Difficulty in fitting brake lines to the master is due to the ends of the steel flares having been squashed by over tightening.  Girling calls for a tightening torque of 15 inch lbs.  The tube nuts should be able to be easily threaded all the way into the master cylinder ports by fingers alone.

N.B. I replaced my master cylinder with a dual line arrangement. I used 90 degree fittings with pipe threads into the M/C and have been told that it is a  no-no because they cannot be trusted not to leak.  Proof of the pudding is that one of them does leak. In looking at John Sheally's car at MOG 30 I noticed that he had banjo fittings on the M/C and he said I could get them at a truck supply house. Having tolerated the slight leak throughout a weekend of vintage racing I  now plan to do something proper to correct it.  The banjos worked for John.
 

Rear Deck Metal Straps.

For the person who is concerned about what to put under the aluminium straps on the rear deck of that freshly rebuilt Moggie the suggestion is: marine bedding compound. It is a waterproof putty-like material that is meant to be applied under items to be screwed down to the deck of a boat. It is semi-solid, and oozes into nooks and crannies under the cleat, stanchion, etc to be affixed, and then  hardens somewhat, but never becomes brittle. It keeps water, both salt and  fresh, out, preventing rust and dry rot, and would probably work quite well  on a Morgan.
 

Wheel Nuts.

Lubricate the lug nuts with "never seize" and torque them to 40 foot pounds.  Because the end of the studs going into the wheel hub are smaller than the end that goes through the wheel, the torque that the stud can safely take is limited by the inner end.  Forty lbs.. of torque is plenty to hold the wheel securely, 70 or 80 is almost surely guaranteed to either damage the threads of the nuts or studs or loosen the studs from the hubs. This information applies the all Morgans up to 1968, not necessarily to +8s and later other models. For further information,  please check torque specifications for different wheel nuts HERE.
 

Leaf Springs.

And don't forget, "to paint the leaf springs with motor oil" to keep them lubricated.  That may sound a little messy.  Just jack up the car to relax the springs and then squirt in some 90 EP gear oil*.  Lubricating the springs improves the ride of the car.  It also increases the load on the shocks ( or as they are more accurately called dampers).   Since the friction between the leaves has a damping effect on the motion or the springs, when you remove this friction you have lost some damping action.  The shock's damping action is motion sensitive. This means that  the greater the bump or movement the more resistance the shock should offer.  This will occur if the shocks are set up and are operating properly.  With the springs  lubricated  the result should be a smoother ride and better resistance to "bottoming" the suspension on big bumps.

*N.B. Webmaster: I do not use gear oil. Substitute Castrol chain oil spray instead. It goes on cleaner, and then penetrates for better effect.
 

Leaf Springs (Fitting)
by Lorne Goldman

I am at the stage of the replacing the fuel tank rear axle  and suspension back to where it came on my 1980 4/4 4 Seater.  At the shackles at each end of the spring there is a long bolt several large washers and two spacers one longer than the other. My problem is in which order do they go.
Mike

I have a Morgan response for you! No two Morgans are alike and the size of these spacers and their positioning varies from car to car. Therefore you have some fiddling to do to find out what goes where on
YOUR car. The keys are to assure yourself that;

1. The leaf springs are parallel to the frame.

2. You have a sufficient amount of bolt thread for the nuts.

And that is all there is to it. Good luck!
 

Morgan Axle U-Bolts and Saddle Plates
by Lorne Goldman

Morgan has used pretty much the same axle U-Bolts and saddle plates for more than a half century. Sadly, much of the community still does not understand their peculiarities and that can cause great damage unwittingly. As can be seen from the Factory's adjacent drawing, the u-bolts and their saddle plates hold the axle to the leaf springs and therefore, the car. The plates have five drilled holes. Four hold the u-bolts and the last, in the centre of the plate is for the axle locating nut which holds the plate in position on the leaf springs.

