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1952 MM, my first car.

 
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Dodgeman
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Joined: 23 May 2011
Posts: 14
Location: Southern Highlands NSW

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2011 2:48 am    Post subject: 1952 MM, my first car. Reply with quote

G'day blokes.
I might be new to this forum but am not at all new to forums generally & the automotive scene in particular.

Mt first car, back in late 1966 was a '52 Series MM two door saloon.
Side valve hi-light & for a 17 year old it represented freedom. It was as gutless as all hell but eventually got me there, .... & sometimes got me back.

I bought a rotted out parts car, another '52 MM but this time a convertible. Man it was rusted, so it was converted to components & the body was 'recycled'
Over the next year or so I fixed the two door up a bit, exercising the new tallents that I gained as an apprentice motor mechanic, but nothing that I could afford to do back then was ever going to put some beans under the bonnet.
I fitted four stud Falcon wheels with Goodyear G8 [cross ply] tyres & reset the rear springs by 2" from memory. The front was lowered by a similar amount & it looked HOT, but sadly it was still a slug.

Fortunately the car that I really wanted became available, & a rare & desirable 1933 Dodge three window rumble seat coupe became mine & mine alone.

The Morris was quickly sold to a friends girlfriends brother & he promptly rolled it coming into his suburban driveway one afternoon. Another one bites the dust & it must be remembered that back then it was just another pommy car. There were plenty more just like it to be had.

I bought the Dodge in about September[ish] of 1967 & took my first girlfriend out in it.
I even married her & 45 years later I still have the car.
One out of two isn't a total loss is it.

Years of being a tradesman [mechanic] for a major government department led to a position of area fleet manager in a major country city where I ran two workshops & was responsible for a fleet exceding 600 units covering much of south eastern NSW.

I ran a little one man engine rebuilding operation on the side specialising in street legal, 'improved performance' Mopar V8 engines but family commitments [new wife] & too many interests reduced this work to just my own engines.
Part time work as a fill-in TAFE teacher [automotive] also ate into my meagre reserves of time.
The Dodge will soon receive it's sixth engine, a 1957 Dodge Hemi V8 & small Datsuns have provided a wonderful diversion for the last 31 years. I still have a Datsun project on the works based around a model that was sold only in Japan & Australia & it will be powered by an engine from a formula 3 open wheeler race car, ... detuned a little of course.

It is being built from all of the rarest factory race bits that were made for these cars & engines & after eight years the project is starting to come together.

I still check out the little 'Pommy Cars' these days & am both amused as well as pleased that the small Datsun drivetrain has allowed so many of these cars to be saved as, lets face it, the old engines are really pushing it to stay with the highway traffic these days.
Datsun engines in Morris cars, ... sort of 'hands across the seas' as it were.
Interestingly it was Morris/BMC engines in Datsuns back in the 50's that allowed Nissan to gt a start in the world market.

It never ceases to amaze me that so many that should know better still think that the A series Datsun was derived from the A series BMC engine when even the most casual comparison will reveal that nothing is further from the truth.
One design is a product of the conservative 40's while the other reaped the benefit of 20 odd years of progress & was a child of the swinging 60's.
Totally different designs.

Anyway, I will stick my bib in from time to time & see how things are going.
Enjoy your passions


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libbor
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Location: Ghoulbon

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2011 8:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 2:48 am Post subject: 1952 MM, my first car.

Did you have trouble sleeping Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy

Quote
It never ceases to amaze me that so many that should know better still think that the A series Datsun was derived from the A series BMC engine when even the most casual comparison will reveal that nothing is further from the truth.
One design is a product of the conservative 40's while the other reaped the benefit of 20 odd years of progress & was a child of the swinging 60's.
Totally different designs.
End Quote

Datsun J series and H series engines are indentical to the engines that were used in Morris cars, MG being one example. The part numbers for the engine parts were indentical. I also thought that the Datsun1000 engine was from the same stable having its 3 main bearing crank. Yes, the 1200 was modified severely and is a further distant relative.

Maybe because the dato1000 engine was morris derived people are putting the 1200 in the same basket which is incorrect but you can understand why it has happenned

Cheers

Libbor


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oliver-morrisminor
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Joined: 14 Nov 2005
Posts: 998
Location: Brisbane, Redlands.

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2011 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Dodgeman,
very interesting memoirs.

Have you any photos of both past and current cars you could post?

Oli


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Dodgeman
Thanks ~ nice to be here


Joined: 23 May 2011
Posts: 14
Location: Southern Highlands NSW

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2011 8:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

libbor wrote:
Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 2:48 am Post subject: 1952 MM, my first car.

Did you have trouble sleeping Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy

Datsun J series and H series engines are indentical to the engines that were used in Morris cars, MG being one example. The part numbers for the engine parts were indentical. I also thought that the Datsun1000 engine was from the same stable having its 3 main bearing crank. Yes, the 1200 was modified severely and is a further distant relative.

