At 07:19 PM 12/6/97 -0800, Les Burkholder wrote about Les Burkholder questions: >I do not know how far you have gone, but when you get the body and >fenders off, look closely at where the firewall attaches to the side >panels of the engine compartment. Mine were badly rusted and had to be >replaced. Again the cheapest place was the factory. I also suggest pulling the firewall and checking the lower front part were it goes behind the cross stringer. They rust very badly here also. And remove the tool box and the rubber matting as the also rust there. I would paint the lower portion of the firewall and tool box with POR15 as a primer as it is an excellent rust killer, inhibitor. I also cut some tar paper and placed it between the firewall, and the chassis where the firewall sits into the chassis, and put tar paper between the valances (inner front fender wells) and the firewall. >Another thing I did was to use a autobody seam sealer, and sealed every >joint that water could possibly get through. In the Vancouver area we >have a fair amount of rain. This is a MUST. Why do you want to replace the tub? Unless it is totally rotted, it can be saved by coating it with West System Epoxy. The front lip of my rear fender arches were missing. I rebuilt them with the epoxy. Sill plates are notorious for getting trashed. These can be easily made. The back 6 inches of on of my fender wells was rotted. I cut it out and made a patch piece and grafted it in place. This is just a thought but you can save some big money if you can salvage the tub. From my experience most Mogs need a new chassis more than they need a new tub. Finally, if you say it real fast, it doesn't sound like a lot of work. However, be prepaired! I spent 3 1/2 years and 1741 documented hours doing mine. John ----------------------------------------------------------- Robert, The narrow body +4 was built until about 1957 (As with all things Morgan I'm sure there were exceptions!), after that the body was widened. To check a car just look at the "running board" section of the front wing. THe wide bodies have only one rubber strip along the top, I believe the narrow bodied cars have three. Jim Nichol 1964 +4 4 seater 1928 Aero ---------------------------------------------------------- Bob Nogueira wrote: > > -- [ From: Bob Nogueira * EMC.Ver #3.1a ] -- > > Hey Moggers > Has anyone found or read of a fix for the problem of the Morgan chassis bending upward aft of the rear axle? > Hi Bob et al, The dip in the Morgan chassis top flange at the rear wheel axle is unfortunately (and has to be for clearance to the axle) at the worst spot structuraly. Just where the bending moment from the bump load is maximum, the chassis resistance to bending is minimum. In an I beam, or a Z beam like a Morgan chassis, the resistance to bending is proportional to the cross sectional area of the flanges and their distance apart from each other. The distance apart (web depth) is minimum at the axle. What to do? You can't change the dip shape, so you have to add to the cross-sectional area of the flanges both upper and lower. In a +4 and a 4/4 that I rebuilt, I welded in a 1/8" thick plate with a 90 deg bend to the bottom flange and vertical web. The plate was cut to match the curve of the top flange and extends beyond the dip by a few inches. A second strip of 1/8 was added inside the curved top flange and welded to the bent plate and original chassis flange. I rebuilt these cars several years ago and so far so good. The 4/4 has been autocrossed many times and so far the chassis is still straight at the rear axle. That's my tuppence. Regards, Tony Souza