William Tunnicliff with his 1968 Morris Minor Pickup was the winner of the ClassicLine sponsored 2019 Gemini Events Pride of Ownership awards at the Chetwynd Deer Park Motorfest. After the event, we caught up with William to find out more about concours condition Morris Minor Pickup.

William has had a passion for Morris Minors since the early days of his apprenticeship. One of the first cars he worked on was in fact a Morris Minor. So, after a 35-year career in the motor trade with retirement on the horizon, it seemed the right time to start his own classic car restoration project.

The 1968 Morris Minor Pickup was purchased in 2014, a rare find as Pickup models are hard to find nowadays. Morris Motors Ltd originally produced thousands of the model, but they were built for tradesmen and business use They were workhorses; used by builders, the postal service and even as ice cream vans. So, when in 2014, William came across this 1968 model on a well-known auction site with only two previous owners, he knew it was worth a look.

After a bit of investigation, William discovered that the Pickup was supplied new to Morris dealer, George Fitt & Company of Whitstable. From here, it was sold to W.G. Relton, a building firm also in Whitstable, where the car stayed until 1993. The car was then left in a garden until in 2014. So, together with his son Dean, William decided to purchase it as a restoration project.

After a bit of investigation, William discovered that the Pickup was supplied new to Morris dealer, George Fitt & Company of Whitstable. From here, it was sold to W.G. Relton, a building firm also in Whitstable, where the car stayed until 1993. The car was then left in a garden until in 2014. So, together with his son Dean, William decided to purchase it as a restoration project.

William is rather fortunate as together with his son, they own Chase Minors Staffordshire, so all the restoration work was carried out by the father and son team.

It was important for William and Dean to retain the standard running gear. The Pickup still runs the original 1098cc engine and four speed gearbox. After a strip down, all mechanical parts were checked, cleaned or painted, and replaced if necessary.

Whilst retaining as many of the original features as possible, William has given the Pickup a few personal touches. The original models were not produced with carpeting, just floor mats. Neither did they come with trim pads on the doors. The brand-new upholstery, interior and carpeting, carried out by Newton Commercial, sees the Pickup trimmed in a beautiful Autumn Leaf. Outside, the custom made tonneau cover fits perfectly over the Pickup bed protecting it when not in use and the silver wheels with radial tyres complete the retro look. There is even a spare wheel, which again was not a standard fitment.

The Pickup underwent a full respray in an original Morris Minor mid-blue colour by a paint shop located next door to Chase Minors.

Of course, when restoring a 50-year-old vehicle, you are bound to come across a few challenges. For William and Dean, it was the window rubbers. The old rubbers had decayed and had to be replaced. However, installing the new rubbers involved a lot of work, as did the alignment of the body panels.

The restoration works were completed in January 2016 and William was ready to showcase his concours standard Morris Minor Pickup.

Since completing the restoration work, the pickup has been driven a total of 10 miles! William prefers to transport the Pickup on a trailer to and from events to maintain its concours condition. Of course, this hasn’t come without controversy. Only cars driven to the Morris Minor Owners Club events are eligible to enter the concours competition. Unfortunately, as the Pickup had not been driven there, it was not eligible for judging. However, William was delighted when a judge advised that should it be driven to one of their shows, it could reach the Masters grade.

William enjoys taking the Morris Minor Pickup to an array of local shows, including the August bank holiday show at Webbs Garden Centre in Wychbold where is has won several trophies, as well as the South Cheshire Moggies events. But his most cherished award so far is winning the Pride of Ownership at Chetwynd Deer Park in April.

Chase Minors already have their next project on the go, another 1968 Morris Minor Pickup but this time in white. William also tells us that he could be tempted by a Mini or a Hillman Super Minx convertible so watch this space!

William will be attending the Classic & Retro Show at Himley Hall on the 1st September, so if you are going to this event make sure you take a moment to admire his 1968 Morris Minor Pickup.

Chase Minors would like to thank Alex Wills for the chassis work, J.H. Evans for the fabrication and welding, Carworks for the paintwork and Newton Commercial for the trimming and upholstery.

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For further details on Gemini Events classic motor shows, visit https://www.classicmotorshows.co.uk/