OHMOGGIE

Over a century of hand-building great sporting cars!

SUMMER EDITION 2020

 OHMOGGIE
Summer 2020
President: Michael Findlan, 942 Old US Route 52,
New Richmond, OH, 45157, (513) 623-8272, findlanmike@yahoo.com

Vice President: Tim Kozlowski, 8634 Yankee Rd.

Ottawa Lake, MI, 49267, (734) 755-6498, kozfam@hotmail.com

Treasurer: Ron Kerans, 1760 Southview Dr.

Yellow Springs, OH, 45387, (937) 767-2519, robin.ron@toast.net

Membership/Tech: Steve Stierman, 6885 Perry Dr.

Worthington, OH, 43085, (614) 436-5218, morgan7709@sbcglobal.net
Club Liaison/PR: Chas Wasser, 7663 Windy Knoll Dr.
Cincinnati, OH, 45241, (513) 779-0871, ohmog@fuse.net

OhMoggie Editors: Michael Findlan & Steve Stierman

Web Site Admin/CIO: David Hooker, 61 W. South St.

Worthington, OH, 43085, (614) 397-9954, david.hooker@gmail.com

Member-at-large: Andy Leo, 5124 Kinderston Dr.

Holly Springs, NC, 27540, (919) 552-9199, aaleom44@gmail.com

Regalia: Jim Zuber, 7706 Glenwood Ct.

Canal Winchester, OH, 43110, (614) 833-4350, jlzuber614@hotmail.com
OHMOGGIE is the official publication of the Ohio Morgan Owners Group.
Please note that credit is given where possible to those submitting articles, photos, materials, event
listings, etc. We always welcome submittals by the membership. Please contact the editor(s) for
information on submittal requirements and acceptable formats.
Fine print disclaimer: Whilst at least some effort is made to ensure that the content in OhMoggie is accurate and possibly even truthful the Editors, the club officers and
the OHMOG club, as a whole, cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in any of the articles, captions, advertisements, comments, etc. It is up to the individual
member to determine if any technical or other such advice, solution, material, method, product or service suits their needs and those of their vehicle. Editors disavow any
responsibility for errors, omissions, plagiarisms, slanderous or offensive material, coronavirus transmittal or anything else not liked by the membership or general public.

Cover photo: Bruce & Betty Dawn Hardman’s 1960 Plus-4 Four Place Photo by: Michael Findlan
Back page photo: Row of Morgans at Mohican Lodge, 2019 Photo by: David Hooker

Follow us on Facebook and www.ohmog.org, also!

 1 
 

Across the louvers!

Sure had hoped that I would not still be
sequestered in my home and office at this time. But
unfortunately the dreaded “Covid-19” or coronavirus
has not been eradicated. As I write this we are back
to full mandatory wearing of face masks in any public
gathering, store, restaurant, church or whatever
anywhere in Ohio. This statewide edict came about
just a few weeks after it was mandatory in the  
Looking across the louvers as we approach one of the 
counties around the three major cities of Cleveland, covered bridges we crossed during OMHOG 34. 
Columbus and Cincinnati. A few movie theaters had
reopened, and I was awaiting the reopening of the big one in Milford, but before any of the ones open
even had a chance to show any new movies (They opened up with re-showings of popular, but old, movies
such as Jurassic Park, Dumbo or the likes.) they reclosed. I’ve a stack of free tickets that I literally
gave blood for (platelet donations!) and no place to use them. One local theater looks to have a bleak
future as they have taken down all of the “Now Showing” and “Coming Soon” posters that they had
displayed across the building’s front. And of course driving around one sees stores and shops that are
closed and possibly will never open again. Apparently we will be forced to do our shopping by curbside
pick-up, delivery or by ordering online. That is very disturbing to someone who prefers to actually see
and handle what he is buying. How do you rely on someone else, rushing through a grocery store loading
items on a cart to fill a customer’s order, to take the time to actually compare the quality and freshness
of your melons or fish or bananas! I’ve yet to use Kroger’s curbside service, but that means having to
enter the store. Living ten miles from the bulk of the main stores and services I had always tried to
combine trips, but now I really do so. Usually make a list of must have stops along the way and try to
limit time in any one store. Good news though is I’m getting better than four days per gallon in my car!
The predictions that the way we live, interact,
work, shop, socialize, attend school, church, etc. are now
proving to be true and literally are changing our lives.
Unfortunately the effects will be felt for a long time into
the future. Even if a vaccine becomes safely developed
soon think about how long it will take to get everyone
treated. Most of us are old enough to remember the polio
vaccines of the early sixties. One was oral and the other
was by use of a jet-injector (a “Hypospray” per Star
Trek) that was very much like a fuel injector. Those mass
vaccinations each took a few years to complete.
The problem is that this affects all of our Ohio Morgan Club activities and most any other events
we see each year on the car club scene throughout the country. Basically everything is shut down in term
of group gathering type events! While that is a shame, we must realize that we are doing much better
than in previous pandemics. We have guidance, recommendations and mandates that are quickly
announced to all unlike back during the 1918 pandemic and other such contagious disease pandemics of
the past. We have so many people to be thankful for in their efforts to reduce or prevent the spread of
this virus and/or in continuing to provide so many services that are essential to our lives. Read Steve’s
 2 
 
Dry Rot for his thanks to so many people out there in the trenches dealing with this crisis daily. They
are unsung heroes. His remarks explain it well and I won’t try to duplicate them.
I delayed making any official decision on our club’s events until getting a feel for what was
happening as a result of the first rounds of opening up various venues. But that backfired and the
restrictions and mandates were put back in place, with some stronger than the initial guidelines. It
became evident that we were not going to have our traditional events this year. So it was with some
anguish that I talked to the Duning’s and Stierman’s about the events they had planned to host and the
bad news is that the decisions were made that they not be held in the interest of public health.
(Who’d ever think that a car club would be writing about health concerns?)
Therefore the OHMOG 37 scheduled for late October and the Holiday Party scheduled for
early December have both been cancelled in 2020.
The good news though is that if this virus issue has gone away in 2021 the hosts will pick up the
events for next year. This is also the case for most all 2020 events as they are now being shifted to
dates in 2021. The big 50th MOG meet at Luray is now to be held July 2-4th, 2021 for example.
Any mandate to restrict driving to only “essential driving” seems to have faded so we should be
able to still get out our Morgans and at least enjoy some pleasant drives around to favorite areas and
routes, even if there is nowhere to go. If you have a flock of cars as a group you may have problems at a
stop, but maintaining a six foot social distance from each other in your cars should be easy to do. You
can at least wave to each other!
There is still a “British Car Day” event at Indianapolis and a couple of car participation events
scheduled in our club’s area. I’ve included the Events Calendar elsewhere in this quality publication of
OHMOGGIE for you to see what is available and of interest to you. Please note that what is listed is per
input received at the date of this writing (August 3rd) and events are subject to change or cancellation.
The “Bellefontaine Hillclimb Revival” is still scheduled for August 29th. It is for drivers and cars
only with no spectators. But you can volunteer to be a
worker and thus can spectate! There is also a 65 mi.
TDS Rally. The “Spring Classic Driving Tour” is in the
“Fall” on October 10th. Multiple car clubs will gather in
New Richmond, OH. Cars will head out at 9am for a
driving tour of about 2-3hours using different routes
so that cars do not bunch up. Routing is out through
Clermont, Brown and Adams County including Amish
areas. The routes follow the many rural roads that run
parallel with the valleys and creeks formed by the
glaciers, a couple of years ago, which flow down to the
Ohio River and thus are curvy and interesting. Everyone
Our group back in the good olde days (pre‐March 
returns back to New Richmond, where they can enjoy 2020!). Parking lot at Hueston Woods 2017. 
the hospitality of its restaurants overlooking the Ohio
River. Contact Kurt Niemeyer, at (513) 304-1177 or by way of Kurt@springclassicdrivingtour.org for
details of these events, starting point for the SCDT or about the Wings & Wheels event on Oct. 24th.
Monitor your health, stay safe and stay well. But do get
out and enjoy summer and fall in your Morgans!
 OHMOG Events and other 2020 British Car Events around our Locale 
OHMOG Club Events are denoted by dates in Bold 
 
PLEASE NOTE THAT MANY EVENTS HAVE ALREADY CANCELLED AND ALL EVENTS LISTED HERE ARE STILL 
SUBJECT TO CANCELATION, DUE TO THE ONGOING THREAT OF THE CORONAVIRUS AND THE PREVENTATIVE 
MANDATES THAT HAVE BEEN   ISSUED. 
 
