MG MGB and MGB GT Tech Talk
I replaced outer door seals (which was a ton of fun btw!) & added a new steering wheel cover. Tomorrow is electronic to mechanical oil gauge swap & heat shield install for the HS6's.
What did you guys do?
Took the car cover off and went to the post office a couple of blocks away...25 miles later I put the cover back on...!B-)
I just drove around the block for the first time in a mgb!!!! So happy, even if I did run out of gas at the bottom of my driveway (:D. This was the longest I've driven it. Can't wait till summer and finishing my to do list.
I drove it! I had to run some errands so I decided to take the B. Still no snow in upstate Ny and they haven't salted the roads. I've also never driven it when it was so cold. I think it was 15-18 degrees F. It took awhile for the oil pressure to get to up 70# with the 20W50. It mostly hovered around 50# until the engine got nice and hot. It ran like a champ! But I've almost run out most of the gas I treated with stabil a month or so ago!
Soon, tho' I want to park it in the back of the garage and start metal work on the GT.
Got it out and drove it - it was 55 degrees here today so I took advantage of it :)
Flogged the snot out of it in the mountains. Also goofed around with video cameras. Unfortunately the one with the good mic wasn't charged doh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxrvbsiA7RA
Forgot to mention I have the week off of work - otherwise I'd be running errands & commuting like you guys ;)
Put in a new battery converting from dual 6's to single 12. Replaced the left headlight. Finished prepping the replacement steering wheel to put in the car. Getting it ready for New Years Eve.
Gavin
Replaced all the chrome lugs nuts. Took off the damn locking ones, Id rather have my wheels stolen... Ive never heard of anyone in the 17 years Ive lived in this town having their wheels stolen anyway.
Drove to work. Parked it in the parking lot. Went to the Bank. Came back to work. Parked her again. I will drive her home at 20:00 hrs and park her.
In the mid 60's today in central Texas. Took the cover off and drove it to the club for lunch. Took the scenic drive home. Hadn't driven it for a couple of weeks and we missed each other.
BobbyG
Took off the gearshift knob, took a super thin brush and some white enamel paint and stared to paint back in the lines and gear numbers.
Fixed and exhaust pipe rattle drove it thru some curvy roads just got home.
After 7 solid months of intensive care on this lil bugger the days kinda blur together LOL. Lessee... getting ready for my 1st road trip, leaving Miami at 6 AM Sat for Jensen Beach. It's only 120 miles but it's the 1st trip so Im excited as a kid with a new toy (it passed several test drives @up to 90 MPH this week, 200 miles total)
Adjusted the valves, drove 10 mi. for warm-up, set the timing, set up the carbs for the 1000th time, checked all fluids, finished the Garmin GPS cable and plug install, took the front wheels off and to the tire shop for the THIRD time to get balanced properly. Enough for 1 day, picking up the tires tomorrow AM, then wash & wax and we're DONE (hopefully?)
Got a carpet kit for Christmas. Took out the old carpet, cleaned the floor and laid down the new carpet for a test fit. That's all i can do. The can of glue said it needs to be at least 70 degrees to use...Will most likely have to wait another 3 months to finish. You guys in the warmer climes are spoiled.8-)
Warmer climes? 100 degrees today and same for next week aaaggghhh
Valve adjust, 90 wt in carb, and polished the valve cover and carb top............
Checked and prepared the beast for a January 1 club event.
The weather man threatened us with 38°C (100°F) so it was decided that an early morning run was in order. Arrived at my friends place before 8am. He in his TC and another friend in his TC made up the convoy. A very enjoyable run on winding country roads to our favourite coffee spot and back home before the heat set in. Just this moment looked at the weather radar and there is a very large thunderstorm over our coffee spot. Our timing was perfct as we have forgotten how to put the tops up on our MGs. Always pack an umbrella though for those times when you get caught at a red traffic light when it is raining, keeps you dry until you get going again and sure puts a smile on the other motorists faces.
raining today so removed dash and gauges ,today i`m preparing the dash ready for paint and finishing off the bodywork, fingers crossed
Unfortunately, nothing. But you'd better believe the cover's coming off tomorrow. Expecting 28 - 30 Celcius for the next few days. (Sorry gang, soutrhern hemisphere and all that). Enjoy :?
opened the garage door,looked in,everything looking pretty,closed the garage door,back in the house feeling good about all the cash i'm saving cos no immediate jobs need doing.
installed relays for headlights and thinking about upcoming frontend rebuild - i just hate shutting her down for more than a day, as soon as i do a warm winter day will popup
ric
i think i'll wait for snow - mine will not come out with salt on the roads - and they love their salt in ky
ric
Today, I removed and replaced the wind wing rubber seal and replaced the rest of the rubber on both doors. Pretty easy and now looks great.
Will prolly have more winter projects like master cylinder and brake bleed. You gotta stop before you can go!
Replaced heater control cable to shut off valve, kind of a PIA, but it's done and back together. :)-D
Adjusted the valves and installed a new alloy valve cover (Christmas present from my wife) and tomorrow I'll put a new dash cover (Christmas present from my grandchildren).
Yesterday afternoon, members of the Moss tech staff had a road trip to my home where we test fitted Pace Setter exhaust systems to my 1967 GT.
The car when bought had an unused Pace Setter system that had been purchased and partially installed in 1984. This was compared to the current system and also to a take off stock type system.
The intention is to work with the manufacturer to solve the fit issues on the B.
We also did some test fitting of chrome shell grilles to the car where we found that my car had some body work done to the front left fender : (
After that, I changed the oil on my Rover SD1 and took my wife out for 1/2 price Lasagna in the car.
Sorry, the only B driving I did was moving my 1970 B out of the shop so I could put the GT on the lift.
Kelvin.
Washed it and drove it! mid sixties here in Rocky Point, Oklahoma
Kelvin, how'd the test fit go? I've got the rear portion of the Pacesetter Monza sitting on the floor because it will take some added bending and perhaps cutting to get it to hang properly. I've decided to hang the rear muffler first to get it to poke out the right length for aesthetics and do the tweeking with the mid muffler and pipes.
What did you learn?
Topped off the carb dashpots, fixed a right rear turn signal problem, got it inspected (it passed), then drove the snot out of it for a half hour. It was a balmy 68 degrees.
All is right with the world. Or, at least my little corner of it.
Discovered the Brake MC was leaking badly so removed the pedal box & started cleaning up the rusty oily mess.
Stripped down the MC & purchased a repair kit from my local MG guru.
Bore of MC feels good with no pitts so hoping new rubber will do the trick.
Bill.
Let's see, took off the cover, went to the beer distributor (Jamaicen Red Stripe), to the hardware store, to the bank, to the grocery store, to the post office and for a few more mile cruise- 42 degrees here, great weather to have the window zipped out and hit the back roads!
Drove ole Yeller down the mud covered road, to the rain soaked highway, and into town to the grocery store.
Windows fogged up like He"", but what can you do? Still can't find all the leaks in the cabin.
Yesterday I charged the battery so I could start and move it to unearth the snowblower that lives in front of it all summer. Wintertime the snowblower gets front stage. Car started and ran fine. Snowblower needed a little carb tweaking....dang crap gas these days.
Well, two days ago I finished stripping a 1970 MGB for parts. I have a complete wire wheel conversion complete with the proper diff and full front and rear suspension. The shell is on wheels and must be picked up. Open to offers.
Bumpers were looking a bit "chalky." Took some Mother's "Back to Black" to them. They look much better. Not glossy, but a nice satin finish on them.
They really drink the stuff in! I was surprised.
BobbyG
Clay barred and waxed the GT today; the convertible gets it tomorrow.
I was a bad MG owner today. I left it in the building and rode the motorcycle. Couldn't pass up a 60+ degree day this time of year.
Fixed the choke, got the braket, tail, headlights and turn signals working. Changed the oil. changed the healamp switch. My brake parts will be here Tuesday.... then, I'm off for my very first test drive!!!!! Busy day!
Installed Rick's hood/bonnet struts. Lots of head room now. Thanks, Rick.(tu)
Had new Minator wheels installed a couple days ago, so today I installed new center caps with MG logos on them. Barely fit, so I had to file down the oversized plastic tabs, but not before I broke two of them off! Doh!
Polished the car this morning, them ran some errands. Have discovered that the zip-out rear window is a handle place to insert large things like the two large plastic underbed storage boxes today. Nice and sunny and in the 60s in Southern California today. Rose Parade in a day or two so staying off Colorado Blvd which is filling up with camping out spectators.
What a great Christmas break!
I started the car for the first time in a year on Dec 27th after an engine rebuild, new exhaust and header, and Weber Outlaw. Run in of the new engine went well. Also new clutch and used OD transmission started the whole process. The best part was doing a lot of the work with my two sons.
There was too much road salt down to take the car for a ride so had to be content with backing her back into the garage.
Today I installed a battery cut off switch and a rubber gasket for the head rail for the hood. This fall/winter I have also replaced the rubber around and under the windshield (great fun!) and have been replacing the neoprene gasket material around the light bezels - easier to make my own than to pay $.
Cheers,
Colin
Installed new visors from Victoria British. Drove to Ridgway, CO. I live in Montrose, CO. 42 degrees outside. Had the top down. Beautiful sunny day in the mountains. Was it cold? Yes, but well worth the drive.
fixed the gas leak. tested it for 15 miles or so. came home to discover I still have a little oil leak.
And my wife doesn't understand why I don't want to help her put together a 1000 piece puzzle. Shoot. Once you place a piece it doesn't move all by itself a minute later...that's no fun. The B is a dynamic puzzle, everything's in play all the time!
arrrgh!
Well, today the Tourer got a new oil line hose (block-to-gauge line) as the old one was showing signs of weeping (not good), and it also got a well deserved battery hold-down replacement (never liked how what was there fit).
Compared to yesterday's fiasco, today was awesome as I also put 50+ miles on her!
Removed the brake calipers for a rebuild. Popped the pistons out with air compressor and c-clamp method.Pistons were rusty and pitted - tossed them out. Removed the old seals, and smoothed out bores with emory cloth. Wire-brushed the rust off, painted one caliper silver and then ran out of light. Had a very productive day off from work today!
Replacement chrome winders arrived from UK today. As soon as the test cricket (India v Oz) finishes I shall fit them. They look pretty good quality.
Looked at the snow and salt on the road, looked at the MGB safe and sound under cover in the garage, then patted the B on the fender.
Rebuild my rear axel, cleaned the rear breakes, painted everything..
Have a nice day.
Peter Asmild
Kept inserting # 1 plug lead into the distributor cap and taking it for a test run. 3rd time I tried I didn't even make it to the end ofthe street before she started missing again! :S
I hopped in the GT, turned the key and listened to the sad sound of a dead battery! Time to dig into the charging system.
I put three point seat belts in my 1963. Also drained the radiator and replaced the coolant it was 20 dgrees last night in sunny Georgia (this is quite rare) I adjusted the valves on the 75....enough for a cold day!
Geo
Took it for my first drive in the snow - with the top down - only in my cul-de-sac.
Neighbors probably thought I was crazy - spinning doughnuts.
An MGB is definitely not a "safe" car to drive on snow-covered roads - with street tires.
Drove it Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Today, high of 45 deg F a little too cold for me to drive with roof down. Looks like back driving Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
I took my block and head to the machine shop. Should get it back in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to completing the rebuild. While the machine shop does their work, I will be cleaning and inspecting brackets and fasteners.
Jim
Over the last couple of days, gave the beast a tub - yes I know the lawn needs mowing
Adjusted the rear brakes and rear shocks,.
Got the carbs sorted out and took her for a gallop
She's a happy little MG
Ran over a stupid deaf and blind pigeon this morning and remains were jammed in radiator. So while I had the grille off I took the opportunity to run an emergency bonnet release cable. Now I can sleep better(tu)
not so much MG.
Finished putting a new roof on my bathroom.
Rolled the Rover SD1 into the shop and adjusted the carburetor.
Sunday, fired up the B and had a lovely cruise with Steve and the gang around Mulholland Drive.
Came home, fabricated a new tail pipe for the Rover so it doesn't gas me when the sunroof is open.
Today I drove the beastie to work and had fun terrorizing the Beemers and Mercedes on the daily commute. Carb ran fine, exhaust note sounded magnificent and 75+ mph at 2500 rpm was really enjoyable.
Now, I can get back to MGB stuff.
I drove it to the bank and back. I also cleaned the windshield.
Haha, for the first time in 7 months - NOTHING! (I looked at it does that count?) Oh yeah, plugged in the battery tender I installed in the boot
Now I'm thinking 'bout all the things I still wanna do for it ... never ends I guess
Last thing I did was install a 12V outlet and the cable for my new GPS - cable's hidden, came out just fine (:D
I love this thread LOL (:D
1-5-2012 ... choice between despiccable yard work or take PLT for a spin on a sunny 60 degree day. Well ...
Drove 10 miles to my fav. electrical shop, Hollywood Starter/Alternator in Dania Beach. My bud there Terry found me a new alternator for future purchase; an exact, plug - and - play Lucas replica by Magneti Marelli (haha the Lucas of Italy) Why did Italy lose WWII? 'Cos Marelli made their tanks'and planes' ignition systems!
All kidding aside - self-exciting, lifetime wty., comes in 3 flavors; 55,65,75 amps. Just need to change pulley. Dont need one yet but stay tuned. PLT was dirty from the New Years trip so it got a good bath :)
PS I had much Marelli stuff on many Alfa Romeo's - dont recall any failures
Busy day
Fitted my indicator buzzer Works fine and not too obtrusive.
Removed the rear license plate holder and fitted two LED globes incorporated into the fixing bolts.
Retightened the new drive belt I fitted yesterday that was slipping badly this morning.
Now to give it a wash and wait for my Renovo canvas hood restorer kit to arrive, Cant wait to get back to work for a rest
Drove it as I do every day. This weekend is brake service time, new pads & shoes, and a small welding job ready for MOT.
Hello Owen,as a matter of interest with a daily driver in UK.do you keep it in a garage at night.how do you get on with demister on the freezing mornings,and have you got 2 - 6 volts or 1 - 12 volt.good luck with mot.I guess I should say also,how often do you hose off the road salt as a matter of interest. Phil
Hi Phil. It lives outside. If frost is forecast I cover the windsreen to save a bit of scraping. It starts OK in all weathers with one twelve volt battery. The demister works OK ish. There were a couple of mornings last winter where I had to scrape the frost of the inside of the windows, but other than that no problems.
It's not as good as a modern car but I've never had a car less than 15 years old so it's normal to me.
I don't do anything specific to deal with salt, just wash the car when my wife complains that it's too dirty.
Thanks for the good wishes for the MOT. Hopefully after this weekends work is done, it should be OK, but you never know.
Ah come on Chris!
Get your priority's right. Anyone can watch cricket!
Andrew from Busselton
I hope its OK to keep this cool thread going :S
Today just on a whim I installed a pair of footwell lights when I should have been making dinner LOL.
Pasenger side took about an hour whilst I sorted out how to do it nice, driver side 15 min. I soldered the tiny wires to the console light bulb clips - works (tu). Blue LED's from PepBoys
I was changing the rear brake shoes. I turned the wheel and it sounded like a bike tire with a baseball card in the spokes......now I'm shopping for a bearing.
Dropped it off at the body shop this morning. Hopefully will have it back good as new by the end of the week. Now the only question left is how will state farm try to #$#@ me or I should say how are they going to try to #$#% Hagerty
Let the photos speak. Not a moment too soon either - left rear shock was almost empty THANKS AGAIN DAMN DPO!!! :X
marco,
thanks for the pics.
how do you know when you've put in enough fluid?
frank
I swore at mine.
It seems I've got one of the rare models where the transmission cross member is spot-welded to the frame rails. The extra metal from those welds is then shaped into hexagons to make you think that there are bolts.
Busy day! New shoes, pads, fuel lines, tank (2nd tank in two weeks), vapor collector, vapor hoses, charcoal canister, set the timing and drove it around the block. Timing at 14 degrees. This car is so fun to drive and work on. Next up front suspension.(:P)
Had a dim headlight, pulled her apart cleaned the contacts voila! She was like new. That's a huge move forward for this rookie. I didn't even scratch the paint when removing the chrome rings! No the hammer was not used :P
Well yesterday and today I reproofed my canvas double duck top with the Renovo kit.
Has come up pretty well but next time I will mask off the whole car as I am spending my time trying to remove 10000000000 black pin head splashes. Cos it doesnt just wipe off paintwork witha cloth as the video says. Oh No it sure doesnt. Meths seems to remove it as I have worn my fingernails down trying to pick them off.
DOOR ATTACK!! Been wanting to get in there for months to lube everything, tighten the vent wing, and see what DPO horrors lurked. Aside from the prehistoric duct tape - none (whew), and the door's guts and plastic curtain are healthy and rust free >:D< Drivers door tomorrow.
Cured the loose rattly door lock cylinder by pushing a couple inches of waxed twine into the space between the doorskin and the cylinder. Tight now; lessee how long that quickie lasts LOL.
And I cant help but show off the new blue LED footwell lites - $20 the pair from PepBoys :I3:
Walked past it, patted it on its roof (GT) and thanked it for not being a 2003 Buick.
If any of you think that working on an MGB heater is a pain, then you need replace a fan in a Buick Le Sabre. That, is what I did today. I am sure that it all goes together easily at the factory before installation into the car, but afterwards, you'd better not have to replace or fix anything in situ. Good work for little people or small children. Makes overhauling a Smith's heater look pretty simple and straightforward. Count your blessings with your MGB even if you're frustrated with your progress and can't mount a supercharger any time soon.
3 undercar jobs today - replaced the terminals on all the small wires at the starter solenoid, they were all about to break off.
Replaced the cracked dust boot on the clutch slave and lightly coated the moving parts with the most tenacious grease I've ever used - Mercury Marine's Quicksilver Special Lube 101. If it gets on your clothes it's there forever hehe.
Added jam nuts to the 2 lower bellhousing thru-bolts, which refused to stay bolted (till now >:D<)
And 'cos PLT was such a good patient today I treated him to new proper brass manifold nuts whilst my dinner burned in the oven LOL!
Fitted new side mouldings and noted that there's a LH and RH which although shown as different part numbers when the 6 piece is bought there's no # identifier on each bag!
Removed tie rod ends and pinch bolt. Will be able to drop steering rack to replace motor mount and rack boots tonight.
I'm in the process of replacing all the door seals. As someone else warned me " while the window is out I might as well ......". So I took the vent window out and am replacing the vent seating seals. I bought the side post seals but I don't think I'll replace them. It's sort of a lamb way to attach the seals. You have to drill holes through the seals and put screws through the holes, and so on.... I've convinced myself that the old ones are just fine. While the window and everything is out, I'm cleaning and lubricating the door latch mechanism and the lock mechanism. It's 25°F this morning so I 'm waiting for it to warm up before going for a ride.
I bought a 1980 MGB this week that had been sitting in a garage for eight years. I lubed the cylinders, changed all of the oils, replaced the flexible fuel lines, put a new battery in it, changed plugs, and it actually ran. I drove it around the block, but YIKES! No Brakes! That's next on the restoration list.
Walked past it in the garage, patted it on the nose and said..."Won't be long now..be patient." Not sure if I was talking to the B or myself..LOL
Well, nothing today, but yesterday I ordered reman front calipers and new rubber brake lines, new standard front rotors w/ceramic pads, a Ignitor EI and Flame Thrower coil, and a replacement mid muffler.
Add all that to the new rear springs and related hardware and headlight relay kit already sitting in my sister's garage and I have some work ahead of me for my upcoming vacation.
Today, I replaced the defroster vent tubes. Had to use vaccume cleaner hose because I couldn't find anything else that would work.
Took all of about 15 minutes to complete the job.
Today I installed the new seat belts. Boy howdy, they seem to work pretty well. We will see. I also fixed my console lid. AND I found the replacement parts in the catalogue NW Imports sent me! Making a list of things to fix. I am really thinking about replacing a bunch of screws, but not quite sure how I should go about it. I think take one our and take a photo and count how many, and then go buy some.
I told her to wait a little longer for these new floor panels she wants so bad...along with the new shocks, oil seal, carpet, tires, wheels...
pulled the old exhaust off and prepped for the New Falcon big bore that came in today. B)-
Got a present for my GT which will be 40 tomorrow according to the orig. delivery papers. 3 sheets of plywood for it to rest on instead of a tarp on the carport concrete.
Happy 40th birthday PLT! :)-D >:D<
Checked the mothballs and mousetraps when I opened it up to snag some CDs that I'd left behind the seats.
Sigh. Stupid winter.
I drove my BGT 250 miles and added 10 gal. gas. It was a pretty day. I'm in Chesapeake, Va. for a couple of days
Finished undoing all of the sundry items necessary to pull the engine/tranny as part of the rebuild. Making progress, but it's slow......
Got the front seats back in. The front bolts are tricky enough...
Rewired the OD switch on the 67GT and fiddled with it and wd40 to have it make contact, tonight's the MGCC meeting
"On the Road Again".
Replaced the door seals that were torn and installed a new door molding to get rid of the door dings.
Replaced the driver's side disk brake caliper and rubber line then took it to the car wash for its weekly bath.
replaced all door hinge bolts, fitted leads for trickle battery charger,(cant take it out, salt on roads and -3C. here.
Towed it 6 miles back home. Right rear tire went flat as the stem leaked. I changed an put the spare on not realizing that I have not checked it since I got the car two years ago. It had been sitting in a pole barn for three years. Guess what? The spare disintegrated! Thanks to Haggarty Towing!
I drove it to work today. Checked out the newest fixes. Side mirror and exhaust hanger.
Waxed it last weekend after the repairs. All was well. Let the Wife drive it home.
It is HER car for goodness sake. She said she enjoyed the head turning on the road and
the nice compliments at the gas station.
I had to drive the SUV back home.
I was envious.
:D
Installed a new inline fuse assembly on the blower/wiper/radio circuit to replace the one melted by the malfunctioning wipers.
Pulled and inspected the wiper motor and lubricated the wiper assembly.
Found and repaired the bad speaker wire on my stereo.
Installed a new center muffler on the exhaust.
Installed new front rotors and pads and also replaced the passenger caliber and rubber line to natch the drivers side I did last week.
All in all a pretty productive weekend. However, there are still many projects left to do.
Sat - This weekend I finally got to do a tune up all at once on Sat.
The good: Pulled and cleaned the plugs (they were OK), adjusted the valves SPOT ON this time with a go-no go blade >:D<, warmed it up, checked the timing, got the HIF's nicely set up.
The bad: I had dropped the 1/2" spanner during the valve adj; it landed smack on top of the starter :X
I gingerly retrieved it without attracting the Prince of Darkness, whew! But ...
When I engaged the starter it stuck on - longest 10 sec of my life ripping the battery cover off and yanking a terminal OMG ::o ::o
The dropped wrench somehow pushed 2 wires on the solenoid together; had to spend a 1/2 hr under there carefully separating and taping. That wont happen again (knock on wood)
After that trauma came a great 5 mile test gallop, all was well again :)
Then a bath and detailing for the Sat nite local car show, which sucked. Poor turnout, mostly Mustangs, temp dropping 10 degrees/ hr and 30 MPH north wind. But finally some humidity relief!
Sun - Buzzed round town doing errands and enjoying the fruits of Sat's labor (:D
Unlike Marco, I just admired my B sitting in the garage a few times today.
Well not today but last night drove home with my wife from a birthday meal in the Barossa with no top as I had just fitted the tonneau. It was amazing, pitch black with the wind in our hair.
Replaced the steering rack boots and prepped for Monday's commute. Today would be a good day to put that last gasket piece on the convertible top.
I kicked one of the tires and wiped the seat dry before I drove it.
I kicked a different tire and remembered to put the top up after.
Bought my B about 6 months ago and still sorting out cosmetic stuff. Went for a 40 km drive in the rain last night and behold, just one leak on the soft top corner. Not to sure what to do about that. Maybe just park it in the sun the next day!! Will commence with carpet replacement next week.
This weekend I removed and replaced my master cylinder and bled the brakes. All is good.
Next thing is to replace the thrush washers in the diff.
Moved it from the garage so I could paint another person's B in order to get some money for mine.
David
Moved it back and turned so I could fit my daily driver in there for much needed repairs... Now I just need to do those repairs.
New drums/shoes
New rotors/pads
New front wheel bearings
Some fresh paint
New heater fan
Wire up the horn
Clean with shop vac
Install rear seat
Sell to teenage punk who thinks MX3's are fast. (Worst in class power)
So the MGB didn't get much action. And won't for a while.
Next thing I'll do to it is move it so I can use my wood shop without completely covering it in dust. Although it is good at pulling moisture out. Mmm.
Well I don't know about the desktop users here but for me on my mobile this is page 13
Yesterday (Mon) - nothing ... my MG did for ME hehe (tu)
Load of groceries late at night. Rafael the 22 lb MGB guard lion offered to help, but his feline A.D.D. kicked in again ...
Today - get my dizzy off to Advanced after 6 weeks of procrastinating.
I figured out where all the cables and hoses go between my engine bay and the back of my dash. I think.
Hey, Marco, who's that ol' varmit in the trunk?
Yesterday, replaced the starter and added a relay in the solenoid circuit from the ignition switch - should hear the old beast crank over and start now!
There are good reasons for adding relays (if you are so inclined) and over the years I have become convinced that taking the combined loads in the factory wiring and breaking them out into their own circuits has done much to improve the efficiency within the OE harness that is left. JMO
I looked under my car at the growing oil leak and wondered why oh why did I get myself into this and just how far Hap's business is from me?
Sunday my Nephew and I scoured Pick-a-part for bits for the GT and a 5 speed for his 500hp 1969 Camero. Walked around for 4 hours to no avail. There wasn't one KA24E that hadn't been picked clean. No Fiero seats. No Miata seats..... and no trannys (thank God). It was fun hanging out though. The junk yard is fun.
Today, I replaced my thrust washers and cleaned everything up under there.
The job wasn't to bad and I learned alot.
Don't those washers look pretty?
What next?
