My 1966 Morgan

[pmhowe]

I love old cars. My first car (when I was a teenager) was a 1928 Hudson Super Six landau sedan, body by Murphy. I traded that for a 1929 Pierce Arrow coupe. I also owned and drove (in college) a 1938 LaSalle. But that was sixty years ago. I now have a 1966 Morgan +4. So why a Morgan? I could go on about this, but I recently read a post on “The Morgan Experience Forum” that captures the answer better than I can write. The author of the post has a more modern +8 Morgan, but most of what he says applies to all the earlier models as well. Here is part of his post:

 

“Morgans are really different, as they are essentially a pre WWII sport car, right down to the suspension, wood supported coachwork and the flexy frame. This is the basic formula that they followed with the "Classic" Morgan, all the way up to its replacement with a sheet alloy monocoque and independent suspension. There is nothing modern abut how it works. Not the stiff seat position adjuster, the flat dash with no padding above, or the friction addled, Flintstone era steering. Even the electrical systems have survived for decades, unchanged on the carbureted models. There is nothing modern about the suspension designed to press the tires into the road surface with as much force as a driver can stand. Shocks were an after thought, and not really well designed, being mostly a 50% compression, 50% rebound. Adjustable dampers were probably not even a dream back then. They were still using friction discs on some cars when the 4 wheel Morgan came along with its amazing sliding pillar independent front end. And yet, this was ancient tech compared to the more modern upper and lower arm systems used by MG and everyone else by the mid 50s... What you are driving is nothing like anything you have driven before. In fact, probably your parents never drove anything like this before, either. The Morgan company is over 110 years old, and the cars have not evolved much at all in that time. This isn't an MGA, or a Miata, or even a Sprite. It pre-dates all those cars by nearly a quarter century.” (1)

 

I can add a little to his statement: My car helps satisfy my love of pre-war cars. It is lots of fun to drive, and - when properly maintained - is very reliable. It looks like and old car. It behaves a little like an old car, and also a lot like a good sports car. For me, my Morgan provides the best of several worlds.

Phil

 

 

1. S J Morgan, The Morgan Experience, Morgan Plus 4 Forum, Re: “Plus 4 shifting poorly, clutch or transmission, Post #13 (June 19, 2023)

[pmhowe]

Here are some more pictures. The first shows the top in the DeVille position. This is great in early spring and late fall. The second picture shows the cockpit. The seat cushions sit on a wood frame and are filled with foam. The frames are fully adjustable, using a small skill saw. In my opinion, the foam filling is a step backwards. My 1960 drophead had similar cushions, but an air bladder instead of the foam. Those were fully adjustable; soft to hard.  The slots in the sides of the doors are for mounting the glass windows, which bolt in place. The steering wheel is an authentic period accessory, made by Walsall Wheels, Ltd, Walsall, WestMidlands, England.

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by pmhowe (see edit history)

[old car fan]

Really nice. 

[vintage1]

Great looking Morgan !

 

[John Bloom]

On 7/2/2023 at 2:00 PM, pmhowe said:

I love old cars. My first car (when I was a teenager) was a 1928 Hudson Super Six landau sedan, body by Murphy. I traded that for a 1929 Pierce Arrow coupe. I also owned and drove (in college) a 1938 LaSalle. But that was sixty years ago. I now have a 1966 Morgan +4. So why a Morgan? I could go on about this, but I recently read a post on “The Morgan Experience Forum” that captures the answer better than I can write. The author of the post has a more modern +8 Morgan, but most of what he says applies to all the earlier models as well. Here is part of his post:

 

“Morgans are really different, as they are essentially a pre WWII sport car, right down to the suspension, wood supported coachwork and the flexy frame. This is the basic formula that they followed with the "Classic" Morgan, all the way up to its replacement with a sheet alloy monocoque and independent suspension. There is nothing modern abut how it works. Not the stiff seat position adjuster, the flat dash with no padding above, or the friction addled, Flintstone era steering. Even the electrical systems have survived for decades, unchanged on the carbureted models. There is nothing modern about the suspension designed to press the tires into the road surface with as much force as a driver can stand. Shocks were an after thought, and not really well designed, being mostly a 50% compression, 50% rebound. Adjustable dampers were probably not even a dream back then. They were still using friction discs on some cars when the 4 wheel Morgan came along with its amazing sliding pillar independent front end. And yet, this was ancient tech compared to the more modern upper and lower arm systems used by MG and everyone else by the mid 50s... What you are driving is nothing like anything you have driven before. In fact, probably your parents never drove anything like this before, either. The Morgan company is over 110 years old, and the cars have not evolved much at all in that time. This isn't an MGA, or a Miata, or even a Sprite. It pre-dates all those cars by nearly a quarter century.” (1)

 

I can add a little to his statement: My car helps satisfy my love of pre-war cars. It is lots of fun to drive, and - when properly maintained - is very reliable. It looks like and old car. It behaves a little like an old car, and also a lot like a good sports car. For me, my Morgan provides the best of several worlds.

