Removing the Trad Axle
by Lorne Goldman

Preparation

-  you need space around the car
-  some G Clamps
-  your workshop toolkit
-  Liquid Wrench or another penetrating oil

I would also recommend you reading the articles on U-Bolt saddles plates, U-Bolt quality and choosing Morgan ones. U-bolt nuts are also key. Stoffer nuts  are best if you have no wish to be constantly tending to that area. Pain to put on but a long term solution. I also use them on the propshaft to differential flange for the same reason.

Instructions

1 Jack the car very high in the air, placing the jack stands on the frame...not the axle as you would normally.

2. Remove the seats to have access to the front rear lead spring hanger

3. Remove the parcel shelf (aka the interior axle area cover)

4. Remove the rear shock absorbers (dampers)

5. Detach the propshaft from the differential.

6. Place the jack under the axle.

7. Jack up the axle to remove enough of the weight the remove the tension they place on the U-bolt nuts. Now remove the U-bolts holding the axle to the leafsprings.
 
WATCHPOINT: You may have to remove the floorboards under the seats to create access for the G Clamps. Remember, it easier and faster to have a clear space to work with than thinking you are saving time but not doing so. 

8. Clamp the front of the leafspring to the chassis with several G clamps.

9. Undo the bolt holding the leafspring to the chassis. Use a drift (aka a long bolt or metal rod that will allow you to push the bolt out)

10. BEWARE. The leafsprings are under much tension so release it the G Clamps carefully. In my case, myself or my helper stand on the leafspring end and use myself as spring detensioner by bracing myself on the ceiling. This stops any sudden spring release, I can release the tension at any speed I choose...and it works even better when re-installing the leafsprings.

11. Now remove the rear leafspring bolts. The care here depends on the amount of tension you left in the spring after removing the forward bolt. The rear bolt could be loose, or require a similar treatment with G Clamps to the front.

12. Remove the leaf spring entirely.

13. Repeat for the leafspring on the other side of the car. 

14. If using new leafsprings, lining up the hole and tensioning the spring at the front will not be easy unless you use the standing-on- the- leafspring method mention in instruction #10 above. With that the lining up with two people is a breeze.

15. When the leafsprings are in position, merely reverse the rest of the procedure described above. 

16. ALWAYS REPLACE THE NUTS AND U-BOLTS WHENEVER THEY ARE REMOVED. They stretch..though this is very rare if you have upgraded both beyond the Factory stuff.

Morgan U-Bolts Holding the Leaf Springs 4 sections
by Lorne Goldman

These thingies are a bit tricky, but easy enough after you know the watchpoints.

1. The u-bolts MMC uses are thin cheap things..better changed to stronger fare. They originals can shear and stretch (yes metal stretches!) & this requires,, regular verification and tightening. Replacement at each service is advisable. This MMC feature becomes dangerous the more powerful your Morgan. MUCH better, thicker & stronger ones made of a higher grade of metal, ones can be had from Morgan performance suppliers or you can modify the outboard u-bolt of a set purchased at a reputable auto factor/store length. Bring the old outboard bolt to the store to verify the length of what you are purchasing. Drill out the u-bolt plate a bit to fit the thicker stuff or by an alloy u-bolt plate from a performance supplier. Buying quality reduces over-time costs in this area.

2. There is a sad characteristic in this area.  Regular outboard u-bolts are too long and that is not noticed until it is too late. Owners jack up the car, creating space between the outboard u-bolt bottom and the thin horizontal flange of the chassis. When they lower the car, they do NOT notice that the u-bolts smash into that flange which quikcly causes it to crack and split the flange. The flange looks flimsy but it is ALL-IMPORTANT! It's strength must be calculated horizontally..which makes it an vital part of the chassis. When the flange is cracked, the adjacent vertical section of the chassis will soon crack as well! Morgan chassis cannot be perfectly repaired. Patching merely transfers the stretch point to the ends of the patch. :(  Do not let your noble maintenance or that of your chosen mechanic  lead to something super unpleasant.

3. The length of your u-bolts depends on how many leafs you have. See the table below. If you have any of the missing lengths, pleae tell me them. The MMC doesn't have them either.

MORGAN U-BOLTS
MMC Part Numbers Description



MRS0320 5 Leaf SALISBURY GKN Axle & 7 Leaf BTR Axle  140mm
MRS0322 4 Leaf 4Str BTR Axle  Long 130mm
MRS0323 4 Leaf Short with Anti Tramp Bar 7/07 to 1/10  90mm
MRS0324 4 Leaf Long with Anti Tramp Bar 7/07 to 1/10 3/8 UNF
MRS0325 5 Leaf BTR  Long 140mm
MRS0326 4 Leaf Short without Anti Tramp Bar Short  7/16unf
MRS0327 4 Leaf Long with Anti Tramp Bar 7/16 unf
MRS0330 6 Leaf SALISBURY Axle Long 150mm 
MRS0335 6 Leaf Rear Spring BTR Axle  Long 150mm
MRS0340 7 Leaf Rear Spring SALISBURY Axle
MRS0370 Lugged 5 Leaf Springs
MRS0380 6 Leaf Rear Spring SALISBURY Axle  150mm
MRS0390 Lugged 7 Leaf Rear Spring SALISBURY Axle

If you buy better stuff at a factor or performance supplier as suggested, THEY MUST NORMALLY BE MADE SHORT, ESPECIALLY THE OUTBOARD ONE (or they will hit the frame flange and split it which can lead to the horrors of frame splitting at that point) as noted above.

4. Space on the outboard size is at a premium.That is probably why the MMC uses nylocs rather than the longer nuts (image to the left) that come with most store bought u-bolts. Nylocs cannot be torqued properly.

WATCHPOINT: After more than 25 years and 260,000 miles mogging different continents, provinces, States, Comtés, Départments and nations, I have come to conclusion that Morgans can be made to be the most reliable vehicles I have ever encountered. It costs very little to assure that..just wisdom and prudence. Owners should remember the GoMoG RULE of BREAKAGE: Morgan Breakage happens almost exclusively during your most precious Morgan time, when you are using it! In other words, don't ruin the best moments of your life (whether a weekend drive or a holiday) by ignoring such stuff. In this case, it is nothing to swap in adequate u-bolts or tell your service fellow to do so. As a rule, he is supposed to be checking/changing your u-bolts at every service  anyway.

P.S. If someone tells such stuff is a waste of time, they probably park their Morgan permanently on their coffee table with extremely limited usage, if any. Wisdom is free.