Yesterday the door glass on the drivers side came off it's track (the window was stuck all the way down). I fixed it in a parking lot, with just the tools I had in the trunk, in about 15 mins. Shortly after I finished it started to rain.
@Leif: doesn't it make you feel great to be able to do that. I had problems with bad fuel injectors in an old BMW I had a while back. For about a week almost every day when leaving the office I had to pull all 6 spark plugs and clean them. It got so I could do it in a dark parking lot in less than 10 minutes. When I replaced the injectors I did that in the parking lot behind my condo in a couple hours. When I tell this story to most people they look at me like I told them I could walk on water.
I got brake wheel cylinder repair kits for the MGC and a clutch m/c repair kit for the MGB.
Received new windscreen washer bottle (installed) and front shock arm poly bushing and pin set (Thursday night project)
2 disappointments today - (1) a local locksmith wouldnt copy my new ign key blank from Triple C Accessories. Damn thing cost $15 but it's steel, and he made me a new key from a Land Rover blank (!!!) for $2. ::o
My '72 has a later B/ Land Rover ign switch , looks like. Works fine but doesn't lock the column.
I may be appealing to you guys for leads on a locksmith who can cut steel keys
(2) a local shop wants $$ THREE HUNDRED FIFTY to tint my GT's windows lo density slight reflective!!! ::o ::o "Oh we gotta take all the side windows off, lotta work, whine whine" They aint touching my B, f----------k them.
[quote=bobmunch,1940738,1984688]
Hey, Marco, who's that ol' varmit in the trunk?
Hi Bob that is none other than Rafael (Rafi), the talkative, bi lingual, Puerto Rican, 22 lb official MGB guard lion. He's good at it ... most of the time haha. See my post "MGB security FAIL" for details:P
I'm completely rewiring mine. Adding a Camaro fuse box, and many relays, extra indicator lights, etc.
Ordered AAA needles to address the lean running at cruising speeds.
Took it out on a Valentine's Day date with my wife. There's a great little café in Liberty Hill, Texas, about 40 minutes way that we really enjoy.
Had a very late lunch at about 4:00 p.m., then visited some friends nearby and drove home after dark.
On the way out the engine stumbled some, probably from water in the fuel, it has been raining and there may have been some condensation in the tank. On the way back the little engine was rumbling happily - I love the exhaust note from the Tourist Trophy system.
A wonderfuul and relaxing evening out. The B is what makes those outings special - it would not be the same riding in the Suburban.
BobbyG
Ordered a couple cans of wheel paint from Eastwood to spiff up my wires and picked up a nice used set of black door and kick panels from NorthShore Sports Cars and generally enjoyed driving it around on a sunny 50 degree day in Chicago.
Blasted and painted and installed the tappet covers today. Also plated the engine ground strap and the bolts for the tappet covers and the oil cooler hose fitting on the spin on filter adapter. The adapter is zinc BTW. I always thought it was aluminum.
Also dug out a box of parts that need to be refurbished and sorted them. Found some spare bolts with bsf head markings.(joy!)
I cleaned up the motor mounts too. I'll paint them and plate their hardware tomorrow. I'm getting close to re-fitting the engine. Exciting stuff!
I also discovered that I haven't cleaned up the aft wire harness. What a mess. It was all neatly rolled up in the right side battery box. Out of sight, out of mind...
And... I found my fuel pipes! The front one is good... the back one not so much.
I gave my GT a wipe down and mini dusting so that it is ready for the Wedding pictures on Saturday... :D
Here's the fruit of today's labour......Fiero passenger seat bottom for my 1972 MGB.
(I also disassembled both seats and stripped the original upholstry from each.)
I'm replacing the electric oil pressure gauge with a dual temp/op mechanical gauge plus putting a voltmeter where the temp gauge used to be, so I pulled the dash out and started making a round hole out of a rectanglular one. We've already flushed the hydraulics and took out the battery to clean it, and the hole it lives in, and it's now on the battery tender.
Joe
Take a look. My 1st MG front suspension work. Job came out well yay
Hooked up my alloy radiator and shroud and silicone hoses and bling overflow tank plus got that pesky circlip onto the centre bolt of my (still) hanging tecalemit oil filter housing ready for tomorrow as well as getting my Philips Vision Plus stop/tail and indicator bulbs - not brighter but a claimed 50% quicker reaction time to light up!
Found some 80w-140 gear lube. Put about half of the liter in my tranny to see if it would slow down the oil leak. Test drive and the tranny worked just fine. I know the only real fix8-), just thought I'd give this a shot.
Jim
Valve adjustment :) wow what a difference !
Also replaced the Clutch Master Cylinder...
Washed the engine yesterday, and drove about 100 miles today. Replaced the speedo cable last weekend. It was broken in the middle about where the big bend is before it goes through the firewall into the cockpit. It's nice to have a speedometer again. It broke last Labor Day coming back from Portland and my arms were still recovering from my accident, so I just got around to it, a couple of thousand miles later.
Richened the choke setting 1/2 turn each screw, cold starts much better now. Started prep and detailing for the LBC show Boca Raton Fl on Sunday.
Lowered the front end... New rack boots... New fulcrum bushings... New electric fan to replace the POS that was on there from the PO... Rewired some crappy and ugly wiring...
Now it's gonna snow!
Went to the Bank in my pickup to get the money to pay for the third GT I have bought in the last 16 months. At least this one, 74 CB GT, is all fixed up so I can drive it now.
Added some oil, gave it a bath, drove it around.
Did not however receive the new needles that I paid extra to have by today. At lease my shipping costs will be refunded.
I just got my MGB 2 Saturdays ago. Today, Moss key blanks in hand, and I chose 2 types hoping at least one would work, I approached a competent locksmith, who " Pooh - Poohed " the cool blanks as not close enough, and found a replacement blank for my one key, which although heavily corroded and crappy looking, had a British Leyland logo on its head. The replacement was an Audi key, called " X51 " by ilco. Happily, it has no Audi logo -- it's kind of plain looking. I feel better knowing I can produce a new key -- that old one made me nervous.
Drove it to work, gave it a wash, did the under bonnet checks, drove it home again.
Took off the gas tank so I can replace the trunk pan since its got wayyyy too much fiberglass holding it in!
Drove it back from my mates house who spent some of the week he took off to look after his kids replacing the front brakes and over hauling the front suspension, and changing the rear shocks.Hes done a great job.I reckon I better get his concrete base done before I mention the faulty overdrive ")
Replaced the ignition wires, the brake servo valve.......still have the high pitch sound!
Drove it all around town doing errands.
Prepping for the LBC show in Boca Raton tomorrow (Sun), this decided to happen, hmmmpfh!
Hood pad adhesive FAIL lol, as if I hadn't enough to do already 8-)
Got better glue, everything came out OK, I'm exhausted :o
Looks fantastic Marco. I am looking forward to Spring so that I can give mine a good detail, although it still wouldn't look as good as yours.
Removed the loom, brake and clutch fluid + cylinders, discovered the RH drivers side where the loom went through had an abundance of rust and the previous owner attempted to cover it with bog and copper sheeting, i think there will be a lot of work ahead of me :(
Treated mine to a new set of plugs and let her purr for about 30 minutes.
I pre-ran our MA/RI COASTAL MG TOUR that'll take place on MAY 5, 2012 with the GT. It's going to be a lot of fun! Mark your calendars! Just a no cost, meet up with a bunch of other MG's, and do about a 90 mile fun run along the coast (historic villages, ocean vistas, coastal wineries, sand dunes, fishing villages, ice cream, etc.)
And today was a great day to go out for a pre-spring run! Didn't see any other MG's, but met a 1968 Shelby Mustang also out for a drive.
Cheers,
Rick
all i did was give it a full body respray......will post pic`s later
Installed a Weber carb and Tourist Trophy exhaust. Car runs so much better, I should have done this two years ago.
Just got the kingpins shimmed correctly, now on to the wheel bearnings. Actually got my daughter to help me for a few minutes.
Spent all day Saturday painting the inner fenders and floor with stonechip paint .............more on me than on the car :O)
I finished fitting the dash, ( glovebox, choke and temp gauge), emptied the gearbox and diff of oil, loosened but not managed to remove the heater :S and measured up to put my cobra classic bucket seats in :) nicee
DC
Hey Chowen, how about some pics of those bucket seats when they are in? We bought a set of Fiero seats but couldn't seem to make them work satisfactory for us so are on the lookout for something different.
Joe
update this is what i did today,now comes the hard part , the refit.
Rick (oldredsel) would be proud of me...i actually drove my car. Today, i finished installing carpet, seats, adjusted valves, adjusted my steering wheel (so it's straight), gave it a bath...AND DROVE THE EVER LOVIN SHEEEET OUT OF IT!!!!!!!!
Has been since October. Loved every minute of it. Can't wait till it is actually warm enought where the wind doesn't make my nose run and blow on the windshield behind me.(:D
Unfortunately nothing. Poor thing was left sulking under its car cover in the garage. We spent most of yesterday racing around doing family stuff including visisting one member in hospital after a mild heart attack. Little chance of firing the "B" up today either. Tomorrow ... I'll give her a run tomorrow. Might even do our first evening drive. Haven't taken her on a night run at all yet. And its been three months. Gotta make sure the lights work don't I? Besides, the temp is perfect then at this time of year. (Don't panic folks, we are in Brisbane Australia and February is our hottest and stickiest month). B-)
Weather was beautiful today a high of 35 degrees. I pulled the car cover off, then checked my compression ( happy all cylinders were 150-155), adjusted the valves, changed oil, checked all the fluid levels, greased all the fittings and tightened bolts. And I got to enjoy taking my kids for a ride.
Dave, that's a great blue.
Didn't do anything on the car today. I am hoping to get the needles I ordered last week early enough tomorrow to install them and see if it stops backfiring on the highway.
Poor thing got left out in pouring rain under its cover but with only the tonneau on - top was down. Interior took in quite a bit of water through the tonneau zipper. I dried everything off with a towel, pulled out carpets and mats to dry. Went to Home Depot and got a a small tub of Damp Rid and put it in the car.
Also put the top up before replacing the cover. B-)
BobbyG
Drove mine 80 mi round trip to a LBC show, PLT got lots of attention and questions and I made a great new friend from OUR club right here >:D<
I woke up this morning with only a simple bleeding of the brakes standing between me and my first drive after six months of work. As usual, I'm going to bed tonight waiting for parts to arrive. I will have a rebuilt Master cylinder next week. Not to mention a sore leg from pumping a workless one for hours.
Cleaned it up for a little road work.
Need to exercise the B today.
Drove it work after lunch. Sunny and low 50s right now. Beautiful day.
Just back from a hop into town and back. Not fat but still fun. Thinking I need to put the top up and stetch it a bit - it's been down for months.
I matched my intake manifold to my head. Lots of careful grinding.
Exhaust ports are next!
moved the 65 out of storage gonna put a 63 net to it rebuild them both sell
Today in the middle of window prepping for the upcoming tint job - after getting bloody rediculous quotes gonna do it myself dammit. It'll be very light density slightly reflective gray - just enough to abate the heat a little (cheaper than A/C)
cleaned up DPO's horrible silicone sealing job on the door wing vents
Removed door top caps
Removed seat belt reels
Undid flipper window latches, scraped 40 yrs of crud and excess glazing out of the frames so there's a good edge to work with.
Tonight clean the hell outa the glass - gonna take my time on this job.
Hi Karl nice to meet you :) Aww man if I had only posted this yesterday - I can't return the material now I've used some already. Thanks alot though - I'll be OK hehe no deadline or clock to punch on this job
Enjoy window tinting sometimes can change a person religion I am here for you if need be
Installed the new AAB needles. The only word I can think of to describe the effect is transformative. The car runs so much better. No more backfiring on the highway, it pulls cleanly from 1500 rpms in top, it runs cooler. It was just a pleasure to drive.
Ordered new front shocks from World Wide Auto Parts. I had sent mine in to be rebuilt but they were in too bad of a condition. Received the replacements, real good shipping and packaging. Installed the shocks and went for a drive in the mountains here in western Colorado. 40 degrees outside, sun shinning and the top down. Doesn't get much better than that except for warmer weather.
Not exactly on my "B" but rather for my "B". Cleaned and workrd on a UNF/UNC tap and dye set I purchased from the USA on eBay.
Have undercoated the container they came and as soon as the fierce electrical storm which is pounding my town at the moment, I will spray on a top coat. The set should make my screws, bolts and nuts a lot easier to use!
Checked the compression - 195,195,190,190 :)-D
Car is running beautifully...
Wow Andrew, compression from heaven, :)-D is right hehe. In my 8 months of owning PLT I havent checked - I'm deathly scared of finding out the worst; just don't wanna know yet.
Returned a 72" battery cable to Walmart because it (the longest one they had) didn't reach from my battery to my starter. Pulled off the old DPO spliced-together cable to see if it was still serviceable. Measured it to be 60". :S
Sunday, took a short drive with a local club, about 80 miles round trip.
Stopped here for a while.
Hey Dennis, are you trying to confuse us? Have you been on the bottle?? The longer one was to short !?!? You should be able to make your old one serviceable as long as you solder any splices and insulate them really well. And while you're at it the terminals will most likely also benefit from a bit of attention. I'm sure you know all this but this advice may be of use to novice owners. Good luck, Mike
Finally removed drivers side motor mount and bracket! Also a club member brought over a good used tan interior. I'm going to change from black to tan which will complement the Dansk Red better than black.
Well, I did this Sun-Mon-Tues night, but I replaced the rear springs and rebound straps and the related hardware and bushings and installed a new rear u-joint on the driveshaft and lubed up the front joint and slip joint.
After doing about 400 fun miles last week, regretfully covered it up not to be driven till Sat while the new window tint cures. Its just too damn hot here this winter to have the windows up while driving. :(
The tint job was the BEST I've ever had (I did do 4 hrs of prep for the guy though) Pics next week and kudos to David and Klaus @ Kustom Kar Sound and Tint, N. Miami Beach Fl. :)-D
Last night I put in a new throttle cable and return springs.
A new choke cable and lever.
Installed a new air filter on my weber dd
Well today, she's in the garage.
But last week, the water pump started dripping slightly and the bearing showed a little play. So I installed a one on Friday.
Then on Sunday, I pre-ran the MG Coastal Tour route again that our local MGE group has scheduled for May 5, 2012.B-) It's a fun loop of @ 90 miles of back roads around the area and out to Sakonnet Point. Don't know how many MGs will turn out, but we already have @ two dozen that have expressed interest in joining us!(tu)
Oh, and back to this past Sunday, the total miles added to the odometer were 162.:) A nice little drive!(tu)
Cheers,
Rick
Sent a money order to purchase and ship an O/D trany for my 74 BGT from the east to the west coast.
Well since I vowed not to touch my GT till Sat to let the window tint set up, today I started trying to save the original (rust-covered) jack bag. DPO was an idiot. The buckles are history :( The vinyl is responding to scrubbing with CLR - gonna take a few applications ...
I know they're available but there's only one original.
Got caught in the snow we had today coming home from the shooting range! 8-) Top down, but bundled up. It was a blast!
Of course, now that we've had more snow and salt on the roads it won't be until after it rains again that I'll take it out.
Rick, let me know the next time you're going to run the route!!! I wanna go!!!
BTW . . . shot one inch groups at 200 yds and four inch groups at 500 yds, with one stray about two feet off.
I renewed the oil in the overdive and gearbox, which may I add was a right pain in the arse!
Thanks to forum members for all relevent information I used in my pre-summer preparations!
DC
Last night, I re-attached the transmission crossmember (PITA) and the drive shaft. Only a few more things to do before I try to start my newly rebuilt engine this weekend. Hope it works and the weather is nice. I haven't driven her since just before Christmas when I began the rebuild.
Jim
[quote=Chowen,1940738,1999233]
I renewed the oil in the overdive and gearbox, which may I add was a right pain in the arse!
Hey Daniel you got that right mate! I had a thread (it's disappeared) called "Overdrive Comedy Hour" with pics of the whole nasty operation, sorry I cant find it now.
I did a 150 km round trip to the other side of town to visit a mate and show him the B and give him a ride. He was quite impressed and then he took me for a spin in his 5.7 litre Monaro. Very nice also .. but not a B. B-)
I installed a 9-LED glovebox light in my GT, which pulls out to serve as a map light. It's wired to an unused blade on the fusebox park light circuit. Pep Boys $19.95. Crude looking but effective. If anyone's curious PM me I'll 'splain :)
Welded in the seat anchor points onto the replacement floor panel and cut out the rear half of the driver's side floor.
Today I made a new stuff pocket and am currently replacing hardware on the interior. Waiting to fix the soft top header, but I am feeling it will be done this evening - fingers crossed.
Suspended Summer prep and relinquished the neighbor's heated garage back to him as he returned from Florida today.
Completed during the month of February while I had access to the heated garage facility:
Replaced crushed brake lines
Cleaned and Checked Brakes (Left Rear was inoperable)
Made the hand brake operational
Changed oil in Diff
Changed Oil in Trans
Repaired Hand Choke linkage
Rebuilt Clutch Master Cylinder
Rebuilt Clutch Slave Cylinder
Replaced Clutch Hose
Secured Top to Rear Support Bow
Replaced Fuel Gauge Sending Unit (Upgraded with Brass Float)
Repaired and Replaced Fuel Gauge (Yes even though these are very durable and almost never fail, this one did)
Replaced Fuel Line between Tank and Fuel Pump
Removed damaged filter installed between Tank and Fuel Pump
Added Fuel Shutoff Valve between Tank and Fuel Pump to facilitate future repair projects
Installed Battery Cutoff Switch in Nuetral lead of Battery installation
Cleaned and reinstalled main Battery Ground Connection
Tightened bolts on the engine and transmission that appeared to be part of the leaking oil brigade
Installed a period correct fuse block cover
Sorted and organized spare parts inventory
Sourced parts for future projects and upgrades including a set of three point safety belts and a mid 90s Saturn Alternator.
Now on to compiling the lists of things left to do and compiling the list of parts to secure.
Fitted new tail light lens which I bought from SportsCarParts on ebay. I wanted to keep with the US style as Molly is a Californian car. Looks as 'Flash As A Rat With A Gold Tooth' !!!
I replaced the pump in the windshield washer with a used one I picked up. Squirts like a champ again.
after a couple of large southern comforts , i sat in it and made engine noises as my wife and daughter looked out the window laughing..................
(its not on the road yet)
Today... I had a nightmare with my handbrake. Please see my posting and see if you can help me out.
Worked on the door panels. Cut out new hardboard backing and sewed up the pleated bottom section last night. Put it all together today taking advantage of the nice weather outside. One door down - one more to go. Covered the top rail last week one day. Used mahogany strips where the old small chrome strip was on the original panels.
I extended the rear Sebring valance by one inch so it fits correctly then cut and fiberglassed a license plate recess in it to match the recess I did in the body.
Found myself with some time late this afternoon to do a quick 60 mile backroad run!B-)
Cheers,
Rick
Fitted the new seats and harnesses, got the engine to run after having the dizzy apart :S and insured it!
DC
My radio got toasted when I forgot to put the top up and it poured a few weeks ago. Water got through ther cover and leaked through the zipper in the tonneau.
It took some work to get the interior completely dry. My hope was that the innards of the radio would dry out and start working, but no such luck.
Today I installed a new radio and it's a happy little B again. Nothiong fancy - a basic Sony AM-FM with a single CD player from Best Buy.
BobbyG
During the pre-start check I noticed an oil drip on the floor where there had been none yesterday :X Oh well, no LBC's gonna be leak-free for long right? I think it's the forward tappet cover; I had been yanking on the vent pipe to get the hose off.
On my Sun. morning spin, while gassing up, I met the owner of an incredibly well restored '66 Corvair Corsa Spider who wasn't aware that right under his nose there was ethanol-free fuel ( I was buying it). My good deed for the day: his beautiful Corvair will thank me for that :)
Shot this pic exiting Ace Hardware ... title: "Yesterday and Today"
The Gucci-clad Miata owner appeared ...she was clueless why I took a pic (and needless to say, rude) ... LMAO
Got her back though :I3: Bet HER Japanese jellybean's next stop wasn't to do a photo shoot for a local ad agency X(
1st attempt at dog-leg repair started today with removing the old outside panel and this is what I saw:
Gave all three "B"'s the day off and drove the Corvette down the coast a ways!
Haven't driven the Green Weenie in a while.
Today I removed the rad for testing. It works fine except sitting in traffic on those hot summer days. Noticed a little anti-freeze along the bottom tank. Better safe than sorry!
Installed the new arm rests on the doors. Apparently this car has one door from an earlier B with the machine thread holes for the poor handle. Got 'er done anyway.
Installed one of a pair of struts for the bonnet. Hate that loping lean to one side. Would have done both but car in one shop, most of my tools in another. I bought these struts from a guy here in Surrey, BC. Great prices and I managed to get a stainless set.
Installed the new grille I got a couple months ago. I already had to modify the length of the centre support once, hacking about .5" off. And it still appears to be too high! I read this is a problem with the new grilles. Pain in the arse, I say. So further tweaking is needed.
Impending tasks: RE & Re front brakes and bearings; Same for rear (never had these apart since I've owned her.) New skins on repainted Rostyle wheels too! Anyone run 'Cooper CS4's?'
Contemplating insurance.....
Repaired COD and primed, going to go w/fender mirrors this time.
I blew mine a kiss and said, soon, Baby, soon. I will be trekking to MG2012 with a large group of MGer's. Oh yea, some fun coming.
I took my 1977 MGB to a radio and audio installation specialist and got a quote on a new radio and speakers.
Pulled it into the yard. Got it stuck in the mud. Gonna get the tractor and pull it out tomorrow. :X
Did I mention dumb@$$?
I'm going to spend a lot of money in two weeks when all the parts arrive.
Pulled the wire wheels off my parts car to take them into the shop and tune them up. I don't think they have rolled on a road for fifteen years or more.
Went shopping. Solved a small vacuum leak - WHY are there so many plugs in the manifold? Sheesh!
More like in the last few days. Placed a number of parts on eBay and have already sold some, purchased a can of oil for my K&N filters which after being in storage for more than 15 years will finally be fitted to my MGB. Also purchased a tube of alloy polish which is doing a great job, and today will clean and polish the SU carbs which together with the K&Ns will give some added sparkle to that side of the engine bay. Downloaded an excellant picture of the overdrive wiring as fitted to the gear box and OD unit. This picture was uploaded in another post. Will also now place more surplus parts on eBay and hopefully with all these acquired funds purchase more essential MGB goodies.
Got the fresh air trap door to finally close properly - DPO had the choke cable routed behind a corner of it for chrissakes (the corner hidden by 1 of the def. tubes) :X
Fixed (hopefully) the front tappet cover oil leak caused by my yanking on the vent pipe to get the hose off (BLUSH) All the correct sealing bits are installed; does anyone know how tight that bolt should be? I gave it 1 full turn more, it's gently snug now. Is it trial and error?
And found the front crank seal leaking now - had to happen sooner or later huh, it's gettin' old (the car not the fun LOL)
It has been great driving weather in New Jersey.
I've had out again today with the dog.............what a chick magnet!
Went on my first run of the year here in North Wales, went four miles before it spluttered to a stop in the middle of traffic... buggery! Turns out the coil HT lead had fallen off, but after that it ran like a dream! Up into the valleys for a spot of the twisty stuff to blow off the cobwebs. Brilliant! The sun was even out!
Again many thanks to the helpful forum users!
DC
Didn't do anytthing today but put in a recored radiator and ran the B on Saturday.
Looked at both of them longingly in the garage..... It snowed here today.... (td)
But, mid 60's by Saturday!!!! :)-D
New to this. Bought it on Sunday, had it transported Monday, got it running, although not smoothly, today. Will address supposed ignition problems, then proceed to the carbs. Some electrical glitches discovered so far: horns (Brit speak - hooters?) do not work, one reversing lamp, the electric antenna on the right rear wing (have no clue if it is actually wired in.). More problems are bound to emerge as I go through the car. That is why I bought it; a relatively clean car that needs some attention as my other older Brit is in fine fettle. I am in desperate need of a mechanical/electrical fix. This B-GT is the solution.
Cheers,
Bruce
Hey Bruce, was that the yellow BGT in Richmond?
Took my Rad in today. Small leak in the upper tank but I decided to rebuild instead of repair. Twice the price but the new core is 3/4" round rather than the stock 1/2" oval. Rad dude said it should double the cooling capacity and they've done for other vintage British cars. So, looking forward to 'worry-free' driving (An MG oxymoron, to be sure.)
Put the Humblebee on blocks and pulled the wheels, ready for a brake and bearing job. Pulled the drums to an ugly mess! Oy! The left side was completely covered in fluid! Looking forward to better stopping too!
Off to the Parts store tomorrow!
So far today I drove her to work. Later today I'll drive her from work & pick up my daughter, then home!
I ran the wires for my fuel pump.
Mounted my new fuel pump.
Decided I want either the downforce front end or the sebring front end from moss
Welcome Bruce. The horns in my '72 GT don't work either. It's on my list to fix (living in a big city a horn is a necessity for defensive purposes) but mechanical freshening has taken up my time and $$ so far.
Check the horns first by running voltage directly from the battery. If they work, then check the wiring with a voltmeter and someone activating the switch. If you have voltage the switch is the problem. Just went through the same process with mine. It was the switch. Good luck.
Replaced the radiator today filled with coolant and went for a quick spin to ensure there were no green drops anywhere. Success, all good. Now that the weather is good more drive time. Yippie!!
Found out the water pump was leaking...... Pulled it off ok then went to change the thermostat but the housing won't budge!!!! It's soaking over night... Hope for better luck in the morning.
I removed the center console so I could remove the radio that will be replaced with a new one. While the console was out I replaced the cable to the hot water valve, and then I replaced the cigarette lighter. The console was fun!!!! Tomorrow I'll drive the car to see if I have any leaks from replacing the thermostat housing and the hot water valve. More parts to replace tomorrow. The DPO hadn't done any loving on the car for years.
Lets see...
YESTERDAY I put in a new water pump, blew out the heater valve and heater core with compressed air, flushed and filled the cooling system.
