Plate underneath car!

[jeko]

Hi

Underneath my collegues Murena, there is a plate, aprox. 1,2m * 0,6m made of fiberglass.
On my car I don't have it. I have been looking in the service manual and at Simons partlist,
but I haven't found it anywhere.
Is this a original thing, to guide the air to the motor, or is it something which belongs to the Fleissman kit (his is a Fleissman) ?

Regards

Jeko

[Matra_Hans]

Hi
You can find the answer to your question in this forum approxematly 6 months back.
As I am at pressent in Sudan my internet connection is not sufficient for me to use the search facility of this forum.

Hans

[Anders Dinsen]

I'm not sure if it was discussed here, but it was on the mailing list a while back... The plate is actually in Simons parts list, but you don't need it. Noone needs it It was mandated by TÜV as either a protection of the fuel tank or an aerodynamic device to improve airflow around the fuel tank, so it's generally found on German Murenas. Mine is Belgian and has never had it. I'm not sure if anyone knows for sure what it was needed for.

How's your gearbox project going, Jesper?

[jeko]

Hi again

Thanks for the explanition. It makes sense, because Jan's Fleissmann Murena is Germain.

I closed the gearbox this weekend, so now it only needs oil. A new syncro ring fixed the problem.
Sims and gasket is renewed, so now there should be no oil leak from it.
The motor is also out. It was impossible to change the gaskets that leaked oil, so I got angry, and took it out. I hope finish it in the next weekend.

Regards

Jesper

[krede]

It was mandated by TÜV as either a protection of the fuel tank or an aerodynamic device to improve airflow around the fuel tank, so it's generally found on German Murenas. Mine is Belgian and has never had it. I'm not sure if anyone knows for sure what it was needed for

I think we need to see some pictures of the thing!! 

[jeko]

Hi

I found a picture from the portugise Matra Club to show the plate.

Regards

Jesper

[roy4matra]

Hi

Underneath my collegues Murena, there is a plate, aprox. 1,2m * 0,6m made of fiberglass...

Jeko

This was only fitted to German spec. cars to meet their regs. and is a protection plate for the fuel tank.  Don't worry if it is not on yours.  Most don't have it.

Roy

[LarsB]

Are you shure it was innstalled only on german cars?  I belive it is listed along with the S-kit mods. Anyways there used to be one onmy car, and maybe I`l order new one sometime. At least I have not obeserved any adverse not having it.

[valross]

This was only fitted to German spec. cars to meet their regs. and is a protection plate for the fuel tank.  Don't worry if it is not on yours.  Most don't have it.

Roy

Is this also true for the Bagheera? My Bagh X 1980 has German specs, and has a big fiberglass plate, but not under the fuel tank.

[lewisman]

Both of my Bagheeras had a large fibreglass undertray.  I still have one!

[roy4matra]

Are you shure it was innstalled only on german cars?  I belive it is listed along with the S-kit mods.

No it was not part of the dealer Prep 142 kit, but if the dealer was modifying a French or Belgian car for Germany they should have been required to fit one, whether they were uprating the engine or not.  It was only fitted to German spec. cars, so if you bought any Murena in Germany it should be there.  It was part of their type approval requirements.

You can also tell if a car was truly a German spec. car from the fuse behind each rear light, and the altered wiring at the fuse board.  That was why Matra fitted a small lead on both fused and unfused sides for the sidelights - the fused side is for all except Germany and they used the unfused lead.  The final change if the car still has original wheels, is that the alloys are to a higher spec. and there is a slight difference in the fins so that you can tell which is which.

Roy

[krede]

Where exactly is the plate fitted?.
Is it ONLY shielding the bottom of the fuel tank?
The reason Im asking is, that I find that the "front" of the enginebay (the firewall and the right hand side of the compartment) tends to pick up quite a bit of dirt, and water (the latter I found out FOR SURE when I drove my car back after having the Throttlebodies installed, and a freak wave soaked my ignition module)
I have always blamed this on the way that air is circulated in the engine bay, but perhaps such a "shield" might prevent some of the mess?

[FOB]

Where exactly is the plate fitted?.

Hi Krede.

Here is some pictures from the bottom of my car:

  Finn

[krede]

Hmmm.. looks like it might reduce the dirt in the engine bay quite a bit.