Thanks again for the replies, folks, and for the compliments regarding the XJS! I purchased it about ten weeks ago and have already put nearly 5,000 miles on it - about half commuting, half tootling around. It's currently got 153,500 miles on the odometer. The engine CPU needs to be replaced to fix an idle issue that it has, and it's just that sort of a fuss that I dislike about modern automobiles. I can competently rebuild a carburetor (albeit with a bit of my dad's tools and his occasional glance) but I think that brazing alloy circuits on a CPU will remain beyond my scope...
Steve, thank you for the succinct explanation on the various 'phases' of Morgan cars to date. I was partially aware of the distinctions based on this forum's layout, but it's nice to see it put so. I'd have to say that despite my interest in a newer Morgan roadster, if they do have lots of little CPUs and such (which I imagine they do) then the '60s-'70s model Morgans seem to be what I'm after... Something I can get underneath and understand, and confidently pull apart if need be.
Simon, Dave, et al, thanks for chiming in about daily driving! I'm a big fan of roadsters (onto my second now, as can be seen), but I'm always a bit concerned about using mine in harsh weather; here in Central California we don't see much more than a dozen days of rain per year, with intermittent sprinkling in the Spring and Fall, so it's not so big a deal. Whether or not I'll be here in a few years is a different question!
Another thing that comes up as a concern is leg room. I'm 6'1" tall with a 34" inseam, and one thing I've thoroughly enjoyed about my XJSs' is that both had plenty of leg room for me as long as the seat was in its proper place (i.e. all the way back). I've been reading remarks on various reviews and here on the forum about Morgans positioning the drivers "close to the steering wheel" or "lacking leg room" (sans in the case of the newer Aero models and the Plus 8). Might this be an issue that comes between me and my dream? I love long-distance drives - say several hundred miles per day - and absolutely require comfortable space inside of my rides. Despite that, I also enjoy the feeling that I'm sitting in a cockpit-like space, and like having everything clustered very close to me. It's a bit of a paradox.
And it does sound like I'll have to visit Isis! I just saw the Corvette block/tranny conversion they do on their site this morning... Very nifty, and quite in line with many of my concerns for practicality. A 350/350 in a Jag (as mine was) seemed a bit contrived, but since Morgan has always borrowed blocks from other makers the concern is extinguished!
Thanks again, VERY much! I've been participating in forums for various subjects for over a decade and have never had such a warm welcome into a community, nor so much earnest feedback to my initial queries. Cheers!
- Gregory
Last edited by GLiebau; 31/07/13 12:48 AM.