TODAY I put in a new headlight, new thermostat, and spent 3 hours troubleshooting electrical issues involving an aftermarket alternator that apparently didn't like getting soaked with anti-freeze when the water pump let go.
Took the shop vac to the engine compartment. Yeah its that bad.
Anyways found a mouse nest, crab shells, peanuts, and a mouse skull.
Needless to say the mice problem took care of itself. Thought at first I was gonna need to let the cat live in the barn for a while. (When I say barn... it has concrete floor and is insulated. Just pole barn constuction)
Just a matter of time before its driving. Then I can make a entire new list of things to fix. Ok well the list is already assumed somewhat. Brakes, springs, shocks, steering bits look good, and any unknowns.
Until next time
Michael
Let it rest today, as it's been my daily for the last 2 weeks. Finally got my REAL DD back on the road again ('01 LR Discovery) after a complete brake job and unexpected hub replacement.
I went to the storage facility and started her for the first time since october. she startted first try. Cranked slow then caught. ran her until temp was normal and shut down. She ran very well after the engine warmed up. Can't wait until i can get her out of storage next month. It is boxed in in the storage facility, so i cannot get her out.
started to disassemble the interior...wow, this is a project!
VB is sending me their free booklet that describes how to install an interior. Haven't got it yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I'll be installing my interior as soon as I get the Hushmat installed. If you buy Hushmat, get it from Amazon or somewhere else besides Moss.
It wasn't today, but last weekend. I installed new alternator and set the timing. Been spending a lot of time stripping down the bugeye, she's almost clean, just rear suspension and some minor interior bits left. Then she'll be ready for media blast... thats the scary part, cuz I know she's rusty, the media will only open up more... :( but... thats what projects are made of! (tu) (I just have to keep telling myself that....)
Also replaced broken door handles on Jag.
Talk soon,
Yesterday ... drove PLT 75 miles to drive someone else's B lol. Got my 1st taste of piloting a GT on a freeway in tropical downpours with vicious, speeding trucks and SUV's ... heart attack material :(
Visited fellow member John Cooke (Johnny Mango) at his home/MGB haven/boneyard ... got a HUGE engine education, saw his projects, had my GT's motor pronounced healthy, and tried to drive the lovely Iris. Those of you with the MGB club calendar ... she's the February calendar girl :) But 3 minutes out and the skies opened up again (and the wipers quit) :X
The drive home during rush hr. wasn't any less stressful. June monsoons in March ...wtf.
Many thanks to John for sharing his endeavours and knowledge with me!:)-D
~Marco and PLT~
Looks like a great day, Marco!
Piloting the GT on the freeway can be a very sketchy experience - especially in Southern California w/ cars whizzing by @ 85 mph!
This morning I fitted my K&N filters, refitted my vacuum gauge and fitted my polished dashpots. That should be enough for today, but then again its only 7.30am and looks like its going to be a great day, not a cloud in the sky and the temperature reaching somewhere in the high 80s. Tried to attach picture but the file was to large!
Here in southeastern New England today, the temperature climbed into the 50's and the roads were free of salt.:) While I did have work to do, I also had to run a quick errand about 5 miles away, so I took the GT. . . and somehow another 75 miles appeared on the odometer.;)
It's a similarly nice forecast for this weekend(tu), but we'll see what happens, 'cause they're calling for snow showers overnight.(td)
Cheers,
Rick
Gee, you can't trust these B's can you. Give 'em a mile or two and they'll take 75 all the time! (:D
I don't know Marco, I had my GT in the rain on the highway here in Chicago about a week ago and felt no anxiety. And with overdrive I am perfectly comfortable keeping up with traffic.
Maybe it's the experience of riding motorcycles on the highway that makes driving a fully enclosed car, even a small one like my MG no big deal in pretty much any place or conditions.
Hi Danny, yeah it's sort of a relative thing - my only bike exp is 50's and 125's dirt. I'm so accustomed to my tall U.A.V. (urban assault vehicle LOL, Chevy Blazer), that a crowded wet freeway is nerve wracking in my lil go kart. But did you hear that some poll awarded South Fla most dangerous freeways in the nation? :( I try not to be over reactive but ...
Today I received my 25D dizzy back from Jeff - it needed the full monty:
Recond.
Repair cracked housing
Replace vac. advance guts (major leak)
Replace dead Pertronix unit w/ his points
Heavy duty brass contact cap
Note enclosed: "You're in for a treat w/the rebuilt vacuum unit!" >:D<
Installing tomorrow, will advise :)
Also today - received the biggest single order I've ever placed for any car, from Moss.
New wire wheel - it matches yay!
Their new heat shield - wow I couldn't duplicate this or find the equiv. in a boneyard
Under dash panel kit - I'll add more heat insulation and make 'em fit lol
Water pump - glad to see it's iron w/cast impeller, not cheap pot metal (tu)
Head gskt set
Seals, gaskets, hardware etc. to go w/water pump & cyl. head job
Glovebox tyre press. decal
My assistant helped unpack and check the list as usual hehe
THANKS to Moss Motors, and Leif in particular, for the madd fast service and follow-ups - less than 48 hr delivery! :)-D
My wife and I took a nice ride on the great canopy roads we have here in north florida, south georga area. stopped for a nice lunch etc. Put a total of 100 miles on my 1980 MGB
On a lovely warm day, blue skies, 30 degrees C, I just had to go and pick up a loaf of bread this afternoon! The shop is 1/2 a mile away and somehow I clocked up 10 miles. Must do something about my navigation skills .. eventually! :D
Bleeding the brakes after changing the master cylinder, and while I'm under there I am changing the parking brake cable.
removed the hard top, reinstalled the soft top, installed a gas filter, installed an original lucas low note horn, installed sun visors, removed, cleaned and rotated wire wheels, greased hub splines. Now hope I'm ready for Spring drive-out on St. Patrick's day next Saturday, and now I'm going to have a well earned adult beverage.:)-D
Woke up the FUN MG today, thanks to a surprisingly early Michigan Spring, and a forecast in the 60s and 70s for the next ten days, at least. Took it for a quick spin with the top up today because it's only 44 degrees. But tomorrow the temperature goes up into the mid-60s, and the top comes down.
Driving season, here we come!
Looked for new sills and rear quarter patch, started the beast up after she had been sitting for atleast 4 months, such an obediant little engine, 4 months of doing nothing, bit of choke and away it went. Haha, cant wait to finish all themetal work on it.
Drove Molly to work again today, an absolutely perfect Autumn day. Not a cloud in the sky, no breeze and just the right temperature (about 20C/70F ). She purred all the way !
Took a chance that a few raps with a hammer might get my recalcitrant starter solenoid to function properly. Alas, no such luck. Looks like I am replacing the starter next week.
Tried to get the fuel gauge working properly - took out and tested the sender (looks like new wonder if the PO replaced it with the wrong one), gauge and stabiliser. All look to be good but still won't go over 3/4. At least it says 'empty' when it's empty now.
Went for a run for an hour - beautiful autumn weather 22 degrees, sunny. GOOD to have a roadster!
I was elated - I inserted the key and turned it - the car actually started. Then I added relays for the headlights and driving lights today. Removed the hard-top so I can re-install the soft-top tomorrow.
Wayne
This weekend, I didn't do anything to the MG...other than drive the snot out of it. I've been taking it on longer and longer 'trips,' because I *might* have it up an Armaugh (TRF's summer party) this year. So far the, trips have added a few things to the 'jobs' list. That is, the petrol fumes inside the car are getting worse, the exhaust is getting progressively louder, etc. However, on the plus side...my tachometer seems to have fixed itself.
After a little over 2-1/2 months since I backed my B into my workshop to begin pulling the engine and tranny for a complete engine rebuild, she's back on the road!!! Thanks to a couple of my fellow club members for helping me with the last few issues I had and to Basil Adams for his help throughout my project. Yesterday was her maiden voyage and took her out again today. The next few weeks will be spent breaking in the engine, getting ready for the Key West trip that about 30 of the members in my club will be making in April.
Also, thanks to everyone on this forum for answering my questions whenever I ask them. What a great resource MGE is.
Thanks
Jim
Jim Cheatham
After last night's wiper failure and accompanying fear of the unknown I got brave today and dug in - glovebox out so I could see WTH I was doing, found the inner cable (rack) broken at the swedged fitting where it goes into the connecting rod. New cable ordered, hope to have it back together Wed. No driving PLT till then, rain forecast waaah! :(
Scrubbed the winter grime and daily driver film off the ol' girl, then took her out to Saratoga Apple to pick up Honey Crisp apples. Cleaned the engine compartment, power washed the radiator, wheel wells and under the car, then enjoyed more of this fantastic driving weather.
Tightened up the side window cranks, which had somehow come a bit loose, then took down the top and took it and my wife for a nice drive on an unbelievably nice Spring day -- especially for Michigan in mid-March.
A group of us got together to pre-run part (75 miles) of the MA / RI coastal tour we're doing on May 5, 2012. Here's pics of the stop at Sakonnet Point. In the first pic, the cars are Jim's '74.5 Bracken GT, Greg's '66 black roadster with hardtop, my '69 Grampian Gray GT, and Jed's '72 BRG roadster braving it with the top down. The people are (left to right): Jim (jdevol), Greg (gmottamgdriver), Frank (fmotta14, Greg's dad, who's hidden behind him) and Jed (jedster1, who's bundled up for top down cruisin'). The second pic is of the same stop from a different angle.
An "Honorable Mention" goes to Phil (philsheehan), who tried to join us, but had a mechanical issue prior to the meet up.
And we've already talked about next weekend. . . maybe a RT 105 run and then over towards Myles Standish. Who's interested?
Cheers,
Rick
First car ever? Wow! What a great choice —especially if you want to learn about 'How A Car Works'! LOL!
Welcome to an awesome community for an awesome little car!
HB :)
Found out the wiper cable I badly need is on back order ... AGGGH!!!
Also devised a nice pad for the factory-padless gas pedal. Any 68 - 75 B owner interested heres my thread:
http://www.mgexperience.net/phorum/read.php?1,2009580
Bryan your B looks awesome! >:D<
Found it - the guy who gave it to me said he thought it was a for a three-wiper car...wasn't entirely sure. I only see one cable on available from Moss...so, who knows?
PM me if you need it & I'll shoot it over. My wipers work great :)-D
Today I took my grandson for his first ride in the MG. He's 2 & 1/2 and he really enjoyed it.
just brought one today for the first time..i want to restore this to brand new ..im in Orange county california usa.. anyone know of a shop and can give me a recomendation?
Hi John,
I still remember cruising around with my son when he was that same age. He's 28 now with a Granddaughter imminent and someone for me to take do my part in introducing the next generation to old school motoring.
Good on ya!
Gord
62 miles :) hit 70mph smooth as silk..
thanks Marco, I like it better with the rostyle wheels than the others. If I can ever stop driving it :) I'll clean it up some! I also can't wait to get my chrome on the sides.
Got the GT licensed today in the state of PA. Going to bring it out of storage this evening and drive it for the first time tomorrow after going over it this evening. I've owned it since November 10, so I'm excited about truly being able to run it in the mountains.
Well.. she's my daily driver, so I took her to work (25 miles each way). The weather is fantastic this evening, now that the rain stopped, so I just put the top down, scrubbed the dirt off the areas that the top covered all winter, and cleaned the cover for the top.
I get out of work in a few minutes - and going out for a nice long drive and a bite of dinner.
Started it up and drove around the block for the second time since rebuild. 2 miles logged so far.
My first 300 mile trip in one day in the B. Went from my house to Clemson, SC for a meeting in the morning. Made a quick stop at the B-Hive, and then came home for dinner, and a celebratory Old Speckled Hen.
Great great day!
I replaced outer door seals (which was a ton of fun btw!) & added a new steering wheel cover. Tomorrow is electronic to mechanical oil gauge swap & heat shield install for the HS6's.
What did you guys do?
I just drove around the block for the first time in a mgb!!!! So happy, even if I did run out of gas at the bottom of my driveway (:D. This was the longest I've driven it. Can't wait till summer and finishing my to do list.
Two days ago I took the cover off the B, unplugged the battery tenderizer and started it up without issue. This is the first spring that the B has been a "turn key". I suspect it has to do with putting a timer on the charger to only charge 8 hours per day instead of 24x7. This allowed the charge to soak into the battery instead of remaining a surface charge.
Proceeded to go on a 40 mile drive that day.
Yesterday I took it out again for a slightly shorter 30 mile drive.
This is a great start to the season!
Replaced both horns. After trying to revive them via adjustment screws, found that the terminal clips were getting a full 12v after all. Replacing both horns solved the issue. Now I can drive a little less defensively!
Also glued the flaps around the hood frame bar. Much easier to go topless now!!
I fixed my tail lights
Still no blinkers
Fixed my number plater lights
Then tested the wipers. They went up but did not come down.
Cleaned the glass off of two of them that was placed there when the tree went through the window of the shop.
I'm SURE I didn't get it all~! I'll be picking it out of my feet all summer.
Got L. frt. & rear fenders stripped & primed on tha 68 B. Tomorrow the door & rocker panel. That will complete stripping & prime work.
Got a new job, resumed work on the GT.
Spent the day drilling spot welds and chiseling apart the drivers side rocker panel, which has a gaping rust hole in the front. Tomorrow will see if it has gotten into the inner,structural stuff. Fingers crossed.
Still have to figure out what to do with the rear dogleg on that side, another rust hole there.
Passenger side looks solid, front wing will come off soon to make sure no hidden rust is there, and will get stripped and undercoated.
Drilling out spot welds is possibly the least fun thing ever.
The new unleadded cylinder head has done 500 miles now. I went to a work meeting yesterday that was a 120 miles round trip, so had a couple of hours on the motorway at 70mph and it went really well. Looking forward to a long weekend away with my wife next month touring the Cotswolds.
Replaced the leaky heater control valve. What a bummer! Hope to never have to do this again.
Installed a Moss 'TT" exhaust system. Fantastic in appearance, and a nice sound.
Cheers,
Bruce
Guess.
:X :X :X
From driving 150 miles in torrential rain last week, and I forgot to use the new cowl grille cover :(
I'd love to fix this leak but I fear its radical surgery - fresh air part of the plenum.
No its not Tom's Knob - I partially circumcised that and its clean. (who was the Tom anyway?)
I suddenly realised this afternoon, that even though I've had my B for 4 months now, I had never taken her out at night. So, we have just returned from a nice top down cruise down to Cleveland Point and back on a balmy 24.5 C evening. Apart from the fact that the panel lights are bit on the dim side, everything worked well. What a pleasant way to start the evening!
Andy :D
Just try getting a box-end wrench on the bottom bolt. Fortunately I have a very thin walled 7/16 box-end wrtench which would fit. Can turn the bolt only about 45 degrees at a time. Patience, patience, patience.......
It's a beautifull day here in tallahassee florida. My wife and I will drive our 1980 MGB down canopy roads and wind up in cario georgia for lunch at mr chicks a delightful eating place. Then take some more canopy roads back. Will probably put 100 miles plus but what a sweet day to drive.
I was hoping to pick the car up from the shop. New front bushings, steering rack boots etc. But It's not ready.
Fixed the wipers today yay. After much fear of the unknown up in there I called Gordon @BHive who sent me the new cable - he told me "Grease the snot out of the new cable, connect it to the motor, shove it in the housing and jiggle the wheelboxes" Success - actually enjoyed doing the repair (tu)
Finally got the right water pump. Be cautious when ordering from Auto Zone, O'Reiley Auto Parts, Advance Auto Parts. When I ordered fro these stores the new water pumps didn't have the correct treads on the pulley. Not 1/4 28, 1/4 20, or metric. Ended up getting a manufactured one. Should have stayed with Victoria British or Moss.........
I drove mine everyday this week. 326 miles this week :)
Replaced both rear wheel brake cylinders! took a whole day :?
Now I'm sanding and buffing. Here's the new top getting some sun :)
Attaching the chrome strips after buffing :)-D
Drove 22 miles in the pouring rain, to work. Big puddles. A little fan belt squeal. A little hydroplaning. But, all in all, a nice cruise.
Ran a pair of front bumper tie-down brackets to Ray (RaysB) in Middleboro, MA. Google maps said his house is 27.0 miles from my door, but somehow, I managed to accumulate 102 miles on my odometer.:S
I think it was because the route I took instead looked like this!(tu)
And looking forward to another run tomorrow!B-)
Cheers,
Rick
Installed those new plastic underdash panels today as the second battle of my GT's cabin heat war that I'm determined to win. (1st was sealing every possible seam and penetration) Man those things are a BEAR to fit (hours of trimming, trying, and drilling in impossible positions) but 2 busted drill bits and 1 dislocated shoulder later ...success (tu)
I realized that w/ an elec rad. fan pulling on the drivers side, at idle and low speed the exhaust heat blows right at you! LH firewall heating up much more than RH. I added extra insulation and heat reflective tape; a 10 mi test drive with air temp at 85 showed me it was worth the effort - the 2 panels and my legs stayed relatively cool yay!
Job time was 4 hrs, followed by 4 Advils hehe.
That road looks a wicked lot like Rt 105 in Assonet/Lakeville, Rick! (tu)
Sorry I couldn't go out and play today, but I got a new job bashing piles into the ground at the airport (Logan) and had to spend the day sorting sh(stuff)t out of the truck (10 mpg) into the B (25 mpg) so I can actually make money rather than keep the oil companies in bidnit.
So a little clean-up, a little tune-up, and I'll be doing 600 miles a week in the little darlin'!
Tomorrow we're going up to NH in it, so perhaps we can hook up next week-end. Unless you want to take a ride up Rt 1 with us??!! (:P)
I cussed at her for almost killing me when the brakes didn't work. Damn it! IT shouldn't be this hard.
Replaced my faulty starter, gave it a much needed and bath and took it out for a nice 75 miles or so down and up Lake Shore Drive and Sheridan Road.
Washed, detailed, checked the fluids, added oil to dashpots, vacuumed, put the top down, drove it for about 50 miles and smiled!
I broke my transmission...
Downshifted into 2nd a little hard on wet road and the tires hopped and smoked before I got the clutch back in.
Afterword there was no neutral, and only third would move the car without binding. The shifter feels very wrong.
I limped home in third, ignoring the gentle metallic rattling noises coming from the trans.
The first drive of the year without the top on. It snowed half of the drive, and I broke my car.
1)Removed the engine backplate and mounted the engine on an engine stand.
2)Removed the windscreen.
3)Took out most of the front wing bolts (apart from the little screws that hold the "bonnet cushion rubber" which i have just ordered some screw removers for for next weekend when i get back to it!)
It's a beautiful day here today, so the B and I went for a nice long drive with the top down, stopped for hot dogs at a cool little hot dog stand in Saratoga, then took the back roads to Glens Falls then home. A little more work with the shop vac and the carpet steamer, did the seats and the carpets in back today.
:( Speedometer still isn't working - thought I had it fixed yesterday. Guess I'm ordering a new cable from Moss on Monday
Gave up 3 hrs of a perfect-weather Sunday to chase this damned tappet cover oil leak ... AGAIN :X :X
I must admit the leak was caused by me yanking on the vent pipe changing its hose 2 wks ago. The cover was cocked and I guess the gasket dislodged, but what a stupid cheap piece of engineering that cover is grrrr. And who the hell has a torque wrench that can do TWO ft lbs (recommended)
Hopefully nipped it this time ...hi tech Permatex Hylomar sealant on all surfaces, new bushing and all the other bits in correct order. Drove 10 mi, got the motor good n' hot (cranked up the elec. fan control from 180 to 200), no leaks after cold start or while it's out there simmering down (tu)
Yes I remembered to reset the fan control :I3:
The usual cohorts were unavailable, so did a 96 mile solo run. Partly sunny with a temperature in the 60's, but a little cooler with some fog rolling in along the coast. All in all, a good run.(tu)
Cheers,
Rick
Finally got a spare set of keys cut. Quite a relief to now have an extra set.
Took the B on about a 40 mile drive today. Considered changing the clutch line copper O-Ring but decided to continue organizing the garage instead.
Fixed the wiper motor. Fixed the flap for the heater/defroster switch. Installed a radio. Reconnected my headlamps. Removed the windshield in hopes of replacing with another next week. Busy day.
Changed the oil and filter and swapped my winter weight 10-40 for rest of the year 20-50.
installed one of the two replacement door panels (driver's side) I have, plus replaced the strap style door pull with the arm rest type. It's nice to finally have a place for my left arm when the window is closed.
The lines for the PCV system that run to the carbs were so loose that I'm surprised they didn't just fall off on their own. So I added a hose clamp to each side.
I started to install the Ignitor EI unit I bought a while back, but it doesn't seem to be the right one. So I reinstalled the points and set the gap.
I'm not sure if it's the freshly set points or vacuum leaks sealed up by the clamps, but the car is running much much smoother, and I didn't think it was bad before.
It's running so well I don't think I am going to bother to install the EI and Flamethrower, so off to eBay they will go.
After 20 years of sitting and a few years refurbing, finally got my B running and pulled her out of the garage [turns out a broken wire in the distributor was the culprit]. Got as far as the driveway when I realized clutch doesnt disengage o.O This week will be spent learning about slave and master cylinders, the whole clutch shebang, and under the car experimenting.
Took mine out for a drive on Saturday afternoon. On the way home the engine started missing and power was down significantly. On Sunday afternoon I found the reason: compression readings of 127-140-140-50! For more details see my post http://www.mgexperience.net/phorum/read.php?1,2015470
Drove my B to my new job for the first time this spring. All went well except for a little hickup right near the end. I'll start another thread now about that.
Link for anyone who wants to have a look...
It's almost ready for the road. If you look at my avatar and then the pictures you will see what's been going on in my shop. You can also see I've put any more work on the engine bay off till next winter, but still did enough to be more careful. The new clutch feels good, and with the new tank no more fumes!
Replaced ZSU with twin HS4's on Peco exhaust header and system. Lit off on the second crank with a sweet sounding idle.
Replaced rack gaiters (last ones only lasted about two years, and were goo when removed).
[color=#006633]Greetings! New guy here...
Not today, but had to take my front tires off to try to find the grinding sound. Could be the bearings, but darned if I can figure out how to get the grease cup off. If one were to read my first journal entry, my efforts to date are listed, though not complete nor chronological. There are times I just want to X([/color].
Let's see. I replaced the plug and wires. Then i installed a new temp gauge that doesnt work. Then the fuel line decided to leak. Then I quit and am drinking beer.
Fixed my problem from this morning this evening, may have discovered another.
Got the insurance reinstated. It was off for the winter but the temperature is in shirtsleeve territory already.
It is active as of midnight tonight. I may go for a midnight ride. :)
Fooled around four hours Sunday and two hours tonight trying to get my headlights/taillights to work. ARRGH!
[color=#006633]I would suggest to keep in mind the connectors. I found that problem when my brake lights would not work.[/color]
I think I'll actually go out and clean up some of the mess I made in the garage and computer room (I use it as an all purpose room and have the sewing machines and layout table in there too) so I can start making more messes this week.
What did I do with my B today?
Only started it up after its winter storage thats all!
Started first turn of the key. Brilliant. Can't have a better day than that.
Ian
Ordered parts in mass quantities for the first time in decades - well, there goes bank account!
[color=#006633]Got the final order of parts from LBCC; 2 door caps (though without the hardware which I needed as well) The vent window seals and a replacement door top seal.) All ordered before I knew there was a problem with the front wheel. Oh, well...[/color]
Drove it in the rain - first time. It was RAINING, Oregon style rain - it was awesome until I realized that my left shin was soaked. Ha ha ... It was still a blast to drive it - been a week and I was itching to take the go-cart out for a spin. Looks like saturday-Monday may be drier! O boy!
Good thing I have my truck, don't think I will take it out again in the pounding rain.
[color=#006633]I finally took a couple of pictures to post. And decided on a name:"Emma" So, here she is, crippled and laid up so anyone can see up her skirt... ::o[/color]
The 40 year old fusebox is also a potential issue. Hidden corrosion and loose connections. Replaced mine and added a Bosch Alternator and WOW! I have SUPER lights!
Today was the culmination of a few projects I've been working on.
Completed installation of the dual bonnet struts. Managed to get some with stainless steel tubes (same price as black) and now the bonnet sits perfect instead of limpy.
Second thing done was completion of a new electric fan mounting bracket. I spent some pretty pennies getting the stock rad recored and didn't want to thrust those hokey zip-type fasteners through the fins so I designed and fabricated these brackets. I had to go 'pusher' with no room behind the rad, so I wanted to set it off to one side so as not to block too much of the rad.
Tomorrow I'll fit the rad, bracket and fan back into the car.
Currently in the midst of 4-wheel brake and bearings job....
Oh, and welcomed my Brand New Granddaughter into the World! Welcome Sophia Marie!!!
It is really funny how my 8 mile drive home ended up taking an hour and an extra 23 miles. These cars just love running with the top down on an 80 degree day.
Completed an 80 mile round trip to Lake Elisnore & back - stopped by The Lookout Roadhouse & enjoyed some awesome views from the top. :)-D
BTW, Gord - I could eat out of that engine bay. Nice job!
Pulled the rear drums off to lube up the 1/2" adjustment bolt thing.
Just got back from a few days on Phillip Island - 300 km round trip. blue ran like a dream, but it rained buckets yesterday and I did find several windshield leaks.
WOW Marco!!!! The drool is just about drying, but the smile of appreciation will be there for a while! Excellent job!!
John
Trying to save PLT's original jack bag today; DPO let it turn into a sad rusty mess :X
Bit tricky without getting the inside wet - scrubbing the rust with CLR worked sort of ok. The buckles are history :( I'll use a bungee cord to keep it rolled.
I know there's replacements but you're only original once
~Marco and PLT~
Changed the upper radiator hose and thermostat. One thermostat housing stud snapped off thankfully at nut and not the head. Little heat on the head and some vise grips turned the stud out without much issue at all. Replaced all the studs just to be on the safe side for next time and also added lock washers to the hardware assembly.
Got headlights working again. So I guess laying upside down playing with wires under the dash of a small British car is my way of relaxing after work.
