13 Nov

Oil Pressure or Oil Pressure Gage – 2005 Roadster

13 Nov

Morgan 3 Wheeler: Final order call, car not road legal [in Australia] from November 2017 (http://www.caradvice.com.au/)

The Morgan 3 Wheeler will be withdrawn from the Australian market from November 2017 due to coming changes to the Australian Design Rules (ADR).

Late last week, the company’s Australian arm put out a call for final orders of the rare three-wheel vehicle.

In a statement, Morgan Cars Australia said that “further changes to the Australian Design Rules [mean that] the Morgan 3 Wheeler will no longer be eligible for registration in Australia effective from 1 November 2017”.

The company was at pains to point out that any cars registered before that date are unaffected by the rule changes.

Morgan says that any interested parties should get their orders in now, as production slots are already filled up until the end of May 2017.

In order for Australians to get their cars into the country and registered before the end of October 2017, they will need their cars made by the end of July, at the latest. Orders for the June and July production slots will be open until the end of 2016, or whenever they’re filled.

The Morgan 3 Wheeler starts at $93,900 [Australian Dollars] before options and on-road costs. To secure a production slot, the company requires a $20,000 deposit. A second deposit of 35 percent of the retail price of the car is required two months before production.

As CarAdvice discovered when the 3 Wheeler was launched in Australia in January 2015, the company has made extensive design changes to the car to make it road legal down under.

These includes a quieter induction system, padded steering wheel and dashboard, repositioned indicators, extra warning lights, larger mirrors, a collapsible steering column, and a wind deflector instead of a windscreen.

Morgan Australia notes that any 3 Wheelers imported from the UK or Europe won’t be road worthy.

[I have to believe cars from the US won’t meet the new specs either. Mark]

 

07 Nov

Side Glances: Fenced in at the Morgan Factory (www.roadandtrack.com)

Peter Egan gets caught in the great Malvern Morgan trap, and is inexplicably drawn to the 4/4.

factory-1

Floating around on a cruise ship, eating and drinking all day in a Hawaiian shirt is all very well, but I’ve always wanted to take a real ocean liner across the North Atlantic specifically to go somewhere. I’d rather face the cruel sea of World War II convoy fame in a sturdy steel ship that cuts through heavy weather unfazed than sit around the pool with a nice umbrella drink in my hand.

And so we did, just a few months ago, in a long-delayed retirement trip. Barb and I flew from Wisconsin to New York, boarded the Queen Mary 2 (a stunningly beautiful ship in all respects—and fast!), sailed past the Statue of Liberty, and arrived seven days later in Southampton, England, in the early morning. Naturally, I had to roll out of bed in the dark at 3:30 a.m. so I could observe our approach. I got a cup of coffee from the cafeteria, walked out onto the chilly promenade deck, and watched the shore lights of the Isle of Wight slide by as we turned up Southampton Water toward our port.

There was only one other person on the deck, a dignified-looking gentleman with white hair and a beard. He, too, was holding a steaming mug of coffee. I recognized him right away as Commodore Ron Warwick, the original captain of the QM2 when it first went to sea in 2004. Now retired, he’d been one of the cruise line’s guest speakers on this 10th-anniversary voyage of the ship, and I’d attended two of his afternoon lectures.

[I had the pleasure of meeting Ron and his lovely wife Kim, at the MOG 15 event in LLangollen Wales.  They made a point of ensuring a traveling American had a good bottle of wine at the event!  Wonderful folk!!  Mark]

I introduced myself and told him how much I’d enjoyed his speeches. He shook my hand and said, “Oh, well, thank you.”

“You’re up early,” I noted.

He chuckled and said, “Old habits. Can’t sleep when we’re coming into Southampton. I did this so many times, I have to watch and see how it goes.” We looked on silently for a while, and then he asked, “Where are you going in England?”