 Please contact an organizer to confirm the function before attending. 
Date(s)  Event  Location Contact or Info
nd
32  Indy British Motor Days  Lion’s Park in Zionsville  Brian @ (317) 522‐8260 
FREE TO ENTER AND   116th Street (Sycamore St.),  info@ibuc.org 
Aug 8th  NO REGISTRATION NEEDED!  Zionsville, IN   10am to 3:30pm  ‐ No food or drinks will be served. 
 THE SHOW WILL GO ON WITHOUT  ‐ Vehicles will be grouped by   ‐ Visit one of the many great restaurants 
AWARDS!  marque only.  on Main St. or surrounding area!
CANCELLED until 2021 
Sept 9‐13th  SVRA US Vintage Grand Prix  Kathy Swinford:  kathy@svra.com 
Watkins Glen, NY 
August     Bellefontaine, OH 
29th   Bellefontaine Hillclimb Revival  Cars and drivers only,  or  Kurt@springclassicdrivingtour.org
Plus a 65mile TDS and clues  volunteer as course worker   
Rally   to be a spectator 
CANCELLED until 2021  www.daytonconcours.com 
Sept 20th  Dayton Concours d’ Elegance  (937) 603‐7601 
Carillon Park 
Sept 29‐  11th Annual Put‐In‐Bay Road Race  CANCELLED until 2021  www.pibroadrace.com 
Oct 2nd  Reunion   South Bass Island, Ohio 
Bill & Jane Duning’s  
October  OHMOG 37   Home, garage & office building 
CANCELLED until 2021 
  Lebanon, OH  130 E. MULBERRY  
Lebanon, OH
Gather in New Richmond area. 
“SPRING” CLASSIC DRIVING  10 miles southeast of I‐275 on  Contact Kurt for final details 
TOUR VIII  US‐52, beginning 8am.   Kurt@springclassicdrivingtour.org
26+ Car Clubs will tour through  Start may be from Meldahl Dam, 
Oct 10th  13 miles upriver from NR.  
Kurt Niemeyer (513) 304 1177  
southwest Ohio. Each group has 
Ends back in New Richmond, OH  or 
its own route!    First car off at 
9am. Proceeds to club’s Charities.  for you to enjoy this river town 
www.springclassicdrivingtour.org 
and restaurants. 
At “WARBIRDS MUSEUM” at the  Car tours will start at various 
 “Wings and Wheels”  Clermont County Airport 
location to arrive at Museum. 
Oct 24th  Reception, for the SCDT  4021 Borman Drive 
Batavia, OH  Contact Kurt for details  
12 noon ‐ 4pm 
  Kurt Niemeyer (513) 304 1177  
6885 Perry Dr. 
December   OHMOG HOLIDAY PARTY  CANCELLED until 2021 
Worthington, OH  43085 
Please send additions or corrections to michael.findlan@gmail.com  
 

FYI: All of the new version OHMOG club badges are gone!  
If you didn’t get one: To bad, So sad!  
     THE SAD PASSING OF AN OHMOG MEMBER 
Our little, but close knit, club lost a long
time member on June 16, 2020. Sally
Erd passed away after a long ten year
struggle with the ravages of the
Alzheimer’s Disease.
Wife of Larry Erd, Sally was an active
member of our club and was always
involved in our club activities. While
some dementia symptoms surfaced
about 5 years before the doctor’s actual
diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, in 2010, it was
manageable early on and did not affect
Sally and Larry’s motorhome travels
which started back in 1994 nor the
building of a new home and their move
to Lake Wales, FL in 2008.
Sally was born and grew up in Toledo Sally Jeanette (Guyer) Erd 
and graduated from Devilbiss High School. She met Larry Erd through their mutual love of
sports cars and they married in 1965 and had two children. A proud and busy wife and
mother, Sally worked for Owens Corning Fiberglas for 36 years. She was also involved in
their printing business, Erd Specialty Graphics. (OhMog has had many posters and shirts
printed by ESG.) Sally was an avid reader, and enjoyed gardening, home renovation and
decorating projects as well. She was involved in her local Episcopal churches and the
Daughters of the American Revolution in both Toledo & Lake Wales. She loved to travel
with family to natural and historical sites of interest. Larry and Sally were active in a
number of car clubs which remained an important part of their lives, including OhMog.
It was with much sadness that I received a note from Larry the day Sally passed away. It
was a very long struggle for Sally but also for Larry. He watched his wife of many years
slip away from him as the terrible Alzheimer's Disease took its toll. I can truly sympathize
with Larry's status now as I too lost my wife Donise to Alzheimer's. Larry and I would talk
to each other occasionally about the disease and its progression and effects. Wish I could
have been more supportive. Sally was a wonderful person whom my wife and I knew
through OhMog and the club gatherings. I have good memories of getting together with
them during most of our club’s social events and in particular at a meet they hosted at
their home in Toledo years ago. Sally was a warm and fun loving person who was not put
off by a bunch of guys standing around staring at an engine compartment or talking cars.
She enjoyed the car scene with the best of us. Sadly the present Corvid-19 restrictions
hampered Larry in visiting Sally in her final weeks, which must have been very difficult.
Sally shared her cheerful, vivacious and generous spirit with so many of us at our club
events. She will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by Larry, her husband of 55
years, and all of her OhMog family of friends. Sally, may you rest in peace!

Memorial donations in Sally’s name may be made to:

Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) or the
Chapters Health Foundation-Good Shepherd Hospice (chaptershealth.org)
Dry Rot
This too shall pass….
S. Stierman

I wanted to write some sort of a witty diatribe about Morgans or

British cars or experiences of both as usual, but at this moment I
cannot seem to do so given that I awoke one morning not long ago and
everything seemed to have changed around me.

I could complain about not being able to attend the auto events that I
enjoy because they have been canceled or not being able to socialize
with my friends, or take vacations, or enjoy places I would like to visit
this summer, or interact more with our kids or grand kids at a closer
distance. But I’m not going to because we personally have weathered
this tragedy fairly well so far while others have not with lives lost,
families suffering, and jobs evaporating. We have done with only little
inconvenience almost entirely because of those essential workers who put
their lives on the line so people our age could still soldier along with
some semblance of normalcy. I want to offer some totally inadequate
words of thanks to those whom I can remember.

To the docs and the cops, and the nurses and pharmacy staff and the
EMT’s and the firemen, and the postman and the delivery drivers, and
truckers, and the transit drivers and pilots, and the refuse haulers, and
grocery workers, and the guardsman, and the guy who fixes my garage
doors, and the paper deliver guy, and all others who kept things running
for the rest of us. Don’t forget the teachers like my daughters who
worked on line and tried to entertain/educate their own young kids when
grandpa and grandma couldn’t help out. They will all likely go back to
school in the fall to what we are not sure. Many of us are retired,
perhaps we have kids or relatives or friends or kids of friends that we
ought to offer a large thanks also for what they have done for people
like us. Maybe a club member or someone will read this who is one of
the above and will appreciate it, I hope so, it is the least we can do.

On my morning trudge I see a lot of signage

with various modes of thanks spelled out in
many ways, but this one with its graphic
simplicity caught my eye and I thought it
might be worth sharing with you as it really
says it all.
How are we using our time now while trying to maintain habits that will
keep everyone hopefully safe? Well, I am an only child and Katie is a
self-described introvert so she says, and we are ok playing by ourselves
to a great degree. We can still go on our daily walks solo or the two of
us, Katie can still cycle in the neighborhood for safety, sometimes with
me or on weekends in the country with her pal Tom, but no more group
riding for the duration. Yes we can still chat with the neighbors safely
in the cul-de-sac, as most people seem to be doing.

There is something else though, you see we own two old British
roadsters that I restored some years ago that have been used and
enjoyed to a great degree. Now both of us retired, with petrol a bit
less costly and fewer cars on the road we try to get out for pleasant
country drives more often. We know the back roads around the area
and a favorite follows the Scioto River along the east side all the way
up to Prospect, Ohio. A nice shady, twisty, rolling chip and seal ribbon
with the river on one side and old farm houses and woods or fields on
the other. Not any traffic to be concerned with, but not fast because
there are cyclists who use it or walkers, or an occasional fisherman
returning to his parked vehicle. Take the Morgan or the TC or I admit
to the Miata a time or two. On the way back we stop to visit some
friends and sit in their back yard maintaining distance chatting about
the latest vaccine news. This is all we need for a while; we manage to
stay busy in our own way, although the current circumstances require
some creativity. We have even taken to having a few drives in our old
cars and distanced hikes and picnics with friends, knowing some of the
more secluded or less frequently visited preserves out in the county.
Good idea to take a blanket just in case there are no benches, but we
can usually come up with a solution. We are easily entertained and don’t
require much these days….