Monkeyed with the clutch hydralics and then ordered a clutch slave from Englishparts.com
Broke my damn turn signal switch by fumbling with an emergency horn blow. Now the high beams flop down to the on position. very irritating. I will be ordering a new one tomorrow. Found a new one on eBay for $65.00 with free shipping.
Wasn't today, but I've been dealing with family emergencies the last few days.
Last Saturday, 4 gents from the club came over and we did some compression testing and then took Dorothy's head off.
Great times!
More detail here: http://www.mgexperience.net/journal/mulpha/7257
Today I worked on my maintenance XLS. It's setup for Canucks that garage their cars over the winter - I'll share when I've sorted a few more tasks out.
Solved an odd problem with my headlights: When I selected High Beam, the dash illumination for the speedo went out, and when I selected Low again, the illumination came back, but High beam stayed on.
This was obviously connected with the relays I have fitted, but that was 6 months ago. It turned out to be a bad earth of the speedo itself, sorted now.
Drained and refilled both the differential and transmission. Getting ready for some serious driving in the Texas Hill Country.
sounds like your going to do nice ride just got back from ride on canopy roads and back highways here in tallahassee florida and through south georgia had my 80B doing 70-75mph just huming along with frank sinatra cd just loving life isn't it great? have good day
Spent my lunch hour driving around the backroads. This weekend, rebuilding the seats.
Filled up the fuel tank on my way to work this morning, then spit and sputtered to the next exit as if it were out of gas. So my to do list just grew this weekend...
TIm
1978 MGB
43,XXX original miles, paint and interior
Dead battery the other day. Turns out battery is fine and I have ordered replacement parts for my 16ACR alternator. Also replaced five year old spark plugs with new NGK BP6ES.
So early next week I'll be replacing the regulator, rectifier, brushes, and slip ring. I think the regulator is the only thing that actually failed, but the other items are might-as-wells.
Not bad for a 40 year old item...
Thanks Andrew, for the compliments about the engine bay. I was just looking at it yesterday and pondering a wash up first day out of the garage. (Which should be in about a week, after front brake job.) I am rather proud of that job. All done with spray bomb, off-the-shelf colours. Same colour as the body, but in a flat/satin finish. I think part of the Key is to use that split wiring loom to encase the wiring. We all know what a birdsnest that can be!
But... that's what living North of the 49th will give you —plenty of Winter, and time to do a little more than weekend work.
Here's a group of pics showing that project.
Gord
Ordered interior kit for my roadster from the roadster factory. On sale for $259. Includes all 7 panels and materials to do the door caps and cockpit rail. Gonna look great with my newly re-covered seats. Can't wait!
dropped out the fuel tank Wednesday .plan on putting in the new tank and sending unit i received from Gordan at the B hive today.
for what it's worth ordered the tank Tuesday received it Friday. I talked to Gordan on the phone when ordering and I'm very pleased with transaction and parts.
Replaced the clutch master and slave cylinder, and then went for a great ride.
Picked up my wheels and tires from the tire shop yesterday. Put on two of my brand new Dayton Tubeless Chrome Wires on the back. Just waiting now for some new shims and bearings for the fronts. Wow do they look great, IMHO.
Sprayed tops of doors after Crack of doom repair......ready to fit new quarterlights I have purchased.
I put in a new condenser, reset the points, measured the sloooow fuel pump flow again, jacked the rear end up and disconnected the fuel line from the tank and pump, and watched the sill panels rust for about 5 min. Then I had a beer to celebrate.
Finally changed the clutch slave to rubber hose O-Ring. 20 or so mile test drive and no drip accumulated on any of the bits.
Got my new to me MGB-GT, sorted the electricals, then got it running, but rough. Took it for an 8 mile run to warm things up, but still running rough. Installed new plugs and re-gapped the points; now running a lot smoother. Will fine tune ignition then move on to the carbs. Took out a four day temp license to get things sorted out before I take it to our local smog control centre. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Cheers,
Bruce
I had all the weld nuts inside my rear bumper break off, so today I completely disassembled the bumper. Removed the rubber from the steel and then using a $5.00 spotweld cutter from Harbor Freight, I cut out all the spot welds that hold the three pieces of steel together. I was surprised at how good of a job that that cutter did for how cheap it was. I welded in new 3/8 inch bolts where the old weldnuts used to be. Now i just have to weld it all back together and figure out how i want to refurbish that rubber before i put it back on the car.
Just ordered up a new cam for the "B" and won an accoution on EBay for a Weber intake and carb. Now contemplating the exhaust? Header or factory ?? Does anyone know about polishing the inside of a factory manifold?
We got Sir Basil back last weekend and had a great time driving him around all week. Had the new exhaust system tweeked to stop hitting the frame and had the tires balanced. Runs great.
We have an accumulation of parts and projects long considered over the winter. The master plan resides on a restuarant napkin on the kitchen table.
So Friday, Miss Christine drove Sir Basil to work and notices a far too great variance in the engine temperature. Closer inspection reveals the fans are not working.
SATURDAY:
Established that there is power at the thermostat. Dismanteled the grill to access the fans. Find power at both fans but not running...Hummm.
Use battery charger to determine that one fan runs the other does not. It is rumored that there is a circuit breaker which will flip if one fan does not work which in turns prevents the other fan from working. Thank you Lord Lucus.
Q: So, do we replace the single bad fan and wait for other to go, or junk it all for a new single fan?
OK, let's do something easy.
Installed the new Aluminium Cast Valve cover.
Done. That was easy.
Next: replace the windshield wiper motor.
Holy crap, what a pain.
Bentley does not exactly explain the torture required to accomplish this feat.
How I am supposed to remove those damn little screws and retainer clips in situ.
Done.
Install quick release for negative post on battery.
Why was the battery box designed to have the positive post right next to exposed meteal?
Considering a fix.
Dean,
I had my 70 MGB exhaust manifold Jet Hot coated. They do a great job and put one coat inside and two Coates on the outside. Guaranteed for life. Check out their website.
Jim
Had to run to Wareham for an errand, so took the GT and did the fun twisties in the Wareham/Myles Standish area (Tihonet Rd, Farm To Market Rd, Federal Rd, Cranberry Rd, Lower College Pond Rd, Halfway Pond, Rd, Upper College Pond Rd, Lower College Pond Rd, Bare Hill Rd, Rocky Pond/South Pond Rd, Watercourse Rd, Black Cat Rd, Federal Furnace Rd, Tremont St, Wareham St, Charlotte Furnace Rd), then came home through Middleboro, Lakeville, and Rochester via Long Point Rd and the RT 105 twisties.B-)
Google maps tells me the route should have been 54 miles, yet the GT's odometer read 112 miles (I like my route better!);)
Cheers,
Rick
Also met another MGB owner at my stop in Wareham!(tu) Didn't have his car with him, but was thrilled to see the GT out and about!
[color=#006633]Not as much as I intended. Changed out the hard vent window seal on the passenger side. Took the entire guts out and replaced the outer top door seal as well. Took way too long. Still gotta do the same to the driver's door. I figure since she's laid up and I cannot afford to do the mechanical stuff right now, I might as well go ahead and do some more of the cosmetic.[/color] 8-)
Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon splitting the wiring harness near the alternator and ignition to find out why there's no alternator output. The wire in the lamp circuit was broken - SIX INCHES into the wiring harness. The last owner re-taped the wiring harness with electrical tape, which is now a sticky, gooey mess. The two wires to the ignition coil were cracked and hanging on by a thread. Spliced up the mess with some fresh wire, crimp splices, and tie wraps. Amazing how well things work once they're connected...
Today I drove her to the office to clean, and when I got done cleaning the office, cleaned some of the trim with Mother's Metal Polish.
This week's project is troubleshooting the speedometer.
Installed new battery post clamps and jerry rigger a plastic cover for the positive terminal to avoid accidental shorts.
(I knew it would come to this someday). Used Duct Tape to cover the exposed metal edges of the battery box to avoid the accidential short. Ms. Christine, whilst ever the fan of duct tape, orders a plastic battery box insert.
Tested yesterday's install of the new windshield wiper motor (it worked fine, thank you very much for asking), staret him up, and away we went into the hills for a quick ride. Sir Basil ran scary good. (:D
Next weekend, the install of the new radiator and fan (on order).
A very good weekend. :)-D
Gee, what didn't I do to my B this weekend? Fixed a transmission problem by pulling engine and tranny...turns out only a stuck clutch plate; also found leak in oil pressure flex pipe in the process; refit the front bumper and strut supports; tested out the brakes and newly unstuck clutch (work beautifully, except for back and emergency brakes, need to work on them soon); put in new carpet on the rear shelf; flushed the radiator; cleaned the floor pans; made a huge order to victoria british; found a couple broken brackets on tranny and exhaust; and got a new thermostat.
This week will be spent doing interior work and anxiously awaiting my new toys to arrive from VB. (:D
Need to cut patterns from old seats and panels to sew new seat and panel upholstery. Any tips? Too poor to buy new kits :P
WELL, I Fixed a 40 year old bulb add a small wire and resolder The cap on a bulb; I wanted it Done today. IT ORIGINAL!
I repaired the wire in the back of the B GT,
Cut out the multible Messy splices hard to follow in the back of the GT,
Fixed the Left tail light circuit cut by PO
Cut and removed wire from left tail light to the right rear tail light added By PO
Fixed and connected Left tail light circuit
Cleaned and sanded fuse box
Cleaned and sanded both rear Reverse Lamps Fixed 40 year olb bulb tin cap fell off.
Removed glue holding Left reverse lamp GLUED DOWN BY PO! What were they thinking, Or do they think?
Tail lights now come on fist click of the head light switch with out the head lights
Rewired Number Plate Lamps
Removed old Fuel Vent Line to vapor cannister
Retaped the rear wire harness in trunk
Vacuumed trunk area.
Spent the day with Wendy working on the GT
applebj8,
Don't think it was bad gas. Got off work that evening checked it out and found nothing, It ran great all weekend and it drove Great this morning... If weather is nice this evening it's getting buffed out and then I will get some pics of it up.
Tim
43,XXX original miles, interior and paint
installed a new fuel tank and sending unit. ordered it by phone from Gordan at the B hive. he was great to deal with and I received the parts in three days.
Took the spindles and kingpins off and rebuilt them. Got a master kit from Moss and made tools to drive the old bushings out and the new ones in.I called 4 shops in a60 mile radius trying to find a reamer with no luck so I made tooling and set them up in my milling machine and line bored the new bushings. Worked great. I'll spend the reamer money on something else. Glad I did it too,they were in pretty bad shape.
I took my Sister, my brother in law and my 87 year old Father for joy rides today. They all had a great time.
Andy >:D<
I cleaned paint with Mcguires #105 Ultracut, followed up with Mcguires #205. Then waxed with Zymol. Today I am going to pick up parts to repair headlamps, turn signals, and install battery bins. Last week, I paid shop to rebush front end and install new brake flex lines. I am too old to be screwing around with jack stands.
Checked and set point gap... Was about .004" IF that... Yikes! Set timing and then the carbs. Did the usual fluid checks and visuals prior to the first drive. I should have the new TT exhaust on in a few days.
Hopefully spring is finally coming to Edmonton.
Sold it...will be going to its new home this weekend. Have hardly driven it in years and didn't want it rotting in the yard. At least it's going to a former B owner who I'm sure will enjoy it, take care of it and give it a good home. Hope they realize the great deal they got on it.
After I spilt the coffee all over the console I went and borrowed my wife's toothbrush and gave it all a good clean. Remoeved the gator ring and ashtray and am in the process of repainting them.
[color=#006633]Yesterday, I cleaned up the passenger side front floor, sanded of the rough paint and surface rust from the seat support runners (?) and got most of the panel for the door "card" cut out. Still need to figure out how to mark it for the plastic fasteners. Also, finally got the grease cup out, so today, I took the rest of the hub off and found that the inner race is broken. Have it all taken apart and know what I need to order, just have to get the cash to cover it...[/color]
Took PLT to the shop I use when I get desperate - couldnt finish the Moss exhaust heat shield install at home :(
Those Frankenstein gearbox mounts our dear B's have are impossible to line up and secure laying on the ground with the crossmember in yer face, and no helper. The heat shield went in fine after I realized I had to drop the entire exhaust, but I only got 1 gearbox mount bolt in - 8 hrs of torture. :X
Car 6 ft in the air - child's play.
A word of advice - that heat shield really works (cooler floor) but the instructions fail to mention you need 2 people and air tools to do the job.
Marco,
Most people drill two holes in the cross member in order to allow access with an extension. Makes it a lot easier.
Replaced the obnoxious, hot-dog size Monza front exhaust resonator with a proper 22" Flowmaster glasspak and 2 adapter sleeves. The former noise and buzzing @2500-3000 RPM was gettin' old - PLT's quiet at highway speed now and no power loss ... success! We ready for a 500 mile weekend trip >:D<
Discovered that the catch in the passenger side seat belt was not reliable yesterday, so will replace both seat belts in the car with new ones today. Of course I will have to do a test drive when the job is finished. :D
Andy
Last night I was woken by sounds from the street outside. My car, like most in Brighton, is often parked there instead of in a garage. When I woke up this morning, I discovered someone had bashed off my side mirror, which was lying on the floor. At least the fixing wasn't broken. The car next to mine had its side mirror and casing completely smashed. It seems to be a trend here, and I hate it.
As a result, I spent quite a while today fixing it. It needs doing, especially as it's going in for an M.O.T on Monday.
I bought a new horn/turn signal/high beam switch from Sports Car Parts LTD. It came today (ordered online on Sat.) $74.25USD shipping included. Nice part..fit right on..Looks and works good. and fast shipping! Nice to have functionality again without the damn thing flopping into high beam every time I'd go over a bump!
Michelle is out putting the new turn signal flasher in. I am going to join her after this post to install the new tires and the repainted rims. The rear brake shoes will be inspected first, but we need to get the wheels back on so we can drive it. The GT has a new license and insurance so we are legal to be on the road. We did a road test on Tuesday on the 24 year old tires that came on it with no mishaps, so it seems like it wants to run.
There are some little fixes (like there always are with Lucas electrics) and a bit of touch up to the original paint. A new paint job will have to wait until we have both B's on the road. The roadster needs more body/paint work than the GT. We are looking forward to meeting some of the others on this group this summer with both rigs running!
Christine and I installed the new radiator and electronic fan. It went flawlessly. OK, relatively flawless. OK, about as flawless as one could expect from me. We installed the fan too low on the radiator and had to find a shop with the replacement zip strips. But after that..... B)-i
So after topping the ant-freeze, we went out for a ride, with the top down in the 45 degree weather. Hot cocoa with rum now, trying to get warm again. :)o
BTW, this past week had the tires balanced because of shaking starting at 50 and getting to be unbearable at 70. The balancing fixed it. Smooth as silk today. We discovered the receipt for the Tires in the glove box. Purchased 1994. ::o OK, that could have been part of the problem.
Now that I've had her back on the road for about 3 weeks after my complete engine rebuild and had the help of a couple of my local car club members (Central Virginia British Car Club) to work out a few issues, she seems to be running just fine. Took her out this afternoon for a leisurely 25 mile drive with the top down on some country roads. What a pleasure!
In 3 weeks, 7 cars from our club (MGAs, MGBs, and one Jag) are driving to Key West FL. I'll be holding my breath that my B makes it without any major issues. I'll report back on how the car, my wife and I do on this 2,200+ mile trip.
Jim
installed a new fuel tank and sending unit a couple of days ago . Gordan at the B hive was pleasant to deal with and parts arrived quickly
Installed a new fuel line and vapor return line as far as the back edge of the floor. Then I cleaned and plated the braided hoses and hardware for the vapor separator tank.
Noticed a small amount of fuel leaking near the right rear tire. Thankfully it was just a hose connection that was loose. Tightened it up and no more leak. (:P)
Washed, clayed and polished FG. I have to admit that I was somewhat sceptical about the clay bar until I looked at the bar and saw the amount of crap that was being removed. The bodywork really did feel smooth to the touch. I am converted.
Ian
Put the brake calipers back on after renewing the front suspension, put the wheels back on, lowered it all back down and examined the height.
Also put the battery back in a battery box I just made out of slotted angle iron.
Beautiful Autumn day in Sydney for the 1st of April. Took the long way to work around the shores of Botany Bay and Sydney Airport. Nice way to start the day !
We took our MGB GT 1972 for it's first run after 24 years in storage. What a blast and then
back home to work on restoration to reliable running condition tasks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c6WSUkOz6w&list=UUvqMRF28FYt3Ylo7ad8yZdg&index=1&feature=plcp
Working on a client's 67 Spit rear brakes, I twisted a rear flex line off, even after 3 "God save the Queen"s. I decided I would tackle an annoyance on my MBG, the accelerator cable falling to one side. It had been resting on the newly painted valve cover for a few weeks, losing its ability to stand upright. Gravity always wins, right? It had worn a bare spot in the paint, so I decided it was about time.I attached the throttle cable to the rear of the generator with a mini brass P-clip and a sleeve of old vacuum line. I ran a self tapping screw into one of the existing holes in the back plate of the generator...anyone know whether this is a bad idea or not. Are any of those used for oiling? If it is an oil point, I may look for another solution... Tomorrow, cylinder head replacement begins...glad I got a good day out with her before she is down for a bit.
Cleaned the garage so I can fit the MG inside to work on it!
In the last few days....
Completed front brake an bearing work, reinstalled the rebuilt rad (It was a bit of a BEAR!) installed custom fan bracket, Installed new Cooper CS4 tires on repainted rims. BOUGHT INSURANCE and put about 150km on test driving the work.
Currently wrestling with a new grille. Already chopped the centre post 1/2" and it still doesn't fit correctly. Seems the PO had the same problem with the last one and butchered it. Anyone else experience this?
Spring Rains are here, but at least I'm ready...
Hi Darren. Do you have a pic of the "screw attachment" to the generator? Very risky running a self tapping screw into an electrical device!
Went to the storage barn to and after installing the battery the car started on the second turn and ran @ 800 rpm. Now if it would stop snowing hear I can get her on the road for some fun driving.
Topped off the front shocks....looks like I will need some World Wide ones soon. Greased the front end and gave it a little bit more tow in. Took it for a drive and seems to be a more stable. Put my work stuff in the car as I'm taking it Monday.(50 miles RT)
Woke her up from a winter's rest! My 75 MGB fired up first time! Took a little spin in the neighborhood to get the cob webs out and now I'll be diving into front end work...King Pins and bushings oh my!
Finished making and installing the vapor, fuel and rear brake lines. Then I got the rear wiring harness routed properly. The steel lines have been one of my least favorite jobs so far. Almost ready to install the motor and trans.
Pulled the brake drums for inspection. Front wheel Disks OK but driver side rear wheel cylinder leaking fluid. Ordered a new set of shoes $20 and new wheel cylinders (2 for $34) from British Parts Northwest in Dayton, Oregon. Overnight UPS ground. Yay! Test drive planned for tomorrow evening with the hubby.
Put it up For Sale on the Buy, Sell & Trade forum. Ouch! Shameless plug.
Prepped the engine compartment for paint. Didn't go real well, the new tube of seam sealer was hardened in the tube.
Started to repair the meltdown that happened when the thermal sensor shorted out on the hose clamp last fall.
The old harness is out, and the "new" one is almost ready to go in.
And, YES, I am installing Limey's fuses and relays!!
Today i just 1st time go to pick my Grandmother from airport by My MGB
Yesterday we replace the vaccum advance hose that had been melted. Tonight, we reinstalled the fan guard, grill and the nuts holding down the mud shield. (I had to look up the name of the semi cardboard thing behind the radiator).
Then, a ride out below the Helderberg Mountains.
Cool, but boy, is Sir Basil behaving like a proper Englishman (as opposed to a proper English car). :D
I ended up tracking down my blinker issue and doing a valve adjustment. Next on the list is to redo the valve adjustment (too noisy for my tastes).
Today I fixed 2 stupid little oil leaks that showed up after last weekend's 600 mile road trip. I guess the tapered conical part of the dipstick where it plugs in the tube was rubber once but its sure petrified now and weeps oil. Found a thin rubber quad ring (square profile o-ring) at my Ace Hardware and fitted it below the taper. Dipstick now seals well.
Also found a suitable gasket for the suddenly weeping, fairly new chrome oil cap; jammed it in there on top of the already shrunken orig. The oil cap requires some force to R & R now but no more leaks (tu)
The ride of shame :(
Think its the distributor which is long overdue so just ordered a timing light and will then get into it.
Cheers,
Richard B.
Hit 88mph on the hwy top down. Nice drive. Smelt a raw fuel while driving and noticed the vapor can in the boot was dripping. 60 miles today.
The MGB is a sports car launched by MG Cars in May 1962 to replace the MGA. Introduced as a four-cylinder roadster, a coupé with 2+2 seating was added in 1965. The six-cylinder MGC debuted in 1967; a later derivative fitted with the Buick-based Rover V8 was made from 1973 to 1976.
MGB/MGC production continued until October 1980 variously by the British Motor Corporation and its successors, British Motor Holdings and British Leyland Motor Corporation.
started "marinating" the front end in PB Blaster for disassembly next weekend.
Got good and dirty dropped the front suspension. All for about $30.00 worth of bushings....everything's frozen..soaked her in PB Blaster....
Just got the new water pump put on. Started her up and no leaks! So how do you get 200 hp out of a 1800 cc.?
Finally got around to swapping out my weber carb for a set of HS 4's I bought off Chris. Took all day, but mostly because of a broken acceleration cable. I can't wait to drive it Saturday :)
-got the rheostat to work, I can finally see the dash at night! MUCH better
-replaced the hazard switch and the flasher relay
-Put in reconditioned center console and shifter boot
-sewed all the seats together save for the back of one; glued the bottoms on and attached to the frames; i'll be finishing that up tomorrow
-pulled the back brakes off, found a wheel cylinder to be frozen solid...soaked in pb blaster still solid after about a week; decided to go pick up a new one at NAPA :)
-found out that (i don't want to jinx it) almost everything works! going for a test drive soon...after 21 years of sitting no less! I cant wait!
Ummm
HC, FI, VVT, Turbo, Nitro.
Or just put in a rice burner.
Took the trunk dpown to the metal, coated it with rustoleum with sound deadener, and then the new carpet goes in......oh my aching back, but it feels good!!!
Post has been removed by the administrator due to violation of the Terms of Service.
adjusted ignition timing, adjusted valves, balanced carbs and serviced overdrive as per the John Twist videos and refilled the gearbox with 20/50 oil. Just got the choke cable to replece, high beam warning light to fix, radio to install tachometer to be replaced ( when a replacement acquired)and small rust patch on the front offside wing to sort out.
Took a short drive to the coast. Had a coffee and drove back.
Well, I tried to start it, but my dad decided he would mess around with idle speed, and now it wont start, sadly I couldn't do anything :(
I have had a bit of a cold during the last couople of weeks, but the weather today was far too nice to pass up! So I ran out the route of the MA Southcoast / RI East Bay MG group run that we have scheduled for May 5, 2012.B-)
And now back in the garage with another 120 fun miles on the odometer!(tu)
Cheers,
Rick
I flushed the brake fluid, pulled the soft top and hard top down off the shelf and started cleaning them up.
I'm now back in the business of looking for weatherstriping for the hard top. I may put the hard top on at some point, or I may not, but I want it to be in good shape either way.
Put new sway bar bushings on the rear of ole yeller. Now THAT"S a not fun job.
edit - first bolts I have ever had to cut off this car. Not bad overall.
just build front speakers boxes (5" x 1.5" Visaton)for under dash and replace rear speakers with 5.5". Sounds great even with loud pipes and top down!! And the "expert" at a top end car stereo shop said I couldn't improve with anything without amps/boosters/etc around $800.00!!
Guess he doesn't know us MG people!! I'll post photo's after Velcro cures.
come-on summer!!
Berkley
Seeing how today is Easter Sunday (down under) I made the folk at church a little envious. Very bad I know but today in Perth is 29 celsius and wonderful to drive topless.
So a s l o w trip through the church parking lot was great!
On another subject but kind of the same. How do I remove the heater knobs? They just do not want to budge! Any help would be appreciated. Owners manual useless!
Happy Easter!
Iain;
About those heater knobs -- be very careful, they're not easy to find/replace [st least not for a '69B]. anyway, there is a small hole in side of knob, a spring/pin holds the knob in position. carefully push a small probe into this hole to release the pin/spring, while pulling lightly on knob. you'll feel a release and the knob should pull off freely. You may find photos in search??
good luck!
Berkley
Well, in the last three days, I have replaced the windshield, the fenders, the dash, and got it running again. Working on the car insurance.
BTW - the VB windshield glass SUCKS. There are major gaps at each corner where they beveled out the edges, and the new gasket did nothing to fill those in. Even using "personal lubricant" did nothing to make it work right. But there is a clear pane of glass in the frame, and the car is ready to ship to Hawaii. I will have to work on the windshield some more out there. Right now, it is time for some silicon sealant to plug the gaps, and hope for the best.
I was under the car today and found a bad weld on the down pipe of my new Falcon Bug Bore exhaust. Pretty big gap so I guess I'll be taking it off and returning it to Moss. luckily I live pretty close to their Petersburg location.
Jim
Drove it about 400 miles round trip for Easter brunch with my family. Couldn't resist parking it between a late model Z06 and Viper.
Drove PLT to the beach at 6:30 AM for a thorough warm-up,(8 mi round trip), forgeting how packed the beaches are here Easter, before sunup even ::o
With about 800 miles on my reborn dizzy from Advanced (Thanks again Jeff! (tu) ), I reset the point gap and timing. Hard to get in there with a regular feeler blade so I ground down the edges of a .016 to a slender size- fits perfect. Got the timing @16 BTDC and idle @850; wow it starts alarmingly fast LOL and runs even better than before :)
Cruised it over to the family's later for eats and exhaustion from rowdy kids 8-)
INSTALLED A NEW BATTERY AND GROUND STRAP I MY 79.DROVE IT ABOUT 10 MILES!
Changed engine side panels, put the manifold and carburator back on, and there's this terrible screeching. Not the water pump, or the alternator; What could it be? Vacuum leak? Help!
