Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Car Hoist Lifting Points

This is mine, just about to get her up for winter waxing/greasing/checking, and maybe differential
and gearbox oils also. Similar to Britmog, uses a drill, or long manual winder (good for muscle building and aerobic exercise!) I've just bought an 18v drill that looks ike it will cope in short bursts. (Not the vintage one in the picture!)

Lift points are Front crossmember U channel and the rear crossmember (where front of the Leaf springs mount). Those lifts are not really suitable for Morgans apparently.

Do you mean the two post?

No not just 2 posts, the chassis is just not strong enough to take those lifts, also you have all those bolts coming through the chassis where the lift arms will support the car. This is advice given to me by someone far more knowledgable than me. Morgan approved agent.

I've been using the quickjack on my 1991. If you get the block for the "pinch" joint, it fits perfect on the front cross member behind the wheels. It fits the u channel.

My thoughts are that the lift point pads are ok to support Z cross section chassis providing they are positioned to overlap the vertical outer edge of chassis rails. Lifting solely on the horizontal bottom section, even where re-inforced is a no-no as it will tend to bend it upwards.

For the rear using the pads against outer ends of stout square cross member which appears to be of thicker walled steel than main chassis rails is a no brainer. My car has been up and down on my scissor lift innumerable times with no signs of chassis distortion.

The telltale liftpoint images Rog posted, although not of his doing, I would be wary of.

Yep, same here The chassis at these points is well able to withstand the load if the lift block overlaps the vertical part.

In 2015 I made finite element modelling on a 2005 PLUS 4 chassis making assumptions on the weight distribution but checking that I got the same measured weight on the wheels than during the MOT.
It could give an idea of the structural deformation and stress in the chassis and particulary in the girder which is a critical element.

For example when you lift the car under the first cross member ( see picture :point de levage) the maximum constraint is 4.84 daN/mm².

The maximum is 6,26 daN/mm² (von Mises constraint) when you lift the car by the rear croos member.
Minimum is on front cross frame (3,11 daN/mm²).

I don't know what steel is used by Morgan, but with a 36 daN/mm² elasticity limit steel you get a safety coefficient of 6.

You can use any cross member without stressing the chassis, some are better than other.

There are some very clever people on this forum! 👍

Although I'd aim for always using the strongest point that gives least stress to the chassis, it's good to know that alternatives won't cause damage in a situation where that might not be possible.

K

It begs the question of how the dealers lift the cars using their commercial lifts if a Morgan chassis is so “ fragile”.
The Holden scissor lift is tempting me and the videos on their website show it in action.
If I jack up my Morgan it is always front or back, never one corner. Never had to use the small jack to change a wheel yet either.
Jacking beam for the rear and central on the Crosshead at the front. Axle stands at recommended points where triangulation points of crossmembers/ chassis parts coincide