“It’s a little complicated,” I said. “We’re driving a rental car to Dorset to see the homes of Thomas Hardy and T. E. Lawrence, then up to the Cotswolds for a six-day hiking tour. Before we fly home, we’d like to drive over to Malvern to visit Sir Edward Elgar’s home. And the Morgan factory.”

He stared at me intently for a moment, then took a weighty metal pen out of his pocket. “Read the lettering on the side of this pen,” he commanded, with mock imperiousness. I held it to the light and grinned. “Aha! Morgan Owners Club.”

“My wife and I bought a new Morgan when I retired a few years ago,” he explained, “and we take most of our vacations with it. When I get home, we’re going to Scotland.” The word “Morgan” was the secret lodge handshake, and the commodore and I talked sports cars until we docked. It seemed like an excellent and auspicious way to greet England’s shores.

factory-2

Peter Egan

Barb and I picked up our rental car—a red Vauxhall Corsa—and turned west along the coast to visit our Hardy and Lawrence shrines (Max Gate and Clouds Hill) near Dorchester for a few days, then drove north to the Cotswolds, where we left the car parked in Moreton-in-Marsh during a week of hiking. We covered 50 miles in a great circle of lovely yellow limestone villages, sheep farms, river trails, forests, and the ruins of ancient Cistercian abbeys. Not to mention the pubs. Finally, on a bright Saturday morning, we collected our car and headed west.

As the great green mass of the Malvern Hills loomed ahead, I said to Barb, “Let’s go through the village of Malvern Link on the north edge of town, so we can drive past the Morgan factory. Morgan’s website says it’s closed for tours on Saturday and Sunday, but we can at least find out where it is.”

We soon found ourselves on Pickersleigh Road, pulling up in front of the neat red-brick industrial buildings of the Morgan factory. Holy ground. Surprisingly, the gates were open. A sign said all visitors must report to the visitors’ center, so we asked for directions from a man in overalls.

“Go right down this row of buildings and turn left. You’ll see it at the end of the lane, near the big parking lot.”

We strolled through the grounds, taking pictures of rows of wood-framed bodies and half-completed cars in the many long sheds. A few dozen workers were tidying up for the weekend, putting tools away, or doing last-minute detailing on finished cars. Everyone said good morning with cheerful indifference to our presence. It was like a self-guided tour made in heaven.

factory-3

Peter Egan

The visitors’ center was—as advertised—closed for the weekend, so we meandered back to the main gate. As we did, I noticed all the factory doors were now shut, the workers gone. It was suddenly very quiet. When we reached the main gate, it was padlocked. I looked around the grounds and shouted “Hello!” My voice echoed off the brick buildings and died away, unanswered.

“Huh,” I said perceptively. “Looks like everyone’s gone home. Well, the gate was open over at the visitors’ center. Guess we’ll have to go out there.”

But of course, that gate was also now tightly locked. I looked around the silent factory and noted that it was surrounded by a 10-foot fence topped with rows of barbed wire, much like Stalag 17.

Barb and I looked at each other.
“I do believe we’re locked inside the Morgan factory for the weekend,” I said. “This would normally be my fondest boyhood dream come true, but I think we’re going to get mighty hungry and cold if we don’t get out of here.”

Just then, a middle-aged man in a golf shirt came walking past the gate.

“Excuse me,” I said through the wire. “Do you live around here?”

“Just around the corner,” he pointed.

“Well, we seem to have gotten ourselves locked inside the factory. Do you know if there’s any way out of here?”

He looked up and down the fence. “Just the two gates and this fence,” he said. “And I don’t think you’d be able to get over that fence safely, even with a ladder. It goes all the way around the property.”

“I hope we don’t have to call the police . . .” I said.

The man looked at his watch. “I’m sorry to say I have to catch a train and I’m a bit late . . .” He stared at the ground thoughtfully and bit his lower lip. “Say, it looks to me as if a thin person could just wriggle under the gate there, in that low spot where the sewer grate is.”

