Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) 1996 Plus 4 Chassis drillings in offside rail

Can anyone give an explanation for the unused drillings in the offside chassis rail? There are 2 about 300mm behind the cross brace under the gearbox that penetrate through into the drivers footwell.
The only closure here is the backing to the interior trim that is glued to the inside of the body panel.
Having removed the carpet to inspect the floor panel, it was evident that at some time in the past water had soaked into the wood.
As I've only owned the car from April this year and not had it out in the wet, it is clear that this happened some time back in cars history.

There are another pair of drillings in the chassis rail further back which penetrate the area under/behind the drivers seat. Again, you can actually put a screw driver in and push against the backface of the interior trim.

Other than to let water into the car interior I can't think of any purpuse for these drillings.
Any reason not to plug and seal with grommets?

Jon

What's it like on the other side Jon? No holes?
I have some holes drilled in the wrong place in the floorboards which I've filled. Use a bit of wood filler in the wood if you can get at it, and grommets will be OK in the metal.

Dave,
These are in the chassis rail, not the floorboards.
The exhaust system is mounted on the nearside. Can't see unused holes at the front although I can see one at the rear. Again adjacent to underside/rear of seat.
As on the offside, I can see the back of the interior trim.
Makes no sense to me. Just inviting water into the car interior.
I think these are factory drillings not someone getting something wrong later.
Car has only done 8000 miles with 2 non DIY owners.

Jon

I am not familiar with such newfangled things like cars from 1996 but could it be that the same chassis was used for 4/4's or +8's with the exhaust mountings in other locations? Not closing the surplus holes would be standard Morgan practice (with the intention to give the owner the satisfaction of having done something himself).

Frank, in a sarcastic mood

I think you are right in saying that they are possibly exhaust bracket mounting points. Not sure what other models use the same chassis as a +4.
I've put in rubber grommets and oversprayed with underseal.
I'm planning on laying the car up shortly and will spend the winter months repainting and resealing the underbody.

Jon

I think you have the same chassis as a +8, which with two exhaust pipes might explain some of the extra holes...

Cheers,

I'm pretty sure that in '96 a +4 would have had a +4 chassis. The MMC only standardised chassis (On the heavier +8 Chassis) in 2004(?)

Brian

My 97 +4 has I think a +8 chassis with two exhaust holes etc

Possible Brian, but the +4 became the same width as the +8 around '92 / '93. I'd guess that was when commonality of chassis occurred - certainly the M16 and later T16 +4s used the same gearbox as the +8s of the period.

Cheers,

Hi Graham,
Yep. My Bad,. The mid 90's spec for +8 and +4 have the same gearbox and same width. So it would seem unlikely that they had different chassis.

Brian