Steph has to be one of the happiest, caring ,warm and genuine car enthusiasts I’ve ever seen on this platform. You’re a true gem ❤️ keep up the good work !!!
An older lad I worked with years ago had one and told us that the floor was that rusty that the MOT inspector came up from the pit and said "Jaysus Joe that's a fine pair of shoes you're wearing" ! They are a great looking car Steph ! Congratulations! Nobody has only 1 classic 😉
When the petrol pump breaks you can connect the windscreen washer bottle to the carb and fill it with petrol. Then use the washer button to fill the carb and drive. This is how my dad got us home from a remote beach one day with our morris marina.
I love Marinas. The first one of my mates to get his own car had a 1.3 de luxe saloon (35 years ago). It was great not needing to get lifts of our parents all the time (they were pleased too). It took us all over the the place, sometimes hundreds of miles, and only let us down through poor maintenance. You can get five people in the back (only on private ground of course (!)). I'm currently fixing up an Ital 1.3 automatic saloon, hopefully Grumpette and Grumpling will enjoy it as much as me and my mates did back in the day. Thanks for posting.
Fantastic! I owned a 1972 1.3 deluxe Coupe in harvest gold. It was on drum brakes like yours. It was very reliable. I owned it between 1979 and 1982. Your engine sounds super smooth! 👌
Back in the mid seventies, I used to get a lift to work from a neighbour who ran a 1972 Marina coupe in racing green. It had lovely black vinyl seats, the same dash as yours and I really enjoyed my lifts to work. I'm not snobby about vehicles so like all these old Brit cars regardless of their faults and idiosyncrasies. Keep up the great work, Steph - I really enjoy your videos.
I've driven Marinas, 1.3 and 1.8 brand new and they really weren't good. A 1968 body on a 1948 chassis. Great video to watch. Brings back memories, good and bad.
I have always thought the Marina and Mk1 Escort are so similar. The Marina looks like it is a better quality car, the extra leg room and bigger more comfortable seats and it has nicer dash although the instrument cluster looks identical. Well done, another enjoyable RUclips 😊.
Nice one Steph:) You got a nice Marina there, very fun cars to drive. I watched it's rebuild progress through the owners club, and helped out with some bits;) Keep up with the maintenance and it'll last you a lifetime.
Lovely to see your beautiful smile again! I had 2 Marina's, one was a Mk II 1.3 saloon, and the other was a Mk III 1700 estate, both in Pageant Mid Blue. I loved both of them! Sadly, with a young family, I couldn't afford the maintenance, so they had to get replaced! I was reading a parts book once and found that some Marina's were fitted with a 1500 Diesel engine! Perkins I think, but that may just be my memory playing tricks! The handbook for my 1700 also referred to a 2-litre variant, but I haven't found mention of this anywhere else! Anyway, lovely video, and so nice to see one that hasn't been totally claimed by the dreaded metal-moth! :-) Keep safe! :-)
*My mother in law had an automatic 1300 reg 'RAY 203M' Reg in 1973 and ran it for many years. Remember taking it to get it Ziebart Rust Proofing. Took 4 of us to the Lake District in comfort with all luggage. A very practical and underrated car at the time. Good luck with yours, looks amazing for 49 Years old.*
It was fun watching one of your earlier videos, Steph. I hope that your Marina is still making you happy, as it’s a great little car and one that deserves some love.
I have nothing but fond memories of the Marina, my aunt and Uncle had a beige 1.8 Coupe with the high wipers on a K plate and my next door neighbours who were like grandparents to us had a blue 1.8 Super from 1977 which was their pride and joy. My other Uncle on the other hand had a bad time with them as he was a Vehicle Contracts manager and he had leased a lot of 1.3 Marinas to a high profile client and they must have been a dodgey batch. One disgruntled BL worker actually scrunched up a coke can and put it inside the door and then attached the door card! But on the whole they were honest work horses that most owners loved.
TAF 491N .... 1.3 Super 4 door in Harvest Gold with contrasting dark blue (burn your bum on a hot day) vinyl seats! This was my father's ex demo buy in 1975. I was 13 at the time and not very happy because he traded in our beloved Vanden Plas 1300 Princess for it. I distinctly remember the awful cornering/road-holding characteristics forced him to fit front anti-roll bars - Fortunately Dad was a time served motor mechanic and this modification improved the car quite considerably.
Lovely car Steph im so jealous, my favorite car door handles of all time god enough for the Lotus and Range Rover. I do prefer the MK 1 Dash to the latter ones . Enjoy and dont forget to keep them trunions greased!
Darren Smith Trunnions should be oiled rather than greased...because grease hardens and the lubrication ends there. 10/40 engine oil was, I believe, recommended at the time. I only found this out after one snapped on my Herald, and the mechanic who fixed it put me right! I l know they have grease nipples...the mechanic showed me how to use a pump action grease gun filled with oil to keep them lubricated...every month.
@@darrensmith6999 Yes!! WhereI live in the home town of KFC Corbin Kentucky!! AMC never were popular cause of mix mash of auto manufacturer all put together !! My experience with AMC eagle 4×4 station wagon same year same engine but different car drive line parts would not interchange between the two?
My boss bought me one of these in bright orange! because my car (Escort Rs) was being modified in a garage (having a custom engine built/ fitted) and he was fed up of giving me lifts into work every day! So I had to drive this thing for 5 months till they had finished my car lol. My neighbors called the police as they thought someone had dumped this outside of our house as a scrapper... and they woke us up at 2am asking us why it was outside! We had to explain it was actually my car I was driving about in and not been left for scrapping..lol. It was mint condition as the previous owner was one of the members of the Morris Marina owners club lol... I will never allow that to happen again... it went to the scrap yard and cost me £50 to get them to take it away.. THANKS BOSS!!
