1938 Morris 8 Series II – Project Profile

The term ‘barn find’ gets thrown around a lot these days, but this little 1938 Morris Eight Series II is indeed a barn find. Well, less of the find as the owner knew where it was. But still, it has genuinely been resting in a barn for some seven years. And that’s a nice thing to find. Too many times, we see cars for sale listed as a ‘barn find’ only to discover that the car has never been near a farm, let alone a barn. Plus, if all the cars for sale were indeed from barns, one has to wonder where all these barns are? There must be millions of them.

Of course, this is all because of the romance and whimsy that comes with finding something old that has been left untouched by the hands of time. We dream of finding that car, the motorbike or even that van that was parked up decades ago and simply forgotten. There is a fantasy that with some new fuel, a battery and a liberal dose of polish, the discovered car will be saved. Of course, it doesn’t work like that. If barns were a great place to store something and preserve it, they would be full of Faberge Eggs and original Picassos, not old cars. But even though a drafty barn might be hard on an old car, there is still, undeniably, something exciting about finding it.

What is it? 

As we touched on above, what you’re looking at here is a 1938 Morris Eight Series II. It was largely the same as the Series 1, with the exception of the wheels and the painted grille. The hawk-eyed amongst you will notice that this car does actually sit on the wire wheels of the Series I.

Powered by a Morris UB series 918cc four-cylinder engine with three-bearing crank and single SU carb, it had a dizzying 23.5bhp. Some of those horses may well have escaped this particular car, but that’s not to say they couldn’t be enticed back with some mechanical sympathy. As for the transmission, that was a three-speed manual with crash first, which obviously delivered power to the rear wheels. Braking came care of an, at the time, advanced Lockheed hydraulic system. Other then modern kit was an electric starter and six-volt battery. Though a crank handle was supplied, too.

This model is the four door, four seat saloon with suicide rear doors and at one point, a fully opening roof (we’ll get to that later). Apart from the older style wheels, it seems to be in remarkably solid condition.

Why is it a project? 

Well, it’s been in a barn for seven years. As such, it needs a lot of love. However, it must have been a reasonably dry and up together barn, as the little Morris appears to have collected some dust and some surface rust, but nothing more serious. Though of course, a full inspection is required to be sure.

The vendor states that they are helping to sell the car for the widow of the last owner. In fact, she bought the car for her husband as a present. A car with obvious sentimental attachment, she has now made the never easy decision to sell the car on. Certainly, it deserves to live on a little bit longer – it looks to have plenty of life left in it.

The bodywork has suffered with surface rust developing, but other than that, it seems the car was driven into the barn as a running, driving, serviceable vehicle. You’d need to check the engine still turns, and also check the electrics and brakes, but other than a full service and a wash, this Morris might not need much in the way of work.

Five things to look for:

1) Rust

Any old car should be checked thoroughly for rust, and this one is no exception. A body on frame design, particular attention should be paid to the chassis.

2) Chassis

As mentioned, the chassis needs to be inspected. This is what will have an impact on the car’s legality, so check for rust, poor repairs and damage. If the chassis is sound, everything else can be sorted.

3) Engine

Does the engine turn? It’s easy to find out, as there is a crank handle with the car. Check it still rolls over and isn’t locked up, because if it is, that’s rebuild time.

4) Roof

The seller states that from the inside, it looks like it once had a sliding roof. However, it’s been plated from the top. How was this done, and to what standard? Does it leak? Is it rotten? You need to be sure.

5) Electrics

The wiring in 1930s British cars wasn’t amazing to begin with, so age won’t have done it any favours. Also, has it been damaged by bard-dwelling critters? Do a thorough inspection before sticking a battery on it.

What should you do with it?

There is only one way to go with this car really, and that’s to preserve it. If the chassis is sound, that’s half the battle won. Everything can be fixed around that, the all-important backbone of the car. If it were our money, we’d clean up the body as best we could, renew the wiring, replace the missing rear lights and stick on a set of matching wheels. Give the mechanical parts a thorough once over, replace the ageing tyres and then that would be it, we’d drive it as is. A full restoration is a nice idea, but the cost may outweigh the end value. That said, classic cars should be a passion, not a money-making exercise, so if you want to fully restore this charming little Morris, you should.