Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Trimming the sill board - 57 +4 four seater

I am in the process of replacing the passenger floor as it had started delaminating and, when I pulled back the trim covering the sill board if found a few bits of wadding and, wedged under the petrol pipe that runs along the top of the sill board, bits of carpet underlay!

Now underlay acts like a sponge and this was true to form being rather damp, luckly wood ok but will be re-treated with cuprinol.

So couple of questions please:

Should the petrol pipe run along the top of this sill board or is there another better route?

What is now used to create some padding under the trim that does not hold water?

Thanks all, Bill

Neoprene?

<<What is now used to create some padding under the trim that does not hold water?>>

Vic Champness of Black Phey makes glass fibre sills which gets rid of the paddiing

Two years ago I had a burst pipe in the garage and ended up with a saturated +8. Seats were removed and carpets stripped out to allow things to dry out, but the rocker covers were soaked, so I decided to replace them with preformed fibregass covers.

They took a bit of trimming to get a good fit, but I was very happy with the final result. In fact I've got another pair to fit on the +4 when I get around to it.

One supplier advertises in Miscellany, although mine came from a local Morgan owner who had a batch made up, and I was very pleased with them.

When I stripped my car recently it had all the felt wadding in place which was dry and the wood was in good condition. The petrol pipe (Nylon I think)was clipped to the sill board on the NS under the wadding. When I re-build I am thinking of routing it elsewhere however the only place I could see which may work is clipping it to the external face of the chassis but it would be too close to the exhaust for a Nylon pipe I feel. The pipe is well protected in its original place so I may just route it back that way.

As you've got things apart anyway, I'd seriously consider replacing the pipe if it hasn't been done for a few years, particularly as you've now disturbed it.

A lot of things will be replaced, the petrol pipe being just one.

As an aside the NOS short flexible pertol pipes available for Series One Land Rovers has been causing problems as the rubber inner liner inside the steel braiding perishes with time (+30 years in storage) eventually spraying petrol over the engine compartment. I have fitted a modern version to avoid a conflagration!

Do you know of any issues, Graham, or is it just "better safe than sorry"? On my '67 4/4 it is still the original (twice disturbed). Having no children I have stopped long ago restoring cars to live for eternity

Frank

The only issue Frank is the increasing levels of ethanol in petrol. Much of the older pipe material MAY not be compatible. In the main though, it's better safe than sorry. Over the years I've replaced fuel pipe 'just in case' while things have been apart. It may not have been necessary, but I have had problems with two Land Rovers (both of which ran on diesel) where pipework has deteriorated (and no, I haven't been bashing them on rocks! ). Oh yes, and my MGB, but that was BL so could have been at fault from the factory

Cheers,

Thanks, Graham. I too change steel and rubber lines "just in case" but the plastic material of the line in the Morgan seems to last very well. I always use Shell 100 octane though, which - as they say - doesn't contain ethanol over here.