Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) JTL asked me why

I had PMed him this, and not posted on TM. Well, no reason really, I have nothing to hide. So here you are.

Morgan update.

Well, my Morgan is 1989, and has done 83k miles, 60k of these I have driven. The veneer on the dash, which never was that special, had become split and chipped at the edges, and had a couple of cracks radiating out from the dials holes. These have been becoming worse as the years went on.

So, I had a bit of money put side, and thought, do I buy a new/newer Morgan or do I continue to update the old one. At £45k for a starter +4 4 seater I did not fancy taking that to supermarket when I go shopping etc. (see my signature "A Morgan is for life, not just for Sundays". So I thought, lets update the old car a bit more (I have upgraded the suspension and brakes, lights etc. etc..)

So, I took the dash to Classicdash to be re-veneered, (it turns out that Classicdash is staffed by two chaps who once worked for a company that made the dashboards for Morgan in the ‘80s). These guys knew what they were doing, and the issues with the Morgan dashes etc.

With the dash removed it was an ideal time to install an A frame, which as I’m sure you know, fits to the bulkhead. Last year I met three Morgan owners who independently said what an improvement this would make. I wait and see.

Installing the A frame meant that the carpets had to be removed, and replaced with some which would stretch around the A frame pipes. The old carpets had become torn and worn over the past 30 years. My Morgan footwell walls and gearbox tunnel are covered in carpet not leather. I’m having a full new set made so that everything matches. At the same time I’m having the leather strip that goes between the dash and the windscreen replaced, as well as the tops of the doors, and the thin strip around the base of the doorframe. I’m adding S/S door-stays at the same time.

With the dash out, I thought I would go the whole hog and buy cream dials with S/S bezels, and S/S cowling behind the steering wheel.

I’m at the stage that the A frame is in, the dash has been re-veneered, and the car now needs to go to the upholstery’s, but it cannot until the dash is in, and the dash can’t go in until the leather strip that goes between the dash and the windscreen has been recovered. A bit catch 22.

This week we are expecting the ‘upholsterer’ to visit, to cover this bit, then the dash can be inserted, and the car can go off to be fitted with all the carpets etc. The upholsterer we were originally going to use cannot do the job due to declining heath, so it had resulted in a chain of phone calls to find someone prepared to do it. Hopefully the chap we have in mind is reliable. We will see.

BTW, by ‘we’ I mean Tony Howard (of Tony Howard garage, ex-Chris Lawrence mechanic and onetime owner of one of the SLRs), who has been looking after my car – doing the tricky bits - ever since I first bought it.

So I don't mind how much it rains and snows whilst the car is still in bits.

Maybe an engine upgrade next winter………… .

See, nothing to hide

I like the title Steve . But you have not put how much its going to cost all of us to look at it when its all done SIR.
Or is this title just a fake to fool TM and a ploy so you can sniff the leather.

Just returned from Beamish Morgans in a tin top went to have a look and see if I could get in the back way as the front way past Beamish is always flooded and covered in thick wet mud and no change today.

Nice story Steve. Good luck with it!

Yep good luck.

+1

Looking forward to seeing the result!

I'm sure it will all work out to your satisfaction in the end Steve

+1

Great story. Enjoy the project.

Steve, I hope to see the car in action soon. It sounds an excellent project.

I sure like Your decision to upgrade the Old and not go for a newer Morgan. However upgrading the engine is an exercise I would not relish. The power per pound just does not equate. If I was going to upgrade My +8 engine I would replace it with a 3.0 V6 mainly to achieve better gas mileage. And get a power plant that I could take to the Ford Dealership for service. But I live in North Western U.S. Closest Morgan Dealer is 1,000 miles away from Me.