Maybe because the dato1000 engine was morris derived people are putting the 1200 in the same basket which is incorrect but you can understand why it has happenned

Cheers

Libbor

The Datsun A10 engine of 988cc that was first seen in the Datsun/Sunny 1000 car [Chassis code B10] in September 1966 shares no commonality of design with the BMC A series engine from the early 50's

Your reference to the earlier J series engine is historically correct but since these earlier engines are not the subject of my post, your comment is not really very relevant in this thread.

This error of identification is quite common among Datsun owners too but it matters not how many get it wrong, it's still wrong.

There was an earlier Datsun 1000 engine/car in 1958 [& possibly earlier]. I know nothing about this engine, but seeing the strong connection between Datsun & BMC in the 50's it is quite possible that this earlier engine may well be BMC derived.
It would NOT have carried the A series designation.

The only Datsun/Nissan engine that I have any real interest in is the A series that was designed from a clean sheet of paper by Nissan/Datsun engineers in the early 60's
The only changes that were made to create the 1200 [A12] was to raise the block deck height to accomodate the increase in stroke from 59 to 70mm & the addition of two extra main bearings to create the 5 bearing block.

With the exception of the block, crank, rods & pushrods, just about ALL other engine parts are interchangeable between the A10 & A12 & the flat top A10 pistons were used in the 1200 GX [factory hottie] engine to raise compression by half a point.

It was the 1974 engine that was revised to accomodate provision for an aircon compressor low on the left side of the block.
This involved moving the alternator to the right side & to allow room for this the distributor was moved back alongside No.3 cyl. The engine mounts were also moved back & a six bolt mounting pad was cast into the left front of the block.

Amazingly a substantial percentage of engine parts will interchange between the earlier & later versions of these engines.
The engine designation of A12 was retained resulting in some confusion at times.

The A12A, A13 [both short & long stroke versions], as well as the A14 & A15 are of this later design.


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libbor
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PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2011 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

At the end of the day

Does it really matter?


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Dodgeman
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Joined: 23 May 2011
Posts: 14
Location: Southern Highlands NSW

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2011 9:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

libbor wrote:
Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 2:48 am Post subject: 1952 MM, my first car.

Maybe because the dato1000 engine was morris derived people are putting the 1200 in the same basket which is incorrect but you can understand why it has happenned

Cheers

Libbor


Does it really matter?
Ummmm, well, .... yes it does.

A needless error repeated to another is effectively the dissemination of ignorance.
I presume that this forum [& all others] is about the dispelling of ignorance & misinformation.

Wouldn't you say?


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Mighty Morry
overdrive


Joined: 27 Jul 2006
Posts: 90
Location: Moss Vale

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2011 10:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I still check out the little 'Pommy Cars' these days & am both amused as well as pleased that the small Datsun drivetrain has allowed so many of these cars to be saved as, lets face it, the old engines are really pushing it to stay with the highway traffic these days.


Old cars dont have to be fast to be enjoyed and I hope I slow you down in the Southern Highlands just for fun.

My Pommy Cars have old engines and they have travelled far and wide and yet I have no need to change the motor six times. Embarassed


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Dodgeman
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Joined: 23 May 2011
Posts: 14
Location: Southern Highlands NSW

PostPosted: Wed May 25, 2011 11:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mighty Morry wrote:
Quote:
I still check out the little 'Pommy Cars' these days & am both amused as well as pleased that the small Datsun drivetrain has allowed so many of these cars to be saved as, lets face it, the old engines are really pushing it to stay with the highway traffic these days.


Old cars dont have to be fast to be enjoyed and I hope I slow you down in the Southern Highlands just for fun.

My Pommy Cars have old engines and they have travelled far and wide and yet I have no need to change the motor six times. Embarassed

Well, that's true, but as a daily driver on the Hume Highway doing 140K per day it is probably an advantage to have a little bit of pace available when needed.
That's life for me at the moment with my Datsun 1200 coupe.
Slow cars just become speed bumps for the big rigs.

I have owned the Dodge for 45 years so six engines isn't too bad. Here's the breakdown.

Original 1933 engine. Finally died of broken rings in 1968, replaced by

1934 Engine from our Westmead Speedway race car. Replaced by

1958 model 313 cube Chrysler Royal V8 engine. Found something nicer so it went in favour of

1959 DeSoto 361 cube Big block V8. Full recondition with lots of chrome & candy apple. Got it running & someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I never even drove it. Next was a

1976 Chrysler 360 Small Block V8. The mockup engine is in & running while the good engine was well under way with a full reco when I fell in love. My new love took 18 months to track down & another 12 months to get her in from the USA. She is a

1957 Dodge 325 cube Hemi V8 This will be the last one & it is also the best. It turned out to be a Police Special engine so that was a nice touch for an outlaw car.

I have all the new engine parts but will probably need to hock the farm just to feed it.



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