My 1st impression were that this car pristine, so clean and shiny; I don't think the "roughness" is that obvious :-) it was so funny when you laughed at the bounce after shutting the bonnet :-D My dad had a Morris Marina Suntor; harvest gold with a fibreglass? roof, and it had the same split radiator grill and 1.3 engine :-) the engine under revving sounds very healthy! Congratulations on getting the job you wanted.
As a french burthed during the fifties, i allways liked the british classic cars from (or by) Austin, Morris, Triumph (the Herald and the Spitfire) MG, Jaguar, Rover, Bentley and Rolls of course. First of all for me : London Cab ! A "Legend becomed reality" the "Harry Potters car" (to me). The "Rolls of all people", of "each one", Rolls of the pour as we could say. My very first one was a mini. My uncle drove a Morris Minor (english green). Just perfect. He was absolutly against the "Cox model" at that time and the 4L didn't exist during the fifties. The only four one was lovely but... low and noisy to him. Thanks for your videos.
Great video Steph and Tina looks in amazing condition for the year and as you said especially the interior. It bought back many happy memories of my lovely 1.3 Coupe 😀
My first car when I was 17 was my mum & dad's 11 year old 1976 1.8 automatic OHK 149P. Bear in mind it had to have a complete respray at 3 years old due to rust. Complete rot box by the time I got it...but managed to keep it on the road with fibreglass some more respraying and lots of welding till the sub frame parted company from the rest of the car. That's brand new to scrap yard in 14 years. Not that it actually made it to the scrap yard. We left it there but then got a call from the police asking us what we did with it as it'd "Got into the wrong hands". Never did find out what happened to it but sounds like it had an exciting last gasp.
Superb modern classic there Steph. I can see you’re really enjoying her and I wish you a great summer of runs, gatherings and historic rallies. Needs to be seen at Retro Rides gathering at Shelsley Walsh in August.
Thanks for the memories and info I didn't know. My dad bought a Mustard 1.8 estate brand new in 1972. He worked in the gaming industry and the plate rolled off with '777' in the reg. His work colleagues thought he'd bought a private plate but he hadn't! I didn't realise the radio, cigarette lighter were extras he paid for. I do remember that once the engine was broken in and he was allowed to increase the speed it had a fault and wouldn't go any faster than 30mph! As soon as I saw that tray under the glove box I could see my mam sat in the front with carefully placed sandwiches wrapped in the bread wrapper sat on the shelf on our day trips. I just looked out of interest, a Marina today can set you back anything from 1.8k to 7k 😲
In 1979 my Dad was given his first company car, an Austin Marina 1.8 Special in dark metallic blue with matching vinyl roof. Much maligned of course by Topgear but we all loved it.
Congratulations! You and the car are both sweet. I love classic cars. I'm thinking of getting a FIAT 128 from 1974. It's the same car by Dad had when I was a kid.
Interesting video Steph and I notice you are driving round Huddersfield and Lepton, which is around my neck of the woods. All the British media had it in for BL in the 70s and 80s. Although previously a Ford man, my dad swapped to an Austin Cambridge in the 60s, followed by a 1971 Marina 1800 and a MkIII 1800 ‘landcrab’ in ‘74. I don’t remember too many issues with any of them. I certainly don’t think they were any worse than comparable stuff at the time for rust or reliability. A lot of people that said they were rubbish had never owned them. A funny story re the Marina though. When my dad went to collect it brand new, we noticed the inner door panels were different on each side of the car! The factory had fitted Super door trims (which include door cappings up to the windows) one side and Deluxe trims the other side (which had a central trim surrounded by painted metal)!! Those were the days! 🤣😂 Have fun with the Marina. Looks a solid, honest example, as you say. Looking forward to more of your classic car videos in the future.
I lived in Cowley Oxford for 5Yrs 1970 to 75 and worked at the Cowley plant on the Marina production line for 2Yrs then on the Maxi and the last year worked on the Austin Princess line the Marina was an easy car to assemble and as you said a nice little runner but my favourite was the Maxi which I thought was ahead of its time one of the first hatchbacks I believe. In the early 80s my wife bought a Marina 1.8 Coupe which could really shift, up until she wrote it off owing to black ice she came out of it shocked but unscathed luckily.
Nice one Steph, looks good with just bits and pieces to do, lovely
4 года назад
Lovely car, lovely lass! That's a really nice example of a Marina. I like Marinas in general but do prefer the styling of the earlier ones like this, much prettier! I also like the colour coded insert grill models but the split grill is also damn cool. I'd still love to have an early example and really go to work on it, coilover conversion, full IRS rear, 5 or even 6 speed gearbox mated up to a modern engine up front, topped off with banded steels still wearing the original hub caps and trims... bliss! Enjoy the car, get yourself to the retro events at Santa Pod this summer and show her off! 😊
Love clean, simple cars like this, that we can't have anymore. They used to sell these here in the US, where they didn't achieve a vary good reputation. So I mostly hear how everyone hates or pokes fun at Marinas, and I'll probably never know what it's like to live with one. But this reminds me of a 68 Cortina and '68 Opel Kadett I used to own.
To find a K-reg 1971 Marina, you did well because this is the first year of production and plus the Marina is in the top 10 of rare cars in the UK. Over 800,000 were made and only a few hundred are left in existence. My dad had a 1.8 Super 4door from the early 80s to 1991. It did over 100,000 miles and took us all over the UK. I was lucky to get hold of my 1984 Volvo 340DL and 1983 Astra mk1 GTE.
