Tech Tip – Billy Bellinger, JB Sports Engineering, Morgan Gearbox and Axle Repair

I had the opportunity (?) recently to use the services of Billy Bellinger in the UK when my Series 1 Moss Box or transmission failed.  It was the gearbox in my 1938 DHC Prototype.  This early Moss Box is similar to the 1950s-1970s Plus 4 Moss Box but not exactly the same.  The 1930s vintage Series 1 4/4s used either a Meadows Gearbox or an early Moss Gearbox.  Billy’s repair shop can handle either and in fact, I asked him to help me identify just what gearbox I had.  Mine turned out to be an Early Moss Gearbox. 

For those of you that appreciate such things, the early Meadows Gearbox has a rod (similar to the thickness of a coat hanger.) that parallels the gear shift and when pulled up, it allows the shifter to slide into a detent for reverse gear.  If not pulled up, there is no hope of ever getting the gearbox into reverse gear.  (Ask me how I know!  Rather ask Andrea, she was reverse gear for a few years, until I got it fixed on another of my silly pre-war 4/4s.) 

This current gearbox is however a Moss Box.  An early one. A generation earlier than the typical box found on the TR powered Plus 4s. Getting it repaired however is likely the same.

The process of getting the box to the UK was not too arduous, other than having to remove it from the car and box it up, in a substantial wooden crate.  I had help with this and the transmission was soon picked up by Billy’s shipper, DHL, and off it went!!  Billy’s shop arranged for the shipping and all I provided him was the weight. It took some 5 months to get the repairs completed, a long time, but I have to believe there is quite a backlog. The transmission is back now and the shipment back to the US was similarly easy as sending it off to the UK. I did nothing and it arrived at my doorstep! Minimal fuss although I did have to pay for the repair. Credit cards worked!!

The transmission was installed in a few hours and tested. It all works perfectly!  I am a happy customer! 

Cheers,
Mark

Technical Tip – EZ Power Steering:  As I am sure most of you are aware.  I am a bit hampered by a wonky Right arm, the side effect of a spinal compression operation some 16 months ago.  My arm has precluded me from driving my LHD Morgans, primarily because I cannot lift my Right arm up to the steering wheel to help my Left arm in steering the car.  This is mostly problematic when I am trying to maneuver around a parking space or in my driveway. 

This problem led me to seek out power steering systems for my Morgan.  Well, all the usual UK sources declined to deal with a LHD car.  ‘We used to but now we don’t . . . ‘  It seems the market is there but only for RHD cars?  Then there was the issue of my Roadster and its ‘Air Conditioning’ (?).  As I understand it the new four wheelers (the CX chassis cars) have electrical assisted power steering standard, or are available from MMC, but these cars are not in the US yet. 

Those with the older cars (Pre CX) are on their own.  I asked around about Power Steering options and got a strong recommendation from a Morgan friend in Australia; EZ Power Steering, in the Netherlands.  www.EZPowersteering.nl  

As I understand it, these folks supplied Morgan with electrical power steering systems, until such time as Morgan adopted the BMW solution (along with the BMW power systems) for the CX cars. 

If you Google EZ Power Steering, you will be faced with many similar sounding businesses.  Be careful or you will go down some strange rabbit hole! 

After a few diversions I went straight to the Company’s web site in the Netherlands.  www.EZPowersteering.nl  Don’t be concerned, as they fail to list Morgan as a supported car (they allude to only listing their best sellers?)  They showed me pictures of a good number of systems on their work bench, and I ordered mine on Tuesday and had delivery on Thursday.  (I suspect a US distribution point!)  Not only that, their Installation Manual had lots of photographs showing the system being installed in a Morgan Roadster, not some unfamiliar vehicle! 

It took a handful of folks a day and half to install the system and test drive it thoroughly.  It works, and seems to work well.  The steering in the drive is a one-handed affair!  Bottom line:  I can now drive the Roadster.  I even had my wife test it and she liked it as well!

The Dutch Company also has a few other Morgan solutions that look quite positive.  They offer an ‘eccentric’ steering wheel mount for those you that need a bit more room under the steering wheel and a very pretty steering wheel center button that hides the screw heads and reduces the sun’s reflection off the shiny wheel.  Visit their web site www.EZPowersteering.nl .

Cheers, Mark Braunstein

As I am sure most of you are aware.  I am a bit hampered by a wonky Right arm, the side effect of a spinal compression operation some 16 months ago.  My arm has precluded me from driving my LHD Morgans, primarily because I cannot lift my Right arm up to the steering wheel to help my Left arm in steering the car.  This is mostly problematic when I am trying to maneuver around a parking space or in my driveway. 

This problem led me to seek out power steering systems.  Well, all the usual UK sources declined to deal with a LHD car.  ‘We used to but now we don’t . . . ‘  It seems the market is there but only for RHD cars?  Then there was the issue of my Roadster and its ‘Air Conditioning’ (?).  As I understand it the new four wheelers (the CX chassis cars) have electrical assisted power steering standard, or it is available from MMC, but these cars are not in the US yet. 

Those with the older cars (Pre CX) are on their own.  I asked around about Power Steering options and got a strong recommendation from a Morgan friend in Australia; EZ Power Steering, in the Netherlands.  www.EZPowersteering.nl  

As I understand it, these folks supplied Morgan with electrical power steering systems, until such time as Morgan adopted the BMW solution (along with the BMW power systems) for the CX cars. 

If you Google EZ Power Steering, you will be faced with many similar sounding businesses.  Be careful or you will go down some strange rabbit hole! 

After a few diversions I went straight to the Company’s web site in the Netherlands.  www.EZPowersteering.nl  Don’t be concerned, as they fail to list Morgan as a supported car (they allude to only listing their best sellers?)  They showed me pictures of a good number of Morgan systems on their work bench, and I ordered mine on Tuesday and had delivery on Thursday.  (I suspect a US distribution point!)  Not only that, their Installation Manual had lots of photographs showing the system being installed in a Morgan Roadster, not some obscure vehicle! 

It took a handful of folks a day and half to install the system and test drive it thoroughly.  It works, and seems to work well.  The steering in the drive is a one-handed affair!  Bottom line:  I can now drive the Roadster.  I even had my wife test it and she liked it as well! The Dutch Company also has a few other Morgan solutions that look quite positive.  They offer an ‘eccentric’ steering wheel mount for those you that need a bit more room under the steering wheel and a very pretty steering wheel center button that hides the screw heads and reduces the sun’s reflection off the shiny wheel.  Visit their web site www.EZPowersteering.nl .

Cheers, Mark