Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

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okayfine
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Re: Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

Post by okayfine »

indy510 wrote:How do you stop the frame from warping while welding more than just tack welds? ... everything is level, and flat now,, but 2 or 3 passes with heat, and it will no longer be perfectly flat/level
Clamp it back down when you weld. You can get to three sides of the tubes with it clamped. I can clamp the bottom tier and the top tier separately in the same jig above. Now, once I start attaching the uprights to the bottom tier in prep for attaching the top tier, just space out your welding more. Weld one side of each tube upright, then move to the next. Don't concentrate the heat and you won't have much of an issue. AFAIK.

A steel platform would be better for this sort of thing, but that's a bunch of money and time to build. If I were doing more than one, that might be a different story, especially if I elevated the steel platform to table height.
indy510 wrote:what thickeness of metal is the 1-1/2" or 2" square tubing?
What you see is 2x2 box. Most of it is .065, but the rear tubes are .090, and the middle two of the four uprights along the rear will also be .090, since that's where the rear suspension is going to attach.

I'll be adding some triangulation with 1x1 box.
indy510 wrote:have you been drawing out plans for a final frame design? .. or exact replica size of a OG Morgan?
Mostly in my head. I have a copy of the Build Your Own Sports Car for as Little as £250 and Race It! book, which shows plans and dimensions for building a Lotus 7 copy. I'm roughly using their numbers for the width and angle of the tub, but making it fit me.

I do have the wheelbase, overall length, and track width of the new Morgan, and I'll build it to approximate those dimensions. New 3-Wheelers have a lot more track width than the first ones.
Because when you spend a silly amount of money on a silly, trivial thing that will help you not one jot, you are demonstrating that you have a soul and a heart and that you are the sort of person who has no time for Which? magazine. – Jeremy Clarkson
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okayfine
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Re: Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

Post by okayfine »

Updating the budget. Of the $3943.20 remaining, I bought another $97.50 of steel, but sold off the Goldwing gauge panel for $107.50, the seat for $81, and the front brakes for $75. Take eBay/Paypal's ~15% off the top and I'm left with a budget of...

$4069,67.
Because when you spend a silly amount of money on a silly, trivial thing that will help you not one jot, you are demonstrating that you have a soul and a heart and that you are the sort of person who has no time for Which? magazine. – Jeremy Clarkson
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RonM
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Re: Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

Post by RonM »

Way to go on turning those parts around Julian. Always nice to see the build fund grow a bit.
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Re: Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

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What is going on with your dime? Get pushed to the back burner?
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okayfine
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Re: Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

Post by okayfine »

imtb wrote:pushed to the back burner
Because when you spend a silly amount of money on a silly, trivial thing that will help you not one jot, you are demonstrating that you have a soul and a heart and that you are the sort of person who has no time for Which? magazine. – Jeremy Clarkson
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Re: Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

Post by McShagger510 »

Image
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okayfine
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Re: Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

Post by okayfine »

I hope mine looks half that good.
Because when you spend a silly amount of money on a silly, trivial thing that will help you not one jot, you are demonstrating that you have a soul and a heart and that you are the sort of person who has no time for Which? magazine. – Jeremy Clarkson
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Unified Tub Theory

Post by okayfine »

Made some visual progress today. I started with placing the uprights. These are 12" high, so the overall flat vertical side of the body will be 16". 3+ inches higher than the LoCost plans, but something that looks and feels right to me. I've sat in the tub with the bottom and top tiers joined via the uprights, and my arm falls pretty naturally to the top of the top tier (sill).

This is with the uprights tacked lightly:
Image

Next I notched the top tier to fit a 2x2 cross brace. This will also form the base for the dashboard and eventually the base for the curve of the bonnet. I cut into the top tier side rails, and additionally cut a piece of 2x2 with 45° ends. My hope was that it would just drop in.

Image

Cross brace in place:
Image

Notch and cross brace fitment:
Image

With that complete I got started with the triangulation. I wanted to brace the forces that would be working on the chassis, namely the rear suspension and the front engine/suspension outriggers. That dictated the directions of the triangulation tubes.

But I started with the floor, which didn't really matter. I don't think the rear suspension forces will do much there. Also there will be a center tunnel for the driveshaft, wiring, and fuel and brake lines, so I'll be adding in a backbone later.

Image

Classic X bracing here. One cross tube is solid, the other was placed over the first, then marked to separate it into two pieces:
Image

Now onto the sides. This is the left side of the chassis, the right of the frame is the rear bulkhead. So the triangulation for that goes from top right to bottom left:
Image

I also ended up tacking those two (each side) bars flush with the outside of the 2x2 tubes. More support for the outside panels, a bit more room inside the cabin, and something to secure the interior panels to.

