Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Galvanised chassis

Well thanks Peter - I enjoyed that - because it added to my understanding of what this all means!

Well done!

Is the Aero chassis repairable after a deforming shunt?

I don't have a definitive answer; however based on its complexity, I would think, "No" or at the very least "Not easily"

I agree with that - any triangulation of the structure will be really difficult to re-jig, and any replacement panels (and I doubt you could get them) would have to be properly stuck with the correct'glue'.
What you don't want is a shed repair - sheet aluminiun bent roughly to shape and pop riveted, then styled to look right. No doubt somewhere this has been tried. If not on an Aero, most certainly on an Elise.

Careful Peter. That sounds like sacrilege to me. You are likely to get drummed out of TM after being coated in underbody sealer and wood shavings.

Actually I don't see why an alloy chassis could not be made using square and/or rectangular section tubing. It can be done with motorcycle frames so why not a car chassis?

An alloy chassis would need to be re-homologated and MMC couldn't justify the cost, I suspect. But Peter, you are right. A 4/4 with an incredibly stiff alloy ladder chassis and IRS.....
Plus the Mini engine from the JCW car...
What's not to drool over?

It is interesting that the rear of the year on the new Aero 8 is thermoformed and welded, not panel beaten. This will allow the use a of stronger, corrosion resistant alloy, reducing the one small area of corrosion around the rear lights on the early series Aeros.

Do you know the weight of a bare chassis without the front frame?

The Aero chassis is around 151 kg, picked in this charts (cf page 20).

http://fr.slideshare.net/altairhtcus/driven-at-heart-optimisation-and-correlation-of-a-morgan

Here is ABT's view of the process, some background info to fuel the interesting galvanization/autophoretic debate, about which I am not qualified to comment...

Interesting. Thanks for posting Peter.
If it is as good as they say it should be a good move for Morgan in protecting the steel chassis.

It does however mean that the sacrificial anode effect of the hot dipped zinc no longer protects the steel, and to a degree the aluminium. The aluminium of the body becomes the next lowest on the galvanic scale. I guess time will tell if it really is a good move or not.

I think it all comes down to cost. For a DIY type like myself, I think a Marine Grade Oil Based Primer followed by a Marine Grade Oil Based Gloss Black does the job just fine. My Morgans are garaged, although not heated. Actually I use this same system on the Wood Body Frame. My Morgans are used Rain or Shine and often put away wet. When I do spot a bit of wood rot I treat the area with "CPRES" a epoxy product. One item that helps Me. I do not upholster the door rocker area and forward to the bulkhead. This way I can see it and water is not trapped. In order to make the door rocker area look a bit better (it does look a bit raw) I fill this area with 1/4" strips of ash and then disk sand to form a nice smooth threshold which I can paint or varnish. The "CPRES" treatment is interesting as it impregnates the rotten wood with epoxy. Epoxy does not rot and one can not tell it was used (if painted over). I know "NOT ORIGINAL".

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