The Morgan Ear Ear February... · 2019. 8. 30. · The Morgan Ear The magazine of the MORGAN...

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Morgan Plus 4 cars illustrated

Similar, but not the same

All enquiries should be directed to: Chris van Wyk Morgan Cars Australia Pty Ltd Level 1 ZAGAME building, 362 Swan Street, Richmond, Victoria 3121 P: 039329 0344 E: [email protected] Please visit our website For more information www.morgancars.com.au

Every Morgan is hand built by cra smen and women in rural England, exactly to customer requirements.

This means that no two Morgans are exactly the same. Each car expresses its owner’s unique requirements and taste, right down to the colour of the carpets.

This has been the Morgan tradi on for more than a century. It is also worth no ng that Morgan is not only the oldest, but also the largest Bri sh owned car company where tradi on runs deep.

This means that the Morgan ownership experience goes beyond the car itself.

Please visit our website to learn more about the unique and bespoke range of Morgan products.

2 The Morgan Ear February 2018

The Morgan Ear The magazine of the

MORGAN OWNERS' CLUB OF AUSTRALIA INC. (Founded by Ken Ward in 1958)

PO Box 372, Gordon NSW 2072 www.morganownersclub.com.au

Monthly meetings: 1st Thursday of the month at 8.00pm. Venue: Ryde-Eastwood Leagues Club, 117 Ryedale Rd, West Ryde.

Views expressed by contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Club or Editor.

Technical items are the views of the contributor and the Club can accept no responsibility for their accuracy.

Front Cover: Greg Dal Santo’s MX4 in the rose garden Photo: Cindy Tomalin Back Cover: Morgans line up for the Dream Ride under the Sydney Harbour Bridge Photo: Trevor Robertson

The Morgan Ear February 2018 3

Editor Brian Tomalin 0427 693 626

[email protected]

Webmaster Geoff Williams 02 4567 7247

MOCA Committee members for 2017/2018

President Geoff Hollings 02 9449 8422

Vice President Stan Jodeikin 0408 608 002

Joint Club Captains

David Lyon

Jason Barker

0409 906 116

0407 553 741

Treasurer Louise Barker 02 9417 3780

Secretary Dennis Jones 0402 254 701

Membership Secretary Cully Gower 02 9416 3903

Competition Secretary Ross Simpson 0407 249 463

Registrar Stan Jodeikin 0408 608 002

Club Plates Officers

Club Plates Secretary Peter Canavan 02 4575 2085

Club Plates Inspector Brian Williams 02 9913 8095

VP-Qld (Nth) (South)

Lachlan Rankine Vacant

[email protected] 0417 621 234

VP-Tas Mac Russell [email protected] 03 6423 5177 VP-SA Tony Heard [email protected] 0412 091 610

VP-WA Len Taylor Kim Roberts [email protected] [email protected]

0408 942 926 0417 928 579

State Vice Presidents

VP-Vic Colin Bartlett [email protected] 0409 965 321


Welcome back to another year of Morganeering.

Unfortunately 2017 finished on a sad note with the passing of long-time Morgan owner and fierce competitor in Laurie Burton who passed away after a short battle with cancer.

The New Year also started on a sad note. As “The Morgan Ear” was about to be sent off to the printer we received the shock news that Daphne Hamilton suddenly passed away. Daph and Todd have been long-time stalwarts of the club and made an enormous contribution to the success of the Club’s social and competition activities. Daph’s contribution to the running of the MOCA Supersprint will be hard to replace.

I extend my personal condolences to Todd, Caryn and family. I have no doubt that many members will want to express their thoughts in the next edition of the “Ear”.

Thinking about serious and depressing things, especially for those who enjoy motoring for pleasure, the increasing road trauma is likely to provoke another heavy handed response from the authorities.

Cindy and I made our annual dash to the

NSW Central Coast for Christmas Day. Driving from Tamworth to Gosford on Christmas Eve and returning after Boxing Day it became even more obvious that the major contributor to road trauma is the faulty nuts that hold steering wheels.

There did not appear to be much excessive speed but lack of consideration for other road users and lack of judgement is becoming much more prevalent.

Also the bunching of traffic which results from the imposition of speed limits seems to increase the

risk taking behaviour of the steering-wheel nuts.

It is to be hoped that the authorities take steps to improve the steering-wheel nut problem and not make the situation worse by taking measures that make the nut problem worse.

A highlight since the last edition of the “Ear” was the Special Olympics Dream Ride in Sydney, a real feel-good event.

This month we also have the inspiring story of a Morgan restoration by Tony Heard, a visit from French Morganeers, and the continuation of the history of the Morgan front suspension.

EDITORIAL Brian Tomalin

Take note Closing date for articles is

the 9th February

Presidential Ponderings 5 Supersprint 5 Vale Laurie Burton 6 Book Review (International Adventure II) 8 Special Olympics Dream Ride 10 Kirsty Small and the Morgan 13 SA News 15

CMC Report 16 Back to what it was 16

Diamond Muster 17 Morgan Front Suspension 18 French Morganeers 24 NSW News 27 The Choke 29 MOCA Minutes 30 Dawn Dash 33

INDEX:


PRESIDENTIAL PONDERINGS Geoff Hollings Welcome to the first Ear of 2018. I trust that everyone had enjoyable Christmas and New Year celebrations and maybe even a holiday. The annual awards dinner at the Bonnie Doon Golf Club was a great success with a good venue and lovely food. Thanks to Stan and Jenny for organising the evening and to Ian for arranging the engraving of the trophies and the awards. Plates day was attended by over 60 members, and thanks again to Rex and Norah Vincent for putting together the great lunch and allowing us the use of their home and garage. RMS have advised that the log book trial in NSW will be extended two years until September 2019. The All British Car Club has advised that the display day at Kings will now be held later, and this year will be on September 23. Peter Edmondson advised that Laurie Burton had died in early December. Laurie had been an active competitor over many years in his Morgan and other cars. I recall seeing his heavily modified +8 at the muster. Recently I received the following email: “I have a relative in the UK who was the owner of 1934 MX4 Morgan Sport three- wheeler Matchless 990cc water cooled engine in carnation red, UK Reg CMF197. This car did not have the usual 2 part windscreen but a one-piece screen across the body. Apparently it was shipped to Australia about 1997. My relative is 92 and would like to find out its existence.”

I circulated the email and two weeks later received an email from Chris Page

advising that the car is still very much loved and owned by Ken Robb who lives three doors down the road from him. He kindly sent a couple of photos of the Mog to the former owner. Thanks Chris. Responses are rolling in for the muster. At the end of December, we had received 54 expressions of interest, covering 128 members and guests with 64 Morgans. Please send through your details for the muster data base to me at [email protected].

MOCA Supersprint Choy-Lin Williams Chief Flaggy for 2018 is Bob Bailey. Both Stan Jodeikin and Graham Richards will act as assistants as Graham may be away part of the time. Bob will be seeking help from members (and your family and friends) to be flaggies. Clerk of Course is Geoff Williams, Stewards are John Coneybeare and Wendy Maher (MGCC), Todd Hamilton is Chief Scrutineer.