I generally measured the length necessary for each triangulation tube, cut, then held it in place on the side of the 2x2 tubes so I could mark for a good fit. It's not all 45° angles:
Image

At the front end of the tub, the idea is the same, except reversed to counter the engine/suspension from bending upward:
Image

The current state of the chassis:
Image

I made a school boy error and tacked in the rear bulkhead triangulation the wrong way round. I want the two short pieces along the rear to angle from the center uprights outward down to the rear corners of the chassis. I'll have to break the tack welds and reposition.
Because when you spend a silly amount of money on a silly, trivial thing that will help you not one jot, you are demonstrating that you have a soul and a heart and that you are the sort of person who has no time for Which? magazine. – Jeremy Clarkson
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510wizard
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Re: Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

Post by 510wizard »

Looking very nice!
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Engine Placement

Post by okayfine »

As shown below, I had the engine on a creeper to ease movement of it around the backyard and into the garage (and around the garage once inside):
Image

That presented a problem, though, when it came time this afternoon to get the engine into position on the platform. I didn't have a suitable/stable ramp, and the engine hoist outriggers weren't wide enough to clear the four-foot wide platform. What to do? I raised the engine up on the side of the platform, built a temp platform extension with some ply and doubled-up 2x2 box tube, then lowered the engine onto that and rolled the creeper into place.

But, that still left me with how to get the engine off the creeper. I flipped the hoist outriggers over so the wheels pointed up, giving enough offset, more or less, to allow a stable pick:
Image

Engine in the general vicinity of its final placement:
Image
Because when you spend a silly amount of money on a silly, trivial thing that will help you not one jot, you are demonstrating that you have a soul and a heart and that you are the sort of person who has no time for Which? magazine. – Jeremy Clarkson
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Engine Placement Is Just The Beginning

Post by okayfine »

So, getting the engine near where it will finally be is just the beginning. And, really, building the chassis so far has been the easy part - that's why progress has been swift.

But final placement of the engine involves many different problems, including:

How to mount the engine
How the ideal engine mounting results in blocking the exhaust ports and/or the gear lever
How far back to position the engine, 'cause you gotta leave room for the eventual steering gear
Where to mount the upper a-arms in whatever engine mounting scenario you choose
Since this is a water-cooled engine, where do you mount the radiator if you want that Morgan look, and how do you get the water to and from it?

Etc. After getting the engine in position, I sat and thought about all that for a good half-hour. My current plan of action is to find some poly mounts so I can mount the engine to a pair of 2x2 tubes, then deal with the rest.

I also marked the approximate wheelbase on the garage floor, as well as the track. Then I placed the radiator where I thought it might go and discovered it blocks the driveshaft line of sight. Oops. We'll deal with the radiator later :lol:
Because when you spend a silly amount of money on a silly, trivial thing that will help you not one jot, you are demonstrating that you have a soul and a heart and that you are the sort of person who has no time for Which? magazine. – Jeremy Clarkson
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Byron510
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Re: Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

Post by Byron510 »

Hmm,

I'm thinking that motor needs an IDA and nice velocity stacks on each bank... purely for esthetic reasons, :D

Being that your driveshaft will be comparatively low, you can mount your rack higher and steer from the upper control arms… possibly. However this goes against every other rule of a performance car - keep all weight low.

Great photos, keep us posted Julian.

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okayfine
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Re: Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

Post by okayfine »

IDA's have been suggested in other circles. At this point I know those carbs are good and should be fine for a while. I figure I can fab on any sort of carbs if I get to that point. For once, though, I could definitely use more power.

Unfortunately, the driveshaft comes out of the back of the engine at about 9.5" above the bottom of the tub/flat floor. There also isn't enough room given the way the engine mounts to sink the engine itself much lower. And, given the way the suspension mounts in the back, not a lot of room to lower that anyway. Good thing it's a flat-four with regards to CG.
Because when you spend a silly amount of money on a silly, trivial thing that will help you not one jot, you are demonstrating that you have a soul and a heart and that you are the sort of person who has no time for Which? magazine. – Jeremy Clarkson
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Re: Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

Post by okayfine »

okayfine wrote:$4069,67.
Since it's easier to do this as I spend money, -$11.50 for a set of poly swap bar bushings that I'll use to mount the engine. $4058.17 remaining.
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Because when you spend a silly amount of money on a silly, trivial thing that will help you not one jot, you are demonstrating that you have a soul and a heart and that you are the sort of person who has no time for Which? magazine. – Jeremy Clarkson
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Re: Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

Post by gooned »

wow...just found this (not as regular as I used to be)

gonna be very interesting!
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