N.B. These locating nuts must be made of the strongest metal possible. If they break of shear, the axle becomes loose on that side and will move forward or reward on the leave springs severely skewing the axle and prejudicing driving control.  In many countries, the strength of these nuts/pins are governed by law. However, Morgan has used nuts machined in Factory. These inevitably shear, especially with axle tramp on their bigger engines or when the plate or the u-bolts are used to anchor suspension systems and anti-tramp bars.

The Morgan U-bolts are special. THE MUST BE MADE SHORT, ESPECIALLY THE OUTBOARD ONE.

WATCHPOINT I:  Though simple, the Morgan chassis frame is not quite as simple as it looks. The frame railing is an "L". The beefy section is the larger vertical piece. Very think, very strong. Then there is a thin horizontal flange at the bottom. This is dismissed by those who don't understand it.  In fact, that thin flange is what prevents the larger vertical section from splitting! If the flange is split, holed or damaged, and remains unprepared with a similar piece, crack in the adjacent frame has become highly likely.  A repaired frame is vulnerable to further cracking as it will most often NOT flex in exactly the same fashion as the surrounding original frame. The only sure repair for a Morgan cracked frame is a new frame and the cost of that repair is often matches or exceeded the value of the car.

Sadly, damage to that flange is common from owners. They jack the car from the rear and in doing so they compress the suspension. In compressing the suspension, they bring the rail flange right up to axle u-bolt nuts, often to the point where the outboard nut touches the flange! As they can no longer easily access or turn the outboard u-bolt nuts, they come up with all sorts of weird cures, involving crowbars, wooden blocks and sometimes, sadly, drilling access holes below the outboard nuts through that all- important frame flange!

WATCHPOINT II: It is a RULE that u-bolts should tightened and replaced from time to time. U-bolts should NEVER be re-used after they are removed.  Morgan used the same u-bolts for decades, even while the bhp was going from 36 to 200+! They shear. Many owners notice the use of nyloc nuts, and with some logic, get distressed! (Nylocs can not be fully torqued.  Many owners try to cure this issue by replacing the u-bolts with new, longer ones (They do not want to drill the plate for u-bolts of a wider OD.) They use longer standard axle u-bolt nuts.

N.B. The use of longer u-bolts or u-bolt nuts forces the outboards into the frame flange each time the car is jacked for improper access to the u-bolts or every time the rear suspension compresses. Additionally, it shortens the suspension travel of the car and creates an impact point. In little time, the flange is damaged or split.

The nylocs and the short u-bolts are there for a reason. The MMC is/was trying to address an issue with the car's design. The weakness of the U-bolts used before those of very recent years CAN be addressed with stronger u-bolts of the same length but with thick bar stock and a better grade of metal. The MMC has been using thicker u-bolts on the newer cars. These bolts are also treated and the plates are anodized to slow rust. However, the pklate is no thicker and the stronger u-bolts bow and weaken them in short time. You can purchase these new bolts and saddle plates from the Factory. For something bullet proof, buy the ultimates from Peter Mulberry at Mulfab. I recommend better u-bolts and plates for any owner with 200 lbft or more of torque or a suspension or anti-tramp system using the u-bolts or saddle plates as anchors.

N.B. All u-bolts stretch with tightening over time. As the metal stretches, it weakens without a visible sign.

N.B. If a bowed saddle plate is evident, it should be replaced.

The nylocs are another story. They are there because they require little space and can be sourced easily. On the other hand, they cannot hold a torque and must be tightened frequently AND replaced regularly. They are not normally appropriate for this type of task. A better idea is the use of stover nuts. They have a lower profile than nylocs, can take a high torque and never need re-tightening aside from compensating on rare occasion for u-bolt stretch. On the other hand, they are harder to find and a bit longer to fit. UK Source or US Source

ACCESSING THE OUTBOARD U-BOLTS

Jack the car at the as you would normally. Place the rear solidly on jack stands (ALWAYS USE  JACK STANDS ANYTIME YOU ARE UNDER THE CAR!!!) Remove the jack. Place it under the axle. Jack the axle upwards until the outboard nuts are easily accessible (easiest with the inboard u-bolts out) but never so much as will make the frame's weight completely leave the jack stands.