Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) V6 Roadster 2010 - top tips and suggestions.

All being well I'll be collecting my new to me V6 Roadster in a couple of weeks when back from working away.

It's 2010 and just over 8k miles.

I'm having a Morgan specialist inspect the car in detail and will have any work needed doing to get it back fully up to scratch having not been used much for a couple of years.

I was keen to get your advice on what your top upgrade suggestions to look into are. One cosmetic job needing sorting is replacing the chrome surrounds of the dials which are worn/pitted.

It also needs four new tyres. Any suggestions on brand/types?

Any tips and advice to bear in mind when using it.

If there is a similar thread containing many of these answers please feel free to link me to it but couldn't find one.

Thanks
Andy

My advice would be having had a few low mileage garage queens, is basically use it for a while, put some miles on it, so that any reliability issues start to show themselves, before starting to spend money on improvements..........electrics I've always found is a weak point, particularly connections, fuses, earths can be troublesome. I always get an expert electrical system check undertaken to make sure everything is ok

A very simple but effective low cost improvement is the fitting of brake reaction bars, if not already fitted. Nice cars the Roadster, it should be great fun...enjoy.

Andy, what you can do will depend on what you can do yourself.

The two places to start are these:

Underbonnet. Check carefully for chafing wires and hoses. The thermostat and water pump are at the rear, and the stat is hard up against the bulkhead. If you have the original plastic tanked radiator, keep an eye on it and factor in an aluminium replacement at some point.

The alternator is close to the exhaust manifold on the offside, and will benefit from a heat shield, as will the starter motor, and clutch master cylinder. The brake master cylinder should have an insulation shield, but this can be smartened up. Consider any other tweaks to limit heat radiation into things better kept cool, such as the inlet tract.

There is likely to be chafing somewhere on the inside of the bonnets and the cowl & bulkhead. I use leather patches to protect the paint. And also check for chafing around the doors. Some cars are clear. Some chafe badly along the lower edge, and can get down to aluminium. Lubricate the bonnet tapes. Use Vaseline or Beeswax.

Inside, there are steering wheel options and rear mirror options. Outside the stainless after market door mirrors are a big improvement. The seat height can be adjusted. A 2010 will probably have no battens under the runners, but if you need a bit more height, fit battens in the range of 1/4" to no more than 3/4". Above that restricts the gap to the steering wheel.

Stainless covers for the chassis crossmembers ahead of the seasts smarten up the look.

There's a lot more to consider but I would start there.

I fitted a second indicator beeper as the original one isn't loud enough at speed.

I have a 2010 registered car and the seat position was punishing. I'm 5'9" tall and felt a little low in the car but also while driving I found the front of the seat squab was putting pressure on to my thighs so every clutch depression and constant throttle use was causing me misery! and from 10 minutes in I was hating it!
Well, I needed to raise the seat to achieve the seating height I needed. Dave W is correct in the fact that this age of car doesn't have seat spacers fitted. Easy way to know is if you have the heated screen you have the later modded car and scuttle and dash position had changed so leg room became more restricted and MMC's answer was to remove the spacers, lowering the drivers position. The seats remove easily, 6 bolts per seat per side, A/F tools required and use a screwdriver to wedge the hex head in the seat runner whilst you undo from below the chassis. This is easily achieved with the car on the ground. I made my runners out of oak but MMC were either ash or pine painted black. I tapered mine to be shallower at the front end at about 3/8" to finish at the rear of the seat runner at about 3/4". The front I butted up against the crossmember.

Tip's:

When drilling the mounting holes I first transferred the runner holes onto the top of the spacer. To achieve this accurately you will need to make a relief hole about 1/4" deep to accommodate the single mounting nut which protrudes below the runner. MMC made no provision in the carpet or floor and that is why the seat is hard to slide when adjusting the fore and aft!
When you have the marks you need to drill the bolt clearance holes from the top but at right angles to the base of the spacer in order that the bolts line up with the holes in the car (mighty important step!).

Removing the seat when the fixings are released..... position the seat in the forward most position and fold the seat back fully forward. With the roof down and the loose material pulled outward rather than pushed into the frame you can now lift the seat out.
Roll the seat towards the front of the car and keep your eyes on the seat runners sticking out at the back as you can do some damage with these rudimentary strips of metal. when these are clear of the car you can lift the whole seat clear. Don't worry the seats are no where near as heavy as a modern car and if normally fit you shouldn't have any surprises buy make sure you have somewhere to place it before removing.

Lastly some cars have an electrical connecter under the seat, seatbelt indication or possibly airbags if fitted (rare). disconnect before lifting.

The fixing bolts are ridiculously long and left sticking out under the car but will be too short for use with the spacers. I ordered new fixings to accommodate this and finished with Stainless penny washers and nyloc nuts and cut the bolt protrusions off. The bolts were also changed to button head with a Torx drive. Removes the need to wedge the hex head on tightening as easy access for tooling is now possible. The last thing to mention for you as a new owner is the lack of space to park your left foot. The clutch has been fitted with a strong return spring at the peddle box, this is so you can rest your foot on the peddle without applying pressure that could damage the thrust bearing. These can break and/or be removed as some find the clutch too stiff to use. So this is something to check and be aware of in adapting your driving style. However, I think you will find that tilting the seat squab forward even if you do not require a height increase will aid you greatly with this function. just take the front edge to zero thickness at the front end finishing it just about 4" from the crossmember.

Andy, I have sent you a detailed Personal Message (look for a red flashing envelope image when you log in)

Hi everyone

Thanks for all the feedback.

The car passed MOT yesterday so is ready to go to mark in Upton to inspect it all before hopefully getting it the week after.

Will keep you posted