Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Ground clearance/underbody shields

The end of my drive is slightly raised and drops down to the road. This has caused some grounding issues 2 up as also happened in a car park yesterday on uneven ground. Looking under the car I see a shield covering the crossmember (right of photo) which is presumably meant to protect this area but the rear gearbox mount (assuming thats what it is!) has no protection and the bolt ends take the brunt of any impact. This area is much nearer the center of the car and therefor most likely to ground. Ok the shield is lower but nearer the front. I have found that by leaving the drive at a shallow angle I can avoid grounding. I'm just concerned about any damage that could be caused to the rear mount. Anyone else had this issue?

Edit : I should say 2011 Plus 4

Using 65 profile tyres instead of 60 will give you almost 1 cm more ground clearance.

I have 60 profile at the moment so makes sense. Unfortunately they are brand new ones all round. But probably a market for almost new Yokohamas!

The problem with shields such as yours is they further reduce ground clearance increasing likelihood of grounding. The solution I used was to fill the inverted U shaped cross member with a shaped hard nylon block attached with 6mm sunken bolts to same and sitting just a couple of millimetres proud of vulnerable edge's.

Richard's idea is great and easily replaceable when or if needed but I fitted the rub plate to mine as in the end the nylon block sits 6mm lower than the actual cross member and the plate sits exactly on the cross member and is the same 6mm deep. What I liked about the rub plate was that it gave a lead in face and a similar taper to the rear. If you were to hit something like a metal gate stop or a shear faced obstruction the car has, in my opinion a better chance of pushing over it without a total face to face impact area.

Thankfully I haven't needed to try this out for real but should the worst sort of scenario occur then I hope to limit somewhat the damage done. I bought my plate from Williams racing.... and guess what it wouldn't fit my car. Despite the many conversations and photo's sent I was assured it would fit by Williams, well it didn't, so I profiled it to clear the gearbox front and rear, this allowed it to sit correctly in the channel.
After some discussions on here with others having the same model as me, a plus 4 with duratec engine and MT-75 Ford gearbox, a conclusion was reached that the bends made on my plate were more acute than was normal or should I say should have been made. Wish I had known that as William's would have had it back!

Re. the gearbox rear mount. Look at Monty's posts, he raised his hugely and posted it here, I'm sure Dave will link it if he picks this up.
I too changed out my 60 profile yokohama tyres for 65 profile. This puts you in the VW polo tyre size and you can buy premium tyres for a lot less than the original fitment. For me it has transformed the ride quality and although gained what only seems to be a small amount of ground clearance you can visually see it! It seems impossible, but to say it felt like a different car is not just wishful thinking and has allowed me to sit behind the wheel for much longer periods. I also can't find any difference in the steering or handling and have pushed the car quite hard although I don't track the car where perhaps you might have some slight gain with a lower profile tyre.

The two bolts that stick down under the gear lever can be replaced with countersink bolts but turn them around so the bolts protrude upward, 1 is a bit fiddly but can be done.

I also have a driveway sloping down to the road. The only place mine catches is on the exhaust tailpipe. I have to reverse up and even then with the nearside rear wheel going first (if that makes sense)
I also have 65 profile tyres and haven’t had a grounding underneath since fitting. Surprising the difference that extra cm makes.

I also changed to 65 profile tyres last year on advice from others on here and have been very pleased by the improved ride comfort without seeming to have any noticeable impact on handling and I haven't grounded it in the last 5k miles since I changed the tyres.

If you haven’t seen it before, this old thread might be of interest. Lots of shenanigans going on down below…

Your shield on the underside is a worthwhile upgrade.
Mine regularly grinds on speed bumps but it’s nothing to worry about, it just lifts the car slightly as needed. It does protect that structural cross member and to some extent that vulnerable brake pipe too.

185/70/15 for me, never grounded out.