CSCA Events The dates for all rounds of the CSCA Series 2018 are: Round 1 CLA: March 11, Wakefield Park Round 2 JDCA: May 26, SMSP North Round 3 AHOC: June 16,Wakefield Park Round 4 MOCA: August 11,SMSP Gardner Circuit Round 5 MGCC & MG Newcastle: August 25,SMSP North Round 6 SCCA: September 8,SMSP South Round 7 TSOA: October 21, Wakefield Park


(What follows is from my often faulty memory and from what Laurie told me over the years. I make no apologies for any errors)

In the early 1990’s a few of us gathered to display our Mogs at Canberra’s annual “Wheels” display day, that time held at Philip Oval.

A gent approached us for a chat, and mentioned, almost as an aside, that he had a Morgan too. We finally gleaned that it was outside, and convinced him to join the

display. It was a beautiful red Plus 8 virtually in as new condition with less than 2,000 miles up. It turned out also that Laurie lived only a few blocks away from me. There was a story involved. The car had been repossessed by a Finance Company and was up for tender. Laurie offered around $50,000 cash and was laughed out of court. They had two offers of over twice that amount. Sometime later he contacted them again to be told that they were finalising the sale to one of the other bidders, but just waiting for him to

VALE LAURIE BURTON John Merton

After a brief but brutal battle with cancer, on Friday December 1, we lost a great man. Laurie Burton you lived life to the fullest and were kind, thoughtful, generous and loving. Your children and their partners, and grandchildren, are privileged to have known you and lived beneath your warmth. The memories you leave behind are beautiful and plentiful. The racing community has lost a legacy. You were the man to beat, and your mountain of trophies is testament to your skill and passion. Your family are so grateful to have known you. Trevor, Daniel, Melissa, Renee and Sally, Vin, Sienna, Elva and Silvie will forever hold you in their hearts. The checkered flag has come down. The race is over. Daniel Burton


sell a property. Laurie repeated his offer, and the financiers eventually said they would refer the matter to the Board. A while later Laurie and Trish were weekending at the coast when they called him back accepting his bid. Laurie rushed around the Bateman’s Bay area frantically trying to retrieve money, drove to Sydney and about three hours later the Morgan was his.

Laurie was a keen racer, and the Plus 8 was soon pressed into service. The car didn’t remain “standard” for very long. It and its replacement became the scourge of the Porsche GT 3 crowd, who frequently tried to rely on unsuccessful protests in attempts to compete with him. Eventually he swiped the Armco, I think at Wakefield Park, and the car passed on to Terry Werner for restoration. Laurie imported another from the UK.

Laurie pioneered a lot of developmental work. As a result of his accident with the first car, the wood at the rear of the frame crumpled up into kindling like a piece of knotty pine. Laurie, who was a timber specialist commented very scathingly on the quality of European ash as a framing timber and started repairs using decent Australian stuff.

He found that putting a radius rod back from the top of the kingpin to the chassis, to tighten up the front suspension under heavy braking was virtually useless until he reinforced and stiffened the chassis rails back to the scuttle.

He converted to rear disc brakes with coil over shock absorbers run off the roll bar as the rear suspension. I think he retained the semi-elliptics for location purposes but had been talking of experimenting with a single

leaf of carbon fibre. The engine was a five litre, the short version of which had been considerably worked over for use in a Triumph racer. Laurie dry-sumped it and used a Davies Craig electric water pump. I believe that Davies Craig had been experiencing some problems with sealing, and used Laurie’s car as a guinea pig to refine the pump to best-in-the-world status. He used four twin-choke Dellorto carbs to power the beast.

Laurie also used Yella Terra rocker gear but found that the end of the rocker shaft, which was cantilevered, had a habit of snapping off, so this was another developmental contribution from him. Gearboxes were another matter. The five-speed Rover offerings were a disaster, and Laurie switched to a Supra box which likewise failed. He felt this may have been due to the use of racing slicks which didn’t provide enough cushioning for rapid take-offs. His final solution started with “T” which figured according to Laurie as Triumph which had close associations with Morgan.

Laurie had many racing successes. Perhaps the most notable was second outright in a Dutton GP Rally, crewed by his daughter Melissa Shand, around the same time that an English Aero entrant at Bathurst made an abortive, highly embarrassing appearance. That Laurie had stopped to help another competitor hence losing time made his achievement even more noteworthy.

Eventually, after years of racing the Plus 8 was pensioned off and he turned to a TVR.

He sold this I think when someone at Phillip Island made him an offer he couldn’t

(continued on page 8)


refuse. When the new owner arrived in Canberra to take delivery, Laurie mentioned he had something else which might be of interest and showed him the Plus 8.

The chap was impressed but said he couldn’t. But when he reached Jugiong on

the way home he phoned Laurie and said “Yes”.

Laurie was an unassuming person with a laconic sometimes mischievous sense of humour. He was always laid back, friendly, and helpful to a fault. He was not a Club member but possibly did as much to advance the cause of Morgan among the racing fraternity as anyone. His death was a real shock and we share the sorrow of his family. We’ll miss him!

BOOK REVIEW Vern Dale-Johnson

International Adventure II John C. Clarke

In the December 2017 issue of the Ear there was an ad for John's new book "International Adventure II", a book covering in detail "Morgan's disasters and eventual triumph in the world of international motor racing during the 1950s and 1960s in the legendary Morgan +4 sports car". I ordered the book from John and set myself up for a fascinating read over the Christmas break. It is fascinating and easy to read with lots of sidebars on other events happening during the period when privateers (with a bit of help from Peter Morgan and the Morgan Motor Company) were contesting the Le Mans 24 hour races. Bonus pieces were biographies and insights into some of Chris Lawrence's partners in their contest of the 24 hour race -- Richard Shepherd-Barron, Ivan Waller and Robert Lawrie (yea, I know, most of you like me had never heard of those last two).

It does not include details on Chris Lawrence but then you can read his auto-biography by Richard Burt-Andrews "Chris Lawrence - Morgan Maverick". You can find copies available on Amazon and eBay.

I highly recommend John's book.

Also from recent reading I thought I must add the following extract from Peter Egan's "Side Glances" as published originally in “Road & Track”, April 1992, commenting on invitations to speak at gatherings of motoring enthusiasts:

“If you couldn't see the cars or the jackets and patches, you wouldn't know if you were talking to a group of TC owners or an Alfa club or a Roverphiles Anonymous meeting. They may live in different valleys and see slightly different visions when they stare into the campfire, but it seems to me they are all equally crazy, in the best sense of the word. Except for Morgan owners, of course, who tend to be a little more equal than others in this respect".

One of my favourite writers and yes, Peter is a Morgan owner.

