1960 Ford Prefect 107E from UK and Ireland - Comments

The whole steering mechanism needed replacing, there are a myriad of grease nipples that require constant attention which of course never gets done.

Had to get a new carb, but the car was 34 years old.

A basic tin box. supposedly the 107e was the one to have, being fitted with an OHV engine instead of the old sidevalve- that sidevalve must have been REALLY slow... having owned a lot of old cars, this one really did feel its age. the contemporary morris minor felt almost modern by comparison, the prefect had a teeteringly high up driving position, lumpy ride, poor performance, poor handling, miserable fuel consumption for such a small engine and comedy wipers that ran off the inlet vacuum-faster you go slower the wipers are. it's hard to believe ford were still churning these tin boxes out whilst austin was making the vastly superior 1100. with hindsight though the market must have been there as Ford made money and austin didn't..

I found this review very difficult to reconcile with 20 years of driving these cars. Performance was more than adequate when the cars were in production (late 59 - early 61) and, while the seating position is high, I find that an advantage.

These cars, assuming thae steering and suspension were in reasonable condition, would out-handle most similar saloons - certainly the Morris Minor - and its performance was similar to the Minor of the day (948cc). I'll concede about the wipers, but fitting electrics is far from difficult.

My own car has adequate power, speed and acceleration (I won't compare it with a Focus - it wasn't designed to compete with one), is 100% reliable over 17,000 miles per year and returns 36 mpg in normal use, 40+ on a run.

I'll keep the Prefect, thanks. You can have the Minor!

Whilst you certainly seem better placed to comment on these cars than I having had more experience, I cannot accept that the 100E will outhandle a Minor! Tight corners can be taken in a Minor at speeds which the Ford would feel about to topple over - assuming you can keep the rear axle from hopping across the road! However, each to his/her own.

I didn't keep the Morris actually, got fed up with the awful brakes.

I'm not sure these did compete with the Austin 1100 / 1300 as these came out in 1963 and competed with the Ford Anglia rather than the Ford Popular.

Having many grease nipples to squirt grease into is normal for 1950's cars.

Most people accept that the failure of Austin / BMC / BL to make money during the 1960's was almost solely due to the Mini. The Mini was built at a loss to start with and cost them a fortune in warranty work due to its many design failings.

I have to say I think the minor was the better car- a mid 50's minor certainly wouldn't need an engine rebuild/crank regrind at only 40,000 miles like the 100E, also chances of getting 40mpg from the ford are remote to say the least.

Continuing from 5th April...

I can only comment on what I found: the car isn't perfect by any means, but what is? In decent mechanical nick they are good, dependable and ecconomical (mine averages 17,000 miles per year! And 35 mpg). As for handling the Minor is very flat in a curve which makes it feel more stable than it is; the Prefect certainly rolls more, but handles well with good road holding.

And no, the Prefect went out of production in March 1961 (the Popular continued to June 1962) so can't be compared to the 1100/1300 range, although I'm not sure how they got into this discussion!

I can't believe someone has bought a 34 year old car and is now complaining it's slow and doesn't handle well...

Hi,

Yeah, it’s a bit of a dog, but if you really want to improve the performance of the car you’ve luckily got just the right version to do something about it by using the tuning techniques of the time. The finished car will be at least as valid if you don’t bung non-period stuff on it.

Back in the ‘60s the 107E front crossmember was a desirable scrap yard find for tuners using the 100E shell because it lets you install any of the 4-cylinder Ford OHV engines: 1200 (Anglia, Cortina), 1340 (Classic) 1500 (Classic, Cortina). The 1500 is a touch heavier, but the best choice as it has 5 main bearings and produces much more power/torque standard. Ultimate output of a properly built unit can be very high. The 1600 crossflow is harder to swap as it starts to interfere with the pedalbox etc. and is arguably not “period” – too expensive to put into a 107E at the time. In fact the “pre-crossflow” 1500 is a much sweeter tuned engine.

The Gearbox that came originally with your choice of engine can be used, too. Best choice, though, would be the 2000E from the Corsair as you get a much better 2nd gear than the 116E, though this will need some attention to the propshaft.

OK, it goes! So let’s make it stop and handle.

Before you look at suspension changes, it’s important to remember that you are driving one of the first UK monocoque shell designs and there are some peculiarities in the stress paths. A surprising amount of this shell’s stiffness depends on the sills and if these aren’t in really good condition the whole car will flex. For a rigid shell, you need perfect inner and outer sills and you preferably seam weld along the whole length and also the “B” pillar join. Back when the 100E was rallied, all the boot and front inner arch joins would get the seam-weld treatment to stiffen the whole shell up. Once the shell is sound, you can make the car handle. Weight distribution is a bit of a problem as the engine sits squarely over the front crossmember and moving it back is a major cutting job. Moving the battery to the boot is worthwhile. It may now be anathema to suggest a glassfibre bonnet on a “classic” but it’s a correct period mod!

In the suspension department a front strut swap with those from the Classic gives you disc brakes, though you’ll have to do some work on the top mounts. A standard trick was to add a second, thin anti-roll bar attached to the first. The mountings make it adjustable. At the rear, the axle should wear lower tramp bars and a Panhard rod. These are quite easy to make provided you get the geometry of the mount points right and there are hundreds of period examples from saloon racing to copy. It’s also worth considering a complete Cortina 1500 rear axle as you must lower the FD ratio after the engine swap. You can then swap differentials with, say, a Corsair to get 3.77. There’s a 3.5 ratio, but that’s pretty rare and hoarded by Lotus owners. Consider changing the rear damper mount points to vertical, a job for some cutting and welding using Escort Mk1 rally bits. A rear ARB is possibly not a good choice for road use. For wheels, 4.5 or 5.5j steel would be period correct. Nobody who could afford a set of alloy wheels would have been driving a modded 100E then!

Inside, you’re rather stuck with the seating position because it’s dictated by the angle of the steering column and the worm-and-peg steering is a weak point. Contemporary racers of the 105E had a trick that reduced the steering ratio, but it involved cutting and welding the drop arms so I’d never recommend it for a road car on safety grounds. I know a rack conversion for the Anglia has been done, but I’ve never heard of one for the 100E shell and I think it would be very difficult.

Final result would be a period-flavour vehicle of genuine interest with real performance. I’d drive it, I’d love to build it!

What's wrong with complaining about a 34 year old car? Like I said, I have owned many old vehicles, including a 1956 minor, 1961 mini, 1964 Zodiac etc etc. Even allowing for age, you know if the thing's any good or not. My dad had a Prefect in 1961 and he reckons they were crap when new too; he took it in desperation as a new company car after 2 years in a standard 10.

I find the comments against the ford prefect 107e a little unfounded.

I currently have a 1937 ford 7w. This one of the first ford 10 to be designed and built in England, it is extremely reliable and cruises comfortably at 90 kph. I also have a 1962 ford prefect 107e. This vehicle is also extremely reliable and cruises comfortably at the legal maximum limit.

I would suggest those who are not happy with the reliability and performance of their vehicle change to a competent mechanic.

I have owned both and would certainly not compare the Morris with the Ford for reliability and performance. But if you do own or wish to own a Morris ensure you have a comfortable pair of walking shoes - you will need them.