I looked and saw that he was right, suddenly thankful that Barb and I had been dieting and walking about eight miles a day to train for our trek through the Cotswolds. I got down on my back and slithered under the gate’s iron staves like an infantry trainee in a live-fire exercise. My Army training finally paid off. Barb made it too, even though she had no training at all. But it was a near thing, as Churchill might say. Although Churchill himself would still be trapped.

factory-4

Peter Egan

I thanked the man for his face-saving advice, and he waved over his shoulder as he sprinted toward the train station. I dusted Barb off, which I thoroughly enjoyed until she made me stop, and then we headed downtown. We found a hotel called the Abbey next to the beautiful Malvern Priory and had a wonderful weekend exploring, paying a visit to the graves of Elgar and his wife Alice in a small churchyard just south of town. Elgar’s Cello Concerto is a favorite of mine, though he’s best known for “Pomp and Circumstance,” which makes me tearfully grateful to be out of high school whenever I hear it.

On Monday morning, Barb and I reappeared at the factory and dutifully paid 15 pounds each to take the official two-hour factory tour. It was much more instructive than our own illicit meanderings, of course, and we got to see the museum and gift shop. We also learned that the new V-twin-powered 3 Wheeler accounts for about half of current Morgan sales. The tour guide told me, “You know, the 2.0-liter V-twin engines are built by a company called S&S in the town of Viola, right in your home state of Wisconsin.”

I told him Viola was about 25 miles from the little town where I grew up. “It’s a beautiful, high-tech factory tucked back in the green hills,” I said. “It could almost be a part of the Malverns.”

He seemed pleased by this vision but perhaps a bit disappointed that I already knew about it. I didn’t tell him we’d already toured the Morgan factory, too.

Before anyone could review the security-camera footage of that little escapade, we sped toward London on the M40, dropped our rental car near Heathrow, and flew home the following morning. I arrived with a suitcase full of loot from the gift shop and perhaps he world’s worst case of Morgan fever.

That night, I called my old Formula Ford racing buddy John Jaeger, who now owns a Mini repair shop in California. I had to tell him about our tour, as he’s owned a series of Morgans and currently has a 1964 4/4 disassembled at home. I told John, “I always thought I’d have a Morgan someday, but I’m afraid the window has closed now that I’m retired. Even old cars that need work seem too expensive, and you never know what you’re getting until you take them apart.”

There was a humming silence for a minute, and then John said, “You know, I don’t think I’m going to find the time to finish my Morgan project. I’d consider selling my 4/4, if you’re interested. Otherwise I’ll probably keep it forever, just to have it.”

This past weekend, I sold a nice older Stratocaster and two classic amps from my small collection of musical instruments. The money is going right into a special savings account. I’m also taking a hard look at the five motorcycles in my garage to see if I really need that many.

The one I won’t sell, however, is the 1974 Norton Commando I finished restoring last spring. I think it might look nice sitting next to a 4/4. I could listen to a little Elgar on the shop stereo while I put it all together next winter.

 

06 Nov

How to Inspect Belts and Hoses for Overheating (www.consumerreports.org)

Check under the hood to spot problems before they become costly

A belt or hose failure can cause an overheated engine and loss of the electrical charging system. If a hose leaks coolant or the belt turning the water pump snaps, the cooling system is inoperable. If the engine overheats, it can suffer serious internal damage that requires expensive repairs and can ruin a summer vacation.

Overheating can occur anytime, but usually happens in the summer. Underhood temperatures are much higher, and heat can trigger or accelerate deterioration of rubber compounds.   

Coolant and heater hoses
Hoses are the cooling system’s weakest structural component. They are made of flexible rubber compounds to absorb vibrations between the engine and radiator, or, in the case of heater hoses, the engine and body’s firewall. Designed to hold coolant under high pressure, hoses are also subjected to fluctuating extremes of heat and cold, dirt, oils and sludge. Atmospheric ozone also attacks rubber compounds.