I like to see classics driven. No real reason not to drive a classic all year round, the more you drive an old car like that the more reliable it will become. Just get under the car every 6 months and smear anything thats rusty on the chassis and wheel arches with Copper Slip antisize compound - believe me its messy but it works. I have fond memories of the Marina, I remember being with my school friend when his parents took delivery in of a brand new 1973 Marina Super with the E series motor. That car stayed in the family for 20 years and went round the clock in KM so many times they lost count.
Congratulations Steph, she looks a cracking car. Was glad to hear you bought her as an addition for a daily driver and not to replace either of your other two cars.. Really low mileage, so should be absolutely ideal as a daily driver. She’s definitely found a good home with you. Looking forward you you keeping us updated about how you are getting on with her. As usual a fantastic review. I like that your channel features cars that their owners use on a daily basis, not cars that are barely driven and kept under wraps. Keep up the good work and enjoy your new car.
It doesn't look too bad. A little bit of TLC, and it'll be as good as gold. My dad used to have one here in Australia, back in 1974. It was a 2.6 litre six, with the 3 speed manual. Whilst he did say it was a good, gutsy performer, in a straight line, the handling was evil. The 2.6 versions were known for having an earthiing issue, which prevented you from restarting within less than half an hour, or so, from shutdown. But, despite the handling woes and spotty reliability, he liked it, but it soon yielded way for a Holden Kingswood station wagon/estate car. But that's another story, lol.
I had a '73 1.3 automatic in dark blue in '86 / '87 when I was 18 / 19 years old. Bought it for 70 quid & it served me well for 18 months. Watching that video brought the memories flooding back.
Great choice of car, being that you love BL. I personally prefer the 1.8 (have owned 1.3 & 1.8 saloons (inc 1 x TC) and a 1.8 estate. The Marina gets a lot of stick but better fitted out than the Ford Escort of the period. Wasn't the greatest handling of cars, but if driven sensibly, with give you great pleasure and reliable transport. I would far prefer a Marina to a stock Escort from the period. I far prefer it to the Metro or Allegro, but, for driving experience and practicality, I always loved the 1750 Maxi (have owned 2). Wishing you well with your new car and please do not let negative comments from some on social media take away from your enjoyment. Love your videos - The are sensible, down to earth comments on a variety of cars - Please keep them going.
Takes me back to 1977 when my late father traded his problematic Austin 3 Litre (cost him 0ver £2,000 in repairs) for a Harvest Gold 1.3 Super. Within a month he managed to ruin the gearbox by forgetting to use the clutch, (the Austin was an automatic) and he asked us to shout clutch. Funny that, I can get out of my wife's Figaro or the former Jaguars (an X-Type and XJ6 2.7D) and jump into other manual car, no problems. Hope you you enjoy your new steed and watch out for Clarkson and Co. (pianos ahoy) think they have moved onto Allegros now.
I'd love to own an old car right now, especially of this age. My mate's parents both had Marinas back in the late 70s/early80s ; his mum's was a metallic green 1.3 coupe with tan vinyl roof and his dad owned a 1.7 saloon in pageant blue. My bro's mate's dad was chauffeur to the Sheffield Lord Mayor and he drove a brown 1.3 Marina for years ( when he wasn't doing official duties in the RR Phantom V ).
My Father bought one the same year as this one .. it was purple (aubergine lol) with cherry red interior .. he got it on my recommendation .. I soon fitted some 5.5 J wheels from a Triumph Spitfire and low profile tyres lol .. and like Donal first MOT the guy said it’s lucky your Father hadn’t fallen through the floor it was so rotten ! Happy days .. great review Steph keep up the good work
The interesting thing about this is that the Marina is considered as a lamentable automotive effort, especially here in Australia. The fact that you’re saving this example is highly commendable as it is a piece of automotive history that is not seen much anymore and is remembered by many. Having had (and still having) BL cars, and having worked with them, I have had many people joke about the efforts of BL. This car is a nice honest example and good to see its in your care. Me, myself...well I’d love an Allegro as I find them quite interesting and quirky and we never saw them here. I’ll have to make do with my early 70’s Daimler V12. Get that front suspension sorted out and do check those trunnions. Those dampers look worn but otherwise all the very best with it and I look forward to the next video. Would be interesting to see you review my model of car...Jaguar or Daimler XJ Series 1 or 2 from the same period as your Marina.
What a great find. The body is really clean, just minor rust issues. Mechanically it seems to be in order & the interior is amazingly clean. Take care of that rust before it takes over.
Another great video, marina looks really lovely 👍 my only criticism is the heavy breathing of the camera man at the beginning 😂 - keep up the good work
Thanks for the great video . Many memories , I used to drive one of the first Marina 7 cwt . 1300 vans that came out in 1972 . It was L reg. in that colour , it was a zippy little van that was quite capable of over 90 mph . The cylinder head gasket blew when it was two years old , no temperature gauge was fitted to the van for many years. Lots of load space , more than the Ford Escort mk1 van of the period , and it looked very modern , much more modern than the Minor van it replaced. Ours had servo assisted front disc brakes . I thought the gearbox felt a little sloppy and it had a long lever , I believe it was a Triumph gearbox they fitted . The grille was the same as yours . Happy motoring.
Steph we adore you- ignore the scumbag haters - they are sad pond life. Please keep doing what you’re doing it’s completely unique and excellent content. You’re a natural on TV video
Congratulations Steph, a lovely car for you. I had a Marina Van with the 1300. I often thought how it would be with a Rover V8 engine. Although the 1300 seemed to have a bit of go
A car which Jeremy Clarkson loves to hate, and yet some of us just love... Thankfully no pianos dropping on this particular Marina - just as well, because this is in very nice condition.
