From Phil Roettjer
I may not be using the proper points when I jack up the car. At the front I put my jack at the middle of the cross tube and then put jack stands on this tube where it exits the chassis side member. At the rear I actually put a piece of wood under the very rear cross member and jack at that point. The thing I believe you most certainly want to avoid is putting a jack under the chassis side rails with the exception of the mid reinforced jacking points. The Morgan chassis is relatively frail and I think jacking at the wrong points could either bend it or break it.
FINK, SOLOW, WILLBURN, WORRALL
Phil,
We jack at the center of the lower axle tube and put stands under the outer tubes as you describe.
At the rear, since we use a trolley jack, we jack at the bottom of the diff and place the axle stands under the axle tubes.
Using a scissor jack, as a roadside tire repair, it would be best to jack along the chassis frame where a cross member intersects the outer rails, or at front in the center of the axle tube.
In a workshop it would be preferable to jack at the center
of the car, either at the front axle lower tube or on the diff, to avoid
torsional stress on the chassis. Jacking at the center of the rear cross
member can
be tricky if the cross member has deteriorated, and it
also allows the possibility of the jack slipping and damaging the fuel
tank or the rear number plate panel.
If the rear springs have sagged enough to make insertion of a trolley jack to the differential difficult, you could put a low ramp under one of the rear wheels and drive the car up onto the ramp before attempting to jack the car.
In either case, if you wish to jack the car up level, you should start at the rear as starting the procedure at the front eliminates the clearance you need for inserting the jack.
Bill
In my 30 years of working on Morgans I have always jacked
the cars up under the lower front cross tube at the front and at the rectangular
cross member at the very rear of the car. These points are absolutly
strong enough to pick up the car without any damage to any component.
I would NEVER lift the car by using a jack under the engine oil pan.
To do so is lifting the weight of the car suspended by the engine mounts
in TENSION. The mounts are designed to be loaded in compression and
no way are they designed to support more than maybe 75 to 100 lbs. in tension.
The most damage to a Morgan chassis occurs when the car is lifted using
a "floor" or "trolley" jack from one side of the car. When this is
done the pad of the jack has a tendency to bend the inner lower flange
of the chassis upwards. This is not
difficult to repair, although it is necessary to remove
the floors to do it if the damage is under the wood floors.
Over the years that I have owned my Morgan, since 1965, the only problem I ever had using the original jack that goes through the hole in the front seat crossmember was when I stupidly tried the jack up the car when it was not on level ground without setting the hand brake or blocking the tires on the opposite side of the car. The car rolled down hill and bent the "pin " of the jack. There was no other damage fortunatly. In every other instance of using the original screw jack it worked fast, well and safely.
The differential is a perfectly safe place to jack the car from, the tubes are welded into the center casting at four rosett welds per side and are in no danger of damge from jacking. Hard racing can cause the welds to fail. The diff can be a little difficult to reach because it is so far under the car and depending on the tires and your jack there may not be clearance.
When using a floor jack under the rear crossmember or when jacking from the side of the car, be sure to "hook" at least two of the ears of the jack pad inside the inner edge of the chassis so that the car cannot slip off of the jack. THIS LAST IS VERY IMPORTANT! I have seen cars slip off of jacks when this was not done. The damage can be extensive and expensive!
Greg
I have always liked the original jack. I have used
it for over forty years now with no mishaps. It can be misused,
however. We always carry wheel chocks. The collapsible types
fit easily into the tool tray. The second point is to BE SURE TO
INSERT THE PIN INTO THE HOLE! I have known
several people who, not knowing the hole was there, just
put the pin under the chassis. Guaranteed to drop the car.
Loosen the wheel nuts (or knock on) before jacking the car. Do the
final tightening when it is back on the ground.
At home, in the garage, I use a floor jack. I jack the front under the center of the cross axle and the rear in the center of the rear-most cross member. It is easier to jack the rear first as the cross member gets close to the ground with the front up in the air.
I use jack stands on the cross axle tubes, just outboard of the frame in the front and on the axle tubes next to the spring perches in the rear.
Works for me!
I also do not use any wood or padding on the floor jack.
I rather like to be able to position the "ears" on the jack head to keep
the jack from slipping off the jack point. To me, that is more important
than the
possibility of scratching the paint on the chassis.
Gerry
The Standard Morgan Jack as supplied is a Scissor Jack but this should really only be used for emergancy roadside repairs. Your methods outlined of using this are fine, except to say that of course you can place the Jack to one side of the front frame if you need to change a wheel. The Morgan Chassis should be stronger than you say if picked up on a place where the cross members join.
For home/garage use it is better to obtain a small trolley jack as this would be more stable..again you can use the front cross frame or any of the chassis cross members in this case. If your Chassis is not strong enough to support the jack, I suggest you have it inspected !!
John Worrall