Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Nasty Scrape from rough road

I left a pub yesterday evening in my 3.7. The exit was on a nasty, rough incline with an uneven surface. Pulling away I heard a horrendous scraping from underneath my car. The car drove fine and seems ok in its handling but immediately after the scrape there was a horrible noise from the underside and wheels which sounded like bits of dust swirling around in the wheels. This stopped after about a minute.

The car is in for its service next month so I will get this checked. Does anyone think this could be an issue or just a routine scrape the car can withstand?

Scraped mine a few times on speed bumps. Initially the overlong seat bolts would touch and/or the inverted U section cross member where it dips under gearbox. Shortened bolts and also exhaust bobbin excess thread so now only the cross member to catch. Oh forgot to mention tail pipes also scraped slightly on broad humps but a thing of the past now with side pipes

Can only add that scrapes always sound worse than any damage done. Maybe a peek underneath with a torch wouldn't go amiss but doubt you will see anything untoward.

Phew ! Good to know - thanks Richard.

Why not fit a chassis-cross-member rub plate? It also protects the brake pipe on mine as you can see here.

https://www.wolfperformance.co.uk/product/trad-chassis-cross-member-rub-plate/

Thanks Craig. That’s a good tip and I wasn’t aware of that product. I might ask Richard Thorne to look at that when I service the car.

Williams also sell them here:


https://www.williamspartsshop.co.uk/front-chassis-protection-guard-2141-p.asp

Does it lower the ride height though, making more crashing noises whilst protecting the chassis cross member?

Because the crossmember is an inverted U shape, occasionally owners have grounded and got stuck.

The skid plate is maybe 3mm thick but covers the edges of the "U" making getting stuck less likely.

David, as others have said probably caught the crossmember, it always sounds awful but usually just removes the protective underseal coat

One watchpoint on 3.7's is the thin steel plate shown here that protrudes low



As it serves no purpose, I carefully ground mine away (the bubbly stuff on the crossmember is some waxoil spray to replace the scraped edge)

Yes it does and yes it would which is why I haven't been tempted. Brake lines are nowhere near the lowest points on our Roadsters BTW. Hopefully not on any others either.