Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) New Roadster-suspension,cooling,radiat or,sump Qs

I have just completed an order for a new 2018 Roadster,with a build date in a couple months. The purchase was made under the new Morgan program for delivery of the car, sans engine and transmission to the U.S., where the local dealer will install the Ford V6 and transmission supplied by another company. This approach supposedly allows Morgan to sell the car in the U.S. without meeting the usual U.S.A. federal requirements (air bags, crash worthiness, etc.) under an exception for "two-stage cars." This is the methodology used by Superformance to import and sell their Cobras in similar "two stage" format, with the first stage being delivery of the car by the factory to the U.S. without engine and transmission and the second stage being the purchase and installation of the engine locally.

I have read everything I can about various areas of concern with the roadster with a view to seeing if there are "fixes" or "enhancements" that I should try to implement before the installation of the engine and transmission. That is, what would be easier and worthwhile to do with the engine and transmission out rather than waiting til later on when the car is fully assembled.

King Pins, etc. My order includes as standard the new Morgan factory 5 link suspension for the rear and the adjustable shocks option for the front suspension, the brake reaction bars and the panhard rod, so I think that is probably all I need on the basic suspension. I am unclear on whether the current roadster will have the king pin issues I read so much about, but should I think about new Hard Chrome King Pins, Spiral Grooved Bronze Bushes, Auto Lube Bolts, Dust Cover Tubes, Rebound Rubbers and remote greasing kits? If any of this will ultimately be needed, it seems like it would be much easier to do all this with an empty engine bay.

Overheating, Radiator, Coolant Bypass valves, Ceramic Coated Headers. I read a good bit about overheating and about heat in the cabin. Should I consider having the exhaust manifolds ceramic coated inside and out before installing the engine. What about a new aluminum radiator, http://www.mulfab.co.uk/our-products/24/...ster-radiators. I understand that the AC is marginal at best, one reason being that hot coolant is circulated through the condenser in the cab all of the time. Should I consider the installation of a by pass valve? Is there any insulation that I should add while the engine and transmission are out?

Modified Sump. Finally, I read about the minimal clearance of the sump pan of the V6. I assume that this is a continuing issue on a 2018 Roaster? Should I order a modified sump? http://www.mulfab.co.uk/our-products/61/oil-tanks-systems/sumps/roadster-sumps-2004-2012.
The Mulfab site lists their modified sump for roadsters in the 2008-12 range. Has the problem been eliminated for the later edition V6 that will be in the 2018 model year?

Any other suggestions for additions or modifications before the engine goes in? Many thanks, RKell

Congratulation rkell on your purchase.

The sump on the 3.7 is not the problem which it is on the 3.0L. Clearance is much improved.

The kingpins can be changed with the engine in place as all the work is under the front fenders.

I would insulate what you can under the hood. Especially the brake master cylinder and consider applying reflective foil to the bulkhead, and maybe a heat barrier in the footwells.......

More advice will surely follow!

I had an S1 Roadster for 10 years and now own a new one with the 5 link rear (with a long snagging list)

King Pins, no problem now, you will get hard chrome with bronze bushes, bearings under the main springs, etc (but not remote greasing - I prefer the see what's happening when I grease anyway)

Rear panard rod is part of the 5 link anyway, adjustable shocks umm matter of opinion - I have to admit that I have given in and very recently fitted a SSL (suplex) kit to the front as I was sick of the nodding, I had Suplex on my S1 and must have become accustomed to the ride quality

I can't comment on ceramic coating, but feel it's a bit of expensive snake oil for road cars, fingers crossed mine has coped with temps in the 30's recently, but I do feel the radiator is marginal on capacity as the fan cuts in very quickly in traffic and runs a long time compared to the S1 which has a proper brass/copper rad - I'm suspicious ALL models of trads 4/4 upwards get the same rad fitted now

Sump is no issue on the 3.7 compared to the 3.0 as it's not tilted over, you're probably more likely to catch the cross member of the chassis, but 'Wolf' mike a rub plate to combat this

Keep us updated on progress, as this method of getting Trads into America looks good news

Good luck. The bypass valve could be a good idea.

Normally the hot coolant feed to the heater core runs effectively in parallel to the thermostat bypass. Most vehicles (even my 52 year old Land Rover) have a simple in-line valve to control or completely turn off heat, so no need for bypass valve.

I shall be double checking this on my soon to arrive new Roadster, but assuming its installed as above, will simply add a generic heater control valve with cable operation to the interior, if there isn't one already.

ETA: I note the Roadster panels have two rotating contols in the centre with icons suggesting they control fan speed and heat output. Can anyone with a 3.7 Roadster confirm their function

On the S1 it goes through the heater with no bypass. The 3.7 might be different
http://www.talkmorgan.com/ubbthreads.php/galleries/39519

It can be difficult to accertain the heater routing as the feed is often from a different point on the head to the bypass, which is why I said effectively in parallel to bypass.

If I understood it correctly it appears that Dave's diagram is not correct as it shows the thermostat in the coolant return from radiator bottom

The cooling system on the 3.0L is not logical by any means and I made that flowchart after several cold starts and the scientific thoroughness of a hand on each hose.......................

Some aspect are without doubt and one is that hot water flows into the top hose and top radiator neck. The thermostat is remote and until it opens, there's a return flow through the narrow pipe from the filler neck into the header tank, with lots of turbulence.

The flow from the water pump to the heat exchanger, then to the header tank could be the opposite way, but that's not how it feels!!

When the thermostat opens, and this takes a long time, the flow is from the bottom hose at the radiator.........

On a cold morning, it takes ages to get the thermostat to open. It can be detected by a twitch on the temp gauge.

The 3.7L will not be like this!!!

[quote=Richard Wood)

ETA: I note the Roadster panels have two rotating contols in the centre with icons suggesting they control fan speed and heat output. Can anyone with a 3.7 Roadster confirm their function [/quote]

Exactly that: one turns heat on or off and the others turns fan up or down.
Enjoy your new Roadster when you get it. I am very happy with mine although I had to sort out the rev hang (ECU upgrade) and ride ( suspension mods by New Elms).

An add-on more easy to fit without the gearbox:
http://www.talkmorgan.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/522946/The_Wolf_Performance/BHM_skid_#Post522946

The curved part of the front cross member is prone to rub on the bump.

Lower final gear ratio: I don't know what is used in USA. Standard final ratio is very high, but with the roadster there is a lot of power, depending on your driving.

SSL (SUPLEX) at the front, but you can fit it when refurbishing the kingpins.