Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Rustproofing & Chassis Rust

I am in the UK & I have been looking at buying a 3 wheeler and love the car. I have looked at new & used examples and have noticed that they seem prone to rust on chassis parts that I can see & presumably on those parts that I cannot. The finish on the examples that I have seen is not great. Given the age of the cars, the fact that they are normally garaged and their tendency to be a fair weather car I am concerned about this.

I am also concerned about the inside of the chassis tubes and corrosion coming from the inside out in the longer term.

Have owners done anything to keep their 3 wheelers both looking good and be long lived with regard to rust?

Have I just been unlucky in the examples that I have seen?

While you can drive them in adverse conditions, I have avoided doing so to the best of my ability and I have no corrosion issues on my 2012. The two times that it has seen rain, I thoroughly dried it off afterwards.

Welcome to TM. You are correct in that paint finish on chassis components is poor, but I believe recent cars are better. Inside the front hubs was not painted but recent cars are. I had the front wings repainted due to rusting & headlamp brackets replaced due to flacking.
I have started spraying the front suspension & exposed chassis tubes with ACF50. It leaves a slightly oily, shiny finish which seems to be resisting rust well. I suppose the chassis tubes could be injected with waxoyl or dinitrol but I have not done this. The body paint finish is excellent. My car is not a fair weather car I use it year round & I'm out this afternoon in it. Hope this helps.

Tim

That is what I expected owners to do but it doesn't change the fact that there were bits of rust in hard to reach places on the examples that I have inspected.

You do not seem to get the same problems with a Caterfield.

Maybe you've answered your own question, then..??

If you want one, you'll have one. If you want to nit pick about rust spots, choose something else. They're still far too new to worry about chassis rusting from the inside, and as an owner if that's what you worry about, get some stuff inside the tubes.

That are what they are, fun things to drive & own. Many owners invest a huge amount of love and pampering on them, many don't. Just like any other enthusiast car, really..

If you're asking are they rust buckets, then the answer is unknown.

If you're asking if you should take a punt and get one, only you can decide.

The finish on mine is excellent.

Steve
Possibly yes. If owners regard rust - and the poor quality control that it might imply - as "nit picking" then I regret it.

As I said Catherham & Westfield - who are also price sensitive small volume producers do not seem to have the problem so it is not unavoidable.

It is a pity as the Morgan is such a delightful reverse trike.

Tim
It is good to hear that the paint on newer ones is probably better. Hopefully with this, the chassis and drive pulley etc changes they are now making the cars much better all round. It is certainly true that the second hand examples that I have seen were early cars and the new ones at the dealers looked beautiful.

It is good that ACF 50 is controlling any problems.

As somebody who believes it best to spot a problem early & deal with it I am inclined to think that I would protect the inside chassis tubes. The cracking front chassis issues might suggest that there might not be a lot of spare strength.

There was a whole reply from Steve here which has now gone! This is my answer to that reply.

Steve,

I am sorry if I gave the impression of being arrogant. You gave the impression of being sharp.

I was really rather more disappointed. I know that Morgan do not achieve Rolls Royce standards of finish and that owning one is a hobby in itself before even talking about driving but given what I guess is a very coddled usage I was rather surprised at the finish imperfections of the used examples that I have seen. I would be buying a new one but would have been disappointed if mine had these problems in a couple of years. I thought that looking at used examples would give me a useful indicator of potential problems.

I have been reading the forum and I am aware of the problems reported here. I have been holding off the purchase for a while waiting for development of the car to mature and I am hoping that mechanically we are getting nearer and summer is coming. Finish wise I was not so sure.

Chris

Chris,
May I suggest that, if you haven't already, you visit Krazy Horse in Bury.
They are a great bunch of chaps and I'm sure they will be able to put your mind at rest. They are also very clued up on S&S things.
As for your comments about Morgans quality in general, you will get a very balanced argument from every one on this forum.
Yes, they can be a pain at times but they are hand built cars which reward a caring owner and I think all will agree that the caring, fettling and just down right messing about with them is one of the many pleasures.
With the greatest respect, if you don't subscribe to this theory then you may be well advised to put your hard earned into something else and save the pain.
Re. Caterhams, a couple of people I know have them and they are no better or worse than a Morgan and IMHO no where as nice.
I hope you find what you are looking for.

I can state from experience that large chunks of powder coating fell off my caterham chassis leaving it pronevto rusting...

A perfectly reasonable question and one I can relate to myself - especially as a relatively new owner to the Morgan marque. If you cannot ask the difficult questions here, where can you ask them?

Coming from a lifetime on two wheels I am fascinated by the M3W and would dearly love to have one day. When I started looking at M3W in dealerships the first thing I noticed on the used and demo models was the rust and how unsightly it looked. As a prospective owner it was a concern.....so my heart was saying 'I can deal with that - because I would look after mine properly!' whilst my head was saying 'if it looks like that now, what will it look like in a few years time'. The rust alone was bad enough but when it was coupled with the 'teething' problems experienced by owners of the first editions it was enough to make me a wait a little.

Again, coming from two wheels, I know how motorcycles can look really tatty, really quickly if they are not looked after properly and without a certain amount of care the M3W, with all its exposed bits and pieces will quickly go the same way (people who own them may not agree with me course!). Everyday tin tops do too....the only difference is that the bits tend to be hidden by the bodywork.

It is my understanding that a lot of the early problems have been rectified (pun intended for those who make the connection) and so the head versus the heart argument is now more balanced. For me it is anyway, so much so that I have been seriously looking at going from my Plus 4 to a M3W, for no other reason than driving pleasure/excitement (and there's nothing wrong with the Plus 4). Having both would be ideal but I fear a step too far for other members of my household!

I also understand that there are many owners who are absolutely thrilled with their M3W vehicles, and any issues they have to deal with probably pale into insignificance when compared to the thrill of driving one of these beasts (and of course there may well be owners who have no issues at all). That said, I do believe that when you pay a premium price you have a right to expect to get more than just exclusivity, you should also expect a first class product. 'Quirkiness' should not equate to 'Poor Engineering' in any way, shape or form - or be excused by the old adage of 'they all do that sir'. I think one has to be very wary of confusing blind enthusiasm with the realities of ownership. Caveat Emptor!

To be fair, I also think that Caterfields (as you so delicately put it) can, if not looked after, look pretty ratty pretty quickly too - again I know that from looking at a lot of them when I decided to give up motorcycling. As with Morgans, it is, even for a rank amateur such as myself, easy to spot something that has been looked after and something that has been neglected.

So, if I were where you are now I would continue to seek advice from those best placed to give you their honest opinions in order to help you make an informed decision. At the end of the day only you can make the decision, but at least it will be an informed decision and one that you will have taken having balanced up the pull of 'the angel and the devil' that sit on your shoulders at times like this.

I would have one in a flash.....and armed with some ACF50....and a few other bits and bobs I don't think it would be any more difficult to look after than a large motorcycle. The engineering side of life is, to some extent, in the lap of the gods and, as someone said earlier, for some items and issues it is too early to tell. In the meantime you could be having the time of your life.....and if you buy new then you will also have a warranty for peace of mind....always assuming it is honoured!

Apologies for prattling on....do let us know how you fare.