Dave Wellings on Correctly Fitting Long Running Board Support Brackets

Dave Wellings on Correctly Fitting Long Running Board Support Brackets

Today I've been applying some extra Tectyl 506 under the front wings & running boards, ready for the spring.

I also wanted to refit the long plate bracket on the nearside, which holds the running board in place, because it wasn't quite straight...........see below:

So I removed it - held by three setscrews and two self tapping screws.

They all came out easily.

I trimmed the edge, cleaned the surfaces and refitted, after applying Waxoyl on both sides.

On the offside I wanted to apply Tectyl properly, so the exhaust had to come off.

While I had access I thought I'd remove the bracket on this side. Interestingly, both screws had sheared and were only held in place by the underseal.

These are quite thin coarse threaded screws, and a couple had sheared on Bumble when I did the same job.

Although it's tempting to attempt to re-drill the hole, a screw stub in wood is never going to end well, and reasonably thin replacement screws do go in down the side of the broken screw.

It's also a good chance to add a neoprene seal at the front to stop water and mud getting under the bracket.

Below: This shows the offside bracket after replacement, and the neoprene plug at the front.

I also added some heat resistant weave to the fuel pipes, because they are very close to the silencer. I did this job on my two previous Morgans.

I also cleaned up the brackets, which were already a bit scabby..............

Dave Wellings on Insulating Fuel Lines

Dave Wellings on Insulating Fuel Lines

The fuel lines on the Roadster come through a hole in the chassis near the cat, and follow the line of the exhaust all the way to the rear where they go through another hole into the rear cavity and the pump & tank.

As you'll see in a minute, they are never more than an inch from the exhaust, and under the rear axle are less than half an inch away.

It's a simple job to take the exhaust off, and this is the first car I've had where it can be done without jacking the car up in any way.

So my plan was to wrap the pipes with woven reflective insulation from Agriemach.

https://www.agriemach.com/c7-heat-and-sound-insulation

 Aluminised Heat Barrier

Thermo Sleeve

This company also sells insulating tube for this purpose, but since I had some woven cloth in hand I've used that.

Here's the front offside, and the cat is visible at the top of the picture.

With silencer removed, the cat is just visible to the right, and the exhaust mounting at the bottom.

The pipes are tucked away in the corner, but will heat up, especially when standing in traffic.

At least the constant flow of fuel via the return to the tank will help to cool things down.

Note also that the pipes are tight against some nuts & bolts, and in theory could chafe, so it's worth checking out.

This is the rear section.

Not very clear but the pipes drop at 45degrees to pass under the axle.

Anyway, it's fiddly wrapping, but here's the job done.

I've used cable ties.

First the front section.

Centre.......

Rear.....I tidied up that end bit after I took the photo!!

Rear exhaust is not fitted at this stage.

Now the rear silencer is in place, you can see how tight the clearance is.........

Less than half an inch gap here.

So, quite a fiddly job, but a pleasant enough way to spend a Saturday morning.

Better than the Supermarket anyway.

Dave Wellings on Safety Items with Rear Mounted Batteries

Dave Wellings on Safety Items with Rear Mounted Batteries

This week a MogTalker had his Roadster catch fire when the battery live cable chafed against the battery retaining bracket and shorted out.

The fire was fortunately brought under control quickly and the damage appears from photos to be repairable, although the seat backs look a mess.

There are varying views on where a battery is best located. Under the rear panel is a traditional place to put the battery.

MG put them there from a very early period.

Twin sixes fit nicely either side of the prop shaft and can be fitted low down, so weight distribution and Centre of Gravity are both covered well.

Furthermore that position keeps the battery cool - but accessibility is poor, and there is a long cable run to the engine.

On the bulkhead - the battery is set high, and on the drivers side for right hand drive.

Having a weighty item high up is not good for the centre of gravity, and having a container full of acid over ones legs is not ideal.

The battery also gets subjected to engine heat, but is easy to get at and has short cable runs.

