I'm posting this to the Morgans newsgroup in case anyone is interested in
how to fit air filters under the hood of a Plus 4. This correspondence is
between me and Michael Jhon.
Happy Morganeering!
Jerry Murphy
>> Michael, I shipped the scoop today. Yes, it's a steel one from Morgan
>> Spares, still in gray primer.
>>
>> Removing & reinstalling the carbs is just nuts & bolts work. Just take your
>> time and use your tools gently. Be careful not to overtighten. If you're
>> really good, you'd have a set of crow's foot open end wrenches that could
>> be used with a 3/8" drive torque wrench to get the nuts tightened just
>> right. I'm not much of a mechanic, either, but I enjoy fooling around with
>> the car, doing what I can and hiring the rest out to experts.
>>
>> There were at least two types of SU carbs fitted to TR3's & 4's & Morgans
>> over the years. The early type is HS6, which has a relatively long body. It
>> attaches to a rather stubby cast aluminum alloy intake manifold. This setup
>> is the same diameter as the later (TR4A) HS4 carbs, which have a short body
>> and are attached to a longer, more gently curved intake manifold. (This
>> manifold probably also has a tapped hole to receive the crankcase vapors
>> via the valve cover from the PCV system. The early one has a boss for the
>> breather connection, but it may not have been drilled yet, or it may have a
>> socket head plug screwed in.) The overall length of each setup is about the
>> same from the jets to the intake ports on the engine block. If you marry
>> the HS4 carbs to the shorter manifold, you save almost an inch of overall
>> length. I had the faces of the short manifold machined down about 1/4" on
>> both the engine side and the carb side, with the result that I can now fit
>> some thin K&N air filters under the hood. I might have given up a little
>> idle smoothness, but overall performance doesn't seem to be affected. I
>> also spent a bit of time reshaping the inside of the manifold to better
>> align with the ports on the engine and the carbs, and also smoothing the
>> curves inside. I used a Dremel tool for this. Be sure to lubricate the
>> cutting head with candle wax or something to keep the alloy chips from
>> clogging!
>>
>> BTW, I added a screw-on oil filter adapter to my car, so I can now use easy
>> to replace cannister filters instead of the paper cartridges. Very
convenient.
>>
>> If you're worried about fuel economy in a Morgan, you're driving the wrong
>> car. How can you expect to get any decent fuel economy with your foot on
>> the floor?
>>
>> Let me know if i can help you with any more info.
>>
>> Jerry murphy
>
>Jerry,
>
> Thanks for keeping me posted--and even more so for the detailed
>description of the procedure you followed.
>
> I plan to order my scoop from Morgan Spares, as originally planned. It
>seems to be the more economical (I hope), easier and ultimatly more
>flexible route for me. And oneday when I hit the lottery and install
>Webers....
>
> But I am still curious why you decided to replace your carbs (and
>header?) rather than mount the scoop. Was it something about the scoop
>itself or a negative report from someone?
> Anyway, Congratulations on your successful conversion and Happy
>Morganing!
>
> Thanks again for all the info & insights.
>
> BTW When my right foot's not in my mouth, it wants to be on the
>floor(board) but I'm trying to resist the temptation until I know the
>car a little better (I've only had MOGNFIQ for a couple of months). And
>yes, if the previous owner hadn't converted it to spin-on oil filters, I
>would have.
>
> Michael Jhon
>
>
The Morgan Spares hood scoop is an excellent piece of metalwork. There are
eight louvers that match the Morgan hood except they of course face
forward, to catch air. The scoop is reinforced around the edge with a
tightly rolled lip. Fitting this scoop involves cutting the hood, welding
on the new scoop and then filling the joint and repainting to match the
rest of the car. The result is terrific. I've seen them installed on a few
cars. However, I felt it was simpler and less expensive to follow the under
the hood route.
I bought a spare TR4 engine & O.D. transmission for short money and sold
the transmission for a good portion of the package price. It had the short
manifold. My Morgan left the factory in January, 1968 with the short carbs,
which were still in great shape. The machine work wasn't too expensive on
the short manifold.
I have since acquired another short manifold. It has not been modified yet.
Any Morganeers interested in buying it?
Jerry Murphy
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