Perhaps now with warmer weather and time on our hands, it is a good
thing to do some maintenance that has been put off for a while on the
old cars. So now that I have no more exciting tidbits of daily life to
pass on, I will talk about just such things. The Plus 8 has had an
exhaust leak that I have ignored and really should have investigated
sooner. Years ago to test my welding ability I built a pair of headers
by cutting up a set I bought originally designed to fit a later Range
Rover. They came very reasonably from the folks at Hedman who had
many more in stock gathering dust in their warehouse than they really
wanted or needed.
They were quite a bit larger with no chance at all of fitting an old
Morgan, but did have the proper flanges to bolt up to that alloy V-8 as
well as excess pipe with many bends that could be used. I had an extra
cylinder head lying around and plenty of time so began cutting and
welding and measuring and fitting. After quite a long time I finally
found that I had come up with a pretty decent looking set of headers
that routed the exhaust through the frame rails as Morgan had
originally done. I know they would have been a bit more efficient had I
gone through the wing valances as some of the fancier pricey after
market styles, but I didn’t want to modify things underneath the car
that much if I could help it.
Eventually with some grinding and
clean up and some hi temp paint
they were permanently installed and
have served me pretty well over the
years. Since the exhaust system on
my Plus 8 does not have flex pipe as
earlier cars, the system is hung from
rubber straps to allow some
movement with the engine.

Occasionally the movement of the head pipe with the engine through the
holes in the chassis will stress the headers, a design flaw that I built
in, as luck would have it. It would appear that this stress caused a
crack to form on the backside of the header that I couldn’t see
although could hear. It’s a bit of a fiddle to get your hands in position
to remove the retaining bolts holding the headers, but I have done it
enough to have the technique down so eventually they come free.
Careful investigation revealed a couple of cracks so a bit of paint
removal and a session with the MIG had things back in shape. Also my
intent was to shoot a new coat of flat black hi temp on things, so some
work with the wire wheel on my angle grinder had old paint removed and
we were ready for new paint in no time. You ask, why not Jet Coat or
similar? Well thinking ahead, repair of stress cracks might be impaired
with this treatment. So this time I tried a new hi temp Rustoleum paint
that gave pretty detailed instructions for curing the product after
application. This even included using your oven rather than engine heat
if you are so inclined. This I would strongly advise against, as the
fumes released during the process would not at all make your spouse or
significant other happy and might add a less than tasty flavor to that
future apple pie. My choice was to paint and install the headers,
touching up the little nicks I made and than running the engine up to
proper temperature and following the instructions supplied for heat and
cool cycles till everything was finally
cured. I was not disappointed in how
things turned out and would easily
recommend this product for future
use for such projects.

If things continue in our world as

they are, I may have more intriguing maintenance projects to entertain
us with.
Don’t get me started on lacquer paint touch up on the old TC, as that is
next on my list. That’s all I have for now, please be safe………

Editor’s note: I can understand the reluctance to use the home oven to cure
hi-temp paint. As a much younger person I used a hi-temp paint and per the
instructions threw a freshly painted cast iron exhaust manifold for a ’62 AH
Sprite into my mother’ kitchen oven. A few years later I had to push a set of
valve seats into a Lotus Twin-cam head and again found a convenient kitchen
oven. Worked great! But my mother and one of my brothers (his wife in
particular) never forgave me nor allowed me to use their ovens again. I think
if the head had been used with Pennzoil the flavor of subsequent cakes
would have tasted better!
The Last 4/4?
By Thomas Zack

It has been said many times that there is a last time for everything and the production of
the Morgan 4/4 seems to have followed that path. Most Morgan admirers know the story
all too well of the Motor Company building their first four wheeled car in 1936. Previously
Morgan only produced three wheelers but the new model had four wheels and a four
cylinder engine; hence the name 4/4.
If what I have seen and led to believe is correct our club, The Ohio Morgan Owner’s Group
can lay claim to having the last 4/4 built with the highest production number as the latest
addition to our ranks. I’d say this is the last off the assembly line but anyone who has ever
been to the. Morgan factory can see that they really don’t have an assembly line per se: the
cars are pushed from one area to the next. The Persian Blue 4/4, chassis number MRX
103961 was about halfway through it’s construction when I took a tour of the factory with
my wife Jeanne in August of 2019. Now lovingly referred to as the “Good Old Days”, when
you could stand next to another human being without fear of imminent death. a visit to the
Morgan factory in Malvern England is on most admirers of the marque’s bucket list along
with being a source of national pride to the British people. I chatted with fellow club
member Steve Stierman whilst he was holding court at the local Columbus cars and coffee
because I had remembered that he had been to the factory in the past. Steve explained how
easy it was to get to Malvern from London on the train and if I was all the way there I should
definitely carve out the time to plan a visit. Once I knew it wouldn’t be hassle getting to
Malvern I booked a room not far from the factory. Both my wife and I agree it was the
highlight of our trip.
The factory operates daily tours for a nominal fee and James, our tour guide, said that they
had given the tour to over 50,000 people in the last year. One almost got the impression
that the factory made more money from the tour fees than the actual production of the cars.
James was a lover and owner of a Morgan who had never worked at the factory, he
explained how in his recent retirement it got him out of the house to give him a break from
his wife’s endless honey due list. The first thing they do is give you a pair of safety glasses
and suggest you ask as many questions and take as many pictures as you like, just stay
within the yellow lines so as not to get in the way of any of the actual workers performing
their various tasks. James stopped at a car about 50% finished and said that due to the new
design coming out and the fact that they couldn’t source the engines any longer that this
particular car was the last 4/4 and it was going to someone named Christopher John.
Morgan does not build any cars that are not already paid for and I recognized the name
Christopher John as the Morgan dealer in Daytona Beach were my wife and I have owned a
home for a number of years. I snapped a few pictures of the car and sent them to Chris the
owner of the dealership. I got to know Chris from stopping over at his store to just shoot
the breeze with whenever I was in town. Chris knew that I owned a Plus 8 that I kept at my
home in Ohio and I wasn’t in the market for another car. Since I always purchased
something from his extensive selection of Morgan branded merchandise that he always had
displayed I wasn’t totally wasting his time. I think most car salesman are nice to a point but
you can’t spend all day with a customer who has no intention of buying a car or you’ll
quickly go out of business. There is a surf shop in town with a sign by the cash register that
reads; “if you’ve got nothing to do, don’t do it here”. Obviously a jab to the throngs of
retirees down in Florida who have nothing to do but tell stories and waste people’s time.
Chris was happy to get the pictures of his car under construction that I sent him, saying that
he had special ordered the 4/4 for himself. He rattled off all of the one of kind touches he
had added when the car was ordered and what a special car it was going to be. I should have
realized that he was just going into his salesman mode and setting the bait.
Fast forward to September of last year and I stopped by the dealership to see what was
new. Chris said that the factory had called him and wanted him to buy three more of the last
steel chassis Plus 4 cars that they were putting together from the final scrounged parts and
he needed to come up with some cash. He wanted to know if I was interested in his 4/4 as it
was truly a special car. The thought of owning the last 4/4 if indeed that provenance was
correct was too much for me to handle and the next words out of my mouth were, “How
Much ?”.
The last months I’ve spent waiting on the car I’ve had quite a few thoughts on the merits of
buying the last of a particular model versus the first of the new model. The traditionalist
side won out.
I took delivery of chassis #CMX 103961 on March 30 2020 at a time when quite a few
things that are produced might be the last of their kind but most of us who are fans of
British cars are an optimistic bunch, you simply have to be.
The first thing I did after driving the car eight miles from the dealership to my home was to
attach the Ohio Morgan Owner’s Group club badge to the grille. I now plan on driving the
hell out of it!
Get to know our new member: Nelson Rosen
In his own words:
From Philadelphia originally, grew up working in my father’s bakery. I was always a car kid, regaled with
my dad's stories of his '53 Mark VII Jaguar (that he traded in for a new Bonneville in 1961!). Glued to my
monthly R&T issues; I became a fan of all racing, Indy car, NASCAR, Le Mans, especially F-1 watching
the battles between Alan Prost and Niki Lauda as teammates at McLaren. I first learned of Morgans on
the pages of R&T, no doubt reading Peter Egan waxing poetically about them. Went to Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute for engineering then the Medical School at Temple University. Trained in surgery on
Long Island (where I met my wife Jeanne) and did my pediatric surgery fellowship in Montreal. Joined
Army Reserve at end of medical school, served on several overseas tours, with command responsibilities,
now fortunate to have been promoted to Brigadier General last year. We have two children, both
attending Walnut Hill HS. We moved here from NY to work at Children's in 2018. After my last overseas
tour I decided to stop putting off my dream and buy a Morgan. Found it at Morgan Spares, which was only
90 min. away while we lived in NY. It's a 1966 Plus 4, TR4A engine, came to the US in 1967. Got Joe
Curto to help me with my carbs, NY does have some advantages. But thrilled to be here, we truly love
the area. My Plus-4 is doing well too, just got the temp gauge fixed. I like keeping the car as original as
makes sense, but I did upgrade to a dual master-cylinder, and put a solid state regulator in the old Lucas
RB106 case. Still running on my dynamo, and resisting pressure to go to an alternator. Put in electronic
ignition but went back to points and not regretting that. Thrilled to be a new member of OhMog. Have
been a member of the 3/4 Club for several years, and now also the BCCGC, but I have trouble finding
time to attend events, will do my best. Hoping to meet all of you eventually, once it’s safe to do so.
The previous page photo is from the day I picked up the car in Copake, NY at Morgan Spares and
proceeded to make the drive to home. We stopped for coffee and bathroom break; with my wife following
in my Cayenne. Of course the Morgan wouldn't restart after the break! Was a tense 30 minutes,
eventually got it to start and continued on to our home. Took two years to figure out it was a faulty wire
between the key-switch and ignition coil, but not before I had replaced the key switch, solenoid, coil,
rebuilt the distributor, new plugs, new plug wires, new regulator!  