Hi, I have had a bit of spare time, love my classic cars, and have watched a lot of your videos. My opinion? Your views are factual, fun and 100% watchable. In my opinion, you get 20 out of 10. Brilliant and thank you so much!
We had a funny set up in New Zealand the British marina was assembled and the Aussie one was assembled by NZMC. There was a free trade agreement with Australia which later was later called Closer economic regulations or CER Leyland ozzy stopped making the Marina in 1975 and the UK one was only assembled. When it became the Ital in the UK the Marina became the Morris 1700 it was a nice car but it was uncompetitive against the CORTINA and the Japanese cars of the time
I used to drive one of the 1.3 as a private hire car..The understeer you could get round by getting some heat into the front tyres..Bit skippy on the rear end if you pushed them but get a few passengers in and you where hankering after a 1.8.They where a flier..Love these videos good job..
Another nicely presented video Steph, my first car in September 1979 was a 4 door Marina 1.8SDL in Harvest Gold, the reg was UFM 679N, new in 1974 sadly I didn't take any photos at the time. It was a lovely car, albeit a bit heavy on fuel, the only major problem I recall was that the clutch went on the second day in a remote spot in Wales, fortunately I was able to free-wheel about 2 miles down a hill to a main road where there was a telephone kiosk and I phoned my Dad who came out and towed me home, also again, fortunately the car was on a 12 month warranty from the British Leyland dealer I bought her from so the clutch was repaired free-of-charge. I only traded her because I had a fair distance to travel to work and the cost of fuel was getting beyond my limited budget at the time. In retrospect, it would've been wiser to have opted for the more economical 1.3 like yours. But all in all a great car which has left me with special memories of my early days on the road. Good luck, love your vids and happy and safe driving of course! 😊👍🏼
That's a cracking little car Steph. Great condition. I'm rather jealous. Those door handles bring back memories of my dads allegro he briefly owned when I was a kid!
My dad had a p reg 1300 super when I passed my test. Strangely it was bloody quick for a 1275, most of my mates had 1300 escorts and it was so much quicker. One thing I remember is that the fuel gauge didn't work and more than once the old man ran out of juice and thought someone was nicking it at night? Nope it was me, I used to take it out and say I'd put petrol in it but I seldom did!
"A bit rough around the edges..." Kinda acceptable for a car pushing 50 yrs lol !! Looks great in white :) My Marina experiences included a mustard 72 1.8 estate, a white 72 1.8 saloon, a green 76 1.3 coupe and an early MK III 1.7 saloon... Loved them all... enjoy yours :D
Steph has to be one of the happiest, caring ,warm and genuine car enthusiasts I’ve ever seen on this platform. You’re a true gem ❤️ keep up the good work !!!
Couldn't have went to a more deserving owner hope you have many happy miles in her!
Really appreciate your enthusiasm for an almost forgotten era and class of cars. Thank you!
Yes it's really good to see and cars we could most afford .
Steph is fast becoming a legend. Her enthusiasm for all classic cars is infectious
An older lad I worked with years ago had one and told us that the floor was that rusty that the MOT inspector came up from the pit and said "Jaysus Joe that's a fine pair of shoes you're wearing" ! They are a great looking car Steph ! Congratulations! Nobody has only 1 classic 😉
that`s a beauty, after brexit we will be able to build fine automobiles like this again :-)
Makes you realise what good cars they actually were, it was very likeable to own
Well, I certainly wasn't expecting this. I'm very pleasantly surprised :D
I can't wait to see more of the Marina on the channel Steph :D
When the petrol pump breaks you can connect the windscreen washer bottle to the carb and fill it with petrol. Then use the washer button to fill the carb and drive. This is how my dad got us home from a remote beach one day with our morris marina.
They were a lovely motor.And v economical
Loved that review. Also an added bonus with the West Yorkshire museum bus passing by!
Ok, a few minor scabs here and there but overall, that car looks in fantastic condition! Wouldn't be at all hard to make it a minter. Well bought!
Saw it on Instagram some days back and was excited to see the video pop up!!! 😍 Love it! Greeting from Germany
I love Marinas. The first one of my mates to get his own car had a 1.3 de luxe saloon (35 years ago). It was great not needing to get lifts of our parents all the time (they were pleased too). It took us all over the the place, sometimes hundreds of miles, and only let us down through poor maintenance. You can get five people in the back (only on private ground of course (!)). I'm currently fixing up an Ital 1.3 automatic saloon, hopefully Grumpette and Grumpling will enjoy it as much as me and my mates did back in the day.
Thanks for posting.
So pleased for you that you now have your own Marina as a member of your cherished car family. Look forward to hearing more about her in the future :)
Fantastic! I owned a 1972 1.3 deluxe Coupe in harvest gold. It was on drum brakes like yours. It was very reliable. I owned it between 1979 and 1982. Your engine sounds super smooth! 👌
Back in the mid seventies, I used to get a lift to work from a neighbour who ran a 1972 Marina coupe in racing green. It had lovely black vinyl seats, the same dash as yours and I really enjoyed my lifts to work. I'm not snobby about vehicles so like all these old Brit cars regardless of their faults and idiosyncrasies. Keep up the great work, Steph - I really enjoy your videos.
Love it! I'm glad you've got a car you love and can't wait to see the progress!
I've driven Marinas, 1.3 and 1.8 brand new and they really weren't good. A 1968 body on a 1948 chassis. Great video to watch. Brings back memories, good and bad.
