Peter I agree, from my ride home yesterday I suspect it is set up a touch hard. I have had no time to look at it today but have spoken with Henry and he suggested I looked at the quantums and adjusted them softer if set up hard.
I have time alone at home tomorrow so shall have a play and see what results and report back.
With respect to it changing the character of the car, it certainly does not. It still feels like a Morgan. As you say Peter, if the rear end was replaced with independent floating half shafts and front end a modern setup it might feel rather different. There would still be issues due to chassis flex though which could cause osolation problems with a modern suspension design.
In my book it's horses for courses, my view on whether the 5 link is a worthwhile step or not is still on the fence. If I find a major improvement then maybe, then there is justifying the value add for bucks. We all have different pockets which affects our decisions. There is an aspect of the front Suplex which I do not like which I will discuss after my tinkering with Henry's car, it may be the rear set up is affecting its balance, I'm not sure as I have heard others report on it.
With respect to David's comments, I would expect a perfect setup for what was installed if you weighed each corner and ensured that front to rear Spring loads were balanced and optimised, and then adjusted damping front and rear so that it was set to the drivers desired feel. I know some trad setups have done this and reported good results. However this is getting into racing car setup territory, and I doubt many individuals or dealers would have the experience to do it properly. This begs the question as to when a solution is a simple bolt on or not. Also it implies or defines that every type of car will require setting up to optimise because of differences in weight and its distribution. If you think about it the setup will also be affected by the age of the car, my understanding is that later cars have stiffer chassis than earlier and this will have a direct impact as well. So all is not straight forward.
I would like to make it clear I am not a suspension expert, but having done various track days in several Marques of sports cars and hill climbed I think I know when a car feels right and balanced or not. I don't consider myself to be a particularly fast driver, although others have commented I can be, I do try and drive safely on the highway and try and think that there may be something around the corner I cannot see or expect. Also we all slow down as we grow older, including me.
To be honest a Morgan is a very dificult beast IMHO, on the surface it appears to be simple especially in the suspension department, but I think that is miss-leading, from my experience rebuilding and upgrading my +8 suspension, small changes can have a big impact for the better or for the worse. IMHO It is very hard to find the sweet spot with a Morgan, that is to say get a comfortable ride on rough or uneven roads, and at the same time have great handling and control. In some respects it is the fun of the Morgan it keeps you on your toes. This is true with most cars, but it is rather tricker with a Morgan. Make it handle well and it can become uncomfortable unless on a smooth road or track, make it comfortable and then performance handling and cornering capability are lost. Maybe it's the true Holy Grail of Morgan ownership!
To sum up I will try and give an honest appraisal, whether some like or not I cannot help. In my view the proof of the pudding is you try it yourself and as I said before for quite a few miles, not a trip around the block, and hopefully in a car that is set up well.
Sorry about the lengthy ramble but it helps my thoughts and maybe helps you understand where I am coming from.
