Hot rods can come in all shapes and sizes and the differences, not similarities, are what make the hot rod industry so interesting. Mark Norwood’s 1958 Morris minor 1000 is just that, a different hot rod. There are plenty of Morris Minor enthusiasts who will cringe when they view this car, but we are hot rodders and it is inherent that we break tradition. Hot rodders love to change cars to make them better looking and most importantly, make them faster. Mark knows that being different is the staple point of hot rodding, and Mark spared no expense. Mark’s Morris Minor has been completely hot rodded. The shop that Mark chose to create his vision was Double Z Hot Rods, and they tackled the duties beautifully. The car was completely gutted. The Morris sub-frame was completely cut out as well as the floor in order to make room for a Fat Man Fabrications frame. The frame has a mustang II up front with coilovers and a four linked narrowed Ford 9inch in the rear. The motor was built by Smith Auto in Dinuba, CA and is a small block Ford with all the trimmings. The Morris is a small car and that small block ford can get it moving quickly. The firewall was pushed back a foot in order to fit the motor which created problems fitting everything from the air-conditioning to the windshield wiper motor. The objective of the build was to keep the car as clean as possible with minimal visible hoses and wires, but to also have all the modern amenities of a new car. Engineering the vehicle to be clean and simple proved to be a difficult task for Double Z Hot Rods. The air conditioning was installed behind the front seat. The condenser is under the gas tank, which is in the trunk. The windshield wiper motor is in the inner wheel well. Heater and air conditioning lines are routed through the trunk. The radiator was custom made for the dimensions of the grill. The back seats were removed and the front seats were pushed to the back. A tilt column was installed so the front seat would be more accessible.
A lot of the stock trim and brightwork was left on the car in hopes that the car wouldn’t appear to be over customized. The paint is a light green single stage urethane that was custom mixed and it is beautiful. To finish it all off, the top was chopped 3 inches in order to make the car look fast while sitting still! Mark’s Morris Minor is a showstopper. This car is a prime example of how hot rodders drum to a different beat. The sky is the limit when it comes to what cars can be hot rodded and what can be done to them. When dreaming of your hot rod don’t be afraid to dream big, and to dream different. Mark did, and his hot rod turned out beautiful. Check out the picture gallery