I have always thought the Marina and Mk1 Escort are so similar. The Marina looks like it is a better quality car, the extra leg room and bigger more comfortable seats and it has nicer dash although the instrument cluster looks identical.
Well done, another enjoyable RUclips 😊.
Hi Steph, LOVE the Marina. Always did. Especially the early ones. You look ab fab! (oh, and the car too!)
That's one super marina love the originality 😲👍👌
It’s great to see people like yourself keeping classic cars alive.
Nice one Steph:) You got a nice Marina there, very fun cars to drive. I watched it's rebuild progress through the owners club, and helped out with some bits;) Keep up with the maintenance and it'll last you a lifetime.
Lovely to see your beautiful smile again!
I had 2 Marina's, one was a Mk II 1.3 saloon, and the other was a Mk III 1700 estate, both in Pageant Mid Blue. I loved both of them! Sadly, with a young family, I couldn't afford the maintenance, so they had to get replaced!
I was reading a parts book once and found that some Marina's were fitted with a 1500 Diesel engine! Perkins I think, but that may just be my memory playing tricks! The handbook for my 1700 also referred to a 2-litre variant, but I haven't found mention of this anywhere else!
Anyway, lovely video, and so nice to see one that hasn't been totally claimed by the dreaded metal-moth! :-)
Keep safe! :-)
1500 Diesel engine? Sounds like the BMC B-series diesel that once was an option on the Mk. VI Oxford...
@@omepeet2006 It could easily have been! It was a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away........ :-)
There was never a MK3 MARINA you bloody idiot.
*My mother in law had an automatic 1300 reg 'RAY 203M' Reg in 1973 and ran it for many years. Remember taking it to get it Ziebart Rust Proofing. Took 4 of us to the Lake District in comfort with all luggage. A very practical and underrated car at the time. Good luck with yours, looks amazing for 49 Years old.*
It was fun watching one of your earlier videos, Steph. I hope that your Marina is still making you happy, as it’s a great little car and one that deserves some love.
I have nothing but fond memories of the Marina, my aunt and Uncle had a beige 1.8 Coupe with the high wipers on a K plate and my next door neighbours who were like grandparents to us had a blue 1.8 Super from 1977 which was their pride and joy. My other Uncle on the other hand had a bad time with them as he was a Vehicle Contracts manager and he had leased a lot of 1.3 Marinas to a high profile client and they must have been a dodgey batch. One disgruntled BL worker actually scrunched up a coke can and put it inside the door and then attached the door card! But on the whole they were honest work horses that most owners loved.
You're great Steph. Love your vids. Loving the marina too😚
TAF 491N .... 1.3 Super 4 door in Harvest Gold with contrasting dark blue (burn your bum on a hot day) vinyl seats! This was my father's ex demo buy in 1975. I was 13 at the time and not very happy because he traded in our beloved Vanden Plas 1300 Princess for it. I distinctly remember the awful cornering/road-holding characteristics forced him to fit front anti-roll bars - Fortunately Dad was a time served motor mechanic and this modification improved the car quite considerably.
Lovely car Steph im so jealous, my favorite car door handles of all time god enough for the Lotus and Range Rover. I do prefer the MK 1 Dash to the latter ones . Enjoy and dont forget to keep them trunions greased!
Darren Smith Trunnions should be oiled rather than greased...because grease hardens and the lubrication ends there. 10/40 engine oil was, I believe, recommended at the time. I only found this out after one snapped on my Herald, and the mechanic who fixed it put me right! I l know they have grease nipples...the mechanic showed me how to use a pump action grease gun filled with oil to keep them lubricated...every month.
Used my herald every day for over three years Darren had no problems with trunnions after rebuilding them and greasing
Those door handles looks like AMC's of the 70's from here in the USA!!
@@scottyjones27 Like the 1974 AMC Hornet X as used in the Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun. (:
@@darrensmith6999 Yes!! WhereI live in the home town of KFC Corbin Kentucky!! AMC never were popular cause of mix mash of auto manufacturer all put together !! My experience with AMC eagle 4×4 station wagon same year same engine but different car drive line parts would not interchange between the two?
My boss bought me one of these in bright orange! because my car (Escort Rs) was being modified in a garage (having a custom engine built/ fitted) and he was fed up of giving me lifts into work every day! So I had to drive this thing for 5 months till they had finished my car lol. My neighbors called the police as they thought someone had dumped this outside of our house as a scrapper... and they woke us up at 2am asking us why it was outside! We had to explain it was actually my car I was driving about in and not been left for scrapping..lol. It was mint condition as the previous owner was one of the members of the Morris Marina owners club lol... I will never allow that to happen again... it went to the scrap yard and cost me £50 to get them to take it away.. THANKS BOSS!!
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW ACQUISITION!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!
Congratulations on acquiring a car that you had set your heart on. You are spoilt for choice with a trio of classic cars!
My 1st impression were that this car pristine, so clean and shiny; I don't think the "roughness" is that obvious :-) it was so funny when you laughed at the bounce after shutting the bonnet :-D My dad had a Morris Marina Suntor; harvest gold with a fibreglass? roof, and it had the same split radiator grill and 1.3 engine :-) the engine under revving sounds very healthy! Congratulations on getting the job you wanted.
Just like my first car , how lovely to see this one surviving , enjoy it am so glad you own it as i know its going to be loved
That lovely piece of our heritage deserves your ownership, a perfect duo x
As a french burthed during the fifties, i allways liked the british classic cars from (or by) Austin, Morris, Triumph (the Herald and the Spitfire) MG, Jaguar, Rover, Bentley and Rolls of course. First of all for me : London Cab ! A "Legend becomed reality" the "Harry Potters car" (to me). The "Rolls of all people", of "each one", Rolls of the pour as we could say. My very first one was a mini. My uncle drove a Morris Minor (english green). Just perfect. He was absolutly against the "Cox model" at that time and the 4L didn't exist during the fifties. The only four one was lovely but... low and noisy to him. Thanks for your videos.
