Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Urgent warning Empire kit

I recently had the LH rear top wishbone rod end bearing snap at the end of the threaded portion on my Empire kit equipped M3W. This happened at slow speed luckily, as I was reversing up a small curb. The rod end type was an Aurora XM6 that has been fitted for 27,000 miles.

The front rod end was bent when the rear one broke and both were replaced with new items at the side of the road in an hour or so. I was a long way from home at the time travelling with a couple of other M3W's and had fortunately put two new rod ends in my small pack of spares. I probably should have bought a lottery ticket as well! We had enough tools to do the job between us. The rest of the trip was done with no trouble although there was always a concern about the RH sides rod ends.

When I got home I removed and checked the RH side rod ends visually and with dye penetrant NDT crack testing, no signs of any cracks were found. Until I get some new rod ends sorted I have removed the Empire kit and refitted the standard top wishbones. The broken rod end looks like it has been cracked for some time and finally gone, I could be wrong as I am no metallurgist. The original Empire supplied bearings were worn after about 15,000 miles and replaced with the Aurora ones. They have been good from a wear perspective but a fractured rod end is not good, particularly as we had been driving some Alpine passes and fast Autobahn in the days before!

It could just be a “bad batch” but it would be worth a close look if you have any Aurora XM6 rod end bearings fitted. Driving on the left, this is the wheel that runs at the edge of the road....and our roads in the UK are terrible now. I have heard of one other case of an Aurora XM6 failing on an Empire/Krazy Horse equipped M3W, this was a front LH one that failed under braking after about 12,000 miles use.

I was the first customer to install the Empire kit and it has been no problem in 42,000 miles of use, until this happened. The solution suggested is to fit NMB rod end bearings, expensive but cheaper than a failure. If I do I will be inspecting them closely on a more regular basis in the future. I am really sorry to have to post on this thread, first time for 8 years though. The Empire kit is still a worthwhile refinement to my mind.