Phil

 

 

1. S J Morgan, The Morgan Experience, Morgan Plus 4 Forum, Re: “Plus 4 shifting poorly, clutch or transmission, Post #13 (June 19, 2023)

Phil, thanks for sharing those comments and perspective. I’ve never owned one or even ridden in one, but I am an admirer of the model lineup and marquee. I’ve always thought it fun that north shore sports cars in Lake Bluff Illinois, which is only 2 miles from my house, it’s an authorized Morgan dealer, so I’ve seen several different models there through the years. Your car is gorgeous!  It seems like I see three or four a year just randomly on my drives to the office or running errands and they always put a smile on my face.

 

if some of us on the forum here ever wanted to pursue one, what suggestions or perspective would you give for a first purchase of the Morgan make?  
 

john

[pmhowe]

Hi John,

 

Thanks for the kind comments about my Morgan. It is truly a fun car.

 

My experience is with the Plus 4 models of the 1960s. In that period, Morgan made the Plus 4 in a two seater roadster configuration, in a four seater roadster version, in drophead coupe version and as a Super Sport roadster. The Plus 8 came out in 1968. There were also 4/4 models, which typically had a smaller engine and a lower body. Super Sports are the most desirable. There are numerous roadsters (and an occasional drophead coupe) that have been modified to simulate Super Sport specifications. These do not bring the money that a true Super Sport will.  The real Super Sports are well-documented.

 

By far the most important thing is to drive one. That  will determine quickly whether or not a Morgan will become part of the family. The visceral reaction to driving a Morgan the first time can be quite strong. Some people are thrilled and love them and some people are very disappointed and wonder why on earth anyone would want one. I don’t think there is any middle ground. If, after that first drive, your enthusiasm has survived or grown, a wise move would be to log on to The Morgan Experience Forum. There are sub forums there for +4, 4/4, +8, three wheelers, etc. These forums are quite active and there is a wealth of knowledge and useful information there.

 

Another website to visit is https://www.gomog.com/.  This, and  the Morgan Discussion Group (https://groups.google.com/g/mog-group) are very valuable resources for anyone interested in buying a Morgan, restoring one, racing one, or maintaining one - or selling one.

 

It is also worth visiting/joining one of the various regional Morgan clubs. Some of them have excellent websites, and the members can be very helpful.

 

There are several good books about Morgans. Most are no longer in print, but are often available through used book sources. Here are my favorites:

Roger Bell, “Morgans to 1997, A Collector’s Guide” (1997, reprinted 2005).

Gregory Houston Bowden, “Morgan: First and Last of the Real Sports cars” (1972). He has several books on Morgans, including one written with Charles Morgan.

John Worral and Liz Turner, “Original Morgan 4/4, Plus 4 and Plus 8” (1992, 2003).

R. M. Clarke (compiler), Morgan Four-Wheelers 1936-1967” A collection of road tests. (2006).

 

So, driving one is most important. Then doing homework about the breed. The resources listed above will provide an excellent basis. Then, finding the right car and doing the usual buyer’s due diligence.

 

Phil

 

 

 

 

 

[John Bloom]

On 7/6/2023 at 10:52 AM, pmhowe said:

Hi John,

 

Thanks for the kind comments about my Morgan. It is truly a fun car.

 

My experience is with the Plus 4 models of the 1960s. In that period, Morgan made the Plus 4 in a two seater roadster configuration, in a four seater roadster version, in drophead coupe version and as a Super Sport roadster. The Plus 8 came out in 1968. There were also 4/4 models, which typically had a smaller engine and a lower body. Super Sports are the most desirable. There are numerous roadsters (and an occasional drophead coupe) that have been modified to simulate Super Sport specifications. These do not bring the money that a true Super Sport will.  The real Super Sports are well-documented.

