Hi, If you take the front suspension off a Morgan you will find it is pretty heavy, one would think it is pretty rigid and stable, but as David points out is prone to stiction as cornering and braking forces cause it to twist and bend albeit very slightly enough to impair upward and downward travel of the hub when most needed. Brake reaction bars help to alleviate this.
If you have a look at say a caterham front setup and various similar designs they could be accommodated into a Morgan design. However the chassis of a Morgan is quite a flexible thing and most cars with more modern suspension have a pretty stiff chassis or integral body/chassis. So it would be interesting to hear how a Morgan drives/feels with a wishbone setup such as the Mulfab setup?
Adrian, through TM I have learned about the 'stiction' issue and also have some experience from it myself - it gets worse when the lower bushing is worn and the upper bushing becomes an efficient 'brake' due to the pillar not being aligned. This is the reason why a went for the Vesconite Hilube bushings. From what I've read the Vesconite 'material' does not change it's friction properties under high pressure as bronze does and it certainly feels that way.
Now, I shouldn't really involve myself into any deeper technical discussion as I don't consider myself qualified. But, as a layman I can appreciate that the traditional Morgan chassis is not perfect and I could easily accept a change for the better. It's my opinion that such a change can be done within the present chassis concept. Here on TM there's lots of proof: new materials, structural enhancement, refined springing and damping, variable front end geometry etc etc.
I personally believe that MMC's future existence depends on their workmanship skills and the reputation it gives them and the pride it gives their customers - I think that's what many of us pay for, at least I am.
On the other hand a 'new' chassis could perhaps make the Morgan more competitive as a 'street car' - maybe a good thing market wise, but in my mind it has to be a true Morgan solution: a unique in-house construction in line with core values like simplicity, light weight and easy maintenance.
Then there's the money...
I love my traditional Morgan (with some refinement) for what it is and represents - to build a new 'tradition' will certainly take some time.