If your battery is in the back, you need to check the cables, to make sure there is no chafing.

I did mine this morning.

First pic is the new jack and lifting board. Note the sleepers under the rear wheels.

This is the right side looking forward and shows the earth cable connection to the battery.

The cable curves under the carrier and locates on the left side lower bracket.

It doesn't matter really if this cable chafes, because it's to earth anyway.

I've included this one to show how hard it is to see anything from below.

Obviously you can take the tool tray out and remove the alloy flap behind the nearside seat to see more.

But the camera can get where no man has gone before.........

You can see here that there are two red live cables.

You can also see what I think is a master fuse, I've not yet had this apart for a look.

Any short downstream of the master fuse will blow the fuse, so it's only a risk on the short length of wire between battery and fuse.

The thin wires are the adaptor for the battery conditioner, which pass through the wooden bulkhead in a grommeted hole just to the left of the wingnut.

The big red cables are tied out of the way with a red cable tie, and I suspect that I did this when I fitted the neoprene liner to the ally cover plate.

You can see here the relationship between all the fittings.

Note that the battery has twin terminals - two positive and two earth, so that it can fit multiple applications.

Note also that the live cables cross over the car in the black wrapped cable high up.

This is not the cable visible in the previous two shots, that's the handbrake cable.

Note to self: The battery needs a clean.......

This is where it sneaks inside the car.

Handbrake cable at the top, live cables below.

This is adjacent to the offside leaf spring front mounting.

The cable then runs inside the cockpit under the offside trim panel.

It emerges here.

This stud is under the dash in the top right hand corner.

From here the power is fed to the fuse boxes.

2017 note: I later added a fuse to the battery charger positive cable.

Note that this is a 2005 Morgan and things have evolved both in terms of where the fuse boxes are, where the relays are, and where the master fuse is.

In 2012 the master fuse was under the dash. Currently most of the Traditional electrics are in a sealed box on the bulkhead.

Dave Wellings on Battery Replacement

Dave Wellings on Battery Replacement

The new battery arrived this morning. Very well packed, but with a tiny amount of dampness down one side.

You never know if the box has been upended en-route. Anyway its all fitted and OK now, so here's the story:

Image 1: First the old battery.

You will note the two lines of dirt where the clamp fitted.

The J rods are welded to the carrier, and so don't fall away when the wingnuts are removed.

My charger lead emerges to the right.

Along the bottom edge I fitted a neoprene splash guard some time ago.

Image 2: This shows the underside view.

I decided to make an aluminium plate to cover the bottom of the new battery.

Image 3: This is the underside of the new plate with a neoprene buffer added.

The curved section provides a deflector plate underneath.

 

Image 4: And this is the topside, with a neoprene pad.

Image 5: Underside with the plate added.

The master fuse is just visible, upper left.

Image 6: And topside.

I kept the DB Power unit attached to keep the 12v power feed to the alarm and ECU.

Image 7: This is a close up of the clamp.

It needed a light refurb, and I added a neoprene strip underneath, plus a couple of stainless washers under the wingnuts.

These batteries have four terminals, and two red fold up carrying handles.

The innermost handle is visible, but I have removed the front handle as it just gets in the way, and has no purpose once fitted.

I'll keep the handle on the shelf until I need it again.

The handle just 'pops out' of the battery case moulding.

Getting the old battery out is tricky, and is better achieved from underneath, because it must be lifted over the wood panel threshold.

And of course the cables get in the way.

If you haven't been in here recently, the wingnuts do corrode to the threaded rods, so expect a fight.

Mine were OK as I keep them treated with Coppaslip.

Refitting the battery is much easier, as it pushes over the threshold, and you just need to make sure that it's level and properly seated.

Then add some Vaseline to the posts, don't overtighten, and replace the clamp, again, without overtightening.

That's pretty much it!

Must say that on my car the battery came out quite easily from the access hatch without the need to get under the car. I did need to take the parcel shelf and tool tray out to assist it though.