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tow bar
by G Walker - 24/08/26 06:52 PM
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Jun 14th, 2026
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Joined: Mar 2013
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Talk Morgan Regular
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Thanks for posting the detailed photos Laurens, very interesting. It appears to be a good job and the upper tube inserts go further past the crack prone area around the upper rear wishbone mount than I had thought possible. It's much easier to see exactly what the situation is with the body off, I wasn't sure exactly where the tubes were crimped. The welded in brace should improve things greatly as well.
Nice to know that there is a viable alternative to the full, expensive MMC chassis change and at a more reasonable price as well I assume? I had wondered if a whole new forward chassis grafted on, as with Trikings, would be a better solution but that looks pretty good and should sort the problem for good. @Planenut—Yes, M3W Services has a 'secret' trick to reinforce the upper rear tube. I'm not allowed to tell you much more. You better ask them. While not low, the price for this upgrade is significantly less than that of a new chassis at MMC, including labour, which is approximately less than half the MMC's cost, making it a much more affordable option. @Bunny —The driving experience is much improved, but that could also be because M3W Services upgraded the rubber mounting for the engine (see my post about the mirrors).
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 99 Likes: 1
Just Getting Started
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Just Getting Started
Joined: Jul 2012
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Mine is a 2012 and no cracks so far.
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Joined: Feb 2018
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Talk Morgan Regular
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Talk Morgan Regular
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2012 #458, still crack free when inspected this spring.
Steve
Late 2012 M3W
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Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 360 Likes: 36
Learner Plates Off!
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Learner Plates Off!
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 360 Likes: 36 |
Mine is a 2012 and no cracks so far. 2012 #458, still crack free when inspected this spring. You can only really see the 'important' cracks when the engine is out. The front lower upright cracks are easy enough to detect and repair. Yes - there are a few early cars that I have found not to have any cracks but it all depends on the chassis state - there are various forms of early chassis and dependant on if/who/how upgraded the chassis will dictate on the probability of cracks appearing.
Last edited by Stevo666; 01/08/25 06:08 AM. Reason: added info
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Talk Morgan Expert
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Talk Morgan Expert
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Mine is a 2012 and has no cracks after about 55000 miles...it is on its fourth chassis though.  
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3 members like this:
Stevo666, PaulV, Bunny |
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Joined: Feb 2018
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Talk Morgan Regular
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Talk Morgan Regular
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2012 #458, still crack free when inspected this spring. I should have added the car is a December '12 build and the chassis received the bolt on "V" brace behind the engine early in its' life, as soon as that upgrade was available.
Last edited by Bitsobrits; 01/08/25 11:39 AM.
Steve
Late 2012 M3W
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Talk Morgan Expert
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I think you can do a pretty good inspection of the upper tubes with a mirror on a stick and a strong light. That said you do need to have a good idea of what you are looking for and exactly where. There are some good photos on this forum of fractured chassis tubes but they do start small. I think they probably propagate quite quickly, so not many photos of the crack starting and that also suggests you maybe need to be looking fairly frequently. This is one of the few early crack photos I know of. Its near the back bracket of the upper wishbone aft mount, just to give anyone an idea of where to check. ![[Linked Image]](https://www.tm-img.com/images/2025/08/01/IMG_1233.jpg)
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1 member likes this:
Bunny |
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Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 360 Likes: 36
Learner Plates Off!
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Learner Plates Off!
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 360 Likes: 36 |
2012 #458, still crack free when inspected this spring. I should have added the car is a December '12 build and the chassis received the bolt on "V" brace behind the engine early in its' life, as soon as that upgrade was available. That alone, unfortunately, does not prevent the cracks from starting....
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Joined: Mar 2014
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Talk Morgan Enthusiast
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Talk Morgan Enthusiast
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This thread has prompted me to go and have a good inspection of my chassis. As far as I can see, all is well.
June 2012 - chassis no. 214.
Current mileage 21,600
Chassis 'A' brace was welded to chassis, Feb 2015 at 2,500 miles by MMC.
Last edited by Bunny; 02/08/25 01:54 PM.
Andy
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Joined: Feb 2018
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Talk Morgan Regular
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Talk Morgan Regular
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2012 #458, still crack free when inspected this spring. I should have added the car is a December '12 build and the chassis received the bolt on "V" brace behind the engine early in its' life, as soon as that upgrade was available. That alone, unfortunately, does not prevent the cracks from starting.... Yes, I'm aware of that. I have no delusions that my chassis will remain crack free forever. Am only indicating there are no signs of cracks at point in time. Looks like this will be the winter I install the Bleazy compensator upgrade kit, which will give me better access to fully evaluate the crack prone areas. Am also evaluating the installation of inner steel reinforcement tubes into the four engine mounting tubes "while I'm there".
Last edited by Bitsobrits; 03/08/25 02:58 AM.
Steve
Late 2012 M3W
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