This photo has me proudly sitting in the Morgan in our old driveway in NY.

 
CARticles by
Nigel Squatt, CARmudgeon

THE “GREEN” Little British Car

Take something from the Earth, but leave some for your children …
This is a worthy axiom of the green ecological movement that
includes lessons in energy conservation, sustainable resources,
carbon footprints, etc. Rightly so, much is made these days over
these basic tenets that guide the moral compass of eco-responsibility.
It’s simply not something you’d expect to have much to do with old British sports cars unless
they were painted British racing green, or would you? Let’s take a closer look at our Little
British Cars (LBCs) in this regard. We may find that our “children of Britain” are much more a
part of the ecological movement than we would have thought.

• Alternative Fuel and LBCs

Personally, I see no reason to burn high-octane gasoline in an engine with a 7.5-to-1 compression
ratio. Regular 87RON gas runs just fine in my LBC. In fact, compared with the pool gas of
post-war Britain, regular gas must feel like aviation fuel to most LBC engines. I’m no petroleum
engineer, but I wouldn’t think it much of a stretch to find someone who could make one run on
ethanol and soybean oil—possibly needing only more frequent de-carbonizing! At any rate, fuel
economy in the 30mpg range, even when driven in a spirited fashion, means gas mileage in a
postwar LBC is something to be very proud of. Many new sports cars don’t do this well and
often come with copious notes in the owner’s manual to avoid “regular gas,” preferring instead
the high-octane, high-priced fuel.

Renewable Resources
The first thing that comes to mind is ash wood framework for a body tub. Were Abingdon and
Malvern Link really so antiquarian in their use of the wood-framed tub when others were moving
toward unit bodies and away from ladder frames, or were they really 50-plus years ahead of their
time? After all, nothing says “renewable” like good old wood. Occasionally you may find wood
trim—albeit most of it a plastic look-alike—in modern cars, but many of our LBCs have entire
dashboards of furniture-grade plywood occasionally veneered with genuine walnut. Does
anything say “sports car” more than sliding into the driver’s seat and gripping a wood-rimed
steering wheel? That tactile sensation just can’t be matched by plastic. Even if your LBC didn’t
come with one originally, you can almost always find a wood one in the aftermarket.

That which cushions your back and backside is also renewable: not hide of the Nauga, but
genuine ranch-raised leather. Wear out your seat? No problem, we’re still making cows! (Sadly,
demand for dashboard and door panel material in this post-leather era has led to the near-
extinction of a little-known pasture animal, the “Rexine!”)
Carbon Footprint
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of our old LBCs is that their carbon footprint of manufacture
can now be more than 70 years old for our first post-war examples. Maintaining and continuing
to enjoy these cars means that the energy and material expenditure for their creation has been
amortized over decades. That’s an extremely good return on postwar energy and raw material
usage. Again, this is something that I don’t expect a modern-day sports car to achieve en-mass
the way our post-war LBCs have been cherished, sheltered and nurtured. Given that the lifespan
of a new car is eight years, we are in rare company because most of our LBCs haven’t been
manufactured since 1980. Even if a sports car could be expected to live 15 years, we’re miles
ahead of the competition. Let’s assume a contemporary sports car has a 15-year lifespan—a
“Miata-life”—before it is abandoned for a new one. The Mazda Miata/MX-5 didn’t exist until
1990 and there’s little doubt that a sterling example of the first iteration of the Miata, the NA, is
quite a find although these first examples aren’t yet two Miata-lives old. There is also no
denying the NA already is the next version of the revered and preserved sports car. Moss Motors
has made a substantial investment in this belief. However, it will be interesting for future sports
car historians to see if the ratio of Miatas preserved, as compared with the number manufactured,
comes close to achieving the survival ratio of our LBCs. Today the newest LBC is nearly 2.5
Miata-lives old, and the oldest postwar models are nearly 5 Miata-lives old. I believe this
preservation effort represents automotive ecology in one of its simplest and finest forms:
preservation and reuse. I predict the postwar LBC will be regarded as a paragon of automotive
carbon footprint responsibility.

The Legacy
The Brits of our parents’ generation took raw materials from the Earth and surplus WWII
equipment to craft sporty LBCs. In doing so, they also added emotional human elements that
aren’t a component of the green movement nor a part of nearly any other modern sports car.
Theirs was a generation that lived and breathed dedication, determination and sacrifice. As a
nation, they withstood bombing, starvation and the other ravages of World War II. In the
postwar years, the products of their handiwork were imbued with this character and strength.
These intangible qualities are in the spirit of every LBC. It is this very spirit that has kept our
LBCs memorable and endeared to us while other marquees have faded from memory and melted
into history. Why else would these cars have survived in such numbers?

Postwar LBCs have been enjoyed, cared for and passed down to us a generation later. Our
responsibility is to be a worthy custodian of that legacy. With a bit of good fortune on our part,
and by sparking interest and enthusiasm in our children, we may well leave these fine cars to yet
another generation to enjoy and maintain. That would be the finest legacy of Britain, in fact and
in spirit. It is a sustainable one, too, something that we may leave for our children and they for
theirs.

NS
01/2018
My 1954 Transition Morgan Plus‐4,  
             Part 3 of a series: The Sheet Metal 
By Alan Truax 
Disclaimer:  I am not an expert in Morgan restoration, but a willing do‐it‐ yourselfer.  These reports are about what 
worked for me, what I learned from my mistakes and what I would do differently if there is a next project.  The 
listed order in which I did this work is only that of my primary efforts and not exclusive of other areas of 
restoration. 

CONDITION OF THE BULKHEAD/FIREWALL, INNER WINGS, FRONT AND REAR WINGS, BONNET, DOORS, SCUTTLE 
& COWL, QUARTER AND REAR PANELS 
In addition to the rust in all of the usual areas that would require sheet metal repairs, I found that a former owner 
had used a cutting torch to aid in the removal of the original engine by cutting more clearance in the firewall.  A 
cutting torch was also used to punch holes for heater hoses. 

Both inner wings had crude repairs that would require major patches.  The front and rear wings, bonnet, scuttle, 
and cowl would all need rust repairs but suffered little abuse except for crude repairs where the sidelights are 
mounted.  The doors were in good condition and would require no metal repairs. 

The quarter panels and the rear panel, while repairable, would be remade.  Their condition would have resulted in 
more effort to repair them than to remake them.  Since the wooden framework was replaced, additional fitting 
would be required to use the original panels. 

BULKHEAD/FIREWALL REPAIR 
I decided that the best approach was to replace the driver and passenger side vertical sections of the bulkhead 
because of the cutting torch damage done when the engine was replaced.  The center section would be repaired. 

Note damage caused by cutting torch to cut heater hose holes and engine clearance. 

I first repaired the center section.  The panel was removed and stripped to bare metal.  I fitted a patch of the same 
gauge steel and welded it by first tacking it in place and then finished with a continuous weld using a wire welder 
and gas.  The welds were then smoothed with a disk sander. 
 The center section was repaired with a simple patch welded in to replace the missing steel. 

The Driver and passenger sections of the firewall were then cut from the firewall and paper card stock patterns 
made to fit replacements.  I nearly always cut a card pattern before I cut any steel.  This may seem like an 
unnecessary step but will avoid costly errors.  Very much like the rule: “measure twice and cut once”.  Adjustments 
to fit are easier to make using card board as a guide. 
The driver side section was cut out of the bulkhead 

 
The cross brake grooves of firewall areas and the valance panels were formed using a Harbor Freight "bead roller
kit". The same tool was also used for forming the welding flange on the side-light wing patch shown in the article. It
comes with a range of various bead and flange rollers. Note that it takes two people to handle the tool for the larger
sheet metal sections but sure is useful.   
 Paper cardstock Pattern                                                 Replacement driver side panel 

                     

The firewall deck had two cutting torch holes that were patched.  A patch was cut to cover the damaged area and 
the damaged steel was cut out to the outline of the patch.  The order of repair would normally be to cut out the 
damaged metal first and then cut the patch to fit.  However, again a cross brake groove was a part of the damaged 
metal.  This resulted in the necessity to first form a patch with a groove rolled in and then cut out the damaged 
area to fit the patch with the grooves aligned. 
The patch was first tack welded in place, finished with a continuous weld then disk sanded smooth.  Note that the 
corners of the patches are rounded and not a sharp square to lessen the possibility of stress cracks. 
Cutting torch hole, patch piece and the repair

 
       

Repaired firewall 

    

Repair of the Inner Wings 
Both inner wings had crude repairs that necessitated a large patch section.  Both also had excessive corrosion and 
stress cracks where the joined the firewall that would require new steel.  The process would be to determine the 
extent of the patch, make a card stock pattern and cut and weld in new steel. 
                   Crude repair of the inner wing                                               Cardstock pattern for a patch 

              
                               Steel patch, checking the fit                                                  Tack welds to set patch in place 

    

The patch was then continuously welded and disk sanded. 

