EXPERTS PANEL

From: Jeremy Bowles

There are two upgrades for rear suspension offered for my car. One is a system where the shocks are attached from the rear wheels hubs inwards to a tubular bar stradling the car. The other system has the shocks attached to brackets fixed on plates at the axle U-bolts and angled upwards to a bracket attached to the sides of the car. Any thoughts on either. Do they help?

FINK, SHEALLY, RUTTER, WORRALL

Bill Fink

Both the alternatives to the lever action rear shocks help; that with the plates attached to the spring saddle brackets comes, I believe, from Chris Lawrence in the 60's.

The tubular hoop system offers more control, as there is less opportunity for flexing and the shocks are out closer to the wheels. Maurice Owen and I developed this system and it is used on current production Morgans.

Best,  Bill
15/10/99

Melvyn Rutter

My recommendation is to go for the bracket set up, where the shocks are at 90 degrees to the axle. By fitting this type, also helps the anti-tramp question of axle wind up and down. We stock both types, but find that the bracket set up outsells the tububar type by 10 to 1.  Spax or Koni work well, if you are going to change ,  and for best results do front and rear at the same time.

Regards, Melvyn Rutter
16/10/99

John H. Sheally II

Dear Jeremy,
Yes the tube shock setup on the Morgans rear really do work. There have been many types/styles of these offered over the years.They eliminate the tramping of a lever action shock and twist and roll of the rear axle. I prefer and use the Morgan factory version that has a adaptor plate that uses two bolts on each side of the axle existing tube holes with a plate that fits in the axle tube existing bolt holes. A roll bar loop from side to side is used for the upper mounting point of the tube shocks with the top of the shock being inboard. From that mounting point they taper down,outboard towards the wheel. This is one of the best things ever offered from the factory for good handling of the Morgan. The angles are right and results in a FACTORY STOCK SETUP that works to center and spring the axle very much like a race setup of Watts link or Panhard bar.Go for it, (factory type) you will love the results. Depending on the Morgan model you may have to vary the type of tube, length and stroke of shocks to your taste, car model and tires used.

Best to you,John H. Sheally II
15/10/99

John Worrall
Either method of fitting rear telescopic shocks will transform the handling of the car! Lever arm shock absorbers are just too outdated for performance handling requirements; indeed when TOK went to Le mans in 62 it was fitted with Telescopic rear Shocks ! The Factory then built just 6 Supersports +4s
with similar fittings but waited until the early 90s to make Telescopic Rear Shocks standard on all models.
The first method of fitting is the method the factory uses on new cars today; the second (easier to retro fit) method has been used and available in Europe since the late 60s and many cars are so equiped. Whichever method is used is equally effective and it would be impossible to tell the difference from just driving the car..the big difference you will notice is the improved handling compared with what you had before! The simple U bolt bracket/Bar/side support method is more simple for the "Home
Mechanic to fit" as the Tubular Bar/ Brake Back plate Bracket Method is more difficult to fit to a car which is already built..(if a Chassis up rebuild is in progress that is the time to use this later method).
Hope this helps,
JOHN WORRALL.
18/10/99