I got to drive the GT to go teach on Saturday. It was about 40 miles round trip and was a joy to drive. The route is on back roads and was a lot of fun. My fellow instructors approved of the new-to-us rig.
Today, it was Michelle's turn to drive. We took it out to breakfast and back. Then we needed a break so we had to drive to Baskin Robins with the sunroof open. All in all, an enjoyable weekend with the GT.
We have some minor tweaking to do. One of the tasks is to tune the SU's. I'm going to watch the Jim Twist video about 12 times before I take out the screw driver. (I have an old Unisyn that I used on my old '66 Spitfire, so that part will go OK.)
Clay
Thanks Berkley
Most helpful.
I purchased a wood dash kit and new heater knobs (couln't read the old ones). Haven't installed the laminate panels or the new knobs as I could not get the old knobs off.
Thanks for your help and I bought the knobs from SG parts in the UK. Great excahange rate at the moment.
Iain
Ran a couple of top-down errands with my father-in-law, then checked the oil and topped it off. (Hey, they can't all be tricky jobs.)
Thanks to Berkley I finally removed the "guess what I am doing" heater dials and replaced them with bright shiny new ones. No more guessing!
Thanks Berkley,
Iain
Iain:
thanks for thanks - love our "MGE mutual admiration site!" love to see your finished project...
test drove, today & really love my new/old stereo with new speakers....made small boxes {6x6x2) for front-adhered with velcro [didn't realize they make different types [industrial strength??]. now if I drove alone I can put those suckers where they sound best!! on passengers floor/seat folded forward/console/etc!! check out that easy volume control & ipod adaptor, in photo & yes the tape deck works perfently!!
let my brother-in-law drive!!!
grooving to "Summer of '69 music~~~~in a '69 time machine!!"
we'll lucky people!!
Berkley
Removed a cracked exhaust manifold and all the hoses and belts preparing to replace, and discovered the a arm bushings are trashed.
Ordered more parts for my 1980 MGB
Drove it to work 96 miles round trip. doing it again tomorrow.
Finally installed the seats! left the headrests off, looks great IMO... It was a pain, but I'm glad they're in. Replaced rear cylinders, shoes, and hose on brakes. Thought that would fix my problem, but no cigar. Still have to figure out what's wrong... Guess that first test drive in over 20 years will have to wait another week... [sigh]
always nice to know. Was that an official Exorcism or did you just scare the poor thing?
Changed the SU damper oil from 20-50 to straight 20W after reading that's the recommendation from SU. It always seems to be a trade-off though; now I have no smoke from too-rich on acceleration, but a bit of lag instead, like when I tried Marvel Mystery oil.
I'm thinking the air temps here (75 - 95 F) and resulting underbonnet temps, are too hot for 20W so I'll give it a few more miles then probly back to 20-50. Endless fun huh 8-)
Learned how to solder my own radiator. Fixed a small leak and added a drain tap while I was at it!
trying to "re-install" seats! the rest of the interior was not bad, but the juggling of all those washers and seat parts is something for tomorrow
Took my 7 year old nephew out for lunch then a ride on some of the local curvy roads. I had to grab a booster seat from my sister's car so he could see over the dash and door.
Then before I headed home I loaded the spare radiator in the back to take in to my local shop for a pressure test. If it tests out I will be swapping out the existing leaky one Saturday.
Drove to work for the first time this year. Had the snug top on and enjoyed the drive with the new Tourist Trophy exhaust!
I drove my '73 MGB for the first time in 6 years! It still needs a couple of interior panals, top, speakers, and glove box door installed. It drives really great. Any recommendations on speakers and where to mount them?
Removed the front fenders and got a suprize on the bad weld job of the PO, did some wire tracking its a cluster from the PO. lots of cuts and splices
I started taking all the bright work off, I want to have my GT reprinted, are there folks out there who have left the chrome off of the sides? I am thinking it will look cleaner with the chrome off.
In many ways, I'm only just getting started on my 1979 $900 red MGB find last year. And yes this is my first post here. Maybe I'll have her at least back to working with replace clutch and brakes and fix lighting to enjoy her at least this summer. Whenever that plans on happening here in Seattle. Even my homeland back in England has had better weather weather than here!!!
Anyway, only half the guages work. The important ones thankfully. Did have my local shop port the heads to flow better at the exhaust. Have fresh pistons swapped out for upgraded compression but reading that this might make it too high given the 79 cyl head might have too low a cc and cause detonation. maybe the thicker gasket will help offset that?
so also while the motor is opened up, with fresh crank bearings on 80K miles ( previous ones showing the copper a little), my attention turns to whether to swap out and get the camshaft reground to an earlier engine profile for better power. so much info out there on the websites that it's sometimes overwhelming. goal is a well running car with better power than stock 79 by adding in goodies from earlier motors (pistons, fresh bearings, double springs, double roller chain etc.). But not really up for major super balancing work. Just a restored engine.
So not much actual work on the car, but absorbing all the discussion on this fabulous website and getting enough planning in to get her back on the road.
Question - I'm not used to the MGB transmission - when I drove it after buying, the clutch was almost toast. gear shifting was possible but slightly challenging particularly 1st...does this mean the synchro's for 1st/2nd need replacing or is this likely merely a side effect of a clutch on the way out? Just want to avoid a rebuild if I can on the transmission, but then again, the motor IS out of the car and getting the transmission wont take much more effort. I guess this infers another question - anyone replaced their synchro's themselves? I have rebuilt auto transmissions before so it's all lego(s) to me. Just asking in case it's possible without specialized tools and the home tinkerer can do it themselves.
Thanks folks. I'll post more pictures and info as I continue my journey into MGB ownership and visit with the Prince of darkess. I have met him before with my early 90's RRover projects so I am not afraid ::o
Welcome, Keith and thanks for the post.
If you already have the engine out, you might actually consider the balancing route. I had mine done, cost about $200 to have all the rotating components balanced, first statically, then dynamically. I can't believe how much smoother it runs. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
The hard shifting into first gear could indeed be a byproduct of a bad clutch, especially if the car has been sitting for a time. My throw out bearing disintegrated shortly after I acquired the car. The clutch was pretty much new when I took it apart, but it had been sitting for couple of years which I believe contributed to the deterioration of the throw out bearing.
I see you are running headers rather than stock exhaust. If you want to improve their performance and cooling, you might consider having them ceramic coated. I did that to my stock manifold (which I read a few places was better than headers) and it made a considerable difference to under hood temperatures. Not only that, you can get it in a couple of finishes including 'new cast iron' and a cool, shiny, blingy silver.
I regard my car much the same as you seem to yours, as a fun, well-running toy, with a few modern or performance upgrades. Like electronic ignition, an excellent investment! I also dealt the Prince something of a death blow simply by upgrading my alternator. I went the 95 amp Saturn route, but you can get a 95 amp Lucas if you really want to. Compared to the stock 45 amp unit, the upgrade is awesome. Bright headlights, everything electrical works, well, and turning everything on causes no discernible drop in their performance.
Happy motoring....
G
Hello, in reading your comments "G" ,I see where you changed to a 95amp SATURN alt. Was that certain model number and was it fairly straight away to accomplesh? thx for your time,dennis
Didn't do anything to the MGB but did something for it.
Called my insurance agent and got the 94 Mazda MX3 removed and put the MGB on in its place. Cost me $15 more every 6 months due to non abs brakes and being a convertible.
I'm hoping the weather will do as its told tomorrow and I can drive it to work for the first time. (Not as many folks work Friday so I can park closer to the front door and keep an eye on her)
Should be fun :-D
Now if I get pulled over let's hope I get a nice cop that doesn't mind looking up the car with my policy #
Finally got the drivers side seat in ! Feels like a milestone. (maybe a one seater!)
Went for a test drive after changing the idle jet on the weber and saw the temp guage
start to hit the "H" Shut her down and found my heater valve was leaking.
I was only a 10 min walk from home so was able to bring the other car, water & fix it.
I'm drilling that baby out tomorrow and putting a valve in.
Promised a co-worker before I retired, that when I got my B, I would take her for a spin. Drove back into town today, had morning tea with my friend and kept my promise!
Andy :)-D
Dropped off the spare radiator I got when I bought my car to get pressure tested. The leak in the original radiator is getting worse. Time to fix it before the temps soar.
Polished,waxed and cleaned everything I could reach. To night is the first car cruise night at Jimmbo's in Reading, Pa. I would like to see more MGs there this year. They have two every month all summer.
Pulled master cylinder and found the source of my brake issues!
After pumping up the tyre to a respectable 26/28 the steering is much easier and the some rattles reappeared. Noticed the drivers door rattled but it turned out to just the latch plate on the body tightened. Problem solved.
I'M IN PORT ORCHARD AND THE WEATHER IS GREAT !GOT MY CAR OUT AND ON THE ROAD FINALLY AFTER CHANGING INTERIOR FROM BROWM TO BLK. GOTTA PUT THE SEAT BELTS BACK TOMORROW.
Hopefully sorted out the wheel rub on my right rear tire. Now I'll have to take it for a spirited drive to confirm. Work, work, work....
Installed my freshly tested and painted spare radiator and discovered that all 4 of my tires were inflated to between 45-50 lbs (!) courtesy of the PO, but abetted by me since I apparently hadn't checked the inflation since I got it in December.
Corroseal on the brake drums (outside, of course), and plastic polish for the front amber running/turn signal lenses. Then I hope to insulate that brake line that drops down right next to the exhaust manifold and pipes. Yikes! That thing is like 2" away from the absolute hottest metal on the whole car! (manifold is ceramic coated)
David
Andy, yes, very. I was just thinking that very thing Friday night as I backed out of a parking space easily turning the wheel with a couple fingers.
Today I washed and waxed it and am now heading out for the 180 mile drive to my Dad's in Dubuque Iowa for a few day.
Today My MG take shower me personally washed Mg its looking Cute now
Today we took Sir Basil for a ride and we all took a shower together (at 60 mph)!
Put about 95 miles on the odometer doing a RT105 run with Jed "Jedster1" and Ray "RaysB". We stopped by to visit Jeff "jackalley" and see the progress on his MGA. Jed and I then did a run down Bare Hill Rd through Myles Standish, then down Federal/Farm To Market/Tihonet Rd into Wareham and then back via Mary's Pond Rd.
Even passed a RBB heading in the other direction on Main St in Wareham!
Pics below are our fleet in Jeff's driveway (Ray's in the background) and the tub from Jeff's A.
Cheers,
Rick
I piddled with the windshield frame that I should have never taken off. I'm having difficulty getting it to line up correctly again while readjusting. And the screws that held it together had to be drilled out on the bottom.
Frustrating weekend when I add to it that I broke the clutch line taking the clutch master cylinder off, I overheated it when the fans wouldn't kick on and I still have an oil leak I can't find.
AGGGGHHHH. Somedays I win, somedays I lose. But I am slowly making progress. I do have brakes and an alternator that work. I do have a seat that will recline.
Oh.... and it pretty much starts everytime now.
Bought it yesterday, cleaned it up, waxed it, re-enameled the rear badge, re-enameled the horn button, steel-wooled some of the brightwork. Today, drove it all over town on any and all errands I could think of. New air filter foam, and a Seafoam treatment rounded it out. Tomorrow, I'll call around about new tires, take the wheels off and take inventory of the suspension and brakes, and maybe drive all over town if I still have time.
Took it for a ride "Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor gloom of night" shall deter me from a daily drive.
http://youtu.be/B0Ag6n9d3hA
Rob
Hey Bruce,
What are "seats that recline" or are you just kidding ?
well i bought mine yesterday.... got the headlights and tail lights working, got power to the voltage stabalizer so id have gauges adjusted the rear brakes and e brake, turned the idle down some changed the oil and washed the car and cleaned up the guages some pictures to come!!!
John, the seat reclining issue was because the car had been sitting for 10 years. The passenger seat was stuck in the reclined position and the drivers seat was stuck in the upright position. I finally took the seat cover off, wire brushed off the rust. Put some paint and grease on them so they function now.
Got sooooooo close to finishing my rotisserie, but ran out of wire on my MIG. Damn! Two welds to go.
Tried to get it started....and failed! Just posted a long msg for starting advice. Didn't mention this problem started right after new paint and new wire wheels (Dunlop sealed wide wheels), hubs, bearings, brakes, etc, so I haven't had a chance to put it on the road after all that work and investment! Have been fiddling with it for a year between other vehicle (4x4's, motorcycles) projects. Summer's almost here!
Just got delivery of 'An MG is Born" DVD
Cant wait to watch it tomorrow.
Just dropped the Lucky B off at Checker Flag to check out the electrical he just fixed that doesn't work (brake lights, tail lights), plus having him install the top, fix the switch for the turn signals, light for the dash, hazzard light switch and a couple other odds and ends. (His rate is cheaper than my husband's) It should be complete just in time for our hot Florida summer!
Welcome Seth and Gavin.
Update your profiles with your car's info, it will help if you have questions later.
We love pictures, especially if you are asking a repair question.
Took the trunk down to the metal, mostly, and coated the bottom with a Rustoleum undercoating product and the replaced the carpet with the standard Moss carpet replacement kit. Very simple and it looks awesome. My B sat in a barn for years, so one can imagine the terrible condition.
Starting the interior carpet replacement next and rebuilding the seat tracks and webbing/foam. Using the Moss interior standard carpet kit which is fine, but there are a handful of pieces that don't show on their diagram and don't seem to match many places up and under the dash and firewall.....but, it will get figured out.
Massive improvement......
This is a good time to consider installing Hushmat or Dynamat before you install the carpet. Takes about 44 sqft and 12 hours work to get it done. Makes a real difference in road noise, and noise and heat from the engine compartment. Hushmat is easier to work with IMHO. When it comes time to install the carpet, the clean surface makes a real difference in the adhesion process.
Does it count if you are thinking about what you would like to do? I have both good and bad thoughts about what I would like to do to it on different days.
If your haz light switch is bad ,well that can take out other things!
Norm, have you used Hushmat? I hear great things about Dynamat, but it is pricy......
I did the entire interior less the door panels in Hushmat. I used Dynamat on the bulkhead between the cabin and the trunk because it was heavier and I ran out of Hushmat. Dynamat is a little heavier than Hushmat, and once it sticks to a surface it is much harder to replace if you goof the first time. Hushmat cuts easier, and it's easier to work with. I ordered the Hushmat from Amazon - cheaper than Moss. Hope this helps.
Waited...just waited for the UPS truck! It's got my rebuilt lever shocks and I want them! Swivel axles all redone with new king pins, whole front suspension painted up nice. UPS dispatch is less than 5 miles from my house and the truck was loaded at 5:30 this AM and it's just about 5 PM now! Still waiting...WAAAA! They must know I'm on vacation this week so I can always do it tomorrow but I want to drive it!
Thanks!!!
I ordered dynamat from amazon so will try that and see. Not doing the doors right now, so just the floor, engine all, and rear seat area.
Windshield. Ugh. Still coping with door closing issues, but it's in and looks great. Took 7.5 straight hours of the glass shop owner and my help.
Just bought my 77 MGB. Haven't even gotten it home yet. Thought it only needed a little brake bleeding. NOPE! Wheel Cylinders and brakes. Oh well. Maybe it will be pretty this weekend to drive. ;)
I used Hushmat under every piece of carpet to include the outside kick panels. You can always do the doors later, but this is your last best chance to do the rest. Have fun, and get some knee pads.
I removed a few things from the inside. Seats, carpet, panels, etc. Someone before me used a 4" bolt to hold the drivers side front left of the seat to the floor pan. Too long you say, don't worry they smashed the excess with a hammer to make an L shape to make sure it didn't hit the ground. :X It's amazing how much trouble some people will go through to do something wrong.
It was Patriot's Day, a holiday here in MA, but I still had to work. So I took the BGT. It was a sunny day with a high temperture of 75 degrees! Passed a beautiful Series 1, E-Type coupe on the way home as it was pulling out of the (appropriately enough) New Bedford Country Club. . . And the Jag driver even waved!
Ahhh, the power of a beautiful spring day!
Cheers,
Rick
Took out the rear axle for a complete anti-clunk and brake overhaul rebuild............
Drove it to work, got new tores afterwards, fixed the hazard flasher switch,found out the reverse lights don't work because they don't have bulbs, and took the wife out for dinner. Then, I took the long way home.
Finally took my dad for a ride. He's the reason I can fix cars and motorcycles and build my own furniture and love to read (he's a retired English teacher).
Growing up he restored 2 Triumph Spitfires and an MGB Roadster (among others). He had to sell the B 8 years ago or so because his Parkinson's made it too difficult to get in and out of.
aloha im new in this site more power in this site
Best
Reese Donald
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http://www.printplace.com/local/chicago-brochures.aspx
I drove it to work today!!!
WooHoo!!!!!
Got there without any problems.
Although I confirmed my speedo is off and odometer is off as well.
Its 10.4 miles to work the way I went. My trip meter only read 9.6 miles.
Slightly oversized tires?
Forget the size at the moment but I can check on my break.
While driving down the highway this morning and past the Checkered Flag, I saw my Lucky B with her hood up :( The owner/mechanic was looking at the Lucky B and scratching his head. I hope he just had an itch.
My project today was mounting a NOS Amco luggage rack on the roof of my B/GT. I just love the look!
Oh, you've spotted my hidden agenda! LOL But it can only hold 50 lbs. — so what do two cases of wine weigh?
Repainted 2 wheels, powerwashed the wheel wells and undercarriage, changed the sparkplugs, and rigged the seat webbing until I can get my hands on a diaphram.
Sebring headlight covers and Hella Black Magic driving lights! I may be a little biased, but I love it (:P)
Just brought my new 74 GT home, i named it (Imogen) and gave it a bath. i needs some tlc. timing and carb both need to be adjusted and the interior is practically non existent. just the dash and the seats. no carpet. i'll make sure and document its return to glory!!!
Hi All, Just for fun............. I bought a 1967 MGB with 37000 origional mile's on it. I flew into Brisbane in Australia and then drove it home to Adelaide. Only a lazy 1500 miles. Who said MGB's were unreliable. Rubbish. It didn't miss a beat. Oh did i mention it hadn't been on the road since the 1980's. Call me mad, call me stupid. I am in love :). Three days of top down (sunburn) cruising. Yeah Baby.
Needed to replace the seals in the master cylinder and fix up the pedals - wobbling horribly. Stripped it all out, found rust everywhere - lots of overflowed brake fluid!. Now all cleaned up, repainted everything, replaced all the pedal bushes etc and it's now back to new. Pedals feel right and the brakes are firm! Before & after attached!
I always wondered what that little tab om peddle box cover was for. It's for the right hand drive throttle cable. Good job on the painting.
today i mostly bought a mazda mx5 (miata to you americans) and put my MGB GT restoration project on EBAY.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1975-MG-B-GT-WHITE-NO-RESERVE-/300696087509?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4602e22bd5
i want the wind in my hair and the flys in my teeth , when i still have hair and teeth
and the mgb gt was never going to be ready for this summer, so i went over to the dark side and bought an MX5, BUT I SHALL RETURN.
actualy, to add confusion to my ignorance its a eunos (japanees import)
Quote from ebay url above..... "SO NO TWATS FROM ESSEX THINKING THEY CAN JUMP ON A TRAIN AND DRIVE IT HOME, ( YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! )" Funny stuff!
Good man! I have just bought myself a red 1976 Mgb and i pick it up in 36 hours, im so excited i really cant sleep and cant think of anything else, goodbye women, hello sexy car ;-)
I gave up being a rug rat on concrete with my steel knees after three weeks and took my car to Patterson Equipment and had the cross member, motor mounts, etc. mounted. I also have headers for my MGB and a Weber manifold and carb. I had a custom tail pipe made and installed and finished off with front, left side brake pads repaired.
What did I do? Well for one I hauled it there on my dolly and I paid the bill. The bill was $175. Put your teeth back in you mouth. The charged me less than three hours of work. I had all the parts.
Put more dynamat in on the floor panels, and put more of the interior carpet in on passengers side. Recarpeted the rear seat deck, wheel wells and back panel....dynamat underneath.
Replaced the headlamps. Rebuilt the bottom seat cushion on the passenger side with new foam, webbing and rails. Not sure if I can get the seats and rails back into same screw holes, but we'll see soon enough. Then it's time to start on the drivers side......oh my spazzing back!!!!
We know MX5 as Miata However we just call them an MGB without a soul.
I took B2 for a club run with the Bayside Vehicle Restorers Club today. A pleasant morning driving around the streets of eastern Brisbane including morning tea and lunch stops. (Next time I'll arrange a navigator, the wife does yoga on Thursdays (run days))
AndyB-)
I think ... maybe ... the leaky rear axle prob is SOLVED! X( At least on the driver side. Took my GT to my new trustworthy shop, OK Tire & Auto, Ft. Lauderdale; had the l/axle seal replaced with a good metal-bodied made in USA SKF one. We also installed an SKF Speedi-Sleeve on the seal collar where the lip contacts, only 'cos I already paid $28 for it. That axle now has a .010" thicker diameter at the seal (tu)
While we were at it, got the rear wheels on-car balanced - if there was any pass. side wobble from a suspected bent axle shaft it sure is minimized now, yay.
Now that I watched the seal job closely, I'll take on the right side at home if it leaks again ( it quit recently) So today's $ was well-spent tuition; thanks Scott at OK! :)-D
Well, I didn't do anything to my MG but I did something for it. I ordered a 6-blade fuse block, and since it came in today I used Limey's schematic to wire up a new fusebox and pair of relays.
Not too long ago (just before I spun a rod bearing), I was driving to work when my turn signal stalk shorted out and melted a few internal connections. Luckily, I still had my headlights--but only if I held the stalk toward me, as if I were flashing my passing lights. A new stalk's installed now, but once the engine's back in she's getting the fusebox, relays, and halogen beams.
Went for a run down the freeway.
On the way home..."that's a funny smell", pulled up at the exit ramp, blue pulled to the left under brakes and smoke billowed out of the front right wheel.
I got her off the road and had a look. No smoke, no smell, nothing seemed excessively hot. Got home, pulled the hub and caliper off and can't find a damn thing wrong!
Sheesh!
I found a great price on dynamat on amazon....9 big sheets for 136 so I went with that. Have the pass. Side almost done and the rear decking. Getting the seats back in may be a real challenge tho, so I haven't pulled the drivers seat yet, but will need to in order to do the tunnel carpet properly.
You're right about the knee pads, etc. this is no small project in effort and time, that's for sure. But it will be well worth it.
Thanks for the input...
Got this tip from someone on the site. Get some longer bolts similar to what you use on the seat installation. Cut the heads off and use these to set you seats on when you reinstall them. Then just pull a bolt and replace with the one that has the head on it. Are you using packing strips and spacers under the rails? If you are, the guide bolts will certainly make the job easier. How are the knees holding up?
..... installed new: kevlar reinforced coolant hoses, stainless ABA clamps, Fail-Safe thermostat & gasket, radiator cap. All preceded by a thorough flushing ....
..... ordered new: exhaust head-pipe, gaskets, and all the necessary straps, clamps, hangars, etc to complete the install of a semi-stock system .....
That sounds like a great idea. I think the big issue will just be getting the head bolts started on the front two. The rear ones are easy since you can slide the seat forward on the slides. I am using the wood spacers, but I wonder if they are really necessary. This is a 1963 MGB and I'm not doing a restore. Just fixing up an island run about.....thanks for the suggestion!!
Yesterday and today I am installing a new pinion seal, with speedi-sleeve. I am also installing some sleeves on the axle housing in preparation for putting the hubs back on. Yea!
Replace your brake hoses. If the old rubber has been exposed to dot3 other than castrol or has not been flushed in a few years,the hoses may have collapsed on the inside(you won't see it on the outside of the line) When you drive or turn the heel brake pressure is not released the pistons don't back the pads off the rotors and you heat the pads and car smokes,brake smell,pulls to side of affected hose.
SS braided lines or the new material hoses with the spring coil wrapped around them. mount caliper end first.
The packing strips keep the rails from corroding or rusting to your carpet should it get wet. When I redid my interior the rails had corroded to the carpet, and the DPO had put the packing strips under the carpet. Never know what you'll find.
Replaced the fuel hose that goes from the fuel pump to someplace else about a foot away.
I worked on the mower today.
The flywheel has 12 magnets....I lost one of them....it was no longer allowing the stator (alternator) to charge the battery.
The mower is over 30 years old.
The flywheel is NLA.
I got one from an antique air-cooled engine parts dealer located in the Idaho panhandle.
The original was cast iron with an aluminum ring gear and plastic fins. this one was all cast with aluminum ring gear. It wwas a **little** shorter that the stock unit
It fit....but I'm still having some issues. Only getting 12.6v at idle and at high rev. I had already replaced the stator with a new unit.
Dammit.
On the positive side, I'm getting real quick at dismantling the top-end of this engine. It's a Briggs & Stratton Twin-V 18hp on a Ransomes T-3100 Bobcat.
Picture is of Jean doing the mowing during my hip-replacement surgery recovery in 2009.
I drove her with the top up because of the possibility of rain. That's a big first - folks at work said "I didn't know your cute little car had a roof".
well i bought it saturday fixed the lights and drove it 60 miles to dauphin island that night.
had the alternator light come on 15 miles into the trip, it blinked on and off the rest of the way to and not a peep back home he next day well until i turned the key off and then it came on bright as day, tuned the key to on with out starting (when the light should come on) and it went off. odd? so pulled the alt plug and went to bed switch it out with a gm saturn alt at work the next day and am done with that
but this thread is about wht i did today...
so today i threw it on the lift and changed the trans fluid and diff fluid the hanes manual said use 20 50 motor oil in the trans but it smelled like gear oil when it came out?
what is correct? it seems to shift smoother now tho
and after that i washed and waxed it for the trip to the british car show in pensacola florida tomorrow! Cant wait!!!
See solution post 628
you may also notice the car feeling like it is on the brakes when you are turning the steering wheel at a sharp radius. Replace those brake hoses before they seize up on you if totally collapsed and leaves you stranded.
Second day of cleaning and preping engine bay and trans tunnel for primer, gravitex and paint. Next its off with the head, or getting on the engine work.