The most damaging cause of hose failure—electrochemical degradation (ECD)—isn’t easy to detect. According to engineers for the Gates Corporation, a parts maker, ECD attacks hoses from the inside, causing tiny cracks. Acids and contaminants in the coolant can then weaken the yarn material that reinforces the hose. Eventually, pinholes can develop or the weakened hose may rupture from heat, pressure, or constant flexing.

Some easy, basic maintenance can help prevent coolant hose failure:

  • Check the coolant-recovery tank often to ensure proper fluid level. Marks on the tank indicate the proper level for when the engine is cold or hot. If the tank is low after repeated fillings, suspect a leak. Also check for white, light green, or pink coolant tracks in the engine bay, which is residue left from leaking coolant.
  • When the engine is cool, squeeze the hoses with your thumb and forefinger near the clamps, where ECD most often occurs. Feel for soft or mushy spots. A good hose will have a firm yet pliant feel.
  • Inspect for cracks, nicks, bulges usually while hot), or a collapsed section in the hose and oil contamination, or fraying near the connection points.
  • Look for parallel cracks around bends (caused by ozone), a hardened glassy surface (heat damage), or abrasive damage (hose is rubbing).
  • Flush and replace the coolant according to the owner’s manual. Clean coolant is less likely to support ECD.
  • Never remove the radiator cap when the engine is hot. Also, be aware that an electric cooling fan can come on at any time.

The upper radiator hose fails more often than any other hose, followed by the water pump bypass hose (if your vehicle is so equipped), and the outlet heater hose from the engine to the heater core. Experts recommend, however, that all hoses be replaced at least every four years or when one fails. Always use replacement hoses designed to fight ECD. Trademarks will vary among hose manufacturers (Gates uses “ECR” for Electro-Chemical Resistant). Look for a “Type EC” label on the hose or its packaging. That is a Society of Automotive Engineers standard signifying “electrochemical.”

Accessory belts

Many of the same elements that attack hoses also attack belts—heat, oil, ozone, and abrasion. Almost all cars and trucks built today have a single multi-grooved serpentine belt that drives the alternator, water pump, power-steering pump, and air-conditioning compressor.   Older vehicles may have separate V-belts that drive the accessories. The Car Care Council says chances of a V-belt failure rise dramatically after four years or 36,000 miles, while the critical point for a serpentine belt is 50,000 miles. Any belt should be changed when it shows signs of excessive wear. But many new composite belts don’t show signs of wear until the failure occurs.

Here are tips for inspecting belts:

  • Look for cracks, fraying, or splits on the top cover.
  • Look for signs of glazing on the belt’s sides. Glazed or slick belts can slip, overheat or crack.
  • Twist a serpentine belt to look for separating layers, cracks, or missing chunks of the grooves on the underside.

Replacement belts should be identical in length, width, and number of grooves to the factory belt. Serpentine belts are usually kept tight with an automatic tensioner. Signs of a belt-tension problem include a high-pitched whine or chirping sound and vibration noises. Without proper tension, belts will slip and generate heat or fail to turn the accessories.

If in doubt, check with a qualified technician about any cooling problems, and always consult your owner’s manual for routine maintenance procedures.

05 Nov

The Smiting of the Knockoffs (www.roadandtrack.com)

If you buy an old sports car with wire wheels and those classic Rudge-Whitworth center-lock hubs, you may need a bigger hammer.

wire-1

BY PETER EGAN

There are people who love puzzles and brainteasers, but I am not one of them. I hate having my brain teased. It’s already suffered enough. So when I ordered a new set of chromed knockoffs for the wire wheels on my 1965 Morgan project car, I eschewed the original bare variety and got ones with writing and instructions all over them. They arrived today, and they’re beautiful.

wire-2

There’s “Morgan” script across the center, with directional arrows that say “undo” to show you which side to smack when you remove a wheel. They’re also marked “right side” and “left side,” so you don’t mount them on the wrong side.