The rear sections of both inner wings (valance panels) were corroded and stress cracked and would be replaced. 

Corroded and stress cracked area 

Cardstock pattern and the replaced steel, noting the rolled in groove. 

 
REPAIR OF THE WINGS 
Both driver’s side and passenger’s side front wings needed repairs in the same two areas.  The tails of the wings 
where the front met the rear wing were severely corroded and the metal beneath the sidelights were damaged 
and crudely repaired. 
The corroded areas were repaired by cutting out the damaged metal and welding in new.  Again card material was 
used as a pattern. 
     Rusted through tail area of front wing                                         Repaired front wing, end of tail piece 

    

Repaired right front wing, tail end area 

The repair of the areas beneath the sidelights was not as easy.  A large area would need to be cut out and I decided 
to use a patch that over‐lapped the original metal and would be welded on both sides for additional strength.  The 
patch would need to be flanged and a convex curvature formed. 
   
Damaged and crudely repaired area where the sidelight and fender support attach 

Flanging the patch to reinforce the welded joint 

     

Forming the convex curve and checking the curvature 

      
 The convex curve can easily be formed by hammering.  The damaged area was cut out, the patch welded, and the 
weld smoothed with a disk sander.  
Repaired sidelight hole 

The rear wings were generally in good condition.  There were several dents that needed to be pounded out with a 
dolly and hammer, several unnecessary drilled holes and a difference in the location of the taillights.  I didn’t notice 
that the taillights were not in the same location until I was test fitting the body panels when in primer.  One was 
nearly one inch higher than the other.  I had to strip the area, weld in a patch cut a correctly located hole and 
prime.  I checked the location of the front turn signal lights and found that they were off by about ¼”.  That was 
close enough.  
The bonnet, doors and cowl were generally in good condition.  The bonnet needed only minor dent removal and 
the doors needed no metal repairs.  The cowl needed only metal repairs in the area covered by the cloth tape 
banding. 
The lower areas of the scuttle needed to be replaced on both the driver and passenger side and the steel drip edge 
needed to be replaced.  A patch was formed using the wooden frame as a form. 
Passenger side replacement metal and the repaired scuttle 

          
 LESSONS LEARNED IN WELDING REPAIRS OF SHEET METAL PANELS 

Welding thin sheet metal successfully requires both experience and test welds to get the proper welder settings.  If 
you do not have the experience, get the experience by test welding scraps of the same gauge steel until you are 
able to successfully obtain a strong weld without burn through. 
1. Document as best you are able, what the original shape of the metal was. 
2. Cut out the damaged area to sound metal. 
3. Make cardstock patterns of patch panels and test fit to areas. 
4. Use the same gauge steel as the original and use cardstock pattern to mark the steel. 
5. Always tack weld the patch before laying down a continuous weld bead to assure proper position. 
6. Continuous weld in short beads to lessen the chance of burn through and heat distortion. 
7. You can clamp aluminum blocks to the back of areas to be welded to lessen the chance of burn through if 
necessary, 
8. Level excess weld with a disk sander,  
9. Make sure that no more than 1/32nd inch of filler is required for final leveling. 
 

FABRICATION OF THE QUARTER PANELS 
Making replacement quarter panels is actually quite easy. 
Again, I used a cardstock pattern to start the process by clamping the card on the wooden frame over the full area 
of the quarter panel and tracing an outline of the quarter panel on the paper.  The pattern was cut out and 
checked for accuracy against the wood.  I used a black felt tip marker to trace the pattern’s outline on the steel and 
on a scrap piece of ½” plywood.  I marked the steel further allowing for the ½” edge that fastens the steel to the 
frame. 
To form the quarter panel, I clamped the steel between the plywood and the wooden frame.  The plywood 
supports the new panel and prevents distortion.  With the steel sandwiched between the wooden frame and 
plywood backing, slowly hammer the ½” edge into shape starting with the top of the panel.  If you start with the 
wheel well area of the panel you have a risk of the steel being pulled out of position.  Take your time and use 4 
times the light taps instead of heavy blows. 
                                 Finished quarter panel                                                            Oak forming frame for rear panel 

   

FABRICATION OF THE REAR PANEL 
Making the rear panel has the additional difficulty of forming the spare opening.  The spare opening has a rounded 
edge formed over a steel rod. 
 Again, I started by making a cardstock pattern by tracing the outline from the old rear panel.  I made an oak frame 
to form the rounded edge that had two bolt holes matching the location of the panel holes for alignment and 
additional support.  One inside edge had a 1/8” radius to start the beading curve.  The steel was cut with ½” added 
in the beaded area.  The steel was then sandwiched in the forming frame with the two bolts, additional clamps and 
hammered to start to form the bead.   The rolled edge bead steel rod support was made from 3/16” rod formed 
and welded as precisely as I could to the original shape. 
The final forming of the bead was accomplished by rolling the body skin steel over the steel rod using a dolly and 
hammer. 
The curved areas of the rear panel do not need to be formed off the frame.  The flat sheet metal will be pulled into 
shape when the panel is screwed to the wooden framework. 
Forming the panel bead between the oak frame                  Finished “rolled edge” viewed from the underside 

       

Finished rear panel 
 

   My next steps would be 
the repair, restoration and 
replacement of the 
mechanicals: 
1. Rebuild of the 
           Engine. 
2. Service clutch, 
          transmission, drive‐ 
          shaft and differential. 
3. Rebuild or replace  
              starter, generator,  
         fuel pump, distributor. 
4. Rebuild of the  
                carburetors. 
5. Rebuild of the 
               suspension. 
Stirling Moss, a great sports car and
Formula 1 driver dies.

When you hear the name Mario Andretti the first image that comes to your mind is auto racing. The
same can be said for Stirling Moss on the "other side of the pond" and maybe more so when you
consider worldwide fame. In fact some polls
showed he was more popular than the Queen.

Born Stirling Craufurd Moss in London on Sept.

17, 1929, his mother had proposed naming him
Hamish. Both his father and mother had raced
cars. His father was an amateur racing driver who
competed twice in the Indianapolis 500, finishing
16th in 1924, while he was studying dentistry in
Indiana. His mother, Aileen, had also been
involved in motorsport, entering prewar hill-climbs
at the wheel of a Singer Nine. Growing up Stirling
exceled at horsemanship as did his younger sister
Pat. Pat Moss became a successful rally driver and  
married the Swedish rally driver Erik Carlsson. First car owned by Stirling Moss! 
Before its restoration. 
With a passion for cars Stirling learned to drive
sitting on his father’s, Alfred, lap and at age 9 got a dilapidated Austin 7, which he drove in fields
around the family homestead. He purchased his own car at age 15 after he obtained a driving license. It
was a 1934 Morgan Sports 2-seater with a Matchless MX side-
valve engine. The Morgan still exists and is now fully restored
and residing in Connecticut in the care of a MTWC member.  

He disliked school and did not attain a good academic

performance and thus was not going to follow in his father’s
dentistry career. Moss started his racing using his father’s 328
BMW. Then with winnings from competing in horse-riding events
he paid a deposit on a Cooper 500 MKII, JAP engine, racing car
in 1948. He then had to persuade his father, who opposed his
racing and wanted him to be a dentist, to let him buy it. (1948
cost was £500) With it he quickly demonstrated his ability with
numerous wins at national and international levels. As for
competitive horse riding he once said he gave it up because
 
First race car owned by Stirling.  horses were hard to steer!

On the eve of his 21st birthday using a borrowed Jaguar XK120 he won the 1950 RAC Tourist Trophy
on the Dundrod circuit in Northern Ireland. He won this race six more times, in 1951 (with a C-Type
Jaguar), 1955 (Mercedes-Benz 300SLR), 1958 and 1959 (Aston Martin DBR1), and 1960 and 1961
(Ferrari 250 GT).
He is one of three people to have won a Gold Cup for three consecutive penalty-free runs on the Alpine
Rally. He finished second in the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally driving a Sunbeam-Talbot 90 with Desmond
Scannell and John Cooper as co-drivers.
In 1954, he became the first non-
American to win the 12 Hours of Sebring.
At home in any type of race car in 1955
he partnered with motor journalist Denis
Jenkinson, as navigator, to win the 22nd
historic Mille Miglia, beating the field by
31 minutes. They covered 992 miles on
public Italian roads in 10 hours and
seven minutes! Doug Nye described the
win as the "most iconic single day's drive
in motor racing history." The pair was the
first foreigners to win the MM since  
Crossing the finish line at the 1955 Mille Miglia in  
Caracciola and the only Briton to ever do
the Mercedes 300SLR. 
so. He set a world land speed record on
the salt flats of Utah in 1957 at 245 mph in MG’s 1,500cc twin-cam EX181. In 1958, Moss's forward-
thinking attitude made waves in the racing world. At
Argentina, he won the first race of the season in a rear-
engine F1 car, a Cooper-Climax, which became the
common design by 1961. At Monza in 1961, he raced
the first single-seater car in Europe (a Maserati Tipo
420/M/58) to be sponsored by a non-racing brand the:
Eldorado Ice Cream Company. The ice cream maker's
colors replaced the car colors assigned by the
Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and was
  the first case in Europe of the contemporary sponsorship
Sponsorship!  we see plastered on all race cars.