Great video Steph and Tina looks in amazing condition for the year and as you said especially the interior. It bought back many happy memories of my lovely 1.3 Coupe 😀
My first car when I was 17 was my mum & dad's 11 year old 1976 1.8 automatic OHK 149P. Bear in mind it had to have a complete respray at 3 years old due to rust. Complete rot box by the time I got it...but managed to keep it on the road with fibreglass some more respraying and lots of welding till the sub frame parted company from the rest of the car. That's brand new to scrap yard in 14 years. Not that it actually made it to the scrap yard. We left it there but then got a call from the police asking us what we did with it as it'd "Got into the wrong hands". Never did find out what happened to it but sounds like it had an exciting last gasp.
Superb modern classic there Steph. I can see you’re really enjoying her and I wish you a great summer of runs, gatherings and historic rallies. Needs to be seen at Retro Rides gathering at Shelsley Walsh in August.
Thanks for the memories and info I didn't know. My dad bought a Mustard 1.8 estate brand new in 1972. He worked in the gaming industry and the plate rolled off with '777' in the reg. His work colleagues thought he'd bought a private plate but he hadn't! I didn't realise the radio, cigarette lighter were extras he paid for. I do remember that once the engine was broken in and he was allowed to increase the speed it had a fault and wouldn't go any faster than 30mph! As soon as I saw that tray under the glove box I could see my mam sat in the front with carefully placed sandwiches wrapped in the bread wrapper sat on the shelf on our day trips. I just looked out of interest, a Marina today can set you back anything from 1.8k to 7k 😲
In 1979 my Dad was given his first company car, an Austin Marina 1.8 Special in dark metallic blue with matching vinyl roof. Much maligned of course by Topgear but we all loved it.
Congratulations! You and the car are both sweet. I love classic cars. I'm thinking of getting a FIAT 128 from 1974. It's the same car by Dad had when I was a kid.
Brings back memories. I had two of the 1.7 estates. Great cars. Solid and very reliable. Enjoy her.
You are so proud of this humble, basic spec car - Bless you !
Nice one Steph, my father had the 1.8 TC Coupé and I enjoyed driving it
I had a 1.8 TC saloon in 1974
Dreadful handling particularly compared (rather unfairly) with my current focus mk3 RS.........
Love the Marina, was my first car back in 1986, L reg 1.3 Coupe in Teal Blue lots of miles on the clock but just kept on going xxx
As a Scotsman, I can only say that is Gallus! Top notch. Best wishes.
What a lovely honest series 1 Marina. Be very careful of falling pianos
Interesting video Steph and I notice you are driving round Huddersfield and Lepton, which is around my neck of the woods. All the British media had it in for BL in the 70s and 80s. Although previously a Ford man, my dad swapped to an Austin Cambridge in the 60s, followed by a 1971 Marina 1800 and a MkIII 1800 ‘landcrab’ in ‘74. I don’t remember too many issues with any of them. I certainly don’t think they were any worse than comparable stuff at the time for rust or reliability. A lot of people that said they were rubbish had never owned them. A funny story re the Marina though. When my dad went to collect it brand new, we noticed the inner door panels were different on each side of the car! The factory had fitted Super door trims (which include door cappings up to the windows) one side and Deluxe trims the other side (which had a central trim surrounded by painted metal)!! Those were the days! 🤣😂 Have fun with the Marina. Looks a solid, honest example, as you say. Looking forward to more of your classic car videos in the future.
Congratulations, on finding your forever car! She's a beauty. Happy trails to you both.
Amazing Bodywork, lush !!! But enough about you Steph, the cars 'super' cool. Love from Mac with the 1300 Cortina x
I lived in Cowley Oxford for 5Yrs 1970 to 75 and worked at the Cowley plant on the Marina production line for 2Yrs then on the Maxi and the last year worked on the Austin Princess line the Marina was an easy car to assemble and as you said a nice little runner but my favourite was the Maxi which I thought was ahead of its time one of the first hatchbacks I believe. In the early 80s my wife bought a Marina 1.8 Coupe which could really shift, up until she wrote it off owing to black ice she came out of it shocked but unscathed luckily.
My uncle had one of these.... As you say a really spacious car and so much glass... really easy to see... light and airy... loving the videos👍
Another fab video, we can’t wait to hear about Tina’s adventures in the near future! Well done Steph! ☺️👌✨
Nice one Steph, looks good with just bits and pieces to do, lovely
Lovely car, lovely lass!
That's a really nice example of a Marina. I like Marinas in general but do prefer the styling of the earlier ones like this, much prettier! I also like the colour coded insert grill models but the split grill is also damn cool.
I'd still love to have an early example and really go to work on it, coilover conversion, full IRS rear, 5 or even 6 speed gearbox mated up to a modern engine up front, topped off with banded steels still wearing the original hub caps and trims... bliss!
Enjoy the car, get yourself to the retro events at Santa Pod this summer and show her off! 😊
Love clean, simple cars like this, that we can't have anymore. They used to sell these here in the US, where they didn't achieve a vary good reputation. So I mostly hear how everyone hates or pokes fun at Marinas, and I'll probably never know what it's like to live with one. But this reminds me of a 68 Cortina and '68 Opel Kadett I used to own.
Excellent, well done, isnt it nice when you actually get something that you want, good for you.