As an aging British-car buff who occasionally puts the Grape Nuts box in the fridge, I find this idiot proofing a great solace. But if you’ve never owned a vintage sports car, you may be wondering what this directional fuss is about.

Let me explain:  The traditional wire-spoked wheel is typically restrained from flying off into space (or a cornfield) by something called a center-lock hub, a device patented early in the 20th century by Rudge-Whitworth, a bicycle (and, later, motorcycle) manufacturer.   It permitted a then miraculous quick change of flat tires simply by sliding a wire wheel onto a tapered splined hub and securing it with a threaded cap. “Ears” were later added to the cap to make it easy to hammer it on and off without using some huge oddball wrench.

wire-5

Sounds simple, but carefully matched inner and outer tapers were needed to center the wheel and lock it against the hub so the drive splines didn’t take a beating. The outer taper also fitted inside a groove in the cap so that “epicyclic” movement (see Ptolemy’s treatise on hula hoops) of the rotating hub would tighten the spinner.

I’m told by engineer friends that an ever-moving stress point on the outer taper (with the car weighted) causes the male hub to squeeze the female knockoff opposite the direction of rotation. But I like to think of it, for my own sanity, as a smaller inner circle (wheel hub) rotating faster than a larger outer one (loose knockoff), which tends to drive the threads home. In any case, the hubs on the left side of the car require standard right-hand threads and those on the right use “backward” counterclockwise threads. These thread directions are reversed on center-lock hubs on the Lotus Elan SE (for instance), where the knockoff fits inside the wheel center, but most conventional knockoffs are loosened by hammering down the forward ear on both sides of the car.

Hence all the markings and arrows on my Morgan spinners. Hammering them in the wrong direction—or mounting your hubs on the wrong side of a car—can cause big trouble. Wheels come off; prominent citizens go missing.

By 1912, this clever quick-change system was all but universal on the GP grids of Europe, and by 1922, Carlo Borrani was building his own exquisite hubs and wire wheels in Milan under license to Rudge and selling them to the great racing teams— Alfa, Auto Union, Mercedes, etc.
Wire wheels remained the standard in sports-car and F1 racing until the early Sixties, when stiffer aluminum and magnesium wheels came along. Knockoffs continued to be used on racing cars with “solid” wheels, such as the Cobras and Ford GT40s. On the street, however, the spinners became emasculated and lost their distinctive and useful knockoff ears to safety regulations in the U.S. and Germany in the late Sixties, becoming “wrench-offs.” (Apparently, legislators had been traumatized by the slice-and- dice hubs on the chariot in Ben-Hur and James Bond’s Aston.) Too many enthusiasts, though, knockoffs and wires still define what a proper sports car should look like.

wire-3

So it was no coincidence that my first sports car—a 1960 TR3 bought in 1967—had them, along with the obligatory leaky side curtains and primitive door latches. My current Morgan also shares these three key elements, so you can see, I’ve learned exactly nothing in 49 years. Actually, this is my fifth British sports car with knockoffs, and I still have my original, massive three-pound Thor copper knockoff hammer—which looks like something a Neanderthal would use to kill a mastodon.

Knockoff hammers themselves have considerable charm and are probably collectible at this point. Mine is a bit heavy, because I use it for bludgeoning all kinds of things in my workshop, but they also come in lighter weights with lead and rawhide tips, which are easier on virgin chrome. So are the shot-filled, plastic dead-blow hammers, but they look wrong. In an onboard tool kit, a two-pound lead hammer works nicely

And how hard must one smite those knockoff ears? Some say gently, because, after all, they’re self-tightening. But I’m among those who believe you should strike just hard enough to get a “solid sound,” but not so hard that all the dried cow manure falls off the bottom of your car.

wire-4

However you do it, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as smacking a knockoff. It feels like an ancient, embedded human prerogative, like releasing an arrow from a longbow or skipping a stone across a lake. If you’ve never owned a car with knock- offs, you probably owe it to yourself and your ancestors to get one. Knockoffs provide both tactile involvement with your car and participation in one of the sport’s most sacred rituals. Without which, as Jim Morrison would say, true sailing is dead.

