Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Dave's Diary of 'Making it Better' - Chapter 3

First a few quick wins.
The chassis plate is now (2005 Roadster) glued to the bulkhead, but still has a hole in each corner where they were once screwed or riveted. Anyway, I had an idle ten minutes, so I dug out four allen bolts (from my box of assorted fasteners), cut the shanks off with the hacksaw and araldited the heads in place. My chassis number isn't 0000 by the way. That's cunning photoshop work.


When I bought the Roadster, it had clear indicator lenses........

I don't think clear looks good with red paint, so I've swopped back to orange, but used two front lenses because they provide a slightly larger surface area. The threads for the fixing screws are different threads front to back, but could be changed as the female end in the lamp unit is brass and removeable. However the front fixing screws are longer than the original rears, so I've left well alone for now and used the rear fixings that came with the clear lenses.

Finally on the quick wins, when I bought my luggage carrier, I was advised to fit the spacer so that the rack frame rested on the spare wheel sidewall. I wasn't keen on this solution as the spacer was not a 'best fit' that way round. So I reversed it and fitted two shaped pieces of rubber hose. This just sits off the sidewall, but when loaded will help to take the load.




More to follow shortly. I just have to resize some photos. The front wing protectors were completed yesterday!!!!!!

You'll have seen from my first 'chapter' that the making and fitting of the rear wing protectors was very straightforward. This was because the wing stays are perfectly positioned and at the right angle.
The fronts are far from easy. The stays are too low and the upper stay of the pair each side twists twice between chassis and wing.
This has provided a real challenge and I’ve been on (and off) this problem since September. I always try to fit things without drilling if at all possible - it's too easy to get carried away with a drill!!!! My first attempt at making brackets to fit the protectors to the stays (using one penny washer on each bracket) failed dismally. The angles allowed the brackets to slip off. I tried a Mark2 version with a penny washer each side of the stays, but this looked unwieldy and clumsy. Each attempt means measuring & cutting the stainless bar, and drilling reasonably accurate holes. Stainless is a pig to work with as anyone who has done so will know. Anyway, next I tried a double skinned approach with an angled piece to allow the use of one penny washer to each bracket. This arrangement is held in place with double sided tape but once fitted is held by the bolts. I used Maplin’s two foot stainless ruler for this once more. It’s a very handy source of stainless bar, and I’m on my third now! The first picture shows the Mk3 brackets – note the two different angles. Two are right angled and two are around 120degrees. These brackets are the original Mark1’s which have had pieces of the Mark2 added.


The next photo shows two brackets with nuts, bolts & washers.


Next we have the wing protectors. Made in the same way as the rears, a large printed circuit board from Maplins, which is something like fibreglass with a thin copper layer, and exactly the right size without cutting. On the side facing the wheel is my favourite ‘closed cell Neoprene’, cut to shape. You can just see in this shot that I’ve added a small tab made from aluminium to shield the rubber from the exhaust. This is bolted on to the protector, and is more apparent in later shots.


On the other side which faces the Cat, I’ve placed the copper side of the circuit board onto which is glued a thermal barrier silver weave from ‘Agriemach’. This is to make sure there’s no potential for heat damage from the Cats – which are quite close.


Here are the two brackets fitted to the offside.


And here’s the protector fitted.


You can see from this ‘in line’ shot that the protector sits behind the side indicator. I wondered if a fastener would be needed higher up, but it seem OK. I’ll keep an eye on it for a while just to be on the safe side.


This is how it looks from behind. The camera angle makes it look sloped, but it is horizontal. Note the proximity of the Cat.


Here’s a photo of the finished product. Still jacked up, hence the larger than normal gap from tyre to arch.

And here’s the Nearside:
( I couldn't get the last two photos to show in previous post - probably size limit!!)
First the brackets in position.


Next the fitted protector.


And finally the inside.


You know, what amazes me about all this, is that most of the stuff I’m messing with is not available commercially. You’d think after all the years the trad body design has been around, things like this would be off the shelf.

More is planned but for now, that’s all Folks.

Great stuff! Many thanks for documenting it! There are wing protectors from Black Phey for the old, pre-supraform wings, but nothing for the modern ones.

Here's a follow-up to the rear lamp alternatives mentioned at the beginning of this thread.
Since fitting front indicators to the rear to get better light intensity, I've been wondering whether to fit L795 red lens covers to the stop/tail lights. This is the same lens cover as the foglamp on later Morgans. Be aware that the foglamp lens (and the reversing lamp lens) is riveted to the bezel and the whole thing rotates and unscrews from the housing. The other rear lamps are retained conventionally with two crosshead setscrews, which locate into a brass 'female' T shaped block fitted from behind the bezel and held in place with black tape.
The replacement lenses subject to this note need longer setscrews, and the threads of the longer screws are much finer than original. This means a bit of a fiddle to change the brass female blocks. The reason that these lenses produce a bit more light is that they have a shiny plasic reflector around the bulb, and an improved lens design. Front indicators are already like this, and clear indicator lenses come fitted with these reflectors. The orange and clear lenses are both L794 by the way. So to change the red relectors, you'll need two lenses, two silver reflectors, and four setscrews with matching brass blocks.
This is how it looks.



Thanks to Graham at Rutters for sorting me out with the lenses & screws. I already had the silver reflectors from the clear lenses I removed last year.

Nice, but don't you think it could affect the air flow around the very hot catalyzer which is just behind?

This possible reduction of the air flow could increase the temperature under the "footboard" (the continuation of the front wings beside the doors).

H3

It's something I considered H3,
But there's still a gap of a couple of inches between flap and inner wing. I was very careful on the first run after fitting, but the wing is no hotter over the cat. I'm no aerodynamicist, but it's possible that the narrow gap will draw air through faster!!

One more thing about the later spec round foglamps/reversing lamps. I had a closer look this afternoon. As already mentioned above, they unscrew and the fixing is in the style of a jam jar top from the sixties. But there's also a cunning taper fit against the rubber housing which makes it tight.
I'd originally supposed that the blind rivets which are visible in the screw holes secured the lens to the metal bezel........
But no...... The lens is secured with what appears to be clear silicon sealer.
Those blind rivets are short (half inch) decorative pieces, and can be slid out, and replaced with decorative crosshead screws to match the other rear lamps. So being a bit anal, this is what I've now done.

I am really enjoying your improvement diary. Kudos for sharing it with us.

A final quick win on this thread - I've just tidied the rear plastic skirt with some edging.....which matches the number plate box and spoiler.

I also discovered that the plastic skirt is off centre by about a half inch. Handmade cars eh????