Moss had three consecutive wins (1958–1960) in the 1000 km Nürburgring, two in an Aston Martin (in
which he did most of the driving), and the third in a Maserati
Tipo 61 "birdcage", co-driving with Dan Gurney. The pair lost
time when an oil hose blew off, but despite the wet-weather,
they made up the time and took first place.

A wiry 5’ 7” tall, he drove in a seemingly casual slouch as he

pushed howling machines to their limits. It was his signature
style along with preferring short sleeves shirts so he could
get a suntan in his open cockpit and only reluctantly wore The Maserati Tipo 61/60 was known as 
the required helmet, always white, saying he preferred a the “Birdcage”. Chassis was made up of 
over 200 tubes welded together.
cloth cap.

In 1962 at the Goodwood Circuit racetrack in England, Moss tried to pass Graham Hill. A plume of fire
shot from his Lotus 18/21 and his car veered and slammed into an eight-foot-high earth embankment. It
took more than a half-hour to free Moss from the wreckage. His left eye and cheekbone were shattered,
his left arm broken and his left leg broken in two places. He was in a coma for 38 days, and paralyzed
on one side of his body for six months. A year later, he returned to Goodwood and pushed a Lotus to
145 mph on a wet track, but realized he was no longer unconsciously making the right moves.

While he believed he remained a better driver than all but 10 or 12 of his peers, which was not good
enough. He retired at 33.

He won 212 of 529 races in his over 14 year

career (40%). He had 16 Grand Prix victories, yet
he never won the Grand Prix Championship title,
though his peers always felt he should have.
Four years in a row he finished second in the
championship and finished third in championship
points the following three years. He came closest
to grabbing the Championship in 1958. During
the Portugal Grand Prix, Mike Hawthorn was
accused of reversing on the track after spinning
and stalling his car on an uphill section. After bump starting the car he continued the race and
eventually finished second to Moss’s win. Moss testified on behalf Hawthorn to the stewards and was
not disqualified, preserving Hawthorn’s six points. When the season ended, Hawthorn had 42 points,
which are given for factors like fastest lap as well as finishing position. Moss, though he had four Grand
Prix wins to Hawthorn’s one, finished second with 41 points. Enzo Ferrari said, “He would have been
world champion many times if he had put reason before his passion to drive.” He competed in as many
as 62 races in a single year and drove 84 different makes of car over the course of his racing career.
He preferred to race British cars, stating: "Better to lose honorably in a British car than win in a foreign
one".

Sterling Moss was more than his talent. He had a

beautiful, recognizable name, one that still connotes
high style a half-century after his crash. It evokes an
era of gentlemen drivers like his rivals Hawthorne
and Fangio, blazers and cravats, of dance bands
and cigarette holders. He was considered by many
as being the first modern professional driver who
raced for the love of the sport but also with the
intention of earning a sizable income. In retirement,
Moss made a very good living selling his name and
 
Moss driving in his casual slouch style. making personal appearances. “Basically, I’m an
international prostitute,” he once said. He also made
successful real estate investments and often returned to the track for vintage car meets and races. He
often used a motor scooter for his travels around London.

Moss kept track of the current Grand Prix scene and did not hesitant to voice his opinion on current
circuit design and their vast run-off areas and ubiquitous chicanes. "To race a car through a turn at
maximum speed, is difficult", he said, "but to race a car at maximum speed through that same turn
when there is a brick wall on one side and a precipice on the other - Ah, that's an achievement."

Stirling Moss died quietly in London on April 12, 2020 at the age of 90 following a long illness.
 INSTALLING AN OVERDRIVE IN A MORGAN PLUS-4
“Yes, it can be done” by Pat Leask
For those of you, who are interested at a high level how the installation went, and looks, see the photos
below. I got tired of the ratty old original floor mats so I decided to go modern and installed some carpet. The
over drive is FANTASTIC! I’m super happy with my “fifth gear”. And for you gear heads who are interested
in the nitty gritty “how to” read on... and on and on and on.

I suppose like many of you, as we sit in our Plus 4’s pulling the high RPM trying to keep up to all the
Plus 8’s on a run or, or just on our own, I know I get frustrated when trying in vain to shift in to a fifth gear I
don’t have. I know secondary roads, at normally slower speeds are always preferred over a highway, but often
it’s just not an option for a variety of reasons. I decided last summer to get serious about doing some research
on what my options may be to get a fifth gear of sorts. Let me rephrase that, we all know what our options are
(A modern gear box or an over drive), so really my research focused on cost, work required, feasibility and any
ramifications. Such as would it affect my collector car insurance status, can it be done and so many “what ifs”..

Having just completed this project, if I was to do it again I would look more seriously at a MOSS box
out of an early Jaguar that already has an overdrive attached (can be rather expensive). A point to note is Jaguar
made several MOSS box based gear box’s with several gear options, so watch the prefix on the number stamped
on the case. It would be worth your time to look deeper in to perhaps a four syncro gear box also from an older
Jag with an overdrive already attached – if you can find one that is. The problems I found right off the bat with
these ideas, is the fact that the front of the box does not have the nose cone with the bearing needed to support
the front of the main shaft, but the good news is there are holes drilled in the case to bolt one, if you can find
one, or you can have one made, at great expense I’m sure. The other really big issue was the location of the
shifter, it’s too far back on the Jaguar box. How ever, I understand that the top of our Morgan gear box have a
really good chance of fitting the Jag box, thus putting the shifter where it should be BUT in my research I was
never able to confirm this, I encourage you to do more digging than I did on this. If you go this route, remember
that this gear box may need a full rebuild also adding to the cost. I knew my gearbox was good in side as it had
been rebuilt when I restored the car.

The research phase proved to be way deeper subject than I gave it credit for, not to mention at times
very confusing. I could write a very long article on what I found, but I will not bore you with this and frankly I
don’t really want to write about it either, there are two options. There is a well known “local” Morgan parts
supplier who offer a full on, everything you need kit to install a modern gear box, a great well put together kit
worth considering if you want a fairly seamless install, you have the money and are not concerned about
collector car status for insurance (I got official approval to add an overdrive to my car from them). And then of
course there is adding an “A” type over drive unit to my existing gearbox. As our cars use a TR4 motor, there
were several five speed conversion kit out there for the TR motor, BUT, the problem for us is we have a very
non standard bell housing.

When looking in to the options, I was helped by a fellow living in New Zeeland who did exactly what I
am doing, some 30 years ago and it is still running strong. I’ve changed a few things from what he did, mostly
to ensure the car structure is still there after cutting a large chunk out of the cross member. Okay, I know what
you are thinking: YOU DID WHAT! I can assure you that I put a lot of very careful thought in to how to
reinforce the cross member, in fact I think I made it even stronger. More later on this…I knew if Fred Sisson
and my New Zealand guy could do it, then so could I. Once again, with all that I do to my car I decided to do up
these detailed instructions in hopes of helping others who are as crazy as I am.

REBUILDING THE GEAR BOX - attaching the OVER DRIVE

My first step was to source the “A” type over drive (It has to be an “A”) and a few other various parts
needed. Morgan never used an overdrive so they did not supply a longer main shaft that is needed, but
thankfully Jaguar does (parts ordering info at the bottom of this Thesis) and thankfully it works with the
Morgan gearbox guts, for the most part that is. I had the overdrive rebuilt and mated with my gear box before I
started to rip my car apart and make changes just in case something went wrong and I could not do what I
wanted to – it all worked out but was a bit painful.

NOTE: Generally speaking the guts of a Jaguar box do not fit the Morgan box (more info in a link at the
bottom) however you can get the longer Jaguar main shaft needed (see parts ordering info below). What I found
interesting on this as that Jaguar used a front spline with a higher spline count than did Morgan. Yet, the main
shaft I bought (new) was “Morgan correct” In front splines, I still have not yet puzzled this one out and the
vendor never got back to me as to why, so just an FYI to check this if ordering.

Unless you have a vast amount of experience rebuilding a MOSS box, don’t do this. I’m lucky in that a
Jag friend of mine in town does have such experience. Long story short, he ran in to all sorts of issues to over
come and at the end he said it was a real challenge for sure, but he did it! Below are a few issues he had, I think
that the reason he had these issues is the Jaguar main shaft that I got is one of those reproduction units. And we
all know how badly reproduction parts are made or simply don’t fit like they should. If I was to do it again, I
think I’d try to find an original longer shaft with the correct spline count in good shape – but good luck with that
one.

