MGA Forum

I have a Nash Metropolitan 1200cc engine--"B" block--basically the same as the later 1500 Metro and MGA block
The problem is that the 1200A engine didn't have an oil filter--(just change the oil more often)--later Metros were
fitted with the same canister oil filter and pipe as the MGA. There is a fitting on the block which is blocked off
with a cap and bolt--so all one has to do is undo it and bolt on an adaptor--same as you would do when discarding
the oil filter canister on an MGA--Moss sells the flexible rubber pipe (435-585) to go from the adaptor to the block--so half the
battle is won. But NOW the problem is--the only hole in the block is the one for the oil pressure light--So brass
adaptors have to be sourced to go from the oil pressure fitting hole to the female end of the rubber pipe.
I know it's been done, I just know what brass fittings would work--Anybody have any ideas or information?
thanks

slight "typo" I meant to say "I just DON'T know what brass fittings would work"

From your description, I suspect that your engine is lacking the external pipe/hose that our B-series (as fited to MGA's & MGB's) have. In our engines oil exits the block at the very rear right side, goes through the external pipe (or oil cooler) and then enters the oil filter housing.

Descriptions & photos are on Barney Gaylord's MGA Guru web site. See: Oil Flow Path.

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Eric Russell ~ Mebane, NC
1961 MGA #61, 1981 Alfa Romeo GTV6, 1984 Alfa Romeo Spider, 1991 Honda ST1100

So, thinking further (entering uncharted territory for me...), even if you were to tap into the fitting for the oil pressure gauge*, I don't know that you'd be getting full flow of oil for the new filter you want to add. The gauge merely measures the pressure in the oil gallery, you wouldn't really be able to use that to divert oil to go through the filter. (Robbing Peter to pay Paul?)

How much do you drive the Metro? Why not just change the oil often?

And, to answer the question about what kind of fittings to use, most of these are BSP (British Straight Pipe) threads. I think...

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Eric Russell ~ Mebane, NC
1961 MGA #61, 1981 Alfa Romeo GTV6, 1984 Alfa Romeo Spider, 1991 Honda ST1100



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-10-25 03:44 PM by ghnl.

hmm----very interesting comment "ghnl"--you can see by my pic--that the engine is tapped for the oil pressure light--
(very small hole), on later blocks, both Metropolitan and MGA, that's where they tapped for the large oil pipe going to
the oil filter--So it would seem like that with the proper brass adaptors, the rubber replacement pipe (hose) could do
the same thing as the metal pipe did for later oil filters.

The Moss catalog shows that the rubber pipe 435-585 is a direct replacement for the metal pipe -- unavailable new

One might think that if I use that opening for the oil pipe to the filter, I wouldn't have an oil
pressure light--I have already adapted an oil pressure guage in the gallery below the
tach drive on the drivers side of the engine--

In the MG engines there is a special fitting that screws in where your light sender screws in. That fitting sends all of the oil pump's output to the external pipe/hose and thence to the filter and finally to the right side gallery. I wonder if your engine has the oil going directly into the right side gallery?

Picture of fitting:

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Eric Russell ~ Mebane, NC
1961 MGA #61, 1981 Alfa Romeo GTV6, 1984 Alfa Romeo Spider, 1991 Honda ST1100



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-10-25 05:06 PM by ghnl.

thinking way out of the box here.....old ford flatheads came orignally with no oil filter....so they fitted them after the fact. now these are not full flow filters meaning that the oil in the sump is still circulating dirty oil through the oil system but a feed from like the oil pressure line goes to a filter gets cleaned and then dumps into a fitting added to the side of the oil pan.

the piece added to the oil pan is threaded for fittings let me find a picture

i recall now it was the oil dipstick metal tube neck that the return hole was added to. you could use this part and just plug which ever you want to,





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-10-25 05:30 PM by bobs77vet.

Still seems like a lot of work vs simply changing the oil every 1,000 - 2,000 miles...

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Eric Russell ~ Mebane, NC
1961 MGA #61, 1981 Alfa Romeo GTV6, 1984 Alfa Romeo Spider, 1991 Honda ST1100

I would be concerned that the small hole for the oil switch would not have enough flow to properly lubricate the engine.

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Gary

Murphy's law

Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe, and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it, and he'll have to touch it to be sure.

advantage are you clean the oil in the sump you add and extra quart or so to the system, the external cannister acts as an oil cooler......it is not a full flow system and dirty oil is still circulating through the system.

all the parts are available through speedway motors just look for there beehive oil cannister for ford flathead engines


http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Beehive-Oil-Filter,1778.html



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-10-25 07:21 PM by bobs77vet.

when they added this type of set up to ford flatheads the oil cannister had a really small orifice in the return tube that went to the oil sump so it didnt bleed too much pressure off of the system. i think this was in use up until ford debuted there new V8 block in the mid 50s. there system was also not a full flow system and it helped but not like we think of oil filters today

Thanks guys for all the input----I'm restoring this metro for a friend and rebuilt the engine that was in the car--if he wants to add an oil
filter--i would like to know how it can be done--The block is same block that is in the MGA with a few differences--the oil cannister fitting
is exactly the same (see pic)--it has a blanking plate with a bolt to hold it--when the Metro went to 1500, an oil cannister was added,
with the proper oil pipe just like the MGA--then the MGA block was tapped for the tach takeoff--

Harold:

Some confusion here; early B Series - including the 1200 version - had a by-pass filtration system, with the filter canister fitting onto the boss shown in your second photo posting. That's what's missing from "your" car.

If the boss at the rear of the block shown in your first photo posting has an external diameter greater than one and three-sixteenths of an inch, then it can be machined internally to allow the lubrication system to be converted to full flow. If you can find a copy of Philip Smith's book 'Series A and Magnette - Tuning and Maintenance' Third Edition then there is a dimensioned drawing of the mods. needed (and the additional parts required) in Chap 4 pages 49 and 50. I would be happy to send you a scan of these pages but am away from home at present.

The first batch of early ZA Magnettes had engines with the by-pass lubrication system; if you post again on the Magnette board you might find the additional bits needed for the conversion. HTH.

Alex