Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Indicator / Wiper stalk bending?

As my old indicator (Lucas SQB119) and wiper stalk (Lucas 39899a) are not in the best condition anymore didn't hesitate when I saw an offer for a good pair on Ebay.
They finally arrived (Custom clearing for goods from the UK suck so much here in Germany after Brexit...) and I thought it will be an easy job to replace them.

But who would want to work on a Morgan if things would always be straightforward?

What I just noticed is that the old stalks were bent significantly to fit in front of the dashboard. Is this standard for the 4/4 from the 80th?

Has anyone here installed new stalks before and had to bend them?
If so - are there recommendations on the best way to do this? Sure a pair of pliers will do the job - but maybe there is an elegant way of doing it?

Looking forward to getting your recommendations.
Thanks,
Tim


The lower stalk on the picture is the new one.

Normally not such a bend , more a sort of 30 deg angle.
Info here Stalk

Tim my 1990 4/4 had the same bend as yours.
I put plenty of tape around and very gently bent it over a small pipe.
Kept trying in place to make sure it cleared.

I'd recommend using something like this for bending thin walled tube.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/lever-tube-bender-6-8-9mm/17898

I had to replace mine on my previous 1994 Plus 8 and used a vice with guards on and and adjustable 6" Bahco wrench with taped up jaws, it is a heart in the mouth moment for sure but it does work.
Good luck Tim.

Mine originally had the same style bend as yours, but I kept hitting it with my knee when getting in and sounding the horn.

When I blew the contacts with Halogen bulbs, I swapped to a straight shorter one from a Mini. Had to spice in the wiing to the original connector but works much better with the 14" wheel.

GoMog has some tips - Bending stalk

Yes they work, or a brake pipe bender, your local garage may lend you one
https://www.carbuilder.com/uk/brake-pipe-bender-for-316-inch

Thank you - this helps me a lot. I just ordered the exact same tool listed on screwfix for 13€ from Amazon.
I will add PVC tape around it when I bend it. I shortly considered using the vice - but I wasn't really up to for the "heart in the month moment" that Richard suggested.

As I made a few modifications to my car (EZ Powersteering mounted in a way that the steering wheel is almost exactly parallel to the dashboard) - I also found out that I can mount the stalk with the plastic notch just in front of the column. While this is only about a centimeter closer to the steering wheel - it already helps with the clearance.

If I can get hands on a pair of Mini stalks that have a different angle (like on the picture from TBM) - I will also give this is try.

Thankyou all for the quick feedback - this is always helpful. Knowing that others have went through similar issues makes problems in the garage more bearable

Tim

Tim

Just be aware that the hollow Ali tube used for the stalks work hardens and becomes brittle. Bend slow and bend once, we used to tweak them back in the day on Allegro and Marina but you only ever bend them once and never through the angle shown in your picture.

Good luck.

BR
Colin