Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Aero 8, 2012< Plus 8, SuperSports, Coupe & Aeromax Aluminium chassis - winter use/salt

The aluminium itself wont fare too badly. Yes it will oxidise but the oxide film is tenacious and it then protects the metal underneath. Remember the school chemi lessons demonstrating this? Strip the oxide layer of ally and drop it in water and it fizzes away to nothing. On the other hand your wife's ally pans stand up to boiling the sprouts into submission in salty water for years.

The issue with Aero bodies and Astons and Loti and F types will be that where you have steel fixings directly touching ally. If you then add an electrolyte in the form of a salt solution you create a battery and the anode ( the ally) gets eaten away. called galvanic corrosion. This affects the suspension mounts on the Elise and it does spectacular damage to the old Astons which were ally clad steel frames with no insulation in between. Where the ally is solid rather than sheet, it will mean that steel bolts into ally castings will become permanent because the oxide produced uses up more space than the metal its produced from so the fit gets ever tighter and its lubricated by that well known abrasive aluminium oxide.

This issue is a complete PITA on boats where you have lots of stainless bolts into ally fittings and sea water sloshing about. So personally I wouldnt dream of using an ally bodied car on salty roads. Particularly one like a Morgan where you tend to own for long enough for problems to show up and where a company like MMC cant apply the same sort of undersealing technology that the likes of Porsche can.

And referring to another thread this is one good reason why GRP bodied cars are better than ally bodied ones.

I agree with Viper.

You have to put it into perspective. If I had a 2005 steel car I would probably be dealing with rust and other issues.

The areas where dirt collects cause the issues.
Top corners of the windscreen.
Around the front indicators.
In the wheel arches.
Around the rear light tunnels.

These seem to be consistent on the early versions of the Aero.

Consistent cleaning so no deposits build up along with the use of ACF50 seems to be sensible. When you think about it you treat the painted surfaces with expensive waxes.

Some very good points, I think I will have to invest in some ACF50 soon.. although I am sure I read somewhere on here that is isn't as good as another alternative?

One thing I will be looking at this Friday is the car lifts at the NEC, I would love something to allow me to get under the Aero properly.. although maybe thats a bad idea as it would probably end up concours!

There is no easy answer as all chassis materials have the potential to degrade. If your car is a keeper there is no substitute for regular inspections and attention. There are no magic life time protection systems. What TimH says re the lift makes so much sense and is the ultimate solution. If I didn’t have easy access to the underside a lift would be a high my priority list. I’m fortunate as I have a two storey garage so can easily roll back the floor and walk underneath the car. Not a week goes by without being under there for one reason or another. My chassis is easily inspected, wiped off with an old rag and a fresh coat of ACF50 applied when needed. That’s all I use and the chassis is as it left the factory.

That looks fantastic, although it needs a minimum clearance of 11cm..

Amazon - Karcher Underbody Lance This might work though..

Roger's method is the best way. Regular inspections over winter with remedial work as necessary. On the new Trads with the autophoretic coating on the chassis, the points to watch are the front edge of the chassis, the joint between the chassis and the cross tube frame and the double skinned triangles at the base of the bulkhead. I don't jetwash because it's possible to force water where it shouldn't get. I've occasionally used a hand pump garden spray to rinse off after cleaning but this has much less pressure.
I'll be using mine when I can through the winter. Life's too short and one thing is pretty certain. Your Morgan will still be around when you're not.

Definitely good advice, I need to invest in some sort of lift that is suitable for an Aero 8 - but will work in a garage with standard height (7/8ft from ground?) beams.

Part of the problem is not being able to get under it, which makes me worry more about usage.

The series one Aero tub is made from a specially formulated Alcan material specifically designed for use in vehicle structures. It was the first production car to use this material.
It was also tested extensively at BMW's Miramas test facility where the chassis was given the full BMW salt spray test, hot/cold testing, etc.
Just drive it...
It's not going to turn in to dust like the wicked witch of the west the moment it sees some water.....

Simon @ SiFab.co.uk

I have been thinking of a scissor lift for a while.
Decent ones come at £1200+.
Holdens just started selling one.
The design of them mean some restriction in access due to cross beams etc so it is a compromise.
They give a lift height of up to about 1m so ok for home garages.
I still have them on my radar.
Manmaths needed to get past

My 4/4 sport is undersealed & galvanised and seems to have little corrosion after 6 years of use all year round and living outside. Life is too short to worry - enjoy the drive and drive through puddles when the salting season stops.