NORTHWEST

FROM THE PRESIDENT June 1984

Dear Morgan Owners,

Jim Henry and company is working on his rally event for this month. Look in this issue for specifics. Jim and Lovetta had quite a trip to Laguna Seca. As our sole representative he showed well, no break downs other than the odd generator, voltage regulator playing that wonderful game of "I can fry you first." Even the coil got in on power over load and blew. I seem to have heard that back in the Model T days it was handy and popular to fix electrical parts with hair pins or so the rumor goes. Lucas, in its very clever British way has had the last laugh in this matter by building the hairpins right into the electrical equipment. The theory is sound because they can then turn around and charge half an ounce of gold for every part that attempts a melt down. Of course, I'm only poking fun. The fact that the Henrys drove in tremendous rain storms all the way to the California border and most of the eletrical system survived is a testament to those hair pins. Anyway, Jim and Lovetta won the prize for driving the farthest to the event. With some rough figuring I estimate it to be about 800 miles one way. Good going.

Two beautiful badges have been released. Both signify important dates. The first released is the Silver Jubilee.badge (1959-1984) of the Morgan Car Club of Washington, D.C. (see graphic below). The badge will cost $25, plus $2 for mailing. To order send your check to: (payable)MCCDC, Win Sharples, 1802 Summit Drive, Haymarket, Va. 22069.

The second badge is released by the Morgan Motor Company of Malvern Link, England to commemorate its 75th Anniversary in 1984. The badge is really nice in heavy chrome and cream : red and blue enamel. I have just received one and they are beautiful. We should soon have our own stock on hand so let me know if you want one.

Both badges are made by James Baker of Birmingham, England, who has become the master of chrome and enamel.

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9-1984

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In next months newsletter I will be changing "From the President" slightly to a short series of light articles on Morgans. The July article will be titled "In defense of the 4/4.' ,

Happy Motoring this month. Next meeting will be June 19th at the Horses Brass Pub.

Fainthearts need not apply

Morgan Plus-8 by Michael Brockman

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BOB DOLIVO AND PAUL MARTINEZ

IMMMMMMMI Elsewhere in this issue you will find a bevy of convert- ibles. Though they repre- sent a broad variety of manufacturers and range in price from $11,000 to

$66,000, they have a number of common features: air conditioning, AM/FM stereo, and roll-up windows. Wimpy stuff that wouldn't even have been considered by the true sporting driver of two or three decades

.ago,

State of the art of open-air motoring back then—and in all the decades that went before—sneered at all that foo-foo stuff. What you needed was a long, louvered bonnet, with a leather strap to hold it down, running boards, and a tolerance for weather. Make that a positive enthusiasm for weather.

But can this be, in 1984? Yessir, Mr. Or-well, there is hope for the pure of heart. Thanks to a few hearty souls, namely Peter Morgan, for carrying on his family's work in England, and Bill Fink, for his undaunt-ed persistence in making the Morgan legal in America, we were able to have a Morgan Plus-8 on our 1984 convertible run.

The Morgan is one of the very few real - traditional sports cars available in the

world today, and is truly a holdout from another age. The chassis literally starts life on a pair of saw horses. Ash wood sub-framing is used beneath the coachwork and a total-loss oiling system for the front sus-pension is standard equipment. Speaking of front suspensions, this one was first de-signed in 1909. The sliding pillar suspen-sion, as it is called, is patented and is actu-ally a sliding kingpin setup with vertical coil springs above and below the spindle in conjunction with telescopic hydraulic shocks. The lubricant for the sliding pillars is taken from the engine and applied via a pushbutton on the firewall known as the "One Shot": one shot every morning on long trips or one shot every 200 miles or so under everyday driving conditions.

---The rigid rear axle is oversiung on semi-elliptic rear springs with lever-type hy-draulic dampers. Modern technology had appeared on the Plus-8 we drove in the form of telescopic rear shocks and, believe it or not, rack-and-pinion steering. The brakes too had moved into the present with 11-in, discs in front and 9-in, drums in the rear, held up by Pirelli P205/60VR15 P6s on 6.5-in, cast aluminum wheels. With this fat footprint and a great deal of pedal ef-fort, the 2270-lb Morgan stopped in an im-pressive 130 ft from 60 mph. Interestingly,

shocks kept the tail in on the skidpad, holding us to 0.75 g.

All these pieces are put to good use on the Plus-8., which gets its power from a healthy Rover 3.5-liter aluminum Y-8 (nee Buick) connected to a 5-speed Rover gear-box. The combination is delightful and makes for great seat-of-the-pants-style driving. Admittedly, the suspension works best on smooth surfaces, and the steering and braking require some manual labor; but overall the Morgan Plus-8 is a real kick

- in the knickers to drive. Another interesting and unusual aspect

of the current Morgans in the U.S. is that they run on propane. Once again, credit must be given to Bill Fink of Isis Imports Ltd. in San Francisco, America's largest (and only) importer of the oldest (75 years) ultra-low-volume (400 to 500 cars per year) manufacturer in the world. You see, Mr. Fink has a long-standing love affair with the Morgan and has fought long and hard to make the marque available in the U.S. When it looked like Moggies were go-ing to be kept out permanently because of emissions, Mr. Fink cleverly decided to use propane, which happened to be neat, clean, and relatively cheap. Not to mention kind to internal combustion engines.

When asked about the pros and cons of using propane, the only con seemed to be availability to ordinary consumers, and this poses little problem with some thought and planning. The pros, according to Mr. Fink, are many: longer engine and plug life, quicker throttle response (dry fuel

-doesn't have to be vaporized), to mention just a few. Propane has about 10% less BTUs for a given quantity than gasoline, but with a little manifold work (by Offen-hauser) Fink reckons his Morgans put out •about the same power (160 SAE net) as their English brothers.