VALE LAURIE BURTON (from page 7)


SPECIAL OLYMPICS AUSTRALIAN DREAM RIDE

Stan Jodeikin

The aim of the Dream Ride is to give people with an intellectual disability the opportunity to have a ride of their Dreams, in a unique car. Morgan Owners Club of Australia was invited by Special Olympics Australia to participate in the second Australian Soar and Roar Dream Ride, which was held on Sunday, November 26, 2017. Morganeers participated by sharing their cars with Special Olympic athletes, driving from Broughton Street Lookout, Kirribilli, next to the Sydney Harbour bridge, overlooking the Opera House, to and around Sydney Motorsport Park (SMSP). The day started off with the Morganeers and Special Olympic athletes having a sumptuous brekkie, then welcome by a Director of NSW Special Olympics. This was followed by a “hatting ceremony” where the drivers and athletes received and donned a special Team Morgan cap. The 20 selected athletes were then allocated to their respective Morgan cars, which proceeded to SMSP in a reasonably well maintained convoy. A number of other motoring clubs participated, those invited being Aston Martin who left from Hyde Park; Corvette from Blues Point Reserve; Hot Rods from Penrith; Lamborghini from Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair; Lotus from Manly and Mustang from the Blue Mountains; Upon arrival, the convoy of all the Dream Ride cars gave their athletes a couple of circuits of the SMSP track and then dropped them off in pit lane pit lane.

Thereafter, Morganeers and their wives, partners and supporters were granted free access to the fully air-conditioned VIP lounge where the never-ending array of food, drinks, special coffees and desserts freely flowed. Recognition trophies were awarded to drivers who had contributed to the day’s success. Trevor Robertson received a massive cup for the “Best Dressed Morgan” while Gary Cox, with excellent support from the Western Australian Morganeers, was awarded a special trophy for the most funds raised by a team member. After presenting each athlete with a medal 'I rode the Dream Ride' each was discharged at the red carpet to the acclamation of their friends, fans and carers. A repeat round was then done with a fresh cohort. All in all, the Morganeers shared their cars with over 60 Special Olympic athletes, for an unforgettable experience. The excitement for my three passengers, their enthusiasm and the gratitude of them and their parents made it all worthwhile. Truly a Dream Ride for people so much less fortunate than ourselves. I’m sure they will never forget their ride in a Morgan. I would like to THANK each and everyone one of our MOCA Drivers for the time and day given to the Special Olympic athletes, their families and supporters.

(see photos over page)


MOCA participation Graham Balfe; Gary Cox; Vern Dale-Johnson;

Cully Gower; Todd Hamilton; Chris Hills; Geoff Hollings; Stan Jodeikin; Dennis Jones;

Bob Little; David Lyon; Graham Matthews; Richard Perkins; Graham Richards; Trevor Robertson; Robin Sanders; Ross Simpson;

Ian Smith; Ian Southwell; Hudson Worsley and Peter Gow who drove to the start but

unfortunately had petrol pump problems so was unable to continue.



KRISTIE SMALL AND THE MORGAN David Small

Restored Morgan gets new home The 1979 4/4 4 Seater has been completely rebuilt by Tony Heard over a period of

three years. David Small from Victoria decided he would like to purchase the car for his Daughter. David and his family came to Adelaide at various stages of the

restoration to check on progress and the car was finally transported to Melbourne the first week in December.

David has sent me a letter regarding the purchase of the car which is reproduced with his permission.

David and his Wife Carole are just the most caring people you could meet and Kristie such a lucky girl to have parents like them.

Tony Heard

Kristie was born in October 1992 at Monash Hospital in Melbourne.

She was born with Down Syndrome and a major heart defect as well as a number of smaller health issues. We were foster parents at the time and she came to us initially for six months as a foster child as we had had a son who died with a heart defect and Carole understood at least some of the basics of looking after an infant with heart problems.

Kristie struggled to survive and was still only marginally above birth weight at five months when the surgeons at The Royal Children’s decided they would have to

operate as there was no other choice. She had an artificial wall placed in one section of the heart and a hole sewn up in another and within a week she was home and has never looked back.

After seeing how she battled and how determined she was my wife and I decided that she was too precious and adopted her. It was one of the best decisions of our life.

Kristie is one of those people who battles on in spite of her disabilities and has achieved much more than any of the initial assessments predicted for her. She has been in and out of hospital for surgery to correct a number problems, not least of which was major jaw surgery which involved cutting both jaw bones, shortening one and lengthening the other. In spite of this she very seldom complains although she does have her favourite nurses for blood samples.

Kristie tries to be as independent as possible and uses public transport where



she can. From the age of about fifteen has been happy get on a plane on her own to see her brother who lives in Brisbane. For her charity work Kristie was awarded a special commendation in the Shine Awards by Victorian Rotary. About six years ago we decided to build a new house that would cut down on maintenance and where Kristie could live with us as long as possible. As it was a new house we had the ability to allow for another car as I had always wanted an old sports car. The choice however was limited as we needed at least three seats to allow for Kristie. We almost purchased a Morgan 50 years ago when we got married but decided

against it as it had no boot. We were married in England and then went by boat to Cape Town and travelled by road to Zambia where I had been brought up and was going back to work. As the Mog had no boot, no place for wedding presents. A big mistake, should have sent them by rail as most of them got broken or stolen anyway. After much head scratching we decided on a Morgan four-seater which would satisfy all our needs. We found one that Tony Heard was restoring after an accident and at this point Kristie decided that as we already had two cars this one was hers.

Tony has just finished the car and did a phenomenal job. There has been no change in the ownership though, it is still Kristie’s and if anyone ever suggests otherwise they will be promptly corrected.

KRISTIE SMALL AND THE MORGAN (continued from page 13)

SA Gatherings Left: Breakfast at the Virginia

Nursery.

Below: Peer Schroter about to leave Scania with his new

Morgan

Below left: The Christmas gathering.


November Run I had a pleasant surprise on our November run a fantastic turnout and perfect weather.

We met at our usual spot being the carpark at the Sikh Society at Glen Osmond, a drive was planned out to the Virginia Nursery for breakfast at their restaurant called Doncho’s.

A few kilometres into the drive I was advised by phone that a Morgan three-wheeler had arrived at my workshop and the truck driver wanted to get in, after sending the group on to Virginia I detoured unloaded and secured the Mog then joined the group for breakfast.

Members took over a nice area in the carpark, two large tables at the restaurant and settled in for a nice breakfast with coffee. Doncho’s is a lovely venue good food and service.

After and during breakfast with the usual Morgan chatter we solved the world’s problems, and of course owners provided most important input about their cars and everybody else’s, swapping information and enjoying the company.

Next in convoy we headed to my workshop at Gepps Cross for a viewing of the new Three-Wheeler, on arrival this was the most Morgan cars ever at my address, this amused the guy in Unit One on Monday morning who has the security camera on the gate. Our group viewed the car and a demonstration. My latest restoration was also inspected a 4/4 4 seater going to

Kristie Small in Melbourne. A most enjoyable day was had by all.

A big thanks to Chris at Morgan cars and the new owner Peer Schroter for the transit time in my shop for viewing, not only by our members, but for the car buffs I invited the following week. Peer picked up the car and had it crated for transport to Allice Springs its new home.

Christmas Show The SA register held our annual Christmas show on December 2 at Colin and Judy Twelftree’s home at Unley Park. It was great to see such a big roll up, new and old members made a very pleasant night.