Now that we have our persimmon colored GT, "Punkin", going, we decided to move the '79 roadster, "Maggie B" to an area where we could work on her. The fuel pump quit working about 4 years agoa and we just parked her. the cats and the mice have been using her for a play toy, but it's time to restore her to operational condition. It won't be a full restoration, just setting her to rights and having a functional roadster.
As with all good stories, we need before pictures so you know how the "after" is different.
Yes it's going to take a lot of TLC to get this old girl back on the road. Maggie B (1979 MGB Roadster) was running OK until the fuel pump quit!
[color=#003300]About 2 1/2 weeks ago, I smashed my index finger trying to do something I should not have. It has taken these 18 days or so to get to where I can finally do something without recoiling from every little bump. So.....
I sanded some of the rust around the passenger side. One of the DPO's decided to drill some holes to mount something, then did not seal them when the something was removed. As a result, I have some surface issues needing rectified before they become more serious. Also, took the driver's door apart again to replace the wing window seal.[/color]
So today I got my transmission hooked up to the engine using a C-clamp. I have been working on replacing the clutch these past few days and now I just need to to do all the work underneath my car like putting up the brace and also putting he driver side engine mount completely back on.
Just polished and repacked the boot (trunk or whatever any one else calls that spare wheel receptical in a B.
Getting ready for a club run through the hills to a lake with water(rare in Western Australia) that is tomorrow.
Should be great as the weatherman is calling for 25 celsius and sunny.
Autumn is a great time to be in the west.
We are expecting 30 or so classics a few moderns and a good number of "family cars" as it is listed as a family day. (Great in a B if your children are Leprechauns)
Will take some pics should be a great day
My 16 year old Son and I are headed off on the 31st annual Tulip Rallye.
300 classic British cars, lots of T types,MGA's, MGB's,maybe a 26 Bentley Speed 6 or some other great classics. Beautiful day long rallye through Western Washington State. A sunny spring day is in the forecast with temps in the low 60F range.
http://mgccnwc.com/
Drove the B to work and back twisty back roads in 80 degrees and sunshine today in upstate New York!
I drove to a car show and saw a B GT, a 1934 Magnette Special, a T Monaco, talked to a couple of other car buffs and drove home. It didn't rain (almost) and Bee didn't break down. What a day!
Woke up to a beautiful sunny day.Got the yardwork done.Now I'm going to drop the top and take a drive out the "old" highway just cause it's narrow and twisty.(tu)
Replaced my fuel tank last week too so I need an excuse to test it as well.
Enjoy!!
Mark
Drove 80 miles in the Tulip Rally...north west Washington...got lost twice andfinished after the awards ceremony ...but I saw a lot of area north of Seattle that I have never been to...some areas a couple of times after making wrong turns...
It was great to see a bunch of LBC 's going every which way down the roads..
Ryan
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Wonderful weather ,went for a ride,...smiling along...BAM !! white smoke out right side front ! hot,hot,hot found a round black disc on the frame rail ? Now,I see it's a freeze,welch,whatever plug ....sure was fun for a couple of hours .
Battery been going dead, so I drilled holes for a battery cutoff switch. Now for the installation.
What a great day. Great sunny driving,tulip fields,almost 300 cars,only missed 9 items on the rallye sheet!
Glad you had fun.
Re Transmission oil it definitely needs engine oil, not gear oil. Mine had some kind of GL3 gear oil and the gearchange was notchy and the OD engaged with a jerk (Not me!). I put in Castrol 10w40 engine oil about 3 months ago and it transformed the car! Gear change is super slick, OD engages smoothly - SO much better! Let's hope the gear oil did not damage the innards (GL oils attack phosphor bronze bushesd etc..)
Now going for a Sunday drive!
Cheers
Brian
Yesterday (and continuing today), I confirmed what others have said..... changing the windshield is a PITA!!!!
By the way, this thread would be much more interesting if there were branches below the responses. For example, when I post this, if others could offer advice or comments on my particular situation.
Just saying.
So Michael, just so I'm clear, you now have hood struts on your car?
I took a friend in town from Detroit on a ride up curvey Sheridan Road through all of the North Shore mansions to just over the IL/WI border. About 110 miles round trip.
Drove it out of the garage then drove it back in the garage. No MOT! :(
Added some cold air intake action - may not help, but it won't hurt. simply cut a hole in the radiator support on the carb side. Otherwise all the air coming into the engine compartment was through the radiator, therefore heated air.
Also installed a Weber 38/38 Outlaw, hence a keen interest in supplying more air.
David
We rid Sir Basil of gremlins in the electrical system. I would like to blame Lord Lucas, but if was from my installation of the new radiator fan last week.
But I did figure out how to use that multimeter in the garage which pointed to the solution! :)
Took a couple of the non-relevant pieces out from under the hood.
And looked at the rain. Like we did yesterday and we will do tomorrow, and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, if the weatherman is to be believed. :X
I restored my starter. Looks good for a 39 year old starter.
Yesterday I installed my engine and transmission.
We drove Punkin to breakfast this morning and out for ice cream this afternoon. We took turns driving so both Michelle and I could enjoy the drive. In between, there was some work on Maggie B.
A few years ago, the fuel pump quit working, so we parked poor Maggie. She sat in our "agricultural building" on flat tires until earlier this week when we dedided to see if she was worth restoring. After some clean up work, we tried to start her. There was no noise from the fuel pump, so we decided to try some fuel down the Webber. She started at once and ran until the fuel was gone. Since we didn't have a spare fuel pump, we pulled the lawn mower up and connected the Facett pump to the carb in Maggie. After running the pump to get all the air out of the line, we started Maggie up. She ran happily at about 2000 RPM with about 70 psi of oil pressure.
We cant take her out on the road like this because the mower won't do over 30 without coming apart and it won't tow too well. I guess we'll have to buy a fuel pump and then work on getting the rest of the vital stuff working.
Happy motoring!
Clay & Michelle Whitehead
Rob we will be the only Bedouin's in the states. LONG LIVE THE BEDOUIN!! Rob what color is your top? I cant tell from the pic but it does not look black.
Today I ran my fingers down along the bottom of PLT's front tappet cover, and the block below, and found them DRY of oil - the repair last week worked >:D< Looked at the back sides of both rear brakes & wheels for traces of gear oil - that repair worked as well!! This while resisting taking a Sunday morning drive in the 50 MPH winds and squalls we had.
By 4 PM the sun was out so we went for a 20 mile spin, playing teenage Ninja jet fighter pilot in the Sunday tourist traffic :P - upon returning I checked the oil leak repairs again - so far so good ... nice MGB day indeed :D
This is my second. First Bedouin was ordered while I was in Vietnam in 1970 and shipped to Seattle. Delivered to the dock in November of 1971.Black Vinyl top. This one I literally stumbled onto under a car cover alongside an MG collectors garage had a brand new Tan Robbins cloth top installed. In the works when I can break myself away from driving it everywhere is a repaint (BLVC4 of course) and a swap to a 240 H.P. 3500 High Value GM V6 and T5 .62 OD transmission.
Picture taken almost 40 years ago, a few years out of the Navy and up in the Olympic mountains during a rallye they used to run on the logging roads.Roll bar, no helmet, fast,caution to the wind !
Maybe next year you will make the 32nd annual Northwest Tulip rallye and we can shake hands.
Rob
Got it home and started chasing wires! New mgb owner here.
Very cool. Did you get that one off of Craigslist? Recently listed?
First MGB?
Join MGCCNWC and come to the meetings. Lots of helpful members that can help you sort issues.
Enjoy......
Over 40 years since my first of many MG's. Properly maintained and sorted out it will bring you smiles and memories that will last a lifetime.
If it is a driver,Larry at Lynnwood Auto electric is the magic man on wire issues and GM alternator conversions.
Rob
How in God's Good Name were you able to get the tappett covers to stop leaking. I have new silicon gaskets in mine and the front one still weeps......... :(
I drove it to work and on my way dropped by for some liquid energy and this giant thing parked next to me.
Really made me feel little. That is until the littly guy inside climbed out.
Oh and one question. How do I get people to stop calling my B a midget?
Rob. It would be my pleasure to shake your hand. My hope is to finish this summer so I can finaly drive her, it has been a long trip.
Paul
I replaced my Z-S carb with an HIF and manual choke over the weekend. Started installing a new trunk carpet kit last night. While I have the car on jack-stands, I plan to check all the brakes and give the underside another good once-over. Also need to re-center the new top on the header rail....it's slightly off to the driver's side, causing a "wrinkle" in the back-lights...besides, I know it's not centered and that really bugs me. Obviously, I didn't realize it at the time of installation. Starting to think I need a lift in my shop!
Thanks hookdriver.....I got the pass in fine. I also put dynamat throughout the whole interior before carpeting it. 90% done and finished the trunk. Really good looking now, especially compared to what I pulled out of the barn. Amazing what a good shop vac can do too!
Now to put the new foam seat and webbing on the drivers side seat and ready to cruise......
Have you replaced the inner door trim seals yet? Mine are falling apart and it looks
Ike the best way to go may be buy it by the yard..??
Not yet, Jon. That's on the to-do list. My knees gave out too soon. I'm enjoying driving it before I put it down for the next project.
Fantastic run with club. Beaut day great company and some very interesting back roads that many had never driven on.
About a turnout of about 60.
Yesterday had a great dinner and drinks with about 50 members of the Western New York MG Club at a local Irish pub!
Unclogged and flushed the heater core, heater valve, heater hoses, and pipe. There was absolutely no flow to the heater core. I made a wish list that includes brake parts, cooling parts, and steering.
Drove it to work 3 days in a row so far!!!!
Donald
Got all of my driving lights opp. Fixed a fuel leak. Ands just starred at it for about a half hour. Tomorrow brakes and carb work
I took her for a run down to Cleveland Point (approx 5 miles each way). I figured we both deserved it as she hasn't been out of the garage since last Thursday. Also noticed that the Odometer clicked over 65,000 miles as we pulled back into the garage. Hmmm I wonder if that's the second, third or maybe even the fourth time round?
Andy :D
Sunday drive down the south coast of Athens tou Sounion!
Great!!!
Took it for the dreaded MOT.PASSED with no advisories.This mainly due to my mate who rebuilt the suspension and brakes over the winter.Thanks Jim.Whilst there I mentioned to the tester that car had central locking fitted at some stage,but it has never worked.When I returned to collect he had fixed it.
Drove to the airport on a crisp, sunny day. Went to lunch with a group of pilot/owners. Drove back to the airport and went flying with a friend in his RV-10. Made one landing at the controls. Then drove the B to the grocery store, and then on to the house. Great way to spend the day.
Yesterday morning, replaced the gearbox mounts on my boss' '77 RBB. Paid my usual salary. . . and he bought me lunch.:)-D Today, took the GT out after work for a back road blast!(tu)
Cheers,
Rick
Picked the Lucky B up at Checkered Flag....working out a few little bugs plus he re-installed the top. I drove it to lunch with my husband, took it back to work then drove home. But the best was, I picked my son up from soccer practice this evening, took him on a 30 mile back road ride (the longest he has ridden in it since the restoration is complete). Then I headed to some private roads, pulled it over and asked him if he wanted to drive! He will be 14 in June (of course no drivers license yet so that's why private land). The expression on his face was priceless. He has never driven except for the golf cart and his Green Jeep Power Wheels. He did great, got the hang of the clutch and never stalled while shifting. So a new MGB lover is born! He wants this to be his first car. Of course he wants me to drive him to school tomorrow. I still remember when my mother took me out on the back roads of MacDill AFB and taught me to drive in a 66 Mustang when I was 14. I hope my son has made a special memory today. I know I did.
So today I started priming the underside and engine bay. I was using DP50 but ran out before I was able to finish and my paint jobber was closed. Guess I will have to finish tomorrow.
I think that was great what you did. I know your son will never forget that day. I can't wait to someday be able to do that for my grandsons. I am 74 yrs old and have always loved sports cars now own 1980 NGB that my wife and I love.
I remember many years ago when I owned a 79 jag xj-6 that I went to store in orlando with my then 16 year old niece and on way home to her house we were passing her high school and there were kids at ball field. I pulled over and told her to drive the jag home after going thru the school lot and her friends mouth dropping seeing her behind wheel of my stunning jag.
Good for you. We live in tallahassee florida and if you ever get up this way you will love driving on our canopy roads
tom marchese
I pulled the engine from a doner car last night and it happened to have an Overdrive attached to it. That was easy.. Now I need to clean up the oil and dirt preserved unit and see what it might need. I hope just some gaskets and new oil.
Any suggestions on bench testing an overdrive unit.
No Rust Texas rolling car is now for sale $200. The interior has been removed but the steel is very solid. I hate to say its fate if I can't find a home for it. There is also a spare engine block, running engine $100, 2 4sp transmissions $25, ZS Carb and intake $75 and Weber Carb and intake $75 and other bits.
Maggie B is sitting in the "agricultural building" with her back end on jack stands and her wheels off. We took off the brake drums to see why the brakes wouldn't work. The adjusters don't move at all and the master cylinder may be frozen. The adjusters are soaking in Liquid Wrench to see if we can salvage them and we have cleaned up the drums. We very well may be rebuilding the rear brake system and then seeing if the fronts are similarly afflicted. More fun to come!!
Michelle and Clay Whitehead
PS "agricultural building" is in quotes because it isn't quite a standard ag building. It is 48'x60' with a 42' wide door. I guess we can figure some agricultural application for the various machines inside. Both MGB's are contained therein.
I stopped by to show the PO what I have done to his car... with little or no money...lol
He sold me the car for a song on the basis that he knew I would take good care of her and with the stipulation that I would not ever sell her. He seemed very pleased! (She is my daily driver and has 10,000 miles in the last year)
Since some manuals have rear brake assembly wrong and easier than explaining it at length
view John Twists youtube vid about proper assembly rear brakes MGB.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vomcvvpv-2Q
Hawk does great fair priced rebuild of oem master
Brad has great prices on slaves at the new location of autosport in Ballard,Wa.
Have they been working and failed or never worked since acquired?
I arranged an outing for our "veterans" group to SABMiller's brewery in Newlands Cape Town, South Africa. We got 25 MGs from a TC thro' to some modern TFs. Great tour & beers thereafter followed by a drive along the mountain to an excellent restaurant!
The only drama was a thunderstorm as we left the restaurant and a very wet drive home! Pleased with my B, she only let in a couple of drops of rain in a 30 min drive!
All in all a wonderful outing.
Maureen,
That's awesome! I taught my son to drive on bumpy country backroads (the bush) starting at 10 in my lap. By the time he hit 14 he could reach the pedals and drive on his own. I was criticised for it but you know, I've taught about a dozen teens to drive for the license and the ones who had that early experience were better, more comfortable, more cautious rivers than those who didn't. I think being put in control at a very young age promotes respect for the machine an automobile is.
As for a memorable experience? He's now 28, has his own baby and still recalls what a blast that all was.
Maybe a great topic for a new thread?
Today I replaced the spindle axles and the tie-rod ends. Man! What a difference!
For anyone contemplating removing the looseness and rattling from their front end, it's not really that difficult or expensive a job, especially for what you get in return. Better steering, better driving and better safety.
I bought a set or replacement spindle assemblies from Octagon here in Vancouver. They were less than the the units I saw advertised online, too. Replacing them as a unit is much easier than tearing it down, replacing the worn parts, etc. The kit came with all the necessary hardware.
Two tip I'll pass along:
1) You don't have to remove the spring to replace the spindle. Use a jack under the lower swing arm to lightly compress the spring. This will also give you up/down control to fit the new part.
2) If the Fulcrum Pin and/or the Lower Bolt/Pin are seized and can't be budged with a few blow of a good hammer, use a grinder with a very thin, 'zip' cutting wheel to cut the bolts. Saves a TON of time and expletives.
Tomorrow me 'n the missus and Humblebee are off to NW Washington for the weekend. Weather looks promising and as long as it's not raining, there's no reason the top can't be down. This will be a good prelim for the Cali trip.
Started my son before age 10 in an MG Midget. The newer picture is him at 16 getting his drivers permit. Time flies. Now all his friends think he is so cool being the one guy they know that can not only drive stick but speed shift as well.Start them young and the next generation of classic British sports cars will be in safe hands.
Well I finally got my underside and engine bay painted. It was a long day in the garage with the paint gun in my hand but it was worth it. I think it turned out great. Now I can move on to the next step.
We are still working on the rear brakes on Maggie B. They worked when we last drove her, but that was several years ago. The lack of adequate shelter didn't help them, so we are reaping the rewards of neglect. There is a power assist for the brakes. We need to test them with the engine running to see if the master and slave cylinders are functional.
Michelle was examining the carb while I was at work to see if we can see why the throttle is a bit sticky. We'll try some carb cleaner around the outside and see if that helps free things up.
This week is the opener for lowland lakes fishing here in Washington State, so Maggie B will have to wait until next week for some more attention. Have fun all!
Michelle & Clay Whitehead
Put on new rear springs and newly acquired rear shocks. Installed newly rebuilt tach and replace LF headlight with halogen to match RF that burned out last week.
I plan to scrape the accumulated crud from the OD transmission that I just pulled from my Donor MGB. Still selling the rolling car if anybody is interested as I would hate to post that I cut up an MGB for the srapyard today!
[color=#006600]Finally got the inner bearing on my front tire fixed! (:D Drove it a little bit just to be on the road again, but when I checked, the brake lights and turn signals were not functioning again... :( Now I have to try to trace that problem, finish getting the passenger compartment de-rusted and carpeted, fix the emergency brake..........[/color]
Man... so much. I finally am very close to being done with the interior. Just finished putting in the panels, complete with new speakers, kick panels, and rear quarter panels. Put in new hose into windshield wiper fluid tank. Started a new top installation. put the antenna back on. got the radio to work. drove it around town a few times :) cleaned out the trunk. so much to do this weekend still!
If ya really wanna know, see my thread "Let The Fun Begin". Ooohh my aching back lol.
Bought it, looked over it, inspected it, admired it and drove it!
Cleaned out my exposed dogleg areas and found them to be sound!! (I'm 3rd owner since body restoration and paintwork in 2000) Treated with converter anyway and next step is to remove top frame (wish me luck) then treat with Penetrol from inside. Front splash panels are open and great, just a bit dusty inside as well. I am a happy camper puttering away and getting ready for the rains to stop here on the wetcoast.
We are trying everything in the world to get a clutch. We have all brand new parts and have worked for days and still cant get a pedal. If anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you we are about to put it up for sell and I really really dont want to.
I bought a factory hard top that needs some work from a fellow club member. Spring project!
Check the operation of the clutch slave cylinder and master,either which if leaking or not bled properly will yield no clutch.
Don't give up so easily. You only got here yesterday.
Some members get stumped on issues for months before they have the insight or the time or the effort or the shop before they get a problem solved.
Hang in there
Made new mk1 door cappings for when it goes into the trimmers to have the interior done.....they are so hard to get hold of and when you can get them they are so expensive...sheesh!
Drove to Warm Springs, GA, with two of my friends in a 3 car convoy (Corvette, Miata, and my MGB). The car drove just great. It was a warm, cloudless day. Perfect for a top-down drive. About 200 bikers were there for some reason. Our three cars seemed out of place. Found out my brake lights weren't working, so I've got something to work on. Too bad. I wanted to drive it to church tomorrow.
My GT has been active both yesterday and today. On Friday, drove it over to Adamsville, RI to help Dave (RIRaven) with the master cylinder installation in his roadster (as well as used it to pickup our pizza and refreshments).:)-D
Then today, checked out the May 5th MA / RI Coastal MG Run route again and ran my spare starter over to the RIRaven. Dave's working hard to get ready for next weekend's run!B-)
Forgot to check, but probably added another 200 miles on the odometer.(tu)
Cheers,
Rick
Opened several boxes of new pistons,lifters,valves,speddi-slevee,crossmember pads,payen head gskt etc. for my son Max's 78B. Waiting for machine shop to open on Monday.
Have a look LOL. My best friend drove 100 miles to help get me outa this one (tu)
We replaced the water pump, timing cover seal, R/H rear axle seal. Tried to replace the valve stem seals but the MGB's valve springs are too short for a spring compresser to grab them properly ...FAIL :( So, still smokin' till rebuild time.
Now I gotta de-oil the rt rear brake and button the car back together.
Somehow managed to punch a thumbnail sized hole in my canvas hood when putting it down yesterday. Bugga Bugga!!
Replaced a headlight! Replaced a turn signal, although its still shotty. Tomorrow to bypass the metal fuel lines to fix my fuel starvation problem.
In all fairness though my reply to the member with the "no clutch issue" Should have started out that they first need to understand they are working on a 1978 MG Midget,not a 1978 MGA?
First rule of auto repair "know what model car you are working on"
First drive around the block! Six months, I have been working toward this.
In the last couple of days I have built new heater valve and hooked it up to the control cable, put in new front springs, a rear brake job, a new windshield washer pump, new fuel lines, made a oil cooler cover and radiator to core support seal and rebushed the pedals.
I am waiting on some new rear springs coming from The BHive. Time to go out and finish striping the pedal box cover and get some paint on it.
Great Job. You and the car deserve a nice day out on the road !
Like the rims.;)
Hey Kelly,
Where you been at the monthly meetings. We miss you:)
You missed the Tulip Rallye. Great day.
I drove mine from Monte carlo to St Tropez, excellent driving day without a hitch. Looking forward to buffing her up for next weekend :-)
If you happen to know John and Nadine Bach bakery owners in Nice drop in and say Hi.;)
Sounds like a great day for a 3 hour drive along the coast.
Hello there!
well i know a few patisseries in Nice but not by names lol just by the different items in the window. Im sure i would of eaten their produce at some point. :-)
Hi Rob, I've been busy doing the Mr. Mom thing. I finally have the shop in working order and I am getting the GT ready for Gary's run. B-)
My husband and I went on a 10 mile bike ride around the lake early this morning, then a 40 mile run through the back roads in the Lucky B. Guess what I liked better? So far it has been back on the road a week and running good. We are keeping a list of small bugs and rattles. The top has been an issue. I think the frame was bent somewhere in the restoration while it was stored. I scratched the paint putting it down :( ....bummer. But, it can be fixed and you cannot see it.
When I didn't have a pedal, my clutch arm was on the main shaft backwards.
I had mine fail its state inspection today. Seems that the 43-year-old brake calipers are on their way out. In fact, one has a major leak! Not enough to leave puddles, but enough that the car's not engaging in any 'spirited' driving until that gets sorted. As if that wasn't enough, the suspension is finally getting new bushes.
Yesterday and today included taking the front brakes apart, rebuilding the calipers, repainting all brake-related parts (went with black), replaced steering rack boots. Last week, when I wasn't posting about it, I replaced the reverse light switch, got four inoperative lights working, and installed new horns.
Figured out with members' help & husband how to bleed cutch master cylinder. Finished the job, then took HuckFinn for a spin...
New rotors were 50 bucks for both and new calipers were about 80 each last time I did mine.
43 years was enough treat her to some new shoes.
new master cylinder under $100 why not go all in?
Brakes are important;)
Well... This weekend was a very interesting one in the MG...
I suppose I could say I got to drive it to my senior prom! Even if I had to push it into the parking garage, holding up a few limousines. I drove it all the way about 45 minutes before anything went wrong. Turns out the broken wire inside the distributor we fixed a while back broke a few cms past the new joint...
Put a new top on it and finished door panels though!
Worked ALL day on getting it home from the hotel. And fixing it once it got there..
Awesome weekend in my mg... and there wasnt *any* sarcasm in that at all...
What a beatiful Blue GT!
I tried to start the MGB but the battery needs a little charge. After 12 years the TR3 project stored back in the corner of my garage rolled out into daylight. It was moved to the rear garage where it will be displayed for sale. A project that I have had for 20 yrs that was stalled by a series of life events... Marriage, kids and other hobbies.... Plans are to keep the MGB which I am installing an OD in this summer.
Lots of fun here, (sarcasm) ;)
Removed all front suspension, kingpins, springs, shockers, lower tables, the whole lot. Surprisingly only a couple broken bolts, knackered one castellated nut but no skinned knuckles. :)Ya gotta love the 'liquid wrench'. Grit blasted the rough bits and painted everything for reassembly. Will install V8 bushes and new kingpin bushes. Had a buggar of a time with the outer bush on the sway bar to link joint coming apart but won out in the end, of course!
Salut
B
I replaced the windshield which wasn't as bad as I expected, especially since I was on my own without any help. I did remove the dash also and took the time to refurbish (really just clean and regasket) the gauges, fix some DPO wiring issues and replace a heater control cable.
All-in-all it went well. Don't know what I would have done without Sil-Glyde, a lubricant that made installing the windshield seals much easier than I expected. I haven't quite finished with all the details but should be in a couple hours. Not having any deadlines really takes any pressure off the whole project. I will say that my hands took quite a beating under the dash though. :-))
After 2-1/2 months of work completing my engine rebuild and another month of breaking it in and working out the bugs, my wife and I had a successful 2600+ mile round trip from Richmond, VA to Key West, FL and back. We left with 6 other cars from our Central Virginia British Car Club (3 MGAs, 3 MGBs and one '86 Jag XJS) on 4/20, taking 2-1/2 days to get there. The weather was perfect (low 80s and clear all week). On Thurs night, we had a total of 12-15 MGs (1 MGTC, 2 MGBs and the rest MGAs) participate in the Conch Republic Independence Celebration parade (kind of like Mardi Gras in New Orleans). We headed home on Friday, 4/27. The only trouble I had was a defective heater valve which we fixed in about 10 minutes and were on our way again. We travelled as a group at about 75 mph and my engine performed well :) I couldn't have kept up without my OD transmission. Arrived back home last night at about 6:00 pm. What a great trip in a great little car!
Jim
The other day I pulled my wheels, changed the front brake pads to V8 pads, what a difference (nicer) Then I sanded, and painted my Royster rims silver and black. I took the silver color from the movie An MG is Reborn show, I liked it better than gray and black. I also tightened up all my bolts and screws through out, cleaned up a little surface rust on the under carriage, primed and undercoated those areas. I buffed out the car and applied back to Black to the bumpers.