So much for sourcing ALL the parts needed right at the start, once the gear box was apart we found out
that we needed a thicker distance piece shown below and a 1 3/8” circlip to fit in the groove I am pointing to
(these were Jag parts) The distance piece is the first one at bottom of photo. Note that we did not use the thin
washer (in the middle) as this stops oil from passing through the bearing; we NEED the oil to travel to the back
over drive via this bearing. The new distance piece and cirlcip proved a bit hard to find, but in the end I did find
a Jag parts supplier who had them (parts info below). Worst-case scenario, you could make the distance piece
and find a circlip somewhere)

A part used to hold in place the gears and syncros, sort of like a locking ring, had to be milled down
several thou, it was a “shave and fit” process, as when mine went on it jammed the gears so they would not turn
(Photo below, on the left). It was not an easy task as it is hardened steel; my builder did it on a lathe with a
grinding stone I think – slowly. This gear fits where you see the blue grease in the photo on the right. Of course,
if you do this conversion the main shaft you use may not require this.

Installation process
I started by removing all the floor boards and bolted the unit in place resting it on the cross member to
see exactly where things fit, or more so did not fit, to get a better idea of the problems to over come, and I was
not disappointed.

The first big issue, was the fact that I had to cut out a large chunk of the cross member, right in the
middle! After much thinking, and various ideas on how to reinforce it I contacted the fellow (Andrew) who did
all the metal work on my E type restoration in town, and who was trained in the Morgan factory years back in
metal work. He is a top-notch fabricator in anything made out of metal on a car so he fully understands
structure, support and so forth. He dropped by and our solution was to weld on some 3/8” x ¾” solid steel bars
under/across the width of the cross member. We also replace the forward vertical bar forming the “box” that I
had cut out not knowing how it would all sit. But, there was JUST enough room to replace it as shown.

Next I had to put back the gearbox supports I took away, as well as support for the rear of the overdrive
 The last step was to have the drive shaft cut down, if my memory is still working to around 13.25
inches, and of course balanced. Now that is one short drive shaft, but it works. Sorry forgot to take a photo of it!

How to wire it up
You need to use a relay; the OD solenoid pulls a lot of Amps very quickly. On “normal” gearboxes that
use overdrives, there is an interrupt switch that is part of the gear box cover and only allows the overdrive to be
engaged when in either third of fourth gear. If you engage the overdrive in reverse by mistake, it simply blows
up. I’m afraid that on the Morgan gear box top cover; there is no room to safely install an interrupt switch.

What I did, which is not the best option (more below) but the best for me, was to install a master toggle
switch (under/behind the dash) that turned the power on to the push/pull switch on the dash that operates the
overdrive. I did this, as a “fail safe” so there is not constant power going to the push/pull switch to accidentally
engage the overdrive, assuming I of course turn it off at the end of the highway section.

Below is how I wired up the relay along with and LED idiot light beside the push/pull switch to remind
me at all times the over drive is engaged. Or, you could use the LED light to say the master switch is on, up to
you.

Run constant power from fuse box to the master toggle switch
Out of the other side of the master toggle switch goes to C1 on the relay
C2 on the relay goes to the solenoid on the overdrive
NOTE: If you wish to run a LED idiot light, splice one side of the light to the wire from C2 to
the overdrive solenoid and the other side to ground.

Run switched power to W1 on the relay

From W2 on the replay run the wire to one side of the dash push/pull switch that operates the overdrive.
From the other side of the push/pull switch, that wire goes to ground.
Note: Do not, run the LED light off the push/pull switch or it will for some reason allow the
whole system to ground it’s self, and mess everything up.

The best option is to use the proper interrupt switch that has to be fitted, drilled and tapped to the gear
box top cover over top of the third and fourth selector rod. Due to a lack of flat space installing such a switch
proved daunting for a few reasons, not to mention I did not want to take a chance on destroying my one and
only top cover. I know it can be done, I just decided for a variety of reasons not to. So I used a system to
activate the overdrive by way of a master toggle switch (hidden behind the dash) and a “push/pull” type switch
on the far left of the dash (that cannot be accidentally flipped such as a toggle switch can be). I also installed a
LED idiot light beside it as a visual reminder. I think as time goes on I will look for another Morgan gear box
top cover and play with that to see if I can get it to fit a interrupt switch.

Interior work to cover it all up

Because the overdrive added another seven inches or so in length, not to mention the width of the unit, I
had to figure out how to cover it. In the end what I did was to make what you see below. I had to cut off the rear
2” or so of the main gear box leather cover (and have it sewn up) as it came in to contact with the overdrive that
heats up. I had my interior guy cover this extension with somewhat matching leather.

As you can see in the photo on the right below, I cut off the rear 2” or so of the metal gear box cover,
and added it to the back of the extended cover you see in the photo on the left below. This gave a nice transition
to the drive shaft tunnel cover.
 Thankfully the driver’s seat fit between the somewhat wide overdrive cover and outer sill. But, I was not
so lucky with the passenger seat (go figure why). Remember way back to another article I did where I added
metal tubing to each side of the seats that better support the cushions, so you don’t flippy flop side to side in a
corner? Well, it came back to bite me a bit. I had to cut/bend the out side tubing inwards (bottom left of the
photo) so the seat could move outboard an inch or so to clear over overdrive cover.

More valuable reading links

https://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/toyotaupgrade.html

The Fred Sisson book: Bedside Reader

https://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/mossgearbox.html

Parts required and connections

The parts I have listed below (and who I got them from) are parts that I needed, it is reasonable to
assume your gearbox will be the same, but who knows. Keep in mind that my gearbox was rebuilt a few years
ago so I did not need any gears, bearings etc, you may. If you order, verify my part numbers!
 You will need to get an “A type” over drive unit (no other will work) and an adapter plate to join the OD
unit to the back of your MOSS gear box. Morgan used the MOSS box CASE from a Jaguar MK1 and adapted it
for use on our cars. It is VERY important to note that the Jaguar MOSS box guts are not the same as the
Morgans except for the longer main shaft you need, the distance piece and the circlip mentioned above.. Well, I
fib a bit in some ways they are similar but it gets very very complicated, just easier to not go there. Over drive
units are not easy to come by, but not super rare either. You will just have to do some research on to see who
has what, shop around, ask friends and so on and price it all out, but budget around a $1,000.00 or so for a
working overdrive or a used one including rebuilding costs. There are several repair services in the UK, Ebay
Motors, Ebay Motors UK and so forth that may have them, if my contacts below do not.

Lee Cunningham at l_cunnin@hotmail.com is a fantastic source for an over drive unit, along with
repairs or full rebuild services, who lives in Vancouver BC. Lee (a super nice guy) fully rebuilt my over drive
for about $35.00 (?) that I found locally, and also supplied a few parts (see below). A tip, ensure your overdrive
is working before you install it and get the car on the road! Pulling it out a second time really sucks (I know).
Lee was able to get me an adapter plate (I think, it’s from an Austin Healey but not sure)

From Quantum Mechanics (USA)

Email john@quantumechanics.com. Phone 203-463-8299 John is also a good source for an over drive
unit, and adapter plate or just parts. He can also rebuild them but keep in mind shipping costs
Parts he supplied me are:
- A new main (Jaguar 3 syncro) “A type” OD main shaft at $175.00 US (make note of the spline count)
- Eccentric cam $60.00 US (This pumps the oil to the overdrive to create pressure to kick in the OD)
- LOTS of advice!

From Morgan Spares (USA) morganspares@taconic.net

- Gasket kit (be prepared to make your own, as I found these don’t fit very well)
- Reverse shaft “O” ring part # 300-291
- Counter shaft “O” ring part # 300-301

From British Parts Northwest (USA) I suppose you can also get from other places as well
- Trans/Motor mount to support the rear of the OD unit part # 159656UR at $20.00 (needed modifying). See if
you can find one that fits better.
- Interrupt switch (I put it on the fourth gear shift rod only) Part #SMB499ODTR6 (from a TR3) at $8.00. I did
not use these as I could not get them to fit on the cover, but if you can it’s a very good idea!
- Relay part #142169TROD at $18.00 (From a TR3). You must use a relay due to the amps that the OD needs to
kick in.

