Hi Teri,
Let me put my two cents in, regarding purchasing a Morgan.
I bought my Morgan , a 1955 +4, from a private party after searching through
many months of Hemming's Motor News and lots of other literature, including
club newsletters.
I live in an area where there aren't a lot of Morganeers to gain knowledge
from, so I had to read everything I could get my hands on. I also had to
pick cars to look at that were within a days driving time.
I cant stress the value of doing your homework before buying, or even
looking. The following is a list of the books I found helpful:
Illustrated Morgan Buyers Guide - Ken Hill, 1989 - Motorbooks Intl.
Original Morgan - John Worral & Liz Turner, 1992 - Bay View Books
Morgan, The Last Survivor - Chris Harvey, 1987 - The Oxford Illustrated Press
Practical Classics, Morgan Restoration & Buying - Kelsey Pub. Ltd, 1992
There are many more, most of which I have, like I said, you should read,
read, read.
Even so, when I bought my car I paid too much, didn't know enough to check
all the things I should have and wound up with an antique which is not what I
was looking for.
My 55 is narrower and a little higher than the later models, it has 16"
wheels, which were worn and wobbly, the front frame sub-assembly was cracked
and welded in several spots and was also bent. ( I couldn't see that when I
looked because it was painted black and I had no way of raising the car. )
The motor was a low port TR2, which ran fine but had low oil pressure when
fully warm. Worst of all, the car apparently had been maintained for years
by someone who was ignorant regarding Morgans and made Rube Goldberg repairs
with non Morgan parts.
You can avoid the problems I had by getting someone who really knows Morgans
to look with you.
Now that my 55 is mechanically back to where it should be, I have grown
attached to its antique looks and characteristics. It is definitly not an
autocrosser or an interstate cruiser however. The Morgan factory was able to
give me several details regaring my car, the most ineresting being that it
was a show car at the 1955 Earls Court Motor Show in London. Because of
this, I want to keep the car the way it was at that time.
If and when I decide to acquire a second Morgan it will be a late1960s, 4/4
series V, preferably with a Lotus Cortina motor and gearbox. These cars have
reasonable power, are highly maintainable and shift a lot easier than the +4s
with their old Moss gearbox.
Good Luck,
Dale Masters
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