The weather stayed kind to us so we had a lovely garden setting on a nice long table. Colin and Judy supplied the meat and the guests bought along salads and sweets, Colin did a fine job of the cooking.

John and Norma Moss were down from Pt. Augusta, John said it was nice to catch up with everybody again. Stefan Wolf was entertaining our latest member from Queensland, Ian Sawley, while Marcus La Vincente was introducing himself to all. Enjoying himself as usual was David Nash.

After the food, wine, beer and conversations had run out it was time for home. The VP spoke briefly of a very good Morgan year and thanked Colin and Judy for hosting our show and wished all a Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA NEWS Tony Heard


Prostate Foundation (August): The CMC Display Day Raffle yielded a donation of $10,000.00 which generated an invitation for T.T. & J.W. to attend Admiralty House where the Governor General (Foundation Patron) passed up all the food waiting for the sausage rolls and tomato sauce, a true army man.

National Motoring Heritage Day: To be held MAY 20, 2018. (More from our Club Captains later)

Council of Motor Clubs: Now has 170 Affiliated car clubs, with 1000 cars being added to the CMC family with Clubs that have joined since the August Display Day.

Eastern Creek: The Track is to be resurfaced, lights are to be added for night events and the Tip has closed, so no more smells!

Affiliations: Seven new car clubs are to be voted on next CMC Meeting: Dapto Classic Car Club, Classic & Vintage Club of Eurobodalla, Flat Four VW Club of Sydney, MG Car Club (H.V.), The Gluttons (Broken Hill), Jamberoo Valley Classic Vehicles Club, Mt.Warning Historic Car Club (Murwillumbah).

NSW Police: The Police reports that one million number plates are scanned each day.

COUNCIL OF MOTOR CLUBS REPORT David Fletcher

Brian Oxley has the ex-John Coneybeare three wheeler now finished and running.

It has been refitted with the Sports two seater body it would have had back in 1934.

Brian has done a superb rebuild and is now tackling the tricky task of driving it!

Not one to rest on his laurels, he is now restoring an Amilcar.

Photo: John Hurst

Back to what it was


MORGANDIAMOND MUSTER

60th anniversary of MOCA Bathurst, 18-21 October 2018

UPDATE on Progress to date:

Expressions of Interest (EOI):

54 Expressions of Interest representing approximately 110 people have registered at our special email

[email protected]

To those who have not, I encourage you to please continue to lodge your EOI’s so that when the registration papers are distributed, they can be easily delivered to you

A strong contingent from Western Australia and South Australia will be participating, so come on all others, lets welcome them to Bathurst.

Please send your email giving your name, contact details and an indication of how many people may attend.

Special Car Badge

Has been designed by our very own John Hurst and is in the process of finalisation.

These will be made available in the next few months for all to enjoy, sporting the new badge to the Muster.

Hotel accommodation

A range of venues with varying prices has been negotiated and reserved for Morganeers to select from.

The accommodation lists will be sent out to those registered EOI’s towards the end of February 2018

Stan Jodeikin, Vice President and

Diamond Muster Committee Chairman

E: [email protected]

M: 0408 60 80 02


Lubrication From its early days the Morgan sliding pillar suspension relied on regular greasing for lubrication, which had the added advantage of pushing out any water or road “grit” that may have worked its way into the system. When damper blades were introduced a passage was provided to lubricate the bronze pad direct from the grease space between the bushes. Initially greasing intervals of 500 miles were recommended, but caring owners soon realised that about every 200 miles in poor weather was more realistic to prevent stiff steering. All three-wheelers and the “Flat-Rad” style four wheeler had an open crosshead where access was relatively easy.

Remove the grease gun from the toolkit, carry out the task, wipe your hands on some rag and put the gun away, it was done in 5 minutes……such was the ways of early motoring and the Morgan system.

Before the front suspension system was hidden well away by the cowled radiator models, an improved lubrication system was provided, which lasted from the early 50’s until 2001. An oil feed was taken from the engine high pressure oil system (usually from the line also feeding the oil

pressure gauge on the dashboard) via a foot operated valve to feed oil direct to the sliders. This was arranged via a drilling provided down the middle of the central one-inch diameter steel pin.

This removed the need for regular attention with the grease gun, as a daily routine of pressing the auto-lube foot control at start up reduced the greasing routine to a factory recommended 3000-mile interval. Better informed owners found that a 1000-mile interval was more realistic, and that it was important only use the auto-lube facility briefly at start-up when the oil was cold. In this way the grease retained the oil where it was needed to ensure “lightened” steering.

This lubrication method lasted until modifications re-introduced a “grease only” service routine.

Crosshead Bracing The light construction of the Morgan chassis meant that the cornering forces generated by the crude but very effective Morgan suspension system caused the chassis components to bend and flex in service. One has only to observe the wheel angles under stress of the current generation of racing three-wheelers fitted with 100hp dope burning JAP engines, while running on suspension components originally designed around a 10hp side valve motor to realise that some form of re-enforcement was required. Sliders and centre pins bend, and when braking hard the crosshead flexes and disturbs the steering.

MORGAN FRONT SUSPENSION Nev Lear( MSCC 682) HISTORY, DEVELOPMENT & TECHNOLOGY…CONTINUED FROM

NOVEMBER 2017

This article appeared in the April 2017 edition of “Miscellany”

"Reproduced with permission from MSCC Miscellany".


Here one of the basic construction features of the front crosshead features the flying wires that triangulate the crosshead tubes and effectively take the weight of the front end of the car which includes the total mass of the power unit! The early three wheelers employed a continuous 3/8in. steel rod from one side to the other, bent to shape and threaded through both top tube cross head lugs, passing under the engine and tensioned by nuts tightened to give equal tension each side to spread this load.

Very dependent on the accurate bending to give the correct shape to easily spread the load, this item was very often replaced by the racing experts competing at Brooklands by a piece of cable to give an even tension on each side.

On introduction of the F-type, and subsequently all the four wheeled models, this critical item was split into two each side, bracing the weight supported by the crosshead tubes. This system gave trouble where the lower end of each flying wire passed through the cross head pressing. Suitably re-enforced by a little casting to spread the load onto the crosshead pressing, solved problems in this area, although it is still important to tension each wring wire equally, and ensure it stays tight.

As a standard feature, Morgan only really ever braced the lower crosshead tube. This featured from early days when three-wheelers had a lower bracing tube running back to the chassis, and an additional tube running from the top crosshead tube back to the body. This top tube only contributed marginally to the stiffness of the crosshead.

When the F-type three-wheeler was introduced only the lower bracing tube was provided, a principle perpetuated

throughout the production history of all four-wheeled cars.

In sporting three-wheeler circles it was common practice to brace both upper and lower crosshead tubes both forwards and backwards to the chassis to give really superb stiffness to the crosshead, while currently in four-wheel circles most sporting owners will have braced both upper and lower crosshead tubes back to the main chassis members.

The culture of the fully-cowled modern Morgan means we are unable to see fully the effects of modern cornering forces as inflicted on the 107-year-old design!

