Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Removing battery in Plus 8 (1992)

I wonder if the battery tray had been tipped down to allow it to drop out, there's not many fixings on the tray. It does seem to be a bit of a stonker of a battery though. look in the hand book it should tell you of the correct designation. Lots of the classics now use 075 batteries but it's not always been the case.

With regard to the access panels, I knew early cars didn't have them but later did. As far as I remember it evolved from mods made by owners; eventually after being asked by customers to install one at the time of build Peter Morgan made it standard fit.... from the days when Morgan listened to customers and through that many changes were incorporated into the build. Someone here, possibly Dave Wellings, might know when it was standardised. However even very recently there have been requests on this site for measurements in order to install those panels. It's not going to be that ridiculous when you find the solution so don't start going down the line of moving everything. someone managed to squeeze that battery in and as JBK said,I'll bet they didn't go to too much trouble.

David, Here is another way of looking at it.

When the car was built one of the last things fitted whould have been the battery,

The brake lines would have been installed earlier in the build.

So unless new rear brake lines have been installed (incorrectly) with the battery in situ, its the only answer.

Fluid brake lines are small diameter rigid steel tubes. mostly fixed to chassis.

Handbrake cables are semi flexible thicker tubes with flexible Bowden inner cable.


The battery will pass beside the handbrake cable when lowered from above
jack the car up from the centre of the rear cross beam just enough to clear the battery height.

Ensure you use axle stands before you reach underneath.

Unless you have a car lift there is no no need to physically work underneath other than to slide the battery out along the floor at arms length.

Place the new battery in position on the ground, lower the jack and lift battery into the battery tray from the top.

That is how I did it. Watch your back as you lift from above the angles are all wrong

jbk, you have put you finger on the problems of incremental machine design over time. No logic to it.

The result that I dislike most is the accumulated problems of ever more difficult access. Happily trads remained simple enough for owners to resolve many non-
invasively. So when I encounter one, I try to resolve it with with extra labour at home, rather than struggling with it roadside 1000 miles away while my wife goes
shopping.

The battery access and removal is one such area. I have no wish to turn myself into a pretzel merely to change a battery.

Access was easy. It is one of the features of the added tool bins I made in the axle area cover. https://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/rearstorage1.jpg

Battery Removal, merely meant buying a battery tray ]after very careful measurements. (very careful measurements cost nothing) and battery trays can
be had for 10 quid. I bought a fancier polished billet one shown below.for 50 whatever I hinged (use ss) the forward side at the tiny shelf (the shelves changed
size over time) or used the metal tabs that another other had, (shown above). The hoop suspension cars (post 1992...from memory) provide the front holding point.
Most hoops come with a drilled hole for the needed thread rod that I use with a butterfly nut. Loosen/undo the nut, and the battery swings on the hinge to the
ground. Takes seconds. If you have a later screwed down axle compartment cover, change it to the earlier removal method. As we see so often these days, not all
"progress" makes sense.

Lorne

http://www.gomog.com/TEMP/BatteryTray1.jpg

Thanks to all for your extremely helpful input. After putting the car on ramps and getting under it I can confirm it is a handbrake cable not a brake line! Silly me😊. After releasing the handbrake I was able to remove the tensioning screw that was preventing the battery to pass, and hey presto I could remove the battery from underneath. The battery was from May 2009 - lasted pretty well. The recent cold spell here in Houston (got down to 5C in my garage) however was the last straw!

Have bought a replacement - had to be the same size to fit, and stayed with the 550 CCA.

Thanks again to all.
David

Good news David, thanks for letting us know.
You may have gathered that Morgans even of the same model and year/ month / week although similar are often not exactly the same and some have been modified just to make life interesting.