Talk Morgan Forums Community Welcome Forum Hello from a river

Hello all, I was never very good at these and….;

As the title says, I am looking for your opinions and (hopefully seamlessly) blending in an introduction to me (as that’s where most forum journeys start). Before I proceed: please accept an apology, I can go on a bit and I am now; please accept a thank you (for reading this far and potential to the end of this trebly compiled literature). Now, I’ll share what I intend to write about – allowing people to, skip ahead (or about), decide if they’d like to read on, gain a rough idea of the layout. I envisage, ‘telling a tail’ that introduces my morgan, my self, my family and I hope it will mostly be chronologically ordered; so will conclude with ‘stuff about the future’.

My Morgan (Turnip or Milly): is a late 90;s morgan 4/4 with a ford engine in Volvo’s summer forest green. It was brought into my family by my Father around 10 years ago. He has wanted one since he was a boy and with his son (me) working within the ‘custom, classic, racing, academic and country’ fields of the automotive industry… we decided he would get one. The next and final 10 years of my fathers life contained Milly being exchanged between us both 9with various legal, moral and financial divisions). I believe that my Turnip is completely factory, with no modifications and some standard quibbles.

My self (Leon N.): (I think it is lovley that ‘actual‘ names are enforced) am a father of two, engineer and cyclist. When my father got Milly, I was, as a mature student, early in my academic career. I had been working on older cars as a mechanic and fabricator; I did an engineering degree that I continued until ‘contributing to our knowledge on turbulence’. Alongside my academic work, I ‘made ends meet’ working as a driver for a car manufacturer. I got a bonked on the noggin from a lorry and everything changed.

My family: consist of my mother, two children, two cats, a dog, 5 cars and 4 bicycles. I expect I personify inanimate objects more than most people (e.g. all my cars have names – because they are my companions). My mum is really old. My children are both in primary school. My two cars are my children’s pets, I don’t like cats; I mean them no hard and I feed them twice a day. My dog is okay, she barks a lot; but, she is keeping my mother company for a few weeks. 5 cars is a welcome restriction to the 10 I had in my marriage (something that ended soon after I came out of the coma induced by the lorry bonking). In age order, Easel is a series one land rover, Turnip is a Morgan 4/4, Venture’s a land rover 110 (r&d TD5). Willy is a track day MX-5 (with r&d very fast road, bumpy track, Nürburgring suspension) & Amazon is a BIG diesel Jaguar XF in ‘demonstration specification’… he was all set (in the factory) up for ‘looking good’ (professionally) on the pre-mentioned German road. All my bicycles are both steel and hand made in the U.K.. I am the least patriotic person I know and most of my bicycles were gifted to me from companies that wanted to show their appreciation for the cycling I did (pre-bonk). My legal team call the companies my sponsors, but I think that makes me sound too pro., so ‘kind companies’ feels better.
What Turnip will do now: As a ‘bone stock’ car that belongs to a chap who helps manufacturers build the best cars they can, I believe that no one car is the best for all situations and most should be adapted for the lives they will lead. The zetec will stay, as it’s a rather popular engine and parts will be easy to find (while touring in Europe) thank bits for a Coventry engine. I don’t want the morgan to have a roll hoop or fancy wheels. I want it to look like a morgan, Toddies little runabout. I don’t want its front wheels to judder on briskly navigated roundabouts. I’d like it’s throttle pedal to feel a bit closer to my race car (a triumph engined M.G. that overtook a German I8 round the outside of poohon on a press event in Belgium). I’d like it to feel more ‘sprightly and focussed’ when we get its German sticker in the summer and id like the drive there and back to be enjoyed (I have endured enough…). So, my plan.., Id like your opinions and thoughts about this, the order is important but I don’t want you think this is the order I plan.

1) Wider wire wheels for spirited drives with more modern tires that are less important to the suspension.
2) anti tramp bars, to deal with the extra….. and prevent the already apparent tramping.
3) phannard bar, to bring the back ends lateral variation inline with my feelings.
4) exhaust is rattily and needs replacing, I expect with a manifold too.
5) fast road pads (probably yellow stuff) and braded brake lines with blue stuff flued, to give him more readable break feel.
6) whatever bar or damper stops the steering judder
7) new dampers up front
8) the air filtration and scavenging location is less than ideal. I don’t want a turbo, I think I.T.B.’s will weight I haven’t (yet) thought of a solution to this….. ? (remember, I am not looking to fit a F.W.M.)

So… I have written enough for now, hello, thanks for reading and please ask question and share your opinions.

Welcome to TM .... from the sound of it a chat with Montague on here might be useful to you ... there seem parrallels when it comes to your plans for the car and useage.

Look forward to hearing how things progress.

Keith

Ps ... your racecar? .... what MG with what Triumph engine, if I might ask?

Hi I have a 1990 4/4 with a Zetec engine.I went down the route of wider tyres and rims.
I ended up giving them away and reverted back to the originals.
The car handles far better in the narrow roads of North Wales.
I find tyre pressures most important .
There will be more qualified opinions.
The best mod I had fitted were brake reaction bars

Welcome to TM. Whatever your plans to your MOG, someone, somewhere in TM will have fixed it, bashed it or binned it!

Regards

Welcome to the crazy world of TM Leon

Thank you re. Montague... I'll 'look them up'.

Re. my Racing Build - hank was an 'M.G. midget' that was built with at 1500 triumph engine. It remained 1500 cc and had much development to achieved a 99.(something) dino. run (as its best). I wanted 100+ but never got to that and (sadly) I lost the car to my ex-wife.

Is there a 'tyre of choice' that doesn't overheat and performs like a cross ply... and a preferred tire size ??

My mind comes to: the differences in 'melted rubber' build up on (the sides) tred blocks using different 'budget' and / or 'performance' tires - Dunlop CR65's that I used mon my M.G. and 165 or 600x15 or... or .... or....

Dave and CooperMan --- Thank you :-)

Hi Leon ... have sent you a PM rather than clutter up your thread with MG chat (flashing little 'envelope' icon top right on your page)

K

Well welcome from another river Ribble lover . I know little about the engineering side of Morgans but I can tell you I once ‘swam’ ( crawled, stumbled etc etc ) 7 miles down the Ribble back in the Mid 60s. Lots of other divers and it did make the Nationals with a comment and picture of me - now it might not have made the local press.
Also the River Lune at Devils Bridge in Kirby Lonsdale was my very fist Scuba dive and it was wonderful and had many Salmon at that time.. I was so excited I cannot remember water entering my wetsuit. - vivid memories of that dive still 60 years later !

So Mr RibbleAdventures you are in my thoughts and I wish you well and enjoy Morganing and TM
Best from Lancashire Lad , MM