Craig
Took it for about a 2-mile drive - Then towed it home.
Wayne
I too, cast a wistful look at my B, as I got into my Mazda 3 (automatic) to drive to the doctors with my left knee pulsating in pain. It appears that I stretched a ligament in the knee a couple of days ago which explains: 1) why it hurts, 2) why I can't walk properly and ... gasp .. why I can't drive my B for a few days because my @#4%!! left leg is useless right now! To top it off we have almost perfect weather right now! :X
Drilled spot welds pried, drilled the spot weld I missed, pried, #$&%! found another.......sill replacement....sigh...
Depending on how you look at it,consider yourself lucky.(tu)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iXFhrfN1QHw
you could be tearing it all apart.
Ordered some LEDs to alter the instrument cluster from barely visible green to super bright red (except the turn signals). As part of the entire instrument cluster renovation, and electric gremlins fixes while the Engine is back at the machinist getting finished off and balanced, cam regrind to early car specs, painted, etc. Good to be making progress on this project. Might have it on the road before Seattle decides to act like it's summer ( or spring for that matter... ::o)
Northend Meeting MGCCNWC 1st Tuesday (today) of the month. Spiros Pizza Mukilteo on the speedway. Be there or be square.:)-D Dinner at 6
MGCCNWC.com
Who needs spring or summer for an excuse to get out and drive your MGB in the great Northwest?(tu)
I walked around it and eyeballed it and admired it. Formulating a plan of attack on suspension, oil leak and other minor things I have seen. I did clean the boot for top. washed windshield and spray BP blaster on the front suspension bolts in prep for doing bushings.
Oh yeah I took it for a drive and smiled a lot, chuckling seems to come natural when you ride around in these.
I experienced a wet leg on my drive home on what was a dry day almost all day long.
been down for a week dizzy problems got my new pertonix electronic dizzy in and installd today ,took my beautiful wife on a moonlight run around chattanooga.so much fun watching peeps hitting brakes around sloping turns when im hitting gears and throttle.a B is a good thing
New Gators,serviced the rack,serviced all shocks, next are the rear motor mounts,yea!>:D<
Finished the brakes at last. put new seals in the master cylinder because the pedal was slowly sinking to the floor. Cleaned up a lot of rust and repainted - PO had split a lot of brake fluid over the years. Rebuilt the pedal mechanisms properly with the correct bushes which stopped the pedals moving from side to side about an inch! replaced the rubbers in the rear wheel cylinders - in both the fluid had seeped past the primary seals. Bled the whole system. The brakes are now MUCH better.
Next job is to install all the pipes etc for the heater before winter arrives!
replacing the seals and hinges from the 1/4 light windows, so hopefully i will hear a bit less noise created by the wind, so i can listen to the great engine (since there's no radio in my GT, where else should i listen to B-)?)
Completed replacement of front suspension bushings and reinstalled front cross member. Rack gaiters and brake hoses next. Then all new fuel lines, evap lines, and a pretty aluminum valve cover. Gotta have some shiny bits :)
Not much, just filled up the gas tank. But I discovered that the rubber seal on my ridiculously expensive MG Logo chrome locking gas cap I bought a couple years ago is cracking and distorted. I got it from Moss. It's a Tourist Trophy #202-780
Put a brass float in the tank, replaced wheal cylinders, replaced brake shoes, bled the brakes, bled the brakes..........
Guage reads3/4 after I filled it. Either I didn't fill it, or I need to tweak the wire a little.
Donald
Dropped off a few parts to be powder coated. Went to the body shop and viewed 2 shades of blue in the PPG that was supposed to be close to mineral blue. No Luck there! Any help for the mineral blue paint code would be greatly appreciated! The lighter shade is called "Mariner Blue"
Mineral blue wasn't a 1971 issue color.
Code is BLBU9
Also things I did today Drove the Bedouin 1971 a bunch and sent some Mercedes tools to a guy in Apex,NC. Close by?
One of my old blue 1971 B's
Thanks for the code! Im taking a different route with this car, steel dash conversion, mineral blue paint. It seems all the codes listed from www.teglerizer.com/mgcolors/
have been changed and no longer used (for Mineral Blue). Im about about an hour away from Apex.
I went inside my shop, looked at the MG and turned around and went to work. I think I have a TOB gone and I'm working on putting a 3.9 Rover in soon so now I wait while getting the rest of my parts. We just moved into a new house that has no shop, what the $$^&&^ was I thinking. I have to go by our old house just to see my MG, what a mess. Moved after 28 years in the old house, I'm glad I want live to do that again, this time almost killed me.
Since you have the fender with the color on it already couldn't they use the computer to match it?
New drivers seat foam cushion. Found the webbing needed replacing so ordered from Moss.
BH
Topped up the fluids, opening a new can of Castrol Brake fluid. Pulled out some moth balls, slow charged the battery, took it for a cruise to get the tires re-balanced, and exposed the top to the 90 degree record temp to hope to get it to stretch enough to be easier to snap down.
Also tossed out the mouse that was caught by two traps in front of the car, and aired out the garage.
Kinda looks as if the battery may make it another season, horn compressor, well, it may take a month to start working, or not.
Tucked it back in.
I didn't do anything on the MGB, but I did start the TR7 for the first time in over a year - idled smooth as glass.
Did that on mine January. A huge improvement, and not difficult at all.
After dinner My husband and I went for a ride out by the Sebring International Raceway (10 miles from my house). I was bad....the Lucky B, my husband and I saw a car slowly driving track (later found out it was an instructor setting the course for tomorrow). I said to Carl, let's sneak on to the track and drive around. But, we got caught :( by some nice :) guys from Chin Motorsports and they invited me back tomorrow to drive the track at 12:45 in a parade lap with the pace car. So guess what the Lucky B and I am doing tomorrow?
Left work at 1:00pm today. Ran some errands, then went out for a shakedown, checking some of tomorrow's MA / RI Coastal MG Tour route.B-) Put 103 miles on it in the process.(tu)
It was a good day. Looking forward to tomorrow's tour and meeting 20+ MGE members and their cars!:)-D
Cheers,
Rick
I finished up putting in a new interior, black this time. It was fun, I did not have instructions.:S Someone on here said floor mats last with no glue so that is what I did.
It came out nice for the first time that I have done the job but the wheel arches could have come out better.
Later tonight after I put the kids to bed I will go back out and start installing some new back springs I got from MGOC. The shipping was steep but the springs are real nice, uprated fast roadspings with yellow poly in back and rubber bushings in front. I have to decide if I want to put my red poly bushings in front or leave the rubber.
Replaced passenger side seat diaphragm. Original was the strap type but I fitted the solid type as I reckon better support. Pretty tough to stretch but if you go corner to corner first it saves a triple hernia. Feels great. Just waiting for my new leather seat covers to arrive. Can't wait!!
After recalling our youth and the drooling over any Jaguar XKE that passed by and seemingly unattainable, we came across on old 1970 XKE 2+2 coupe at the right price that we just had to have. So we are off to collect our acquisition in Georgia and drive that wonderful old classic car back the three thousand miles to Washington State. Looking forward to the adventure for a couple of oldies enjoying their dream machine. Can't believe we actually own one but I still love my MGB "punkin" too. Michelle.
Washed the engine with my son. The inside getting ready to reassemble the lump.
After procrastinating as long as I could I started the engine exchange. Put the G on axle stands removed the bonnet (or hood depending where you come from) and started stripping the old motor.
Will be an interesting journey
Post has been removed by the administrator due to violation of the Terms of Service.
Post has been removed by the administrator due to violation of the Terms of Service.
Kelly:
Pop some pix and comments about your install on a new thread, if you haven't already. That is on my "to do" list as well.
It all started this year as Clay's 1988 Honda began to cough and splutter, throwing out oil and coolant in it's death throes. So we were motivated to look for a replacement car. As a joke Clay emailed me an AD on Craigslist of a forlorn old 1972 MGB GT that had been sitting in a garage for 24 years. Curiosity "pushed" us to take a look. The owner was a wonderful bright eyed 85 year old lady who had to sell it. Her fond memories of all the fun she had "tearing around corners and buzzing about town" reminded me of the fun times with my brother who had an old tired 1952 MG TD until he broke the crankshaft (I didn't break it), sold it and went off to college. Memories came flooding back of shiney new MGB's that were, with our meager resources at the time, a most desirable though unattainable dream of freedom and driving pleasure. As for E type Jags we could only wish on a star. So on an impulse we bought "Lil Punkin", hauled her home and brought her back to life. What a wonderful experience and a delight to drive. The MG is truly a delightful car to own. So the enthusiasm has taken hold with a passion and thoughts of XKE's followed with us buying a 1970 Jaguar XKE 2+2 Coupe. It's going to be an ongoing labor of love and dedication to keep and restore these wonderful old cars. Man it feels great to be close to the ground with a stick shift changing gears, engine roaring in response and the wind whistling about the car as the scenery rushes by. Driving the old family car just doesn't seem to be enough anymore. The "bug" has bitten us and there is no cure, thank goodness.
Got a pre-insurance inspection done in order to get the car appraised and get theft coverage. The guy also does window repairs so I got a stone chip removed (mostly). My wife informed me that I got 'junk from America' the other day which turned out to be 2 u-joints and a u-joint remover tool. I have a friend coming over this afternoon and I am going to replace one or two u-joints in the process of turning the drive shaft 90 degrees so that it is in phase. A couple of people on the forum sent me instructions on what 'in phase' looks like on the drive shaft and I noticed that it isn't currently.
Great weather for driving this weekend in Toronto.
I looked at it waiting for monday's tow to BRITISH AUTO CENTER in west seattle. Their machine shop rebuilt my long block and a at 200.3 miles a freeze plug blew! Now, I know why most(?) MG"S seem to have low miles! They don't get out of the garage. JUST JOKING !!
You should have gone to see Johnnie at Autosport in their new location in Ballard,you would still be out of the garage enjoying the great day we had down at the http://www.sovren.org/events/
Sovren spring sprints at Pacific raceway.;)
Tomorrow promises to be an even nicer day,so jump into anything that is running and head down.
Lolas ,mustangs , GT 40's,MGB's, and on and on,all racing door to door flat out fun.
I took the front suspension apart. going to clean everything, paint and replace all the bushings and bearings. I think I need to buy it a lift.
I removed the top today and began removing the head-rail from the top. When we installed the new cloth top last year, we un-knowlingly got it about 3/8" off-center on the head-rail (too far to the driver's side, despite following the instructions), causing a slight wrinkle in the rear window and the top above the driver's door. I intend to properly center it this time. Wish me luck! I usually remove the top this time of year anyway, and re-install it in the fall.
Last week I installed the new trunk carpet set from Moss Motors. Actually, it's just laying in there because I just can't wrap my head around gluing it down. What is the proper method of installation? Should I use glue, or should I fasten the corners down with carpet screws? It looks pretty darn good just laying there.
A couple of weeks ago, I replaced my old single Z-S carb with a new HIF-44 carb with manual choke. That project went VERY well and I'm VERY pleased with the results. The car runs better than ever.
Topped off the differential fluid, adjusted the rear brakes, topped off the brake fluid, and lubed the hood release cable, drove it about 100 miles.
Drove the 71 Bedouin MGB down to Pacific Raceway(Sovren Spring Sprints Vintage races) and hung out with a few local MG club members,talked to some old racing buddies, and enjoyed hours of great racing.
More of the same tomorrow.:)Another 100 mile round trip well worth it.(tu)
My brother and his wife visited for the first time since we got the B today. Naturally I had to take them both for a spin. (One at a time of course) :D
Races today,all day,field qualified yesterday with one round of races following. Today nothing but races in each class of cars from small bore to large bore. MGB's Midgerts,even an XKE 2+2(:D
I will either be on the fence at the front straight or over in the pits at the number 17 1966 blue Ford GT40.
I drove it to church and then shopping with my wife today, and she drove it home!
Fixed one of my horns, which quit last week. Turned out to be the small nut holding the power/wire spade was a little loose. Then, we drove it for some ice cream, madly tooting at everyone.....
My husband and I put 75 more miles on the Lucky B this morning. I love to drive it, but it is just as much fun riding. We drove all around Highlands County stopped for breakfast in Sebring, drove around the Caladium fields of Lake Placid, picked up a real estate sign (yes it fits in the MG) from a house that I just sold and then drove back roads up through Avon Park. I actually rode on roads in Highlands County that I have not been on. I also saw some beautiful wildlife. The weather was perfect, not too hot for Florida with a little overcast.
So far no problems, but made note of a few rattles and squeaks we are going to fix. I also realized the guy who did our seats, did not put new foam on the passenger side....not happy about that, but it can be fixed too. :)
Got the top properly folded, down, and stored-- only took about 3 MGB owners-- had a nice drive, lots of folks admiring it, saw some nice seats I would like to have in my car.
Regards, John
I think i may have become a DPO today. I finally got around to putting Miata seats in the MG but ended up bolting them straight to the floor. There were some issues with the floors and I figured this was really the best way. On the bright side however they're very comfortable.
took off the valve cover, rockers, cylinder head, radiator and bent my heater back so that it will fit properly
I drove it to church and then shopping with my wife today, and she drove it home!
Built stands to set the car on
Added oil cooler and braided stainless steel hoses.
No oil pressure, loosened oil filter to get oil flowing.
Sanded drivers floor surface rust but looks good.
added lock clip to keep the door lock in.
Modified Moss lock parts to fit.
Cleaned and degreased the latch and re_greased Latch, working great
Drank lots of beer and wine.b :)!
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My MGB got a little attidude on the way to work this morning.
Clutch disengagement went to the floor. Had to pump it back up to the top at every stop sign.
Got to work finally after many ground gears 2nd mostly.
Checked my clutch fluid (just topped off yesterday with DOT4) and it was almost empty.
Popped under real quick (advantage of being skinny with a RB) and my slave goes drip drip.
Going to order a new clutch master, hose and slave later today
Decided to grease the front suspension before going off for a sunset picnic - found that one steering rack gaiter has a split it it. Oh well, more time under the car!
Drove it to the trimmers to have the interior done, leather seats, vinyl trim and carpets..........ouch!! thats gonna cost.
Here are some shots of the interior that I did. I got the interior kit from a guy that did not like it for making a pattern of the plywood cargo hatch parts. He had installed the seat covers and then removed them. I used plenty of glue on the footwell pieces so they stay put. No glue on the floors. The wheel arches are a pain but the seat belts hide the wrinkles B-) This was the first time I did this job, with no instructions but it wasn't to bad. Much better than the 40 year old rotting interior that I started with.:D Waiting on new seat webbing and then put the seats back in and I am done.
Thanks for the tip. I actually glued it together with superglue after cleaning the area thoroughly with thinners. It looks like it's holding 'til the parts arrive from Moss.
All I know is the parts with labels all said made in the U.K., I traded for it.
Evening all! I took my lil baby around the lower hill of the French Alps and laughed my tits off. I have a question. I need to put some engine oil in her and my manual states to put 20/50 in it, but i can't find it anywhere, can anyone help me? Maybe I can use another type but i'm just not sure which one. Thanks all, Nik
Today I laughed at it, silly car! Yesterday I swore at it. Completed the front suspension rebuild, repacked wheel bearings, torqued nuts installed cotter pins, reinstalled and bled the front brakes, dropped her back on her wheels, started her up after a month on jack stands and was welcomed to a howling scream of bearing noise and a trans that would not go into gear?! WTH?? Drove it finally got second, then first to work, still howling. Parked it, jacked it up even all around, crawled under, looked everything over, swore again, losing light, gave in for the night. Today I started it up, no howl?! Guess the only answer is up on stands at an angle the oil drained back and the front input shaft bearing was dry. No noise now, laughed. Gearbox oil change and slick50 additive planned.
Spent 5 hours bringing back 32 year old paint. Turned out very nice except where someone in the past got happy with a buffer on the left front fender.
10w40 10w50 20w50
Contact Valvoline valvolinemarketing@ashland.com
for a list of local retailers in Nice
Replaced flasher unit to restore directional signals. I feel better when I think the car behind me knows what I am about to do. Are they really paying attention? Probably not. Too busy texting.
Nova Scotia MGB can easily run 10w40 per the original factory workshop manual.
France,he will find a supplier of 20w50 if he emails the place I supplied the email address.(tu)
Got incredibly frustrated with the engine replacement. The heat sensor in the head is frozen solid. Just about bent a 5/16 wrench trying to free it up. Any ideas. Did think about getting the oxy torch and heating the head.
Comments would be appreciated.
Iain,
Lots of PB Blaster on the temperature sending unit or just let the machine shop remove it (if you're taking it to a machine shop).
Jim
After 2years brought my mg to the garage for mot
and, yes!!!!!
Approved, for 2years, without any points, very happy i can say.
So this weekend i can start taking it apart for some welding and painting
i'm realy looking forward to it
Cheers guys for your input. I've found it!!! good old Ebay lol
Finally got round to fusing my GT's overdrive circuit - a bit more peace of mind. Thankfully an easy job; enough yellow wire was sticking out of the spaghetti near the fusebox to avoid hacking at the harness. (tu) I also cleaned all the bullet/sleeve connectors in the vicinity.
Thanks (for a change) to Autozone for having a waterproof fuse holder with correct yellow wires :)
NO Lucas smoke was seen escaping hehe (:P)
Just installed a weber. Can anyone tell me were to connect the flame trap hose to. The carb has no connections for it and have just also installed a self venting valve cover.
I installed the new water pump and hood support kit as the original hood support was missing. I was able to take my first drive and though it was just around the lake, roughly 5 miles, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everything appears to be functioning as it should save the heater fans. I guess that is one more item to add to the ever shortening list of item to tackle on the B.
You can pick up 20-50 oil at any Supercheap Auto or Autopro here down-under unfortunately it is a very long way to come for oil. However Broome is wonderful at this time of year! Best of luck!
Thanks guys. The penetrating oil did not budge it. The garage suggested cutting the tube and getting the gauge repaired with a new tube and sender unit. As the old motor is being replaced with a rebuilt unit it probably is the best option if not the cheapest.
Thanks again
Iain
The fun continues. Took off the Heater control unit on the block found out why the heater does not work. (not that we really need one in Perth) Had a most interesting two hours pulling it all apart cleaning and putting it all back together.
rossmg wrote:
Just installed a weber. Can anyone tell me were to connect the flame trap hose to. The carb has no connections for it and have just also installed a self venting valve cover.
I have a hose that runs into the air filter from the bottom.
It is the blue hose on the left.
Rewired the old am/fm...looked at the carb for the first time...it doesn't look right...read up on noisy fuel pumps, this one is noticeable...checked the heat valve, just replaced it last week and tight so far...tires have to go...fronts are dismal, rears not so bad.
Three windshield wipers...three! Here in Arizona that is deadly...heat can fuse rubber to glass.
Always liked MGBs. Found this one last week and bought it. So far it looks like someone really took care in re-conditioning it some time in the recent past.
Paint and upholstery are outstanding as are the brakes...new calipers, recent pads, all brake lines are fresh, wheels look brand new, but tires are...dismal.
Right, said that already.
Over the past 2 days I took everything off my 1966 MGB in preparation for a complete stripping and repaint.
Changed oil in the gearbox, changed engine oil & filter Fram PH8A, the tall one! Will start replacing all the deteriorated fuel lines tomorrow!
Welcome Nestor, add the year and model to your profile (saves time when asking questions) and remember, no pictures means it never happened/doesn't exist.
Replaced the interior rear view mirror (GT). Old one was of the dimming type and the little lever for dipping broke inside, so no more dipping. New one looks very good and seems well made, but dipping lever is not as positive in action as the old one was. But otherwise, it works well.
After plowing thru yesterday's monster PM storm (5" rain 60 MPH wind, hail, funnel clouds) and enduring a near-miss by a sliding Isuzu SUV ('bout had a coronary), I see LBC driving season is over here till Oct. :( I only took the chance 'cos I promised my nephew I'd pick him up at the airport in the GT rain or shine.
Today I washed the mud off PLT and took a 4 mile spin to dry the brakes etc; before the afternoon monsoons struck.
One's raging outside this minute. PLT's covered and tarp'd in the carport - until the Dillard trip its outings are gonna be 1 or 2 runs a week @5AM, before the insane drivers wake up.
:( :( :( :(
Finished the rebuild of my HS4 carbs by replacing the main jets. These were the only parts I didn't change a couple of months ago. At last the engine will idle properly at 900rpm when hot!
Removed hood, painted underside and then installed new heat shield. Turned out quite nice. Momma and grandson helped put hood back on car.
Drove it to work, got rear ended on the way home.
Fortunately the guilty party has insurance.
Another good day at the office.
Bill.
Ouch sorry to see this Bill :( Further reminds me keep my GT out of rush hr traffic (and everything else, see post # 853 up there /\ )
Fixed the retarded wiring mess at the DPO-installed Facet/NAPA fuel pump; there was a household wire nut and electrical cord down there ::o !! and 10 gauge ring terminals holding 16 guage wire, etc. :X
I had to install the 15 amp breaker, that was gonna go on the fuel pump white wire at the fusebox, at the pump itself, 'cos when I pulled the white wire the pump still clacked away - how the hell did they rig it, where's the pump getting power from???
I'll post this question later.
More work, drained the cooling system, removed the rusty old valve cover, adjusted the valves, installed new shiny aluminum cover with the MG logo, back-flushed the heater core, and removed the frozen heater control valve. Soaked the valve in penetrating fluid, removed rear wheels and inspected the rear brakes. I'm in luck the PO replaced the wheel cylinders and the shoes look new, just need adjusting to bring the pedal up a little more. Replaced the thermostat and while it was off I machines the thermostat housing, no ugly air pump bracket since the PO removed it anyhow. Replaced the dopey looking bolts in the air injection ports on the head with 7/16 20 allen set screws, cleaner looking by far. Gave up on the heater valve, ordered new one from Moss along with new rebound straps for the rear. I keep finding more stuff to fix :(
I have to get going on the fuel and vacuum line replacement. Next sigh........
Remove and test the voltage stabilizer because i lost both temp gauge and the fuel gauge. It seems that the voltage is there but need my multimeter from
work to make sure that it only 10v coming out of it.
With my wife in the passenger seat, drove the B to dinner in Fayetteville, GA. Great night for driving with the top down. After dinner went to Starbucks for some mocha. While we were there I met Matthew Coop a fellow MG owner. He just got his 66 roadster out of storage after 21 years. He's got it running. Told him about this site. While we were talking about LBCs, another owner came up and told us about the gathering of British cars at Barry College in North Georgia, and the national meeting in Dillard, GA. Great night.
Drove to work this morning, smelled antifreeze on the way. When parked at work, lifted the hood, found the heater valve was leaking, again. This one happens to be the fourth I've put on the car. This evening I stopped at the hardware store and picked up all the necessary parts to make Bob M's homemade heater valve. The only things I can't find locally is a 1/4" pipe thread tap and the pipe thread reamer. Home Hardware says they'll have the tap by Tuesday. I've oddly enough been looking forward to this day, to justify making up what is likely a superior valve system compared to the original, aside from the fact that it will be non-original.
Erick, don't forget to get some metal bits to make the cable sheath retainer so your control knob works. I ended up using the third hole that I drilled in the handle for more leverage at the knob.
Nothing, but I can't wait to get back into the MGB project. So many things have gotten in the way and it is just sitting there in the backyard. As soon as I finish a few more pressing projects I am devoting all of my time to getting that car done.
I put a new set of leaf springs on, fast road bushes and lowering blocks. Went pretty well apart from one bolt that took 45mins, a whole load of wd40 and quite a few swear words to undo.
My local club in Frederick, MD , the "Clustered Spired" hosted a British car show at the "Celtic Festival" in nearby Mt. Airy Maryland today. We had about 40 cars in attendance. Two of my colleagues joined me, Don (member here) with his '73 B and our purchasing director, with his recently completed Factory Five Cobra. One of my pipe buddies made me the "MGB" tobacco pouch, so that's shot for him. The shot of the B and my wifes Silverado made me laugh a little, reminded me of that poster about size envy...
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Fun with Lucas.
- Replaced the turn signal stalk
- Replaced the hazard flasher switch
- Fixed the non-functional reverse light on the left side
- Fixed the blinker on the right side
- Added a switch to bypass the windscreen wiper on the OD/Wiper stalk (it is inop and I'd like to get the car on the road and not have to replace that stalk
- Added LED bolts to the rear plate
- Determined the washer pump is shot (thanks I assume to the shorted switch in the stalk)
Removed the shot interior today since I have the seat kits waiting and ready. Removed the last of the carpets and the rubber matting that was under the seats? Stock?
Got a not so nice surprise, while the floors looked pretty good from below the car does have a heavy undercoat. Must have held the water in that leaks in on these old convertibles. A few small holes in the floor pan and one small spot on the sill drivers side. Since I want to drive this soon I will hit all the rust with my angle grinder with a wire wheel and flap wheel, then some rust transformer, then fiberglass it in. It will get me by for a bit until I decide to replace the floor pans and pretty quickly too.
I used the same approach on a Triumph Spitfire I had back in 1976. I really want to drive this LBC rather than spending the summer welding and grinding.
We took the Lucky B to the Cruise on the Circle in Sebring, then to Dairy Queen and drove her around the lake to home. Monday :( she goes to the paint shop to fix a couple of chips and adjust the door. I hope it does not take too long. I am counting on some road time tomorrow before she goes in. Actually (knock on wood) I am feeling more confident driving out of the area.
Looked at the battery size again to get a replacement.
Hahahahahaha
Pulled rear rubber bumper off car to glue down the edges that are bending up. Getting ready to sand and paint.
Continuing to clean front suspension parts and disassembly. Getting parts ready for powder coating painting and then reassembly. Once the suspension is tip top. I will drive till the winter when the engine is coming out to freshen up and prep and paint the engine compartment. Plus all the other things that go with that task.
I knew better than to attempt to round up the usual supects for a run on Mother's Day.