From WELSH Jaguar parts (USA) NOTE: These two listed parts below I found out the hard way that I
needed, after the gear box was all over the bench! I had a problem finding them, mostly because they are no
longer made, but if needed you can take your existing shim and turn the ID bigger on a lathe, and somewhere
you could find the correct circlip. (Good industrial supply like McMasters. Ed. Note.)
- Shim from a Jaguar Mk2 part number C-5983 at $3.00
- 1 3/8” circlip from a Jaguar Mk2 part number C-5685 at $2.00

Billy Bellinger can be contacted at info@jb-engineering.co.uk and is highly recommended by Morgan experts.
I did not deal with him this time as I did not know about him, but he is the “go to” guy for Morgan gearbox stuff
and if I were to do this again he would be my first phone call now. However, he is in the UK. His company, JB
Engineering, has a website at: https://jb-engineering.co.uk/
 PARTS for SALE 
A variety of used parts are available from a gentleman down in New Orleans. His brother restored a late 
model Plus‐4 a few years ago and left Nick with a batch of items that were removed, replaced or simply left 
over. These Morgan parts look to be from a post 1958 Plus‐4. See photos for what is available, but 
noticeable are a pair of roadster doors, starter, generator, handbrake, lever shocks and links, intake 
manifold and Stromberg carburetors, bumper overrides, etc. The 4‐Way Cluster Gauge is no longer available. 

    

   

See something of interest? Contact Nick Asprodites at nasprodites@aol.com or call 
(504) 723‐3717 for details, pricing and shipping information. 
 
 
Fergus ad courtesy of John Sheally 
 FOR SALE ‐ Morgan Plus 4 (1960), Cincinnati, Ohio ‐ $28,000 

 
   After 21 years of driving fun it is time to find a new home for my 1960 Morgan Plus 4 roadster 
(Serial Number 4281, manufactured in 1959) as we are combining two homes and there is not 
enough room in the new garage. 
  Mechanically great, runs beautifully, older restoration but still in good condition with cream body, 
burgundy wings and brown interior.   Since I have owned the car, it has always been garaged and 
never been driven in the winter or in the rain. 
Mechanically, the car has been kept as original as possible 
 Left Hand Drive 
 TR3 engine (1991 cc) 
 Moss gear box 
 Front disc brakes re‐built in 2017 – (This is one of the earliest Plus 4s to be manufactured with 
front disc brakes) 
 Stainless Steel Exhaust 
 Cream gauges and knobs 
 Blumels Steering wheel 
 Original style bench seats 
 Wire Wheels 
 Three tops 
 Tonneau covering luggage area behind seats 
 Tonneau covering full passenger compartment 
 Vinyl roof – Good tight fit 
 Side curtains – Fit but in need of some attention 
 Copy of original Morgan Motors factory chassis record and receipts for everything that has 
been purchase for the car in the last 21 years. 
  If desired, I will include tools and equipment that I will no longer need (timing light, Gunson’s 
Gastester CO2 analyzer, Whitworth wrenches, etc.) and copies of the Owners Workshop Manual and 
Fred Sisson’s “Morgan Driver’s Bedside Reader”. 
Additional photos are shown at http://cedarclocks.com/morgan‐plus‐4‐1960/ 
For more information please call Richard Cedar at 513‐891‐4636 or email rdcmole@aol.com. 
Printed material available for sale
The club received an email from Mike Eliasohn of St. Joseph, Mich., seeking to
sell many of his car books, magazines, posters and videos. His collection
includes two Morgan 3-wheeler books and many about other British makes or
with British content. Email him at mikethebike2325@comcast.net and he will
send you the 3 page list. Phone # is: (269) 281-0797. Mike said he is at that
age that he needs to get rid of such stuff. He is not a professional book seller.

All are very reasonably priced and there are a number of them that are
considered collectible books or magazines. Cost of postage is in addition to
listed prices for books, magazines, etc.

 
A Public Service Announcement from the CDC and OhMog 
Yet more!:
News Flash: our Fall OHMOG meet in 2020 at Bill and Jane Duning’s has been
postponed until 2021.

Then:

J.A. Prestwich (JAP) motor works in the 1920s. 

Stirling Moss’s 1934 Morgan Sports  

 
Front of Moss’s 1934 Morgan 
Sports. 
V‐Twin is a Matchless MX, which 
was a side‐valve engine of about 
34‐36 HP.  A view of the machining area of the “JAP” factory.  
OSHA inspectors of today would have stokes from walking 
through here. No drive belt guards and look how everyone wore 
neckties back then! 
 Now:

Chassis stock on hand during heyday of the steel   
chassis. To the right are two piles of front cross  A digital dash with push buttons!  
member stampings.  There are even ones for heat, A/C and defrost! 

   
Fred Sisson’s F‐type racer.  
Tail end of Allan Truax’s transition 1954 Plus‐4 as it nears 
completion. 

 
Allan’s transition Plus‐4 with its two upright spare   
tires. New Morgans don’t even have a spare by using  Larry Erd’s Plus‐4 engine. Weber carbs are so beautiful! 
run‐flat technology. 
  
Thankfully Larry’s restored Plus‐4 was safely sheltered in the 
car trailer when this occurred last year. 

 
Larry’s Mercedes SUV was a total loss and was the reason 
he did not make it to our OHMOG 36 at Mohican State 
Park in 2019. 

 
Where would you find this assembly in a Morgan? 

 
Larry Erd’s restored Plus‐4 looks much better than his Mercedes 
did back in September 2019.  

 
Steve goes to the trouble of pointing out that 
we are at the Blacksmith’s Shop during our 
driving tour in 2017. 
  
Brian Fabio’s Aero‐8 at 2018 Ice Breaker in Mentor.   
Jim Besst in his 4/4 racer. Probably at the Put‐In‐Bay races. 

   
If it wasn’t for the drip it is quite comfortable here in the  Here is Richard Sinclair’s “5‐Speeder” and the Hardman’s 
shade. (2008 OHMOG at Parkersburg, WV)  Plus‐4 four‐seater. Note that the cars are safely practicing 
social distancing. 

Are you a creative writer? Can you conjugate a sentence or two? Did you take a great trip in your
Morgan, know of good touring roads in your locale, got a great recipe you want to share, have photos from
an event that others should see, completed a 100pt. restoration recently, managed to make a repair or
modification to your car that others would like to know about? Tell us about it, write up an article that
would be of interest to your fellow members and submit it to us! Don’t be shy! The editors can massage
any anything you submit and make you look and sound like a seasoned article submitter.

Photos throughout this OhMoggie were provided or stolen

Please send us a good photo of your Morgan. Doesn’t
from various sources.
matter if it is on the road or all apart! If you and/or your
In particular, thanks to David Hooker, John H. Sheally III,
significant other, or the dog or cat or friends are in the
Larry Erd, Allan Truax, Jim Besst, and a host of others for
photo so much the better. We want to include photos of their photo contributions!
members’ cars in each OhMoggie edition. Additional photos by Michael Findlan.
DON’T WANT TO LEAVE ANYONE OUT!
      OHMOG'S LANDS END CLOTHING & SPORTS WEAR 
JUST A REMINDER 

   Our Land’s End club merchandise is always available for you to order by phone or online. Such gifting is always good 
‐whether to yourself or others. The wide variety of items available through the Land’s End Business Outfitters 
catalogue can make perfect gifts for even the most difficult to buy for Morgan aficionado.  

Any item from the Land’s End Business Outfitters catalogue can be embroidered with one or both of the two designs 
the OhMog Club has commissioned. One design is our official OhMog Club badge logo and the other is the OhMog 
caricature car design, as seen below. The Business Outfitters catalogue can be found at www.landsend.com/business. 

For those wanting something really personal, the OhMog caricature car design can be ordered in any color 
combination that you wish. There are four color layers to the design layout and you can pick from a variety of colors 
for each “layer” to thus create something unique. The OhMog logo design is preset with our official club badge colors. 

It costs only $5.95 per logo for this embroidery service when added to any item from Land’s End Business. Editor 
purchased a duffel bag with both logos applied and was very pleased with the logos and product quality.     To order: 
1) Contact Land’s End Business Outfitters at their (800) 535‐3060 number. Mon‐Fri (8am‐8pm)  
      (Note: this is not the standard retail catalogue 800 number) 
2) Tell them you want to place a Business Outfitter order, with our club logo(s) applied. 
3) Or use their online ordering program at www.landsend.com/business.  Really gives you a huge range of options. 
3) Provide the OhMog Business Account# 3618056 
4) Provide the Business Outfitters catalogue item#, size, style, color, etc. required for the item(s). 
5) Select the OhMog logo you want applied via the code numbers shown below and its location. If by phone they will 
assist you with the color choices and arrangements. If online it’s fun to try various combinations to get what you like. 
You get previews of your product colors, logo color choices and logo positioning choices. You’ll know exactly what 
you are ordering.       (Editor did a green car, black edging, tan driver and gold lettering inlay. See example.) 
6) Pay for the finished items via accepted Land’s End payment means. (Your credit card!)  About 2 weeks for delivery. 

                                                                                
     The OhMog BADGE design logo is code# 0010408                    OhMog Caricature design logo is code# 0010409 

Here’s an example of one of your editor’s arrangement of colors on the caricature design: 

 
 Dream of getting together in 2021 for our “normal” array of OHMOG gatherings!
       
Sometimes you feel like a belt, sometimes you don’t! 
A row of hoods as found during OHMOG‐36 at Mohican Lodge.