We decided to test the merits of pro-pane-based muscle, and the results were impressive. Times at the dragstrip were fairly quick, registering a 15.12-sec quarter mile at 90.2 mph.

Making the engines legal is not Mr. Fink's only concern. Upon arrival in the States, the cars are partly disassembled and bracing is added in the doors and the rear compartment (the doors, quarter panels, and rear deck are aluminum). Five-mph bumpers—'a clever combination of VW Rabbit bumper shocks and stock Morgan bumpers—and an assortment of lights, re-flectors, and other gadgets are installed to make Uncle Sam happy. This is a time-consuming process requiring some 100 man hours in the Isis garage, romantically housed in Pier 33 on the San Francisco Wa-

Now that we know what makes this holdout from another time tick, what about driving it? On the convertible run one thing was sure: No matter if someone loved it or hated it, everyone had some-thing to say about it. What makes the Plus-8 unique today is what got so many of us involved with cars in the first place—you have to drive it; a cruise control on this car would be the equivalent of neon signs in the Sistine Chapel. There are no tricks or gimmicks, it's just a no-frills approach to goodtime motoring. This approach is not without merit; the cars have looked and been built the same for years, and the fac-tory can't produce enough cars to meet de-mand.

It should be mentioned that weather gear (a top and side curtains) is included in the package, and it works with relative ease. There are no buttons to push and it's not a one-hand job like those you see in the ads, but the top can be put up and the side curtains installed in three or four minutes, depending on how hard it's raining. When inside, widi all the gear up, you eiUier have to be very short or bend your neck a lot to see out the sides. Oh, there's a heater, too.

The cars are available in the U.S., even though there is some six-year backlog in England, at the rate of 30 cars a year. This number also includes the more classical-looking 4-cylinder version, with either a 1600 Ford CVH or a 1600 twin-cam Fiat engine, both using propane.

So if you like to drive, like the nostalgic thought of zipping down the lane with that long, louvered hood stretching out in front, and you don't mind getting your hair blown and being bounced around a bit, if you don't mind everybody staring and eve-ry other body asking, "What is it?" and "What year is it?" and you have an extra $26,000, call Bill Fink in San Francisco (415/433-1344). You'll have a ball.

N&XT Pd;fr 90 It 9 PIC S.

MOSIR _5 SPECIFICATIONS Morgan Plus 8 - 9 'I

GENERAL - ; Rear suspension _ ._.Lie axle. semi-elliptic leaf

Vehicle type .. ..... ...Fron1-errpitie. re-&ive, r, - . springs, telescopic shocks

2-seat, 2-door rost - Brakes, f/r .._ -11.0-in. discs/9.0-in. drum

Base price...... .._....._S26 000 . .. Steering type .___.......__Rack and pmon

Price as tested ... .., ................. $26663 Turns, lock to lock ...__.......2.2 Wheels....- 15 a 6.5-in. cast aluminum

ENGINE -

flres.._..___....205160VR15 Type & displacement ......... ,....V-5, liquid cooled, cast

aluminum block and . .DIMENSIONS heads. 01-N, 3528 cc Curb weight..._ ....,.L.._.1031 - kg (2270 lb)

(215 Cu in.) . . - Wheelbase..._.._...,.._2515 mm (99.0 in.) Induction system ..... ............... tmpco propane (IV) Overall length .....___.._.,.3988 mm (157.0 in.)

Max. power )SAE net) -------.... 160 hp @5250rpm Overall width.._ ....__..1575 mm (62.0 in.) Max. torque (SAE net) ...... 198 lb-fl @2500 rpm Overall height...._.._1321 mm (52.0 in.) Recommended fuel ................. Propane/9utarie 105 Power to weight ratio....--- 14.1 lb/hp

octane Fuel capacity.........._............58.0 L (15.4 gal)

DRIVETRAIN Transmission.......................... 5-sp. PERFORMANCE DATA Final drive ratio ........................ 2.75:1 0-60..................... .... ----6.49 sec

Standing quarter mile ... .......... 15.12 sec/90.2 mph CHASSIS Braking 60-0._..._...........130 II Front suspension ..... ............ ..Independent, sliding p4lar, Skldpad . ...._. ..... _,...0.75 g

coil springs, telescopic Fuel economy (test shocks average)......._..___......._.19.0 mpg

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EE F: i -r i E3i-t F= I E L ID NI EE E V Li F ID i

ID D NJ V F N-I I C ! ! 5 5

ALL BRITISH FIELD MEET ENTRY FORMS ARE ON THE WAY: L IN TIME FOR YOUR JULY NEWSLETTER. .

WHAT IS AN ' 1 ANATOLY ARUTUNOFFU WILL BE EXPLAINED ON THE ENTRY FORM, (AS BEST WE CAN) E3 EE '' Q LI -r -r I-I EE 1= I L ID NI E

SELL WANT

FOR SALE - MORGAN PARTS

80mm tach for mid60j 4/4 (New - stii.l in

box), . ........................... .6o.00

52mm capillary oil temp gauge - black

face / white numbers (new). ........35.00

52mm ammeter - black face / white

numbers Measure up to 50 Amps (new) ....................... 15.00

52mm Ammeter - as above, but measures

up to 35 Amps ......................15 . 00

Morgan 1/16 scale modles (beautiful)

Plus 8 and Plus 8 "Roadstar .......2.00

and ................................ 30.00

Mogul remote oil filter accessory(make

offer).

See Dwight Smith at Club meeting or

Call 642-1775

WANTED - PARTS FOR MORGANS

One set of wire wheel hubs,

See Dwight Smith at Club Meeting or

call 642-1775

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