 

By far the most important thing is to drive one. That  will determine quickly whether or not a Morgan will become part of the family. The visceral reaction to driving a Morgan the first time can be quite strong. Some people are thrilled and love them and some people are very disappointed and wonder why on earth anyone would want one. I don’t think there is any middle ground. If, after that first drive, your enthusiasm has survived or grown, a wise move would be to log on to The Morgan Experience Forum. There are sub forums there for +4, 4/4, +8, three wheelers, etc. These forums are quite active and there is a wealth of knowledge and useful information there.

 

Another website to visit is https://www.gomog.com/.  This, and  the Morgan Discussion Group (https://groups.google.com/g/mog-group) are very valuable resources for anyone interested in buying a Morgan, restoring one, racing one, or maintaining one - or selling one.

 

It is also worth visiting/joining one of the various regional Morgan clubs. Some of them have excellent websites, and the members can be very helpful.

 

There are several good books about Morgans. Most are no longer in print, but are often available through used book sources. Here are my favorites:

Roger Bell, “Morgans to 1997, A Collector’s Guide” (1997, reprinted 2005).

Gregory Houston Bowden, “Morgan: First and Last of the Real Sports cars” (1972). He has several books on Morgans, including one written with Charles Morgan.

John Worral and Liz Turner, “Original Morgan 4/4, Plus 4 and Plus 8” (1992, 2003).

R. M. Clarke (compiler), Morgan Four-Wheelers 1936-1967” A collection of road tests. (2006).

 

So, driving one is most important. Then doing homework about the breed. The resources listed above will provide an excellent basis. Then, finding the right car and doing the usual buyer’s due diligence.

 

Phil

 

 

 

 

 

Phil, thanks for your answer, good details and some guidance for people like me with a shallow awareness of the marque, and curious to know more.  I will look at the Morgan experience site.  I am on the MG experience site quite a bit for over 10 years.  I know what you say about driving one is really the first step.  It will either light a fire under you or satisfy you that you don't need to put time or money into one.  Don't be bashful about putting more pics on here of yours!  Are they known for being high maintenance, or are they fairly low maintenance once they are sorted out?  I am a british car guy so I've always wondered about them.  I'll start doing some studying.

 

John

 

[pmhowe]

Hi John,

 

I think that Morgans are very reliable once they are sorted out and if they regularly maintained.  But then, my experience with British sports cars has been that you can say that about all of them. The critical phrase is “once they are sorted out and if they regularly maintained”. However, that is just like any old car. Since you are a British sports car person and an old car person, you should have no difficulty at all.

 

I think British sports cars got a bad rap because most American service stations and garages were unfamiliar with them. The foreign car dealers tended to be extremely expensive. So if you were not a car person, you had to pay through the nose to maintain your car. Thus, many cars were neglected and, when they were neglected, they caused problems.

 

Over the years, I have owned and driven regularly a 1959 MGA, a 1956 Jaguar XK140, a 1960 Jaguar Mark IX, a 1968 Jaguar XKE - and, of course, the Morgans mentioned in an earlier post. All were bought used, and each needed sorting.

 

The components that were the most problematic to me were

1. Lucas electric fuel pumps - the points tended to burn or get corroded. This was not a problem for my Morgans, as they had mechanical pumps. It was a problem with the Jaguars. I would recommend that anyone with a Lucas electric fuel pump install a transil on the pump. That pretty much eliminates the point burning problem.
2. The SU carburetor gaskets in the ‘fifties and ‘sixties were prone to leaking. I never had a problem with replacement gasket sets from the ‘nineties on.
3. In that earlier period, SU also had a problem with brass floats in the carburetors. They would occasionally develop a pinhole leak along the solder seam and sink, allowing the float bowl to flood. This was prior to the period when ethanol was introduced into our gasoline, so ethanol was not causing the problem. On the dual overhead cam Jaguar engines, this was a particularly dangerous situation, as gas would flow down onto the hot exhaust manifold.
4. My belief is that modern replacement ignition condensers have a high failure rate. I have had a few old -and several new ones - fail. I recommend buying a 0.22 microFarad 650V ceramic condenser and potting it in an old condenser can, after soldering one lead to the inner can wall. I think that it is pretty much bullet-proof. It also looks authentic. (I got this idea from a Morgan website and have used it on several cars.)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Phil