Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) More on Brake reaction Stay fitting

As Doug pointed out, the tyre gets closer to the BRB as it rises, and the 4/4 is the closest model of Trad.

Not sure how using a jack under kingpin helps on this particular job although accept you need to be aware that main spring is not held in place by other than compression against underside of top cross member once kingpin bolt is removed. As suggested a screwdriver can be inserted into the kingpin threaded hole for security. I use a short tapered drift though which also helps in accurately centering (or maintaining same) for easier replacement of top bolt.

Regarding avoiding damage to chassis, in the case of severe pothole shock for example, it's the bottom stay that usually suffers the most and that is slotted at the chassis end and clamped tight by fixings, including large thick washer, which allows some give, on later versions at least. You need not worry about BRB in this respect as the bends at each end provide natural give.

Thanks- I will check clearance more closely- but i didn't notice a problem during the test drive. Re Richard's Point- i wasn't clear in the video but if you look closely I jacked up the hub, not the Kingpin.

James

Jacking up the hub if kingpin bolt removed could be dangerous and unseat the upper end of main spring as its put into greater compression. There is (or should be) plenty of residual compression in main spring, with suspension unloaded, to hold its upper end in position. If it has moved though, with the precaution of having some temporary but loose locating device in kingpin threaded hole such as short screwdriver or allen key, it can usually be moved a little to realign for ease of kingpin bolt replacement.

Pretty good show there caveman. And a nice neat job too! If you are worried about your upper conical washer set looking different each side then remember its an hand built car and is probably due more in fact to when the camber angles were set up and the slight differences in chassis and crosshead each side would account for this. Pre 2012 cars do not have this camber adjustment, The lower crosshead pin mounting points are fixed and have closed ends.. if anyone finds that they have differing camber angles on these cars which is causing problems it is possible to modify the crosshead to rectify this, Another story for another day though!

FWIW, And for others who will want to carry this BRB mod out, If you don't support the bottom end of the suspension you will have to re-jack it into position anyway and also control the spring tension when removing the oiler bolt then potentially have alignment issues on refit which can be frustrating, some cars I have had experience of can put rotational stresses to the bottom end of the suspension from the crosshead, this causes real headaches on realignment of the upper pin . This is why I had suggested that a minute amount of lift is seen to the lower crosshead (axle tube) when supporting the pin for position which assures one that adequate locational force has been applied.
When the oiler bolt is then loosened it should unscrew with little effort, hand use should suffice or very easy tool effort! If there is obvious resistance, STOP and reassess the cause! When the oiler bolt is removed instantly insert a tool of choice to act as a safety device and make sure you either have the safety in place or the oiler bolt when working on the top of the pin.
Jacking under the hub won't hurt but for cars with 5 nut alloys this is not possible, just leaving the disc which can rotate and loosen the pressure if used for that purpose, not good! I use direct contact to the lower pin so I am applying direct linear pressure along the line of the pin and not possibly introducing a rotational force by pushing the outer hub edge upwards and if there are issues with pin wear this can cause the hub to jam on the pin and not in fact apply adequate pressure to the top mount.

So, This is a fantastic mod to make to a car that hasn't got them fitted but, I have to stress again, don't mess with suspension items if you do not understand what is where and how the spring tensions exist. It can be very dangerous indeed. If in doubt get help from the right sources. This is not a job "to see how it goes"

Anyone who has had the kingpin slip when taking off, then replacing the oiler bolt will never do that again without jacking under the kinpin, "just enough" to tension the kingpin in the correct alignment at the top.

Those oiler bolts are such a fine thread that they will crossthread in a heartbeat, and the essence of amateur engineering, is "feel". Knowing what a bolt should feel like going in, fingers only.Knowing what "tightness" on a nut feels like without shearing. We've all made mistakes, because that's how we learn. My experience of cross-heads is that a bare kingpin is slightly short when assembled in place, and so the last few tightens of the oiler bolt and bottom plate, actually nip the crosshead tubes closer, vertically. Whether this is by design, accident, or varies we will never know.

Indeed Dave, once seen never forgotten!


Caveman looking at your oiler bolts, a wild guess is the cam angle was adjusted without the top oiler bolt being loosened. Just check your camber angles.... not easy to do but on level flat ground put the steering wheel in the position it adopts when you are driving dead straight without road camber so observe in a car park say!
when you are happy roll the car (push it) forward a couple of feet and back again then using a 2 ft level place it vertically on the centre of a wheel, first one side and then the other. Either observe the bubble position or use a level with an angle finder, set it on the first wheel then check the second on the other side. Move the car forward so the wheel rotates 90' then check again. Its not totally accurate but will give you an idea whether or not you need them setting up properly. If they are way out you can often see by just looking but use the ground as a reference as the wings just might not match! A further confirmatory check if they appear out is to adjust the steering either right or left until the bubble checks on both wheels are the same and then observe the steering wheel position if its not pointing in the straight ahead position then the camber settings are not the same on both sides. However from observing the non adjustable cars for years none seem to truly match by observation but that probably explains some of the driving issues they all seem to have!