A project with a difference and of a larger than usual magnitude comes to the Devonport Community Workshop

Meet Devonport local Ken Smith, Ken is restoring a 1955 Morgan sports car that he purchased partially restored in 1990.
The car was purchased new by a resident of Norfolk Island and spent its early years on the Island. When new, the car was a gleaming black with red leather trim. Ken is going to paint the car the original black but trim the upholstery in dark brown leather.

When Ken purchased the car, it did not include its original engine and Ken has fitted it with a 2 litre Rover 16 valve DOHC fuel injected engine, and a Mazda gearbox. Fitting both required creating custom metal mountings and adaptor plates.

When Ken needed to create new brake assemblies from a block of aircraft grade aluminium he purchased, he turned to DCW for use of their metal lathe to turn the pieces to the required profile, then depth cut using the Drill mill to create the raw components. Using his home workshop band saw he cut these pieces to shape and had them finished by a specialist engineer, Precision Engineering in Albany.

The metal chassis for the Morgans are prone to flex and eventually break, and this car’s replacement chassis was constructed in Thames. The metal sub frame has been created by Ken, by welding the componentry. The dashboard is the original Mahogany, and the body work will be reconstructed using Ash.

This is a labour of love for Ken, and he looks forward to making good use of DCW’s facilities to help him complete the project.
Ken also owns a Daimler Dart that he and his wife have taken on road trips including a memorable run along the Forgotten highway.