Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Duplex front suspension. Morgan organ accelerator

Adrian, I agree on my +4 it could have been the king pins.
I now use red & tacky & it works well on my Roadster

For a detailed analysis of Morgan front suspension, including the nodding dog syndrome, and a discussion of the developement of the Suplex front suspension refinement system by our very own PJB go to:
https://sites.google.com/site/morganatica/suspension/springs-progressive-rising-rate

I recently replaced my Konis with Rutherford AVOs. 2002 Plus8.
Initially set at
Front...+4 clicks.
Rear....softest.
The car has Mulfab springs and hard chrome kingpins, break reaction bars, panhard rod. No steering bearings...just standard damper blades.
There was an immediate improvement to rear as the old shocks were suspect. The front felt better too.
noted the improvements too.
I have just reset the front to +6 and it feels better again.
I regularly grease the kingpins and don't feel the need to fit Suplex. If I needed new kingpins or springs due to breakage then I would need to try a Suplex car before buying it. It would need to give a significant improvement though. I am happy with my set up as it is now. Maybe bearing upgrade to lighten the steering for parking etc but it is light enough when driving.

I think that one of the important things that Peter Ballard has demonstrated is the importance of not having the rebound spring exerting pressure on the underside of the sliding stub axle at the static (loaded) ride height of the car. It is for this reason that the Suplex system uses screw adjuster rings to set the correct ride height. If all cars weighed exactly the same this would not be necessary. Using the rising rate system the Suplex kit is able to utilize a softer initial spring rate which is what makes the ride more comfortable and, of course, the good quality dampers help too.

To retain good roll control Peter has specified very firm rebound springs. In effect this limits the inside wheel from being pushed down as the car begins to roll to the outside. For those who require an even stiffer roll rate the main springs from the race kit can be specified.

In principle I believe some of the other systems use the same concept but without the adjustability and the rising rate of the Suplex system. Careful adjustment of spring rates and lengths could achieve similar results but without the rising rate (to limit full bump events) and the adjustability of the Suplex kit.

At the end of the day it is a very personal choice and very dependent on the use the car is put to and the driving style of the owner.

Had a few return trips to new Elms as the Rutherford setup (I had hard chrome kp and mulfab rollers done at same time) revealed some unique properties of my Roadster.

Like the override brackets being fitted incorrectly and the mount points on the rear loop bar being none standard requiring bespoke avo shocks to stop them topping out on my car, with the various things ironed out on some after visits to them, quite happy with my "Oh and I've noticed this" to get it all resolved to my satisfaction.

My Roadster originally had quite a mix of bits bilstein and suplex springs Koni dampers that didn't!

More than happy customer and for me they are only 15 minutes away which is a bonus if I want to drop in and ask Tim a few things.

Thanks for the detail Mark.

A bit more than 50 minutes for me; more like a long day out.
And it seems that it will be a day out to agree the upgrade spec and a (very) long day if it can all be done in one go.
I will have the kingpins done at the same time and possibly steering bearings as Archie is soooo heavy at low speed.

So one day all done and dusted, or an overnight stay do you think Mark?

Overnight is probably the best bet Glenn - allows for unseen problems. Good excuse to have a wander around Shaftesbury

If you come down and have to make an overnight stay Mark and I will happily meet up for a natter and possibly food/wine/beer/whatever...

But as we both still work it has to be when we are free!!

As others have said there are various approaches to getting sorted Morgan suspension setup. The key is understanding what you are doing and what the result will be, and if that will fit with your driving style and requirements.

There are limitations in the original design IMO that has a limiting factor on what can be achieved. However there are various approaches, some more towards a sporty and stiffer feel, but at the cost of comfort, Suplex front end was originally aimed at a more comfort ride, but has been modded taking on changes for a more sportier feel. The trad rear end is somewhat limited by the leaf springs/beam axle, lack of rebound and bump control, and the usually poor shock absorbers that come as standard. I looked at the suspension set up at length, and discussed with various people more knowledgable than me and concluded that the rear end could be tamed with some not too expensive mods, giving better rebound and bump control. I never got to try my theories out as I moved to an Aero.

If I have another Trad I would stick with trad set up, Mulfab it, but modify the front top shock hanger and fit fully adjustable shock absorbers for bump and rebound control (about £1K), and I would play with the rear as implied earlier and similar shocks. So keeping the trad feel but with hopefully a setup that can be trimmed for how I feel and how I want it to perform.

Tim and Darren at New Elms have set up loads of cars, road and race and will certainly be able to advise and set you up with what is right for you. Be very clear how you want the car to feel.

Hi Guys I've just spoken with Cain at Wolf with regard to pedal set up. He has a new pedal set up and an adjustable setup in the pipeline for people like me with short legs,but also like to sit farther back from the steering wheel. So you guys/girls like me with short legs keep your eyes on the Wolf site