MY WONDERFUL TOY STORE
I have been playing with the Morris Minor for almost 50 years now and have learnt a lot along the way. I intend to start writing more, so maybe you can learn a thing or two as well.
I will try to keep my "old man's talk" on these pages and add more technical or practical information to specific items in the web shop.
Luckily, my youngest son is good with IT and lends a helping hand.
For several years I have been searching for a partner who could keep this place running when my tank goes empty. Many have shown an interest but no deal has been made and it is becoming more urgent.
Perhaps an untraditional solution is needed? Like a club meeting a couple of times a month, discussing options and ambitions and then delegating tasks to those present. Perhaps more shareholders.
There are so many ways more people could have fun here with all the toys. If you have an idea, please give me a call.
I would hate to close the company. Too many parts would vanish from the market, and maintaining a decent, running Morris Minor would become more and more difficult.
We produce a lot of parts in Sri Lanka that are not available anywhere else. The bulk of them are sold to my colleagues in England.
Sadly, the situation in Sri Lanka is not good. I visited them 8 months ago and it was a rough experience. Not unlike my early childhood during the war. No imports, no petrol, no raw materials,
no.......
Things are improving a little, though. Now they can have 2 litres of petrol per week for a motorcycle and 20 litres per week for a car - if they can afford it.
We had been out of gas for a long time, but Ravindra has managed to find some so we can start producing rubber parts again.
The quality is very high compared to what else is available, and our engine mounts are particularly popular in England. They have been using hard-as-brick engine mounts which makes a noisy ride. Ours are soft like the original.
When we started making rubber parts I brought some old, original parts to Sri Lanka. We had them analysed and got a recipe for the rubber mixture, so we can now buy that and produce "original" parts. Many of our parts are clearly much better than what else is available.
Unfortunately, more and more parts are becoming unavailable now. It is hard for me to know exactly which, but when I do know for certain, I must determine if we are able to produce the part in a reasonable quality. Of course, a not so good part is better than no part at all, but I am doing my best to only stock the best quality available even when that means a higher cost. In the long run a high price, high quality part will save you money and time. The closer your Morris Minor is to original condition, the less trouble you will have maintaining it.
Best regards
Anton
Asferg, 11th November '22.