Gem of a car. These British Leyland cars have a distinctive character.
To find a K-reg 1971 Marina, you did well because this is the first year of production and plus the Marina is in the top 10 of rare cars in the UK. Over 800,000 were made and only a few hundred are left in existence. My dad had a 1.8 Super 4door from the early 80s to 1991. It did over 100,000 miles and took us all over the UK. I was lucky to get hold of my 1984 Volvo 340DL and 1983 Astra mk1 GTE.
I like to see classics driven. No real reason not to drive a classic all year round, the more you drive an old car like that the more reliable it will become. Just get under the car every 6 months and smear anything thats rusty on the chassis and wheel arches with Copper Slip antisize compound - believe me its messy but it works.
I have fond memories of the Marina, I remember being with my school friend when his parents took delivery in of a brand new 1973 Marina Super with the E series motor. That car stayed in the family for 20 years and went round the clock in KM so many times they lost count.
That’s a nice example you got there Steph and I love the enthusiasm you have for your cars great video keep up the good work x
I do prefer that grill too, I would love to have a car like that. I know it will be well loved by you Steph.
Congratulations Steph, she looks a cracking car. Was glad to hear you bought her as an addition for a daily driver and not to replace either of your other two cars.. Really low mileage, so should be absolutely ideal as a daily driver. She’s definitely found a good home with you. Looking forward you you keeping us updated about how you are getting on with her.
As usual a fantastic review. I like that your channel features cars that their owners use on a daily basis, not cars that are barely driven and kept under wraps.
Keep up the good work and enjoy your new car.
It doesn't look too bad. A little bit of TLC, and it'll be as good as gold.
My dad used to have one here in Australia, back in 1974. It was a 2.6 litre six, with the 3 speed manual. Whilst he did say it was a good, gutsy performer, in a straight line, the handling was evil. The 2.6 versions were known for having an earthiing issue, which prevented you from restarting within less than half an hour, or so, from shutdown. But, despite the handling woes and spotty reliability, he liked it, but it soon yielded way for a Holden Kingswood station wagon/estate car. But that's another story, lol.
I had a '73 1.3 automatic in dark blue in '86 / '87 when I was 18 / 19 years old. Bought it for 70 quid & it served me well for 18 months. Watching that video brought the memories flooding back.
Great choice of car, being that you love BL. I personally prefer the 1.8 (have owned 1.3 & 1.8 saloons (inc 1 x TC) and a 1.8 estate. The Marina gets a lot of stick but better fitted out than the Ford Escort of the period. Wasn't the greatest handling of cars, but if driven sensibly, with give you great pleasure and reliable transport. I would far prefer a Marina to a stock Escort from the period. I far prefer it to the Metro or Allegro, but, for driving experience and practicality, I always loved the 1750 Maxi (have owned 2). Wishing you well with your new car and please do not let negative comments from some on social media take away from your enjoyment. Love your videos - The are sensible, down to earth comments on a variety of cars - Please keep them going.
Takes me back to 1977 when my late father traded his problematic Austin 3 Litre (cost him 0ver £2,000 in repairs) for a Harvest Gold 1.3 Super. Within a month he managed to ruin the gearbox by forgetting to use the clutch, (the Austin was an automatic) and he asked us to shout clutch. Funny that, I can get out of my wife's Figaro or the former Jaguars (an X-Type and XJ6 2.7D) and jump into other manual car, no problems. Hope you you enjoy your new steed and watch out for Clarkson and Co. (pianos ahoy) think they have moved onto Allegros now.
I only have love for this car! so happy for you. xx
I'd love to own an old car right now, especially of this age.
My mate's parents both had Marinas back in the late 70s/early80s ; his mum's was a metallic green 1.3 coupe with tan vinyl roof and his dad owned a 1.7 saloon in pageant blue.
My bro's mate's dad was chauffeur to the Sheffield Lord Mayor and he drove a brown 1.3 Marina for years ( when he wasn't doing official duties in the RR Phantom V ).
My Father bought one the same year as this one .. it was purple (aubergine lol) with cherry red interior .. he got it on my recommendation .. I soon fitted some 5.5 J wheels from a Triumph Spitfire and low profile tyres lol .. and like Donal first MOT the guy said it’s lucky your Father hadn’t fallen through the floor it was so rotten ! Happy days .. great review Steph keep up the good work
The interesting thing about this is that the Marina is considered as a lamentable automotive effort, especially here in Australia. The fact that you’re saving this example is highly commendable as it is a piece of automotive history that is not seen much anymore and is remembered by many. Having had (and still having) BL cars, and having worked with them, I have had many people joke about the efforts of BL.
This car is a nice honest example and good to see its in your care. Me, myself...well I’d love an Allegro as I find them quite interesting and quirky and we never saw them here. I’ll have to make do with my early 70’s Daimler V12.
Get that front suspension sorted out and do check those trunnions. Those dampers look worn but otherwise all the very best with it and I look forward to the next video. Would be interesting to see you review my model of car...Jaguar or Daimler XJ Series 1 or 2 from the same period as your Marina.
What a great find. The body is really clean, just minor rust issues. Mechanically it seems to be in order & the interior is amazingly clean. Take care of that rust before it takes over.
Nice one, Steph! You've done really well, there. She looks in great condition and seems a good runner.
This is superb! 😍 So pleased for you.
The issues with the bodywork don't look major.
I quite fancy a series 2 or 3 myself from the late 1970s.
