Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Chassis corrosion to 2015 onward cars

Ah,no worries,yes they do put non related advertising on Facebook,

Graham and Mark, thank you for your posts, I was really concerned that I had upset a chap I don't even know, must be a lot more careful in future with FB.

io avevo una 2002 4/4 e devo dire che non aveva un filo di ruggine. Ho cambiato per una 110 annuversario con 2900km. L'auto ha pochi chilomentri, ma il proprietario abitava al mare, Palermo. devo constatare che le cromature delle cornici faro anteriori cominciano a fiorire.
Come anche gli specchi ed il loro supporto. la parte interna verso l'abitacolo è cromata molto male, si vede che è sottile e non è stata lisciata. vedo qualche punto di ruggine intorno ai bracci longitudinali delle sospensioni. mah, speriamo bene... sicuramente, seppur molto piu ricca di particolari rispetto alla vecchia, la qualità non è più la stessa. anche la pelle dei sedili, benchè morbida e bella, mi sembra delicata nel tempo.
molte cose mi sembrano assemblate male e forse, è meglio non toccare niente.
Il primo proprietario, dopo 15gg ha avuto problemi elettrici, ed ha dovuto spedire l'auto (a sue spese) da Palermo a Milano dove, il concessionario, ha constatato che c'erano errori nel cablaggio.
Vedendo le foto qui pubblicate non ho ben capito dove si trovano i punti arrugginiti.
Saluti dall'Italia
MAX

Then, the factory-installed radio doesn't work: they installed a very ugly external antenna near the windshield. It's analog, not DAB, so the radio gives me an error message: DAB not FOUND!
I don't care about the radio, anyway...
I expected a step forward in quality, just as Artioli had transformed and improved Lotus.

I have an active splitter for my DAB/FM radio. It takes the aerial plug from the MMC factory one you describe and provides flying leads to FM and DAB sockets. Its powered by 12v from the electric aerial feed on radio's loom so is only active when radio is on. Inexpensive one here.

I had a 2002 4/4 and I have to say it didn't have a speck of rust. I traded in a 110 Anniversary with 2,900 km on it. The car has low mileage, but the owner lived by the sea, in Palermo. I have to note that the chrome on the headlight surrounds is starting to wear off.
As are the mirrors and their supports. The interior part facing the passenger compartment is very poorly chromed; you can see it's thin and hasn't been smoothed. I see some rust around the trailing arms of the suspension. Well, let's hope so... certainly, although it's much richer in details than the old one, the quality is no longer the same. Even the leather on the seats, while soft and beautiful, seems fragile over time.
Many things seem poorly assembled, and perhaps it's best not to touch anything. The first owner had electrical problems after 15 days and had to ship the car (at his own expense) from Palermo to Milan, where the dealer discovered there were errors in the wiring.
Looking at the photos posted here, I'm not sure where the rust spots are.
Greetings from Italy
MAX

I’ve had a little bit of picking on the chrome of my mirror posts, probably as a result of the salt we use on the roads here, but you’ve reminded me of an issue I had when the car was brand new in 2016. I’d picked the car up from the factory, the next morning the chrome flaked of the door handles in my hand!😁 they sent me a pair of replacements but I’ve never fitted them, once I picked off the rest of the chrome I preferred the look of the copper underneath. They’re looking a bit dull now so one day I’ll get round to fitting the new ones.
So far the undersides all look perfect, from new I’ve applied an aerosol wax spray to bare alloy parts and and vulnerable areas.

I
Like your Italian post and your English translation, the Italian language looks as good as it sounds👍

thank you Ewan

Ewan ..."salt on the roads' ..... and of course it will have nothing to do with the fact that you could spit in the North Sea from your front garden?? 😆

K

Actually, they are chassis savers. At the request of Bill Fink, an American dealer, the MMC began installing them in overseas cars in 1978 and they soon became standard. They are called gussets. They move the stress point, in this case from the bulkhead forward. Before they were used, the flexing trad chassis would commonly crack at the bulkhead, requiring a body-off job for a chassis repair. Actually, the best way to repair a chassis is to replace it, however, this gusset offers an alternative on cars that have them.

Sadly, not fully understanding the gusset, the MMC used a length that also, for quite some time, ended in the front where they had holed the chassis for an exhaust exit..whether an exhaust used it or not. That became the new site for the later cracks. But I HAVE seen people repair cracks there and they can last. That means a 20k saving. Of course, like the change of the wing brace, the MMC spent decades trying to figure out a cure for the new crack point.
https://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/ChassisGussets.html#STRENGTHENING

I do not suggest you remove the gussets.

L.