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Upper Cross Axle braces

To: ckchapel@fast.net, morgans@autox.team.net
Subject: Upper Cross Axle braces
From: deemi@juno.com
Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1999 22:29:04 -0800
Don and fellow morganeers,

the note below on the BRTB, was on Don's second Super Sports at least, it
was a tube,  flattened at each end and bent at about a 45, with an
appropriate sized hole to bolt to the top of the kingpin area, then came
medially and back onto the frame near the aluminum stop block.  These
were used to stiffen the front suspension and prevent brake chatter in
some references.  I have also seen a set on Jake Alderson's Baby Doll
spec. car in Sheffield England.

Bob Bowie in Maine
Morgan SS 5381

On Tue, 7 Dec 1999 21:44:58 -0500 Kerry Seibert <ckchapel@fast.net>
writes:
> DON - on my +8 I have decambered the front to 0 degrees.  This was 
> done on the recommendation of a Morgan racing specialist in the UK 
> (MacDonald if I recall - I bought the lower plates and other bits 
> from them) who recommended 0 degrees for early +8s.  Don't know what 
> the consensus is for 4/4s, sounds like a good question to toss out 
> to the masses, pretty quiet out there anyway!  I have no complaints 
> about my car turning in, the steering seems no different from my 
> original stock/street setup, and I've had no abnormal tire wear. One 
> thing you MUST do is change your tie-rod as the old one will be too 
> short.  In my mind at least, there will not be enough "meat" of the 
> tie-rod ends in the old tie-rod.  The old tie-rod is, I believe, 
> about 38 1/4" long.  You need one about an inch (maybe 7/8ths) 
> longer.  A man of your experience will probably make his own but you 
> can buy a "long +8" tie-rod.  Naturally this is too long and you 
> will have to shorten it in a lathe!  Measure twice, cut!
>  once!
> 
> I'm sure too you will want to install what they call "brake reaction 
> torque bars".  Your old SS may have even had them.  Much like the 
> tube/bar running from the bottom of the stub axle/spindle back to 
> the chassis, the BRTB is a piece of tubing, one end of which is 
> secured under the kingpin oiling bolt, then running at an angle back 
> down to the chassis in front of the wheel stop blocks.  Again, you 
> can buy these all powder-coated and pretty, or make you own.
> 
> Getting back to decambering, I seem to remember someone (maybe it 
> was Freshman's  "Baby Doll") actually had an adjustable system.  I 
> often wondered if a Morgan really responds to such high-tech 
> tuneability.  I've always thought of the Morgan as a poster boy for 
> "Close enough for government work".  This is no complaint, just part 
> of its charm!
> 
> Cheers for now, Craig
> -----Original Message-----
> From: DGreimel@aol.com [SMTP:DGreimel@aol.com]
> Sent: Monday, December 06, 1999 5:18 AM
> To:   gregmogdoc@surfnetusa.com; morgans@autox.team.net  
>                                                                      
>                                           
> I, and several of my morgan racing friends had our spidles heat 
> treated 
> during the early 60`s. We all had +4s, mine was an SS.  The results 
> were (a) 
> no more spindle flex pushing the pads back and creating a loss of 
> brakes. (b) 
> no more broken spindles. 
> Spindle breakage was a very common problem in those days.  After the 
> heat 
> treatment there was never another broken spindle even when a friend 
> flipped 
> his car at Lime Rock and landed it on the LF wheel.  As you surely 
> know, the 
> folks at Morgan knew little of metallurgy in those days.  The 
> spindles and 
> the rear axles (using posi tract) were a constant problem until 
> properly 
> treated.  They would not even register on a brinell tester.  I have 
> the 
> spindles off my car in the process of decambering and was wondering 
> whether 
> to have them treated or convert to the +8 units.  It sounds as 
> though the 
> hubs would also require upgrading and it would surely be less 
> expensive to 
> heat treat.  In 1962 New York it cost $6.00 each. No doubt that has 
> changed 
> but I imagine that $50 would do it. It may not even be necesary with 
> the 4/4.
> While we are here - have you decambered your car?  I bought Hoosier 
> Vintage 
> GT tyres, on your recommendation, and think that they should stand 
> pretty 
> strait up. I see a lot of cars with serious decamber, on the order 
> of 2 
> degrees, and think that would be rather much.  I was planning on one 
> degree 
> and would appreciate our input.
> 
> Cheers!
> Don Greimel
> `66 4/4
> Havre de Grace, MD

Best Regards,
Cameron, Lori and Bob Bowie of Maine
PO Box 3751
Brewer, Maine 04412
deemi@juno.com

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