Another great video, marina looks really lovely 👍 my only criticism is the heavy breathing of the camera man at the beginning 😂 - keep up the good work
Thanks for the great video . Many memories , I used to drive one of the first Marina 7 cwt . 1300 vans that came out in 1972 . It was L reg. in that colour , it was a zippy little van that was quite capable of over 90 mph . The cylinder head gasket blew when it was two years old , no temperature gauge was fitted to the van for many years.
Lots of load space , more than the Ford Escort mk1 van of the period , and it looked very modern , much more modern than the Minor van it replaced. Ours had servo assisted front disc brakes . I thought the gearbox felt a little sloppy and it had a long lever , I believe it was a Triumph gearbox they fitted . The grille was the same as yours . Happy motoring.
I'm glad you bought a Marina I always liked these cars.
Thanks for explaining where Jill is, thought after the bump, great sounding engine, love to hear exhaust notes from outside
She’s been out and about. Headlight went yesterday annoyingly so need to sort that tonight.
Fantastic, took me back 40+ years to my Bedouin one, same model and also drum brakes
My grandad had a Marina, I remember being in the back of it praying he would go up a gear, that poor car was lucky if it got out of 3rd :D
That was a bit like my dad's driving; he also got into the habit of holding onto 3rd with the engine screaming!
I prefer that grille. Lovely car, hope you have many miles of fun.
Well Steph.... absolutly jealous of you now....awesome video love the Marina
Steph we adore you- ignore the scumbag haters - they are sad pond life. Please keep doing what you’re doing it’s completely unique and excellent content. You’re a natural on TV video
Congratulations Steph, a lovely car for you. I had a Marina Van with the 1300. I often thought how it would be with a Rover V8 engine. Although the 1300 seemed to have a bit of go
A car which Jeremy Clarkson loves to hate, and yet some of us just love... Thankfully no pianos dropping on this particular Marina - just as well, because this is in very nice condition.
Who really cares now what that old has-been Clarkson thought?
@@MGBetts1 Certainly not me. I just don't like to see good pianos going to waste...
Jeremy who?
@@dittikke I think he has a temporary, part time job hosting "Who wants to be a Millionaire" now.
It would have been much more fun to have seen the piano dropped on Jeremy Clarkson (and his little dwarf)!
Hi, I have had a bit of spare time, love my classic cars, and have watched a lot of your videos. My opinion? Your views are factual, fun and 100% watchable. In my opinion, you get 20 out of 10. Brilliant and thank you so much!
We had a funny set up in New Zealand the British marina was assembled and the Aussie one was assembled by NZMC. There was a free trade agreement with Australia which later was later called Closer economic regulations or CER Leyland ozzy stopped making the Marina in 1975 and the UK one was only assembled. When it became the Ital in the UK the Marina became the Morris 1700 it was a nice car but it was uncompetitive against the CORTINA and the Japanese cars of the time
I used to drive one of the 1.3 as a private hire car..The understeer you could get round by getting some heat into the front tyres..Bit skippy on the rear end if you pushed them but get a few passengers in and you where hankering after a 1.8.They where a flier..Love these videos good job..
Another nicely presented video Steph, my first car in September 1979 was a 4 door Marina 1.8SDL in Harvest Gold, the reg was UFM 679N, new in 1974 sadly I didn't take any photos at the time. It was a lovely car, albeit a bit heavy on fuel, the only major problem I recall was that the clutch went on the second day in a remote spot in Wales, fortunately I was able to free-wheel about 2 miles down a hill to a main road where there was a telephone kiosk and I phoned my Dad who came out and towed me home, also again, fortunately the car was on a 12 month warranty from the British Leyland dealer I bought her from so the clutch was repaired free-of-charge. I only traded her because I had a fair distance to travel to work and the cost of fuel was getting beyond my limited budget at the time. In retrospect, it would've been wiser to have opted for the more economical 1.3 like yours. But all in all a great car which has left me with special memories of my early days on the road. Good luck, love your vids and happy and safe driving of course! 😊👍🏼
That's a nice tidy Marina you've found. Really nice informative video too. Happy motoring!
That's a cracking little car Steph. Great condition. I'm rather jealous. Those door handles bring back memories of my dads allegro he briefly owned when I was a kid!
I had a marina in 1991 as my first car, back when they were old bangers. I still have a soft spot for them now
I learned to drive in an N reg 1.3 Marina that was also my first car...😍
@the man with the green cortina I loved it...!! 👍❤
My dad had a p reg 1300 super when I passed my test. Strangely it was bloody quick for a 1275, most of my mates had 1300 escorts and it was so much quicker. One thing I remember is that the fuel gauge didn't work and more than once the old man ran out of juice and thought someone was nicking it at night? Nope it was me, I used to take it out and say I'd put petrol in it but I seldom did!
I owned a 1976 1.8 Super Deluxe Coupe which had the curved dash and the interior was that wonderful BL beige
"A bit rough around the edges..." Kinda acceptable for a car pushing 50 yrs lol !! Looks great in white :)
My Marina experiences included a mustard 72 1.8 estate, a white 72 1.8 saloon, a green 76 1.3 coupe and an early MK III 1.7 saloon...
Loved them all... enjoy yours :D
The green 76 coupe - was it metallic green with a tan vinyl roof?
My mate's parents owned one of those.
@@noeltinybeard4828No, it wasn't metallic- was kinda a dark fern green- sadly, no vinyl roof lol :)
It looks completely superb. I think white is its best colour, too.
Congratulations Steph, a new job and a Morris Marina! Thanks for showing us all, it looks great.
I think I saw you on the M1 this morning on my way to work, coming off at 37 for Barnsley. Lovely car
Very nearly my first car. I got gazumped and ended up with a vauxhall viva. Lovely bit of nostalgia ♥️