Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 M3W - Anyone know this car?

I'm all for getting weight out of the car, so yes getting rid of the gearstick adapter would help. But I've yet to drive a 5 speeder (!) and my thinking was to see how I find the ergonomics first (I'm not tall). There is plenty of information out there for budding race car builders on the ideal positional relationship between gearstick and steering wheel and the answer seems to be to have the stick pivot position about 35mm ahead of the centre line of the wheel and vertical.
On the early 5 Speeder the pivot point of the stick is about 60mm behind the wheel and thus some distance away from the ideal 'just ahead' of the wheel position. So getting rid of the adapter would move it forwards and ahead of the wheel and improve ergonomics, as you guys have found. But when I recently looked at Phil Bleazey's later 5 speeder (without adapter) my initial thoughts were that the stick pivot point had moved too far forward, which might be why Morgan also added a substantial rearward crank in the stick in an attempt to bring the gear knob position back a little. The adapter casing on the early cars brings the stick pivot backwards from the standard MX5 position by a quite a lot at 180mm and doing some quick sums on the above figures says to me that the ideal solution would be a shorter adapter casing at say half of its length allied with a straight stick. But no doubt such a thing doesn't exist, as perhaps Morgan found out! So I'm thinking of modifying mine by cutting the mid section out and asking my friendly welder whether the aluminium alloy used in the casing is a weldable grade. The internal actuating rod is easily modifiable.

Planenut.....yes it is a yellow Lotus Elite restoration project, which was progressing well until the 5 Speeder barged in. Not a pretty car from some angles, but I think they are so very 70's and the engineering is the usual clever Lotus.
Bitsobrits....I'd be interested to know more about that transmission tunnel. As the original is unnecessarily large in all dimensions

Suggest you drive it first before you go for a reducing weight program. Most weight of the car is over the front axle and the passengers give weight to the rear. Which when it steps out unexpectedly say on a damp patch can be concernng. Good for hooligan spin turns though. My car is a 2012 version and has the same stick position as yours. It is not ideal and being further forward would be nice. Not tried a later version with the stick way forward so can't comment if that is too far or not. But as an ex racer myself I wouldn't worry about weight on this car before you have driven it.

As an aside I bought my wife a 1969 Lotus 51c not long after we got married. Makes a M3W look very chunky and heavy! Tweaks to the engine gave it 400bhp per ton.

Jerrymog - It might be worth talking to the chaps at Vitesse in Hinkley. They are experts in all things Mazda gearbox and are familiar with the M3W as (I believe) they manufactured and assembled the 5-Speeder chassis for Morgan in the early days of production.

Have to ask how it is so clean? Dry ice blasting or ?

Agree with driving before doing too much with the ergonomics.

Good sources for weight reduction (at a price) are the front mudguards/wheels and (depending on what you have) possibly the exhausts). However you are inevitably limited by the huge lump of engine which dominates the total weight. (think MGC)