Lock Stops & Steering Boxes In its early days the Morgan three-wheeler could not have been simpler, a tubular steering column, extended from the steering wheel down to a lower level, where a drop arm from the column, linked via a drag link to the offside steering arm to operate the steering. To prevent this drag link from going “over centre” at maximum lock, a stop was provided which came into contact with the bodywork in one direction, whereas the drag link and track rod “tangled” in the opposite direction to prevent excessive lock to the right-hand side!

The next development was to provide a 2:1 epicyclic reduction box into this simple steering column, this gave about three-quarters of a turn from lock to lock of the steering wheel as well as making the steering much lighter. A few years later in about 1933 a more robust lock stop was incorporated into this epicylic box which lasted until three-wheeler production ceased. Four wheelers were provided with



a much cruder system, which remained common practice until very recently. From the very earliest 4/4 a “worm and peg” steering box was invariably fitted, which did not feature any form of lock stop. Morgan’s method here was to allow the front tyres to contact the front chassis side members where a simple aluminium block was bolted in place to prevent the tyre side wall being torn or damaged. It was this design feature that allowed Morgan a special dispensation when the annual “MOT” test was introduced. Normally wheels contacting the bodywork on full lock would be a fail point with any other make of car!

From the early 80’s the more robust re-circulating ball “Gemma” steering box was introduced, but this still relied on the aluminium block ‘tyre saver’ as a steering stop. It wasn’t until the introduction of the rack & pinion systems that the stops were incorporated in the rack, coupled with the wider track now in use on many models made the aluminium block redundant. In typical Morgan fashion however you will find this block still bolted in place on many of the later cars where it is not required, as a primeval “throw-back” to the car’s earliest roots.

Service Life In the case of the three-wheeler models the sliding axles had an expected life of some 8000 miles before replacement became necessary. Although it was common practice to get the axles re-bushed by a local machine shop, the official factory method would be to fit a new pair of slider castings. These were in fact remarkably cheap, being priced at £1.00 per pair in the

mid-30s and as little as £5.00 per pair in the 60s, still offered as a service item direct from the factory. Latter day three-wheeler owners would extend the service life in excess of 20,000 miles by improved slider design, improved lubrication, weather sealing and the use of hard chrome centre pins.

Very early in their life, the four-wheelers featured replaceable bronze bushes within a steel axle forging. These were pressed in place and then reamed to size. A service life of about 20,000 miles could be expected from factory components, but again owners were able to extend this in a similar fashion as outlined for the three-wheelers.

Latest Changes From about 2001 the factory made significant changes to the sliding axle design. The bore in the steel axle was increased and machined to a finished size to accommodate commercially available plastic bushes, which were specially “lipped” at the ends to wipe the centre pin clean. The bushes were simply just pushed into place as they were already manufactured to the finished size for the centre pin and the moulded “lip” retained the grease inside the bushes for lubrication purposes. As indicated previously, the new assembly was designed to be solely grease lubricated and the “autolube” system from the engine oiling system was discontinued.

A further improvement adopted in 2004 was to manufacture the centre pin from stainless steel, to avoid corrosion at the exposed lower end of the pin; an area which from the very earliest days of the system, where exposure to water and road dirt always caused the most rapid wear.

MORGAN FRONT SUSPENSION (from page 19)


These attempts to update a 1909 design with modern materials in fact proved unsatisfactory. By 2006 the factory had reverted to bronze replaceable bushes as the plastic bushes tended to ‘swell’ in service binding on to the centre-pin, leading to very heavy steering. Sometimes the centre pins even had to be driven out of the sliding axle assembly, to allow for bush replacement! The auto-lube oiling system was not re-introduced, but the top “auto-lube” bolts were fitted with grease nipples for regular greasing.

This was a feature which the independent Morgan specialists had been offering for some time. An improvement to this method, never adopted by the factory, was to link the auto-lube bolt by the means of a suitable rigid or flexible pipe to grease nipples mounted under the bonnet. In this way the lubrication requirements of our archaic suspension system were easily satisfied by the driver while still wearing his best clothes! Such luxury had not been available to the Morgan driver without lying on his back in the gutter since the introduction of the cowled radiator models in the early 50’s.

From April 2006 another significant step was made, again drawing from the experiences of the specialists. This time the damper blade and its bronze pad were deleted from the design after over fifty years of service. Instead a thrust bearing, still lubricated by the dedicated grease passage from the main grease space in the sliding axle that had lubricated the bronze pad, was fitted between the main spring and the sliding axle. This still had the effect of isolating the steering from the “wind-up” effect from the coil main springs, but again gave much lighter steering.

With modern wheels and wide tyres, balanced to closer limits, it becomes apparent that our 107-year-old design is less prone to wheel wobble than before, so that the introduction of a controlled amount of friction is no longer required. Our simple and effective design as envisaged by HFS Morgan all those years ago was now closer to its original concept than it had been for some time! In some cases however, with the normal vagaries of the Morgan design, it becomes apparent that this backward step has not always been so satisfactory. The normal ploy in these cases appears to be either retrofit the damper blade assemblies, or fit some form of modern hydraulic steering damper, linked to the track rod.

From about 2011 onwards another improvement was fitted by the factory, originally to the Super-Sports models and latterly extended across the whole range. That was the provision of camber adjustment by making the lower end of the centre pins moveable in the sideways plane. As noted previously this had been common practice in competition circles by altering the drillings in the lower attachment plate secured to the bottom lug. Morgan now made this easier by fitting a sliding attachment plate held in place with a suitable bolt and lock nuts.

At the upper end of the centre pin, further changes were made to make this adjustment more satisfactory. The top lug was machined with a cup shaped recess to accept the upper end of the centre pin which now had a rounded end designed to fit into this recess, rather than the square end previously provided. The camber could now be easily adjusted (assuming some

(continued on page 22


suitable measuring equipment was available?), by slackening the auto-lube bolt and the lower plate attachment bolts (now arranged in slotted holes!) and moving the lower end of the centre pin with its adjusting stud.

Other Improvements This article so far has concentrated on the front suspension design as supplied by the Morgan Motor Company on its traditional range of cars.

For the serious student one should perhaps be aware of some of the other modifications that have been available from other specialists in classic car design and the Morgan Marque in particular. I have already touched on the use of hard chrome centre pins, and improved lubrication systems not attributed to the factory, but as we continue to develop our ancient design we should not ignore what is available from other sources.

I suppose the use of improved shock absorbers is the first thing that comes to mind, as well as the now very popular “Suplex” suspension system where variable rate springs are fitted to enhance the overall ride characteristics allied to the provision of fully adjustable shock absorbers.

This system also allows the individual adjustment of the suspension on each side of the car allowing for the differences in weight distribution, and allowing the ride height to be set equally on either side of the car. So very different from the original system when one either replaced springs on a regular basis, or swapped them over

from side to side as the near side invariably collapsed where it encountered the worst of the ‘potholes’.

In addition to this system, another popular modification is the provision of a suitable power steering system. Always heavy when being parked, the increasing age profile of the owners coupled with the loss of the well-known technique of creeping the car very slowly backwards and forwards when manoeuvring has increased the use of this modification. Modern technology has come to our rescue with some very good electrically powered systems that are not only speed sensitive, but are adjustable by the driver, so that the steering feel on the open road is not lost.

