Supercharged +4s

[Andy Downes]

Hello all,

Does anyone have any information on Supercharged +4s please, particularly any specific cars ?

I know the ex-Andy Garlick +4 MOG 615 used to run one in the 70s, not sure of any other details.

Many Thanks

Andy

[Mary Lindsay]

Andy, John Mac's Plus 8 modsports was supercharged........

[Mark Shears]

Yes - and there was also a Plus 4 that he supercharged for Sir Aubrey Brocklebank I think.

John Mac is the man to speak to!

Cheers

Mark

[john bevan]

Chas Windridge has supercharged some modern Plus 4s

[Tim Hill]

Hi Andy
As you rightly say, Andy Garlicks MOG 615 was supercharged in the 70's. John Mac was the man behind the installation and I have some photos and details of the car in period. By all accounts, although it worked well on the road, it never really came together when being raced.
Co-incidentally (as current custodian of MOG 615), I had the great fortune a year or so ago to come into contact with Rev I R Drotcart - a well known Morgan racer from the 70's and was able to obtain the original supercharger setup, brackets etc. One day I will get round to building up the original engine and setting up the supercharger on it.....

Cheers for now

Tim

[john bevan]

http://gtcarlot.com/news/photo.php?id=53327177

[Andy Downes]

Hello Tim, good to hear from you.

Great news that you have managed to reunite all those old parts What type/make is it ?

The first motor race I ever went to was the Birkett 6-hour at Silverstone in 1976 (Thanks Mary). As I arrived Mary Lindsay's Series I Morgan 'HG' was being returned to the paddock on a flatbed having lost a rear wheel during practice, Andy Garlick had the team's fatest car (with Supercharger) but had blown a head gasket a little earlier so was also a non-starter. Andy was despondent as I recall but Mary had a kinder break - Team Manager Bob Northover lent her his +4 'poppy' for the race. That was the start of my long and ongoing involvement with the Morgan Team at the Birkett...

I never had the foresight to look under the +4's bonnet and so never saw the Supercharger installation

Recently I heard of a possible sighting of +4 Supercharger parts and it got me thinking about which cars ran/raced with them. I knew about John Mac's outrageous +8 and the only other Morgan I could recall was the ex-Andy Garlick +4 now with you.

All other contributions gratefully received.

Andy

[Andy Garlick]

Yes , I spent a lot of time (and money!) supercharging MOG 615 , and as the results show it was never well enough developed on the track , but on the road it was indeed fabulous.
The supercharger was a 2 litre Wade vane type blower mounted low down on the left side of the engine. On a 2 litre engine gave a max boost pressure of almost 11 or 12 psi. Almost the best thing about it was the Banshee type wail that accompanied every application of the throttle, it still makes the hairs on the back of neck stand on end as I think about it now.
However as soon as I went back to normal aspiration my car was immediately much more successful on the track, so I reluctantly withdrew from that area of experimentation.
The major issue was heat , getting it away when using full boost for long periods on the track, this was probably compounded by my wish to keep the carb under the bonnet rather than sticking out the side. John Mac was adamant that would have solved many of the problems , but i was reluctant to chop the bonnet away.
I am delighted that you have got all the bits Tim, and will willingly give help and advice to build them up together.
I am sure that with modern more efficient radiators , electronic ignition systems that can change advance "on the fly" and better carburation it would go like hell on the track as well as off it.

Happy Days
Andy

PS the guy I bought the car from (then registered XWP 47G , don't ask) Gerald Simmonds , has just bought a new +4SS , look out for him, he used to be quite active hill climbing in the 60s and 70s.