Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing How hard can it be? - Fitting Brake Reaction Bars

After doing much research on here before taking the plunge I figured that some owners had tyre inner side wall rubbing issues and some didn't. Maybe I'd be lucky. It turns out that I'm not but there you go. Yer pays yer money....
Anyway, that's not the reason for the post. The bars are the Mulfab ones and before fitment I was sure to follow Cain's excellent fitting guide on his webpage. Unfortunately not well enough as it turns out.
You see - I've mounted them with the bar sandwiched between the oiler bolt and the top and bottom lube bolt washers thus:



If I'd studied Cain's instructions in greater detail I would see that he has the bar mounted directly on top of the shock absorber bracket underneath the lube washers thus:



'Bugger' was my initial thought because in order to change my arrangement to match Cain's photo would result in a 6mm (ish) drop in the bar which would mean that the chassis bolt hole for the bar would now be in the wrong position and I certainly don't want to drill more holes in the chassis so close to the ones I'd just created. Further more, this drop would also result in the bar moving outboard further and further restrict the wheel lock. Quandary!

So I took to the forum and saw some pictures that Dave W had posted up which included the top mounting arrangement of his reaction bars - which is the same as mine:



So - have I made a major blunder in which case I'll remove the bars and pretend it never happened or should I stop fretting because it doesn't really matter? I do take some comfort in the thought that if it's good enough for Dave then it will be good enough for me

Bob

You have got it in one , leave well alone and just enjoy it , drilling more chassis holes than is absolutely necessary is to be avoided at all costs.

Bob


I must have fitted something like 20 sets for kingpin customers and have always put them exactly where you did. All is good!

BR
Colin

That is how I fitted mine to 3 cars.

My view is that the two shaped washers are there to accommodate lateral movement of the lower kingpin mount to achieve desired camber via the camber plate adjuster on later models with this adjustment. The washers allow the kingpin oiler bolt to tighten down squarely through a small range of angles. This can only happen accurately if the two washers are immediately under the bolt with their shaped surfaces facing in to each other and so working together.

My factory fitted reaction bars were mounted thus concurring with the image shown in Cains instructions. Mounting the reaction bars above the washers makes a farce of the provision of such washers despite seemingly something you can get away with.

As a side note if the reaction bar is mounted lower at the top, the point at which it interfaces with the chassis would be further back. Wouldn't this reduce the likelihood of tyre touching same on full lock?

Makes sense to me, but would this only become an issue if one wanted to actually adjust the camber angle? Then it might become a bit of a pain as presumably one would need to remove the reaction bar before doing the adjustment and refit it afterwards.

Thank you for the responses. I am reassured.



But the chassis widens front to back. Craig Jezz has the bars fitted as per Cains instructions and apparently the inner side wall still rubs.

Sorry Bob it was just an after thought.

FWIW I don't have tyre rubbing issues on my Roadster although the brake hoses can rub both sides on full lock. I have added spiral plastic protection because of this and keep a regular eye on them.

Regarding the mounting of reaction bars hopefully you can appreciate my comments with regard to the logic of fitting them below the shaped washers. This of course is only relevant to cars with adjustable camber plate and rounded upper kingpin ends to match, introduced sometime during 2011 I understand so obviously applies to yours.

Richard,
No absolutely. My main concern was around the safety of the order of the bits I had fitted underneath the oiler bolt i.e. Mine - oiler bolt, reaction bar, bolt washers, shock bracket versus Cain - oiler bolt, bolt washers, reaction bar, shock bracket.
I do see what you're saying but as a few have fitted them as I have with no apparent adverse effects I'm guessing all is well.

Having drilled the holes in the chassis I would agree that leaving "well alone" was probably the best course of action. It doesn't make it right though, hence my comments for the benefit of others contemplating the same after market addition.

Note also the people that agreed they have fitted the bars as per your sequence probably for the most part had pre adjustable camber cars where the shaped washers are not needed as the top oiler bolt shoulder pulls up square onto the top rail suspension mount and bracketry in between.