A sad story to start the week
I took HUY out Thursday Lunch time from work. There were four of us with 2
big guys in the back. I was taking it easy as I always do when the back is
loaded. We went along one stretch of road which is part of my normal
journey home. This is a descent with a right hand curve at the bottom and
a climb on the far side, good for about 65-70mph when I am on my own as
there is a clear view and the bend is not as sharp as it looks when
approaching. The only issue is that just as you hit the up part and the
suspension travel has been taken up there is a ridge in the road which
causes the car to push into the road harder.
Anyway with four up at about 45mph it bottomed on the road at the back
which is not so unusual, although the first time it has happened there even
when loaded, so I thought no more of it. On the way home that night there
were some more creaking noises than I recalled before.
HUY was coincidentally booked in for his annual MOT safety inspection the
following day and I had not anticipated any issues. When I went to collect
it at the end of the day I was surprised to find that it had failed as the
chassis is severely cracked just ahead of the firewall.
I think the story goes like this.
The back of the car is supported by the body frame (I thought it was
the other way round 'til now)
The front under the engine is reinforced to support the engine mountings
(or seems to be)
Just ahead of the firewall is a triangular reinforcement between the
chassis and the cross member; the front end of the triangle is both a
high stress point as it is just about where the support from the body
ends and a weakness.
6.5 years of enthusiastically attacking the bend described above, plus
many other discontinuities in the North Hampshire roads may have
weakened the chassis at that point. (UK roads leave a lot to be desired
in terms of smoothness)
Having the back end violently pushed up (by bottoming out) at the same
time at the front end was kicked up by the ridge was the last straw.....
On the right hand side it is just the bottom flange that is cracked, On the
left the crack runs about 2/3 or the way up the side of the chassis rail, I
think we were pretty lucky not to have had it break completely. Hopefully
Tony Howard can have it welded up by Thursday for the Thames Valley noggin
and failing that it will be OK for Saturday so we can go to Silverstone for
the Bentley Drivers Club Meeting, More to the point perhaps it will now be
stronger at that point and not just move the weakness to another stress
point at the end of the welded on plates. I have been told that the
galvanised chassis complicates the repair, but there may be some news
tonight.
BTW Tony has been working with Morgans for a long time, as well as the
first SLR he has an early Moss box Plus 8 (with the steel floor pan)
currently in bits awaiting rebuild after a hard life racing. He says he
has never seen one crack there before.
Feeling a bit glum..
Dave Vodden
1992 Plus 4 4 Seater
Hampshire UK
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