibility.

Scott, it still has the 12A rotary in it. It is probably not a viable motor. I have to decide whether to replace it with a better one (12A) or whether to go to full datto running gear.

When I started looking for a suitable Morry, I was thinking of dropping in an A14 or A15 datto. Then this interesting incomplete project showed up with its 12A rotary and gearbox partly installed. I like rotary engines, having owned an RX2, 3 and 4--many years ago. There are a few installation issues that would need to be sorted out with the rotary engine and I'm not sure about the legal issues. As I understand it, 13B rotaries would not be legal. The 12A might be legal but good ones and parts are getting hard to find. Rotaries also guzzle lots of juice and cost megadollars to rebuild. In any case, completing the rotary installation is probably beyond my skill.

When I started looking for a Morry a few months back, my idea was to buy one suitable for a rolling restoration. As it turned out, the van is going to be a bare shell rebuild. I'm short on knowledge and skills, so I'll need all the help I can get.

BTW, the van also came with its original motor and gearbox. I'll hang onto them, just in case.

If anyone wants to see pictures of the current rotary installation, just for interests sake, let me know.

I hope no one has nodded off during this ramble

Cheers

[Scouse]

Hi Don & welcome to the forum .

It's been a couple, maybe more, of years since I saw the van when Peter first bought it but I thought the rotary conversion had been virtually completed. I know the body was in pretty good shape so it should be an easy(ish) restoration whichever way you decide to go with the engine.

I see your location is Wagga/Sydney. I don't know of any Morries in Wagga but if you come to Sydney often, there's plenty to check out before working out what to power your van with.

[DON58VAN]

Thanks for the welcome Scott.

The engine itself is probably not viable. It seems to be cobbled together from a mix of components. If I can find a suitable 12A replacement at the right price, it would probably be a later one with the starter on the side rather than on top where the present one is. That would foul the subchassis. There is also a connection to the oil cooler (essential for rotaries) which will foul the subchassis. Some major surgery on the subchassis near the eyebolt would be necessary. Finally, getting the exhaust out would also prove challenging. So, as much as I like the idea of a rotary morry, I think it is beyond me. I know that someone in Sydney (Kirawee?) had a tray-top rotary for sale not so long ago, so it is doable.

If there is someone out there who knows both their morries and rotaries is willing to help, I am prepared to learn. At this stage though, the datto solution looks more practical. But first I have to find my A15--not easy!

In the meantime, I will do more research on both the datto and rotary options.

I found a MDU member, moridat on this site who lives at Junee, not too far from Wagga. He put a datto in his morry ute. He says he can give me some guidance. Thanks Phil.

I visit Sydney for a few days every couple of months. If anyone volunteers to show me what they have done with their morries, I would be keen to visit for a look.

Cheers

[Scouse]