04 Nov

Dashpot Oil (mossmotors.com)

Carb (SUs, Strombergs, etc.) Dashpots
Poor acceleration and “sputtering” during acceleration may be due to a low oil level in the carburetor dashpots. Automatic transmission fluid works well in some carbs, but not in others. The old recommendation of “the same oil as used in the engine” is a good place to start. If this gives too lean a mixture on acceleration, try a slightly heavier oil; if too rich, then a lighter oil is indicated. Fill to within 1/4 inch of the top of the hollow air piston rod. Do not overfill!

04 Nov

Christopher Ward signs partnership with Morgan Motor Co (http://www.watchpro.com/)

watch

Two great British businesses came together yesterday as Christopher Ward announced an agreement with Morgan Motor Company that draws on the passion for design that the firms share.

The watch brand’s eponymous founder told a press conference at SalonQP that he met Morgan’s head of design Jonathan Wells 18 months ago and the idea of the partnership has been worked on since then.

A five-year agreement will kick off turn Christopher Ward creating three designs of limited edition pieces that will be available only to Morgan customers.

Each will have the chassis number of the owners car engraved into their unique watch.  In time, Christopher Ward Co-founder Mike France said, the watch brand will have license to create watches developed with Morgan for the wider public.

The first timepieces from the partnership will be launched at the Geneva Motor Show in early March.

They will pick up design features from the three-wheel chassis beloved of Morgan enthusiasts.

The aim is to launch with prices under £3000, according to Mr Francis.

02 Nov

MOGSouth Noggin at Amelia – March 10, 2017

Just as we did this past March, MOGSouth will have a Noggin (no host bar) at 5PM Friday (March 10, 2017) at Sliders Seaside Grill, 1998 South Fletcher Ave., Amelia Island – Fernandina Beach, FL  *** New Location***  (The old location, Sandy Bottoms, is under new management, and closed for remodeling.) Nothing formal, just show up if you can.  We will be there, somewhere.

This is the Friday (Mar 10) of the Amelia Island Concours weekend.  Saturday (Mar 11) is the Amelia Island Cars and Coffee Event, on the golf course where the big show is held. And of course, Sunday (Mar 12)  is the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.

This past year, we had a great showing of Morgans at the Cars and Coffee event.  If you haven’t as yet signed up for 2017, you should do so immediately.  (See the Calendar and link for the application.)  The Cars and Coffee event is now full.  You must be accepted or you cannot show your car. 

Lots of MOGSouth members and other enthusiasts come to Amelia Island / Fernandina Beach Florida for the festivities such as the Cars and Coffee at Amelia on Saturday and Concours on Sunday.  Given this, it makes sense for us all together and raise a toast to something, perhaps car related.

Rooms are tough to get (and tend to be pricey) over the weekend because of the Concours so plan early.

Lots of folks stay in North Jacksonville, where hotel rooms are plentiful, and the road to Amelia Island, SR-105 (turns into A1A), is only 30-45 minutes, and is absolutely gorgeous.

 

02 Nov

Morgan Three Wheeler Convention – May 2017 – Old and New M3Ws

roundel-3-high-contrast

The planning and preparation continues for the upcoming Morgan Three Wheeler Convention, May 2017, in Augusta GA, the heart of MOGSouth.

If you are interested in what the old cars are like to drive or to maintain or have a dream of a new M3W in your garage, you just have to get to Augusta in May!!

We will have a lots of things to do, not just car things for the Morgan enthusiast but other things, as well.

Augusta is a great town, on the water, with tremendous appeal. Specially in the Spring.

See the attached flyer and check out the links to Facebook and other places.  Watch this space for more information!!

Morgan Three Wheeler Convention Event Details

It is not too early to reserve your room at the meet hotel.  You won’t want to be anywhere else.

Mark