Imagine a town where the only cars you see are Morgans, where on the
weekends drivers are either out in their Morgans or hidden in their
cave-like garages, armed with trouble lights, tool boxes and bandages
for skinned knuckles, the only sound the burble of exhausts and the
odd curse from the garage-caves. At night,by the cool glow of computer
screens, all the villagers on the net yakking with their neighbors.
Well, friends, I am happy to offer proof that Morganville is a
thriving village of the global variety. A week ago I sent a message to
all of you about some new shimmying tires/tyres and now I have a
shimmy free 1957 Morgan.
The credit goes to all for providing an interesting web site, but
particular credit goes to the Morganite who put me on the right track.
His name is Jeremy Edwards, and he provided a wonderful five-item
check list of things to check. The last item of the five was: "Make
sure the cross frame bolts are tight, the king pins greased and the
brakes not dragging."
The very last point on this fifth check turned out to be the one. I
had adjusted the brakes on the car while all was up on jackstands and
the wheels off to be reshod and balanced. I had left the fronts so
they just barely touched the drum- something I used to do when
adjusting the brakes on a previous car (my 63 Volvo PV544.)
On Saturday AM, before taking the car back to the tire/tyre man, I
jacked the car up again, backed the adjusters off a notch so all was
free, put the car back down and went roaring off down the
aforementioned Merritt Parkway. All was as smooth as glass at speed!
Things are much more jiggly at low speeds, but this is the lack of
compliance in radials, I guess, versus HM Tourist Avons, which are
better tyres/tires if you're just potting down to the corner grocery,
I suppose.
At any rate, a heartfelt thanks to Jeremy --- I never would have
connected the brake adjustment job to any of this and would have spent
billions rebalancing, remounting, replacing had he not made his list
of five.
On my next visit to the UK, I owe you a pint or two, Jeremy!
Regards to All
Chip Brown
|