Although commonly replaced by more modern wishbone systems in competition cars, our 1909 design is still there contributing to the overall vintage feel and marketing success of the traditional Morgan that I have personally been driving for over 50 years.

Long may it continue (both me & the design!)

Centre Pins. LH Square end old pattern, RH pattern for adjustable camber.

MORGAN FRONT SUSPENSION (from page 21)



1. Most Common Pattern. Bolt-on damper blade, Thompson track rod

ends (ball joints)

2. “Look No Damper Blades”. 2016 AR Plus 4 with no damper

blades, no auto lube system, and thrust bearings installed under main

springs, and camber adjustment.

3. Camber Adjustment. ‘Factory Fresh’

4. Suplex Suspension. Variable rate springs plus adjustable

dampers. Threaded sleeve allows separate spring height adjustment

for each side.

1

2

3

4


FRENCH MORGANEERS VISIT SYDNEY Stan Jodeikin

During our Morgans Over America tour in September/October 2015, we had the pleasure of meeting the Vice President of the Morgan Club of France and his wife, Didier Philippe and Martine Deschamps.

While on a recent visit touring Australia wide, they advised that they had some free time in Sydney on Tuesday, November 28, 2017.

I thought that this would be a wonderful opportunity to spend a few hours with them and then possibly arrange an impromptu gathering (gaggle) of Morgans to round off their Sydney memories.

After collecting our visitors for our meet-up with the local group, we had time to hop on a ferry to Pinchgut Island (Fort Denison) and spend a little while taking in the view.

A more perfect Sydney harbour day could not be wished for.

Then onto collect the Morgans for a drive to Westhead.

However, Didier knew of my other Morgan badge collecting passion and so presented me with a special badge. The badge was from a campaign that the French Morganeers were involved in. The French authorities had banned the use of vintage and classic vehicles driving around the Arc de Triomphe and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

Needless to say, their protest efforts won the day and “Anciens Vehicules” liberated Paris for the car movements.

The impromptu group of Morganeers dashed to Westhead to beat the gate

closure and enjoy some champagne, cheese and biscuits while watching the sun go down over Barenjoey lighthouse and Palm Beach.

The group of Morganeers who entertained our visitors was: Geoff and Stephanie Hollings; Jen and Stan Jodeikin; Rose and Dennis Jones; Ian and Barbara Smith; Ian and Tricia Southwell.

Unfortunately on the Didier Philippe, Martine Deschamps, Jen & Stan Jodeikin at

Fort Denison


way back, Stan’s Plus 8’s “Otter Switch” spat the dummy, ejected itself and all the radiator fluid from the car, while driving at the legal speed of 80kph for the area.

The outcome for the evening was an NRMA tilt tray ride back home as the engine hissed and clanged its awful sounds without any water cooling its parts!

The tale of the demise or survival of the engine is a story for another day.

Martine and Didier present Stan with special “Liberation Anciens Vehicules” badge to add to his Morgan wall of

badges

The group at West Head: Geoff and Stephanie Hollings; Didier and Martine; Jen and Stan Jodeikin; Rose and Dennis Jones; Ian and Barbara Smith (photo Ian Southwell)


Clockwise from the top: Geoff Hollings expressing the Clubs appreciation to Norah Vincent; the meat won’t cook if

there is no gas in the barbeque; a serious discussion, Bob Little and Greg Dal Santo; “Kiss the Barista” a good place to return to;

David Lyon, “Did you bring your swimmers?”; Graham Matthews’ recent purchase, a 4/4 with a Fiat motor; the

superb facilities at the Vincent’s. Photos: Cindy Tomalin, Geoff Hollings, Jason Barker



NEW SOUTH WALES CLUB RUNS

Plates Day David Lyon

The NSW Morgan group held its annual Historic Plates Day event on Saturday, December 9, being the day when owners on historic plates turn up with their cars gleaming, ready to impress the “scrutineers”.

The day officially started at McDonald’s Mt. Colah restaurant where the coffee and parking facilities provided an ideal launching pad for the run to Rex and Norah Vincent’s splendid property at Kenthurst. Ideal weather, clouds but no rain in sight, ensured that the 14 cars that turned up would enjoy the drive into the country.

Once the coffee had been drunk and stories exchanged the gathering was brought to order at the duly appointed time and written instructions issued to the drivers – the run was to take them through Galston Gorge on to Wiseman’s Ferry before turning south toward their destination. On leaving the carpark it was noted that Christmas shoppers looking for trees added to the congestion around the suburbs, but once out on the open road driving conditions improved. Everybody arrived at the destination without mishap, although it was noted that in true Morgan tradition a minor excursion did occur, requiring a number of cars to execute a quick three point turn to get back on track.

Legislation has changed since the last inspection and all the vehicles on Historic Plates had already been required to be

checked for non-compliant modifications, but not for roadworthiness, so those involved in the assessment process, being Peter Canavan, John Coneybeare and Brian Williams, were kept busy for most of the morning. In the course of the day they inspected 15 vehicles, this challenge being made much easier thanks to the enviable facilities provided by Rex in his workshop/shed. Thank you once again to these gentlemen for taking time to ensure that our cars are roadworthy, allowing members to enjoy the Morgan experience for another year.

As the morning progressed members who had not been on the run continued to turn up with the numbers swelling to 53 by the time lunch was served. What a magnificent feast had been arranged for us, which Norah and her granddaughter co-ordinated with the assistance of some of the wonderful ladies in attendance. Norah you surpassed last year’s delights with remarkable salad combinations, which had the culinary inquisitive taking notes to allow their Christmas fare to reproduce the plates on show.

Apart from the necessity to have the cars checked for roadworthiness, the day is also a chance to meet up with friends and reflect on what has happened during the year, as well as plan for the new. The Christmas spirit was alive and well.

Members from further afield were also in attendance and it was good to catch up with Brian and Cindy Tomalin, Graham and Gwen Balfe and John Coneybeare.



Thank you Norah and Rex for allowing the Club to use your home and for your hospitality; much appreciated by all. One couldn’t ask for a better way to round off another successful year of Morganeering.

Coffee run to Kiss the Barista

Jason Barker

On a sweltering day in Sydney 22 people and seven Morgans made it to Kiss the Barista café at the Georges River 16ft Sailing Club. The café is under the sailing club and faces right onto the beach with loads of parking (well for a Thursday). They don’t take lunch bookings on the weekend, but were happy to provide us with two large tables for coffee mid-week. It turned out to be a real find and probably one to come back to at another time in the future.

