arlo j levisen <alevisen@gdhscats.org> writes
>
>One - the original windshield that cracked from the wind had a 1967 date
>on it. It was, therefore, 20 years old when it was initially installed
>- 11 years ago. That sort of gives me a clue as to what happened there.
I think this goes down as one of the delights of owning a Morgan, flat
sheet 'screen glass will normally last quite well- it can go milky if
water gets between the laminations. The stores was sufficiently confused
to hide all manner of old stock for years.
>
>In the process of repairing the rear fender that had the hole punched
>through it - we decided to take off both fenders and repaint then so
>that they would look as they should. Once off we discovered that the
>"inner" edges did not even have primer paint on them - to say nothing
>about the regular enamal paint. As a result a fair amount of rust had
>developed, not continuously, but in spots along this inner edge.
>
>In other words, the "Morgan System" of hanging the fenders and they
>trying to paint them in place leaves a lot to be desired.
The books suggest that the big change in Morgan painting came in 1986,
when weather protection was greatly improved, I'd guess that your car
really pre-dated the change and so had the wings painted in situ. This
regularly would have the result you have noticed. In the soggy UK, it
was common to find 5/6 year old cars in 1990/91 with lacey wings as the
rot had set in.
>I have now decided to remove the front wings from the car because I have
>serious concerns as to rust development there too - given the kind of
>build quality we are discovering.
Seriously good idea- the bulkhead/'firewall' is worth a careful
examination as well. The bit behind the wings will rust quite happily
undisturbed. In the UK, taking the wings off for a look is normally the
prelude for a major rebuild as you discover all of the rust traps in the
car!
>
>We also suspect that very little hardener was used in the original
>paint. It seems to flake off the car very easily and my auto restorer
>showed me last nite where he could apply Windex to the paint and then
>wipe it - and the towel comes away with a lot of paint on it. He has
>never seen anything quite like it.
>
Paint quality was very variable, cars post 1986, or rather cars in "two
pack" seem to have paint of a more consistant quality. Your car's paint
is probably cellulose, certainly I'd expect it to be so, given the wings
were painted in situ and you can get it off with solvent.
--
Jeremy Edwards
1972 Morgan 4/4
1970 Opel GT
Melton Mowbray, England
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