New rear springs

[Paul Clarke]

My first post!

Just come back from Isle of Man and the Manx Classic. Proved to be a good event!

However I seem to have returned with a broken rear spring only fitted during my rebuild last year and having only done 4000 miles and not a great deal of competition work.

I'm being told by one of the agents that the old type springs are in short supply and that the factory are now only fitting the new type of 4 leaf springs to all cars.

I'm advised by one agent that these were tried on a race series Roadster and that they immeadiately reverted back to the old style springs.

Does anyone have any experience of the diffence between these two types of rear spring and if there is a difference how does it mainfest itself.

Any help/advice appreciated before I spend my hard earned cash! For reference the car puts out 260bhp and has the BTR axle with limited slip dif, antitramp bars and panhard rod fitted.

Thanks

[Andy Garlick]

Originally I was very keen to pursue the four leaf spring option after a ravce review in Miscellany, but when I talked to the competition minded dealers they are all giving the same message. The car sits on the bump stops the whole time, and therefore there is insufficient travel for the suspension, not only is the mod is not worth it, it is actually worse than a standard set up. Strange that we have such polarised views, but that's Morgans for you.
Regards
Andy

[Barry Sumner]

Quote “only fitted during my rebuild last year”

That may be your problem Paul, for the new springs are built up and then dipped into a paint vat, so the paint fills all the gaps between the leaves. To the extent that they generally barely move and you have then subjected them to the bumpy roads of the Isle of Man and a fair bit of power to boot.

Cannot comment about the “New” type of springs,

But what I can recommend is that springs are stripped down - even brand new ones - and each leaf cleaned off (angle grinder does a wonderful job) in getting rid of paint, rust and wear groves, and finished off with a flap wheel which polishes them up nicely. be warned its a dirty dirty job!!

Reassemble with a liberal coating of copper slip between each of the leaves, and if you want to keep the grease in, bind them with a product called Denso Tape (available from builders / plumbers merchants) used to protect steel pipes in the ground.

Does not look pretty, but you will find that the rear springs then work properly, year in year out and improve the handling.
Using this method I have yet to break a spring, which means I will next time out, sods law, despite driving the Morgan down the odd bumpy road over the past 30 odd years

Regards
Barry