The sailing club above the café was formed in June 1927 at the Paragon Hall in Sandringham where an amount of £50 was raised to get the club going. By December that year the local paper reports that they had secured the club building and were celebrating in rather a sedate fashion for the 1920’s:

The ladies committee, under the guidance of Mrs. Singleton, prepared and tastefully decorated the tables with the club colours. Greenery and bunting hanging from the roof. A large birthday cake decorated with the club pennant, presented by Mrs. Singleton adorned

the chairman's table. Fully 200 guests sat down to partake of the good things provided. The health of His Majesty, the King having been honoured, Hon. Sec., A. McGown proposed the health of the visiting members of the associated aquatic clubs. The St George Call, Friday 16 December 1927 p 4

On this sunny day in 2017 there was much talk among the Morganeers about the great Plates Day that was held the previous weekend, various trips and travel plans and preparations for Christmas. Some puzzled over the control switch that David Lyon had brought along trying to work out what it did (or was supposed to do!). (More next Month. ED)

Several people mentioned that they liked the idea of a couple of lunch runs (or more) instead of coffee runs, which seem like a long trip sometimes for a coffee and cake. David and I have booked several lunches for the NSW folk in the year ahead in different parts of Sydney. Keep letting us know whether you are enjoying the runs so we know if we are on the right track.

With the end windows of the cafe open, the breeze flowed through the café with the smells of the beach and suntan oil. More than one person wished they had packed their swimmers (but may have been put off by the possibility of their photo appearing in the Ear – for future reference, I’m sure that Brian can pixelate things). Getting back to the car to face a tube of molten runny sunscreen was not ideal, but Eastern Distributor and Harbour Tunnel provided shade and the magic tunnel-noise that a Morgan makes when you accelerate (to the speed limit).

NEW SOUTH WALES CLUB RUNS (continued from page 27)


THE CHOKE Keith Ansell

How do you use one properly? There are a few things that make the choke easy to use – and the proper use of the Choke will extend the life of your engine!

1. When you pull the choke out, it opens the throttle a small bit at the same time – if it has been properly set. Want to make it easier to pull out the choke? Push the throttle (accelerator pedal) about half-way down before pulling out the knob. You will find that it usually pulls easier and will lock easier. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal and then hit the starter.

2. There is no accelerator pump on an SU or Stromberg carburettor. Pumping the accelerator will not assist in starting such as happens on American or Weber carburettors. Got Webers on your car? If so when starting on a cold day, pull on the choke, pump the accelerator three times quickly to the floor, set the

throttle about ¼ to the floor and hit the starter. Vrrroooom!

3. If the choke knob tends to rotate out of the lock position, you will need to loosen the cable clamp at the carburettors and twist it so that it tends to turn the knob to the lock position. Many times people install choke cabbles without this step. This step is necessary to give a good lock. The locking mechanism on the choke cables will wear out and sometimes the cables do need to be replaced.

4. You only need to use the choke when the engine is very cold and pull it out – all the way. A partial choke doesn’t work well.

5. After the car starts, you need to consider pushing the choke partway in. What you are looking for is that the engine starts to run smoothly as you slowly push the choke in. As soon as you can feel and hear it running relatively smoothly, you will need to pull the choke back out just a little.

6. Now start to drive! And always drive the car immediately after you start it. An idling car is destroying the engine – cold or hot! A lot of lubrication is done by engine speed throwing oil around in the engine and an idling engine does not oil the pistons, rings, camshaft and many other parts. Have fun.

Editor’s Note:

This article reprinted from MOGLOG September 2017 is an article for the lucky owners of “proppa” +4’s and those with SU

or Stromberg carburettors.

MOGLOG is the newsletter of the Morgan Motor Car Club (Texas)

(www.TEXMOG.com)


MINUTES OF MOCA INC GENERAL MEETING held December 7, 2017, at Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club, Ryedale Rd, West Ryde

Meeting opened at 8.15p.m. Present: 35 members and 3 guests

Apologies: 12 members

Welcome: Club President, Geoff Hollings, welcomed members and guests to the December 2017 General Meeting.

Minutes:

Minutes of the General Meeting held on the 2nd of November 2017, as published in the December 2017 Morgan Ear, were accepted:

It was noted that the number of attendees printed in the Morgan Ear was 7 but this was a typing error as in the Club’s minutes the number is correctly listed as 27.

Motion: that the minutes be accepted.

Moved; Peter Canavan, seconded; Robin

Sanders - carried unanimously

Matters arising from the Minutes: None

Applications for Membership:

Cully Gower reported that there were four applications for membership.

Ian Portek – full membership – Owner of a 1974 Green 4/4. Andrew Potter – full membership – Owner of a 1955 transition +4 Rosie La Vincente – full membership – Owner of a 2017 red 4/4 Marcus La Vincente – family membership

Motion: that the applications be accepted. Moved; Cully Gower, seconded; David Fletcher - carried unanimously

Accounts to be paid:

The following accounts were submitted for approval:

Arrow Printing December Morgan Ear $743.07 Australia Post November Morgan Ear $184.41 Bonnie Doon Golf Club Awards $2665.00 Bonnie Doon Golf Club Bar and wine on tables $709.60 Ryde Eastwood Club Coffee and Tea for December Meeting $75.00 Ian Southwell Awards Trophies and Engraving $490.00 Geoff Hollings Awards $450.00 Dennis Jones Postage and Stationary $20.74 Stephanie Hollings December GM supper $57.90 David Fletcher CMC affiliation fees $90.00

Moved; Robin Sanders, seconded; Graham Dell

- carried unanimously

Committee Reports: President (Geoff Hollings)

Geoff thanked Stan and Jenny for organising the Awards Dinner and Ian Southwell for arranging the engraving and


trophies. The NSW Historic plates logbook trial has been extended for another two years. He has a number of Morgan Ears from the 1980’s and 90’s that are available for any members who would like them, if there are no takers then he will be recycling them as they are surplus to his requirements.

Geoff presented the Peter Morgan trophy to Peter Canavan and the third place competition trophy to Graham Dell; they had been unable to attend the Awards Dinner to receive their awards.

He informed the meeting that sadly Laurie Burton has died and mentioned some Laurie’s racing achievements.

Vice President (Stan Jodeikin)

Stan spoke about the misunderstanding that occurred at the November GM with respect to the Christmas in July event during 2018. He feels that this situation is now clear for all the members and that arrangements for the event are now progressing.

He reported on the Dream Ride, Soar and Roar event. It was largely a very good and successful day well received by the Special Olympians involved.

Stan also reported that there were now 41 expressions of interest for the 2018 Muster, and encouraged all those who have yet to express their interest to do so as soon as possible to our special email address [email protected]. He has received excellent support from the Bathurst Council.

He mentioned the overheating issue caused by the fault with the otter switch and

rubber seal.

Secretary (Dennis Jones)

Correspondence received during the last month:

Postal: Magazines – Enthusiast Motor Insurance, advertising online comparisons – Accounts to be paid. Email: CAMS Affiliation renewal – CAMS Active Kids Rebate Program – CAMS Events Calendar

Membership Secretary (Cully Gower)

Cully advised that members who had not renewed their membership were not sent the Morgan Ear this month. He asked that any members affected should contact him to update their membership.

Treasurer – (Louise Barker - Apology)

Dennis Jones read out the following report by Louise Barker:

The operating surplus at the of November 30, 2017 is $483 with $35,152 cash at bank. The operating surplus is low given we have paid a deposit in relation to the 60th Anniversary Muster of $5,150. This is largely a timing issue, as the expenses in relation to the muster will be offset by contributions received from attendees. Excluding the impact of this the operating surplus would have been $5,633.

