Richard,
Aluminium plate bolted to a steel chassis will rot and drop out, unless you
insulate it, in which case you can expect crevice corrosion. The marine ply
in my 24-year old 4 seater may be stained and discoloured, but it is not
rotten. Ally is also noisy and will dent and puncture, knowing the way you
treat cars. Tools needed for replacement with plywood: saw, screwdriver and
spanner. Conclusion - marine ply is superior.
Fuel tank on planks: they are rigid, energy absorbing and offer some
cushioning effect and noise damping. The chassis flexes. If you fix the tank
to it rigidly, you'll get fatigue cracks in the tank. Tools needed for
replacement of planks: saw, hammer and spanner. Conclusion - wooden planks
are superior.
In both my cars the battery is under the bonnet and always has been. Most
people who have struggled with batteries at the back seem to think that it's
a lousy place for a battery. It's probably a lousy place for a fuel pump
too.
You may remember that the earliest +8s had a steel floor which rusted so
fast that they were replaced with plywood PDQ.
Next?
Meanwhile, news from the GTM. Yesterday was another eventful day. A Shelby
Cobra (a real one) suffered expensive gearbox problems
(clunk-graunch-clank-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang type).
The starter motor on my 4/4 stuck in the engaged position. With so much
noise on the circuit, I could not figure out what this awful noise was. I
pulled off and into the paddock. When I turned off the engine, it kept on
making a lot of noise: battery reading 11 volts and dropping? Yes, the fan's
on as it's awfully hot (Ferrari screams past). Blimey! Timing belt cover is
vibrating. The engine's still turning over! Ah! I now have an eco-electric
car that won't stop. Disconnect battery. Let it cool down. Pray hard.
Once cool, the Bendix did drop out, however, there's not enough juice in the
battery to get it going. Bump start boys! Didn't work - no spark.
Jump start! So Bill drove up his 1930 Austin Seven, newly converted to 12
volt electrics and we tried jump starting it. No joy. So we came home with
the aid of Morgan Rescue. The car's now in the local Ford garage here in
Aboyne. Prayers are being said by all. I shall be taking the +8 to the
Historic Wheels gathering on Sunday. Of course you need two Morgans. I've
just proved it.
Further news: from the Motor City: my daughter gave birth to a 6lb. 13 oz.
daughter Olive Marie two hours ago. Mother and child doing OK, by the look
of the pictures. Dad has a silly grin on his face. Grandmother is now
worrying about daughter feeding child.
Cheers,
Owen.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard L Smith" <greystonespr...@btconnect.com>
To: "mogtalk2" <mogta...@listbox.com>
Sent: Friday, August 10, 2012 12:52 PM
Subject: [mogtalk2] Why?
The more I get to know my Mog (by taking it to bits) the more I ask "why"
Why are the floorboards wood, when they could be aluminium plate? (
Why is the fuel tank mounted on planks instead of direct to the chassis?
Or onto another ali plate?
Why is the fuel pump mounted on a bit of thin plate when it could be
mounted on the same deck as the battery?
OK, so the answer is 'because they have always been like that', but when
others rebuild their cars, do they stick to tradition, or do they improve?
Assuming, of course, that replacing plywood with ali is an improvement.
Or am I blaspheming?
Richard S
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