Club Captain (Jason Barker and David Lyon)

Jason reported on the midweek Bobbin Head coffee run and the questionnaire, the results of which were reported in the December Morgan Ear.

Some of the club members have suggested


a midweek lunch run, the club captains will be looking into that possibility.

David thanked Stan Jodeikin for the ride in his +8 at the Dream Ride event; he said the event was a well catered for enjoyable experience.

He reminded members of the details for plates day, spoke about the coffee run in December, the pub dinner and CARnivale in January and the dawn dash to Davidson Park at Roseville Bridge.

Competition Secretary (Ross Simpson) No report.

Editor (Brian Tomalin-Apology) No Report.

Registrar (Stan Jodeikin) Stan reported that there were not many Morgans on the market at present. Jim Wilcock spoke about the chance meeting with the previous owner of his Morgan at the VicMog 50th Anniversary event.

CSCA Delegate (Choy-Lin Williams - Apology) Geoff Hollings read a report sent by Choy-Lin:-

The CSCA presentation for 2017 will be held on the of December 12 at Carlingford Bowling Club from 7pm. Ross has distributed info to all on competition mail out list. MOCA has a firm grasp on the wooden spoon but 2018 could be different. A certain ex-comp sec plans to enter some events in 2018. Would anyone else like to join him?

The dates for all rounds of the CSCA Series 2018 will be included in the next Ear.

She encouraged members to join in the racing.

CMC Delegate (David Fletcher) David reported to the meeting on the following:-

The CMC Display Day Raffle donation to the Prostate Foundation.

National Motoring Heritage Day.

Number of CMC affiliated car clubs.

Eastern Creek track resurfacing.

Affiliation of new car clubs to be voted on at the next CMC meeting.

Number plate scanning by NSW Police.

NSW road deaths.

Details of the above will be included in David’s’ report in the Morgan Ear.

David took the opportunity to update the situation with the Wayzgoose Café in Leura. There are council plans for a new restaurant in place of the café and he encouraged members to write in support of Mark.

ABCC Delegate (Robin Sanders) Robin reported to the meeting that there was going to be a date change for the ABCC display day to the of September 23, 2018.

General Business: Geoff Hollings reported that he had investigated the status of our affiliation with Motorcycle NSW following the request from Todd Hamilton at the last meeting. He believes that the last time MOCA was affiliated was 2012. It appears our affiliation was not renewed after that time, which


coincides with not having a delegate. The current the annual fees are $165 affiliation plus $250 insurance, a total of $415 per year. The club has not awarded the Cec Warren trophy since 1985, which indicates that no member has raced in open competition for 32 years. If a member wished to race a three- wheeler in a Motorcycle NSW event in future, the club could consider re-joining at that time.

Rex Vincent spoke about Plates Day that was due to be held at his home in Kenthurst, the two points he made were:

With 54 people expected not many extra chairs were needed, especially considering the fact that there isn’t a lot of space in most Morgans.

He explained to the meeting the preferred parking arrangement for those members attending.

Todd Hamilton thanked Stan Jodeikin for his words earlier in the meeting with reference to the Christmas in July misunderstanding. He reported that Kerry Jones is out of hospital and recovering at

home; his car is having some serious work carried out.

Gary Higgins, a new member, is awaiting his new 3 wheeler and spoke about some of the experiences with his new purchase. He also spoke about an impressive museum in Malaga that he came across while on holiday recently.

Stephanie Hollings spoke about the cartoon in the December Morgan Ear and the relevance to some of the club members.

Ross Simpson informed the meeting that he had booked 30 rooms at the Swagger Motor Inn at Yass for the Christmas in June event. He asked those planning to attend to add their names to the list at the meeting. He also thanked Stan Jodeikin for organising the clubs participation in the Soar and Roar event for Special Olympians.

Technical Discussion: None.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 9:15pm.

Sydney Dawn Dash February 11, 2018 How to get there: If approaching from Chatswood side of Roseville Bridge, cross over the bridge, proceed up the hill and turn left into Ryrie Avenue; right into Duke Street; and right back into Warringah Road. Davidson Park access road is before the bridge on the left-hand side. At the bottom of the access road continue around to the right under the bridge, follow the signs to arrive at Picnic Area 2.

There is a vehicle entry fee of $8.00 and the machines accept coins, Mastercard and Visa. National Parks have a pensioner concession scheme that you need to organise ahead of time (as noted in the calendar). Area 2 is dedicated to MOCA and we have parking on both sides of the road.

What to bring: Breakfast will be provided, but please bring a coffee plunger if you want to make coffee. Whilst there is plenty of seating, some fold-up chairs/picnic sets would let us spread out a little more.


CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2018 FEBRUARY

Thurs 1 NSW MOCA General Meeting. Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club. 8.00 pm.

Sun 4 WA Late run and BBQ. John and Jan Stacy

Sun 11 NSW Dawn Dash. Davidson Park, Area 2, Healey Way, Forestville . From 8.30 am for a 9.00 am breakfast. Contact Jason Barker 0407 553 741

Sun 18 WA Cars and Coffee. UWA.

Wed 21 NSW Coffee, guided tour and lunch. ANSTO Campus Illawarra Road, Lucas Heights. Meet at 9.45 am for 10.00 tour. Contact David Lyon: 0409 906 116.

Thurs WA Thursday lunch run.

MARCH


Fri-Sun 9, 10, 11 VIC VHRR Historic Race Meeting. Phillip Island.

Sun 11 NSW Run to Norah Head Lighthouse. Meet McDonalds, Mt. Colah, 10.00 for 10.30 start. Contact David Lyon 0409 906 116. Picnic lunch at Reserve.

Sun 11 WA Cars and Coffee. UWA.

Sun 18 WA To Be Advised

Thurs 22 NSW Lunch run. The Tea House, EG Waterhouse National Camelia Gardens. Corner, Kareena Road and President Avenue, Caringbah. Parking off Kareena Road. Contact Jason Barker 0407 553 741.

APRIL


Sun 8 WA Northam Flying Fifty.

Sun 8 NSW Ernie Dal Santo Run. Blue Mountains, details to be advised.

Wed 11 WA Talk Morgan.

Thurs 26 WA Thursday lunch run.

DIARY NOTES

October 18-21 NSW Diamond Muster, Bathurst. MOCA 60th Anniversary. For expressions of interest email Registration Secretary Geoff Hollings at: [email protected] with name, contact details and an indication of how many people may attend. All Morganeers welcome.

Remember to check the website in case of last minute changes


EditorialPresidential PonderingsMOCA SupersprintVale Laurie BurtonBook Review - International Adventure IISpecial Olympics Australian Dream RideKristie Small and the MorganSouth Australia NewsCouncil of Motor Clubs ReportBack to what it wasMorgan Diamond MusterMorgan front SuspensionFrench Morganeers Visit SydneyNew South Wales Club RunsThe ChokeMOCA GM MinutesSydney Dawn DashCalendar of Events

The Morgan Ear Ear February... · 2019. 8. 30. · The Morgan Ear The magazine of the MORGAN...

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