So after my mother-in-law obligations, did a solo loop encompassing the RT 105 twisties.B-)
Cheers,
Rick
Wired on the red car today, again. Got my neighbor who is a very not car person helping me. He said today as he left that he "Was having fun with this"
I think I got him! Bwaaahahahahah :devil:
Scraped old heat and sound shield off the floor and a quick once over with the 4" flap wheel on the angle grinder. Need to pick up a wire wheel and some sanding discs for my grinder. Going to try Permatex Rust Treatment, says it bonds to fillers and fiberglass. Then will glass the floors for now so we can drive this summer.
A gallon of Eastwoods POR is your friend. Until more suitable replacement is completed.(tu)
Stuff hardens like metal,you may not even need glass.
The weather held out long enough today in Maryland to drive the B to meet my folks and brother's family for a late lunch.
I fixed the rattling exhaust system, carpeted the rear shelf, and fixed the radio. Then with the seven kids at home I took my wife for her first ride in the date car. It's not the mot practical car for the family but when our other two vehicles are a 15 passenger van and a full size pickup we wanted something small and fun for the few times we get out together. W m ads the 60 mile trip with no problems, the B ran like a champ.
7 kids at home,you both deserved a break today! Do it more often. Drive the MGB that is(:D
Yes, Kelly, I plan to connect my cable to it. The concern I have is that the handle on the knob is fairly stiff to turn. Makes me wonder how easy it will be to turn the control knob in the cockpit. Maybe it will get easier to turn with coolant "lubricating" the ball valve. The difficulty I am currently having is getting a 1/4" pipe thread tap. The local hardware store which is known to carry "everything" is sold out of them at the moment, but expects some in on Tuesday:)
Erick, my ball valve was pretty tight at first also. It should loosen up some. If you look close at the pictures you can see where I drilled the holes in the handle. I ended up using the third one out for more leverage, I can turn the dash control now. I open and closed the valve a whole bunch of times to loosen it up.:)o
Installed new 8.8-1 pistons with my son for his 78B. Install cam and degree tonight.
I had a fun Mother's Day ride with my husband after church yesterday. Today, I dropped the Lucky B off at the paint shop to have areas repainted. Also took the box of unopen parts to the shop to see if they can figure out where they go. I think I am on the last of the almost "finishedish." I hope it won't be too long before I see her again. I am posting a related post of advice next.
I took my beloved to the garage just to look over in what i had already done and was told it was one of the soundest engines he had seen in a long time. 4 days later my head gasket goes!!!!!! WTF!!! how does a head gasket just go??? any ideas?
Someone that built the engine either torqued the head bolts improper pattern or torque,or removed them out of pattern and warped the head,Or failed to re torque the head at the recommended mile interval after breaking the engine in.
Once a gear head always a gear head ,45 years ago in the blink of an eye:)
I tried to install the new oil filter adapter kit but it was a tad too much on my back for right now so I tore out the old 8 track player in the dash and ordered a carpet kit and some new tail light lenses even though my lenses are acceptable. I just want nicer but I'll keep the old ones.
Today I put in new poly crossmember pads. I read a couple of old posts about it and everything went great. It took my three year old son and I two hours from wheels off to wheels on. B)-
Didn't do anything to my car, but I drove it the rain for the first time. I've had the car maybe 12 years, and I've never driven in the rain. It was moderate downpour, and starting to get dark out.
Installed my new slave cylinder and hose. Now that's a tight little spot to get a wrench. (the fitting that goes into the flex hose)
I put it on my rotisserie, stripped it to the shell and loaded it up to take to the media blaster. It's always fun to get them back after blasting - a HUGE change in look and a HUGE boost to ambition! :-)
Took it to the Service Station to fill up for the Club run tomorrow. Naturally I had to take it Cleveland Point for a shake down run as well. :D
Washed her chrome shoes ready for saterdays run to Beauliee house, i will then tart her you for the Moor to see on sunday !There are eighty MG's entered
Continuing to look for THE shade of blue to paint the B! Dropped off more parts to Randolph Powder Coating. Took vent windows and frame all the way down to be delivered to the chromer tomorrow. Never would have known that many shades of blue exsisted! WOW! Anyone with a Mineral Blue B near Asheboro feel like dropping by the carquest and letting Jimmy take a picture of your car with his magic camera would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all!!!!we are moving closer..
The vent windows are stainless steel aren't they? I think you just need to buff them.
Going up the hill to Octagon Spares to pick up a DGV and manifold, roll bar setup, and junk steering wheel so I can add my version of a wood wheel to match the rest of the mahogany I put in the interior. Starting to feel really pumped to do some serious work to 'Ethel II' now. Now if my hands don't fail me right away I'm looking forward to getting started. "don't overdo" I was just reminded by my concerned wife... what would I do without her concern. Keeps me in perspective because she knows how I have a tendency to forget limitations when get started on projects then pay for it later. Love her dearly...
Got insurance and plates. Just need to pass inspection and I am ready to go!
Checked the oil and drove it to work on a lovely, lovely spring day in Michigan.
Today i got rid of the front cross member donk when applying the brakes,I got at least a complette turn out of each bolt, I need to order a set of rubbers as the old ones are shot, Greesed the king pins, changed the leeking bottom radiator hose , Fitted the new oil cooler strap that fixes the the expansion bottle, Changed the rubber gromet to the rocker cover curring the oil that leeks down the back of the engine onto the gearbox and then double nutted the tie bar to the exaust bracket as it keeps undoing, Just like good old UK weather it started raining,
My first post, have been busy with installing SC from Moss on my '79 B. Started with steering rack out, new boots and tie rod ends, then new HD motor mounts, then the SC. Finished with Green Stuff V8 pads and flush of brake fluid. Runs from idle onward very smoothly with SC and the PULL! Best thing I've done to a strong engine to begin with!
Rich
Took the radiator to radiator shop for a re-core. Now to finesse the thermostat housing off. PO must not have known about anti-seize. It has been soaking in PB blaster. Gently tapping with rubber mallet, a little prying with putty knife and screw drivers.
I guess its time to quench the rear bolt area. Then determine if I need to order new housing, and studs. All for the love of an LBSC.
Last Sunday, 12 cars from my Central Virginia British Car Club drove from Richmond, VA up Rt 301 and Rt 2 to Fredericksburg, VA to Carl's Ice Cream. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl's_Ice_Cream
Nice drive with several MGBs, an MGA, 2 Jag E-types, 1 Jag XJS RHD, 1 Austin Healey 100-6.
Today, I drove my MGB to work.
Jim
A pleasant morning's drive, perfect conditions, to Redland Bay for morning tea with the Bayside Vehicle Restorers Club. This was the club's contribution to the Big Morning Tea fund raiser for the Cancer Council of Australia. We raised almost $500.00 today. A damn good effort. There was quite a good British contingent there today including 2 Triumph Stags, 1 Sunbeam Napier, 1 Morgan, 2 Morris Minors (1 Woody), 1 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow and of course a pretty blue 1972 MGB! :D
TODAY- I installed a battery and 4 spark plugs and got my new (to me) 1978 MGB to run for the first time, took it for a few mile spin and brought it back home, only because the tires are cracked and almost rotten. Thats my next big purchase. It was a blast
I spent the day installing a new fuse box and horn/headlight relay system. Took my time so I wouldn't let the smoke out of anything. It all went well and so far everything still works on the B. Next project will be replacing the alternator with one that has more amps. Tomorrow I'm driving the B to the airport and work on my airplane. It needs attention too. One of the mags is bad.
Drove the B to work and she just purred. Stopped to fill up on the way home at a gas station that advertises 100% gasoline- no ethanol. About five miles from home she started to backfire under load climbing a hill, so maybe its gotten used to ethanol. Now I'll have to sort out what is going on.
Got Blue back from the panel beaters - they did a beautiful job. went for a run down to Baxter for lunch ~ 150km. She ran beautifully!
Beautiful day here on the MA Southcoast!B-)
Drove the GT to work and then took the long way home via Potomska Road. (It was one of the fun roads from the Coastal MG Tour.) Met a 356 headed the other way and. . . he waved! Wow, that's something that wouldn't have happened 30 years ago!;)
Heading out again with my wife, Jackie, we'll take the back roads (Perry Hill Road/Mary's Pond Road/Fearing Hill Road) to sup at Qdobas in Wareham.:)
Cheers,
Rick
I replaced the sun-faded seat/shoulder belt webbing with new material. Figured I would be unsuccessful in any attempt to dye the faded belts black again without most of it rubbing off on my clothes.
I started removing the just-reinstalled carpets over the just - installed insulation 'cos I was told the carpet shouldn't be touching the insulation foil. Thank goodness I didnt glue down the floors and only sparingly glued the tunnel. I got some good 1/2" OEM jute padding - here we go again :X
Also fixed an elec. glitch behind the radio console - lighter lost power when I turned on the parking lights LOL! It was just a disconnected ground but took awhile to trace - gees there's lotta wires back there huh.
Finding the B to be a test of patience and endurance.
Pulled the old engine out. Removed the faulty clutch (clutch housing in the centre where the thrust bearing mates had snapped in two or three pieces) Then attempted to remove the flywheel and the front pulley hub. Nothing budged. What didn't help was tool shops do not sell 1 1/4 a/f wrenches or sockets here in OZ (at least in the west).
Ended up with my girl heartless sitting on axle stands and two incomplete hearts sitting on the floor. Well guess I am going to have to have the bolts machined out. Boo Hoo
Maybe next week will be a bit better.
When I bought the girl they told be one needed to be an optimist with low expectations. They were right but when she is good she is very very good!!!!
Diagnosed the backfiring under load as a carb issue and adjusted the front carb slightly richer. Then a five mile check ride withput problems! So I took the MG to our Fire Department chicken BBQ this beautiful sunny afternoon.
The near side front wheel bearing has been loose so last night loosend the wire wheel centre, so not to wake my neibours this morning starting the job @ 6.45. Try removing the split pin without making a noise,(I have twelve houses near to me) i'le knock the spinner on later luckly it took an hour=.!
Hallelujah!
What is it they say "the better the day the better the deed" After struggling with those wretched flywheel bolts and contemplating a trip to the machine shop to have them drilled out I remembered someone had bought me a christmas present that was unused. (Tools for the compressor!) Voila an imact driver and a socket to fit. Three hours yesterday turned into ten minutes today with a whole lot less frustration and effort. Now to attack the front pully!
I should have the old girls heart transplant completed by the turn of the century........
Cleaned oil, grease, remins of carbon bearing and god knows what else out of the gearbox bell housing - see my nice before and after pics!
We got home early this morning from a pleasant evening with our local club, Lawrence All British Car Club. We celebrated our 20 year founding of the club. It was fun to talk about the early days in the club and its nice to visit with friends we have had now for twenty years.
Its been great top down weather for touring, a nice drive home after midnight.
The 71 B is like driving a new car, the front end rebuilt in January and new tires added then. I imagine its as close to driving a B that was brand new. Its got 108k now, 8k on the engine rebuild. The car needs nothing at this point but to be driven and enjoyed this summer.
Don't worry that I have nothing to do, just got the bugeye put back together yesterday, I am sure there are things to sort out there,and still am working on the mini so there is lots of work to keep me busy. But at least one car is done!
James
Went under the bonnet and into the new Weber 38/38 "Outlaw" carburetor. The dyno test done a few weeks ago indicated she was running lean and everyone advised going up a notch in primary jets. However, no one knew for sure what jets are in one of these things, especially with a manual choke. Turns out they were not 135, not 140, not 145 -- they were 142s! ??? 142?? I triple checked. I checked against the 145s I had. Nope, these were honest-to-goodness 142s. So I went up to 150s. I also manufacutured a transition piece to go from the outlet of the 38/38 to the Cannon intake manifold since all of those, and all Pierce manifolds for Webers on MGs, are made for the Weber 32/36 and therefore have an egg-shaped opening rather than a "racetrack oval," which is the shape of the outlet on the Weber 38/38. Pics below. She fired right up and runs strong though I can't tell much difference in my foot. But, I FEEL better about it, you know? Maybe I'll go back to the dyno at some point, but as James says above, now she's where she oughta be the only thing left is to drive it as often as I can and enjoy it.
So, #1 is what the underside of a 32/36 looks like with it's gasket; #2 shows the gasket for the 38/38 on the 32/36 carb, illustrating how much larger the openings are, especially around the 32 opening; #3 shows the 38/38 gasket on the opening of the Cannon manifold - an obvious "step" or "shelf" obstructing flow; #4 shows the progression - 38/38 gasket will go on top of the insulator now beveled as a transition piece, then the 32/63 gasket to match the manifold opening.
I have more photos and may ask Skye if this should go into the library since there isn't very much written on these "new" 38/38 Weber Outlaw carbs.
David
Well the other day I installed my spare Subaru Outback foglights on. Still have to wire them up though.
Gives it a little nicer appearance to the front of the car.
Went on our club run to lunch out of town to celebrate the 50th anniversay of the B's launch. Not great weather but a lovely drive. We had about 60 people and 23 cars, mostly Bs. It was a 175 mile round trip and Millie ran beautifully.
Just got 79le about a wk. ago now I smell gas, what can I do to reduce this smell
thanks
You need to examine the fuel lines,old rubber was not resistant to the 10% ethanol fuels used now.
You also need to figure out when you smell the fuel. Often times when the tank is suspect if you fill up full the tanks are known to get moisture between the body and upper tank and rust out. So if you smell the fumes after filling the tank that is another place to examine. Get it up on a lift and examine line from fuel pump to carb or carbs. A rag to wipe down fittings and a bright flashlight are your friends.(tu)
Today i started to drive down to Honiton and found on braking that i still had front wheel judder so i returned home it back to the drawing board to find the fault !! Then went shopping with the DFSK truk
On Wed last week, 1st Granddaughter!! Yay!! On Sunday grind & wire wheel rusty floor pans, then coated with a phosphoric acid rust neutralizer, waited 24 hours, washed them down, blew them dry, then painted 1st coat of POR-15. Will get a second at 11PM tonight. Need to get this LBC on the road!
Stopped by to sign the estimate to fix the chips in the paint on the B, plus a few other odds and ends....another $836....one chip on by the head light and one on the door and they have to repaint the fender and door.....hopefully, this is the end.
Replaced the Lucas driving light on the front "badge bar".
Coffee delivery guy backed into Dorothy last summer and crushed it. Thankfully he stuck around and the company paid cash for the replacement. I was just glad that Lucas started making them again!
Just finished fixing the brake lights that went out on Gary's run. It was a dead short in the passenger side bulb that took out both brake lights. After that I put on my new 3/4" sway bar from MGOC. It was a direct replacement, not like those Addco bars. Still have to do the test drive but it is just after midnight and raining so I will wait.:(
Continuation from last night Today i changed the n/s wheel bearing i also discovered that the brake calliper bolts seemed loose so i cranked the up to torque,also had to change one nut and bolt that had stripped attaching the brake disk to the wire wheel spline, chequed the o/s brake caliperas well, test drove the car not much better,In the MOT they said that one track rod needed replacing, so i have now changed then both,As i got then in a few weeks ago ready to do, i also noticed that the front shockes are leaking they have been on the car for 3 years ,.
Today I stared at this '79 MGB trying to picture what it will look like when it is done. As of now, it is sitting on jack stands with no suspension, missing one front fender, no fuel tank, no interior, no bumpers, no trim or other bits and pieces. The one thing it does have is rust.
I blew the lines on my clutch, still can't figure out why it is not disengaging. cmc is brand new, slave cylinder is 3 months old. So all in all I have no clue what is going on.
Got the call that the radiator was getting painted and I could pick up tomorrow, had the orginal re-cored. Need to order thermostat, gasket and new puller fan.
Made a list of things I need to order to finish front and rear suspension overhaul.
I was going to buy a boat. But they are just a whole in the water you pour money into. Maybe this is a whole in my garage I pour money into. Oh but this is much better than a boat. This is a little British sports car, and it's my LBSC!!!
Today, I cleaned up the garage a bit, and rolled the car back about 6 feet. Since it's having some brake issues, and failed it's state inspection last month...it's not going anywhere for awhile. All I can really do, is fit new bushes into the suspension, and repair the brakes.
Randy
Wise move. I just sold my boat so I could pour more into the "Gee"
Besides when do you have time to boat or fish when you are the indentured servant of an MGB?
Welcome to the forum
So when I say I blew the lines I pretty much did just that. I had to make sure there was nothing in the lines because I have been having trouble with my clutch. Well, after much toiling I almost gave up as we had bled the clutch and it still did not disengage. I had help over the phone from basil and i had come to the conclusion that it was the throw bearing... I went back outside, and magically somehow my clutch was disengaging happily! Now I won't have to have my car towed and I can get down to doing more work on it. So everything is all better.
go onto youtube and watch all episodes of 'an mgb is born' they started exactly as you have and you certainly learn a lot and some good lil tips too, it is really an excellent series to watch for those who own one of the lovely Mgb's, my head gasket and fuel pump are both down, i dont have time to do it myself as we know head gaskets are a time consumer so the lucky garage is gonna make more than a few quid out of me, 15 euros for the gasket 985 euros for labour!!!!! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, is all i can do. Nik
I just dropped my 78 MGB off at "Bento"s Auto Shop" in Aurora, CO for a new original Brown color paint job. They are going to pull all the Chrome, Lights and Bumpers and fix the cracked trunk and hood from people not realeasing the latch before slamming it shut. I am really looking forward to getting it back,they did a great job on sons 94 GTO. I have ordered new carpet, and fat mat to replace the existing carpeting, bought two used but excellent seats off ebay to replace the old ones. I do need to take it back to Paul at Sportscar Craftsmen to have the carb damper grommet replaced again, keep losing the oil. Great place in Denver for MGB repair, I was told that here at the MG Experience, and the info was right, they stand behind their work and are reasonable. I will post once I have it all back together. Thanks.
Quick,before they get it all done order
http://www.classicconversionseng.com/MGB-Accessories.htm
hood and trunk Dual Pneumatic from Bill at CCE.
Put a nice finishing touch on what sounds to be a sweet paint resto.(tu)
Paid a visit to a real MG mechanic, Dr. John, on Saranac in Cleveland, used to work with Dave Mack,
Took the tour of the shop with the Bugeye on the rack, the MGC with the straight six in storage, and the other projects.
Found out the last guy I paid never lubed the chassis , guess he did not know what a grease fitting was? Horn now working, Dr. John, also fixed a side light and even figured out some of what the PO's mechanic (DPM) had cobbled together, real pleasure to work with someone who knows where stuff is supposed to be and how it works.
Had new MG parts, found my correct MC gasket, got some good advise, and figured out some of the idiosyncratic data about the car. don't feel so nervous about taking it on the road.
Afternoon well spent, couple of irritating problems fixed and good maintenance, he did remark there was something wrong, it does not seem to leak oil, and yes we checked it .
Regards, John
Today 4 roadsters 1 gt and a TR6 went up to Widecombe in the moor for lunch lovely drive until we got to Beliver 4 miles of recently re-tared chipped dusty road (car washed now)returning via Haytor rocks,.
Today I installed the snaps on my new floor carpets so my wife can't turn them into a wadded up mess in minutes with her feet anymore.B)-
Good old 85 year old dad found me a original RAC badge for my 64 B back in old England will go on in August when they come to visit. Love the finishing details and love the old man
Adjusted the carb on my 73 BGT so it wouldn't die of altitude sickness. :) Still tweaking here and there but it is pretty much done. Next I have to investigate the brakes, and then primer the car.
Drove it to pick up parts for my wife's MkIV Jetta with a busted coolant hose.
I took the car to the garage and had the tracking adjusted and gave the gearbox a treat of fresh oil as i think it was thirty odd years old they told me it was thick black oil, I could not be bothered to scrall about under the car,.
My car was dropped off at the body shop yesterday. It's finally getting painted! :)
Installed a 110 amp alternator from MGCCars. With the exception of having to move an oil line out of the way, it all went very well. Took my time so as not to let out any smoke from anything connected to the alternator. One more Lucas part out of the system. Now I can drive at night. Tonight my wife and I are headed to a local eatery in the B, and from there to Starbucks for a cup of coffee.
Picked up my front suspension parts from powder coating. man does it look good. I need to get stuff to do this. I would do everything that way.
I replaced the EVAP system with new hoses. I found some hose barb fittings that would start to screw on the seperator tank and then I put two wraps of teflon tape to reduce the friction and slowly forced them all the way on with a wrench. It is a good thing that I had the original 90* fitting that connects it to the gas tank.
Picked it up from BAC(west seattle) ran great all the way. LBR again,thanks to them(tu)
Fitted my passenger side leather seat covers today. I was 50/50 as to fit new foams. Glad I didnt cos they are a 'very tight' fit.
After messing around trying to find the right spray adhesive I used liquid contact from a tin and seems to work
The next one should be more starightforward.
Serviced the brakes all around. Replaced the front pads. Found weeping oil seal on R/H rear axel. That will be next week when the parts arrive from Moss.
Felt Good!
Drove it. Ordered a new clutch for the Sprite yesterday. B-)
Just finished ride height/ lowering springs & front 3/4 ft bar, not quite as low as I wanted, but the ride height is now even the car handles 100% better, Today start major upgrade, replace long time leaking ( coolant @ rh side , just enough to make a mess) head gasket, upgraded SUs (away with the DGV Weber) and Peco exhaust. Whats the adviceout thre fot hed gskt, Payden 'black' or Moss's copper? To be continued . . . .
Today i took it steady going up the M5 and then the M4 about 120 miles doing about 70 mph all the way took two and a quater hours, stopped at one of the services at the pumpes and some prat decided to use the mg as a stopping post,Luckly there was no damage but i still have front suspension rattle when slowing down,.
Went out my workshop after lunch to do some maintenance on the GT and found a flat tire on the right rear wire wheel.:( Dooh! . . . And it's Saturday afternoon! So I quickly pulled it off and ran it to Jim Amaral at Dartmouth Tire. He gently dismounted it with his rim grab machine and we found an abrasion hole on the sidewall. New tube installed and then back to my scheduled maintenance.(tu)
Oil and filter change, gearbox oil change, rear differential oil change, and then clean, inspect, and re-grease the wire wheel hubs/splines.:)
And then the required Potomska Road twisties test run!B-)
Cheers,
Rick
Today I worked on trying to find an indoor area to recondition this MGB. Things are looking good, but still not sure.
EDIT: PS. Crossing fingers!
Driver and Passenger floors have been sanded, etched, coated with POR-15, and fiberglassed. Will follow with sound and insulating matting then new carpets. They are supposed to arrive next week. Still have some cosmetic work, seats to rebuild, take off the PO's sad rear bumper and put the original early 74 back on complete with it's "Sabrina's", yes i know they are ugly, but it is what I have for now. Hopefully I can get it on the road soon, peak season here now. A couple of weeks, fingers crossed.
Its great hearing what everyone else is up to, inspiring actually.... I watched "An MG is Born" on YouTube, a 74 pretty cool, nice to have all the toys to do a rotisserie job like that one. Any one know what kind of Optical Point Conversion Kit he used? I need one. Thanks!
Yanked out the old brake master after getting completely fed up with my clutch foot taking a brake fluid bath every day. Tomorrow... Installing this new TRW / Lucas model.
Started the wire wheel conversion. Found a few more things that needed replaced on the front end once all the dirt and crub was removed. Off to VB for some new parts.I was amazed at how easily some of the nuts and bolts came off... then I got to one that took me an hour to get off. My boys said I just was running out of steam for the day. Picked up a 32/36 DGV and Pierce manifold, also a junk steering wheel from Octagon Spares yesterday. Total cost: $200 AND was priveledged to see his collectables. Drolled all the way home. Worked for the same guy Jeff did for a little while y-e-a-r-s ago at a foreign car repair shop here in York. That's where I got my 64 E-Jag.
installed 3 out of 4 speakers, change oil, fix drivers side door handle (opens from inside now) always helpful!!,, fuel additive, rain-x on wind screen, recieved new key blank and stoplight switch. still no brake lights. :( at least i can drive it as it runs very well. really hope i didn't jinx it by saying that.
I prep the new gas tank to prime and paint . Also made a list of parts needed to get it running again. Battery, hoses and various other things. It's. been sitting in garage for 7 plus years so I need to check alot
went for a nice mellow cruse first 40 miles after rebuild. oh,ran great.i'm a little jumpy after last LBR only went 200 miles.
doing it again tomorrow nice and slow//Life is good when the B is running
Took her for a run down to the local shops. Today was the first really cold morning of the year. (Cold in our terms that is.) She didn't like it at all until she'd warmed up!
Wife drove the MG to the grocery store for some last minute holiday necessities.
I helped my brother put new springs on the front and rear of his roadster. We also put the 5/8" sway bar from my GT on. Naturally he forgot the crossmember pads so we get to do the front springs again.:)o I sure am glad front springs are easy to do on these cars.
Getting the B ready for Dillard.
Added small amount of dashpot oil to HS4's.
Changed Engine Oil & Wix Filter
Changed plugs NGK Gap.025
Set timing at 32 degrees at 3500 rpm
Topped off Radiator overflow tank
Adjusted Su's and Idle to 700 rpm
Added extra charger outlet from battery for Cell phones, GPS, two way Radios.
Added pressure to 32 lbs on all 4 new tires.
Checked OD transmission oil level.
Changed Differential oil
Took out spare tire and added a plug kit and small compressor and slime kit to make room for Wifes shoes. LOL
Today i drove back from Pangbourne she went well exept for slowing and stoping,So last night i ordered up a set of front shocks, Now while i wait for them to arrive,Take 5lbs of white suger 5lbs of golden syrup 2lbs of black treacle 8oz hops add 64 pints of water boil for 3 hours allow to cool place in a plastic container add yeast mix allow yeast to work normally about a week to ten days Then bottle add a teaspoon of suger per pint,or plastic barrel with tap it will be ready in about a week (later)much better then stubby's,
sanded, stripped, degreased, primed, painted.......hubs, rotors, shockes, brake calibers, Oh yeah and I am working on my newest lists of parts. It won't be long I will get it on the road and get to reap the reward of labor of love. I need to get another one. One to wrench on and one to drive. This is not a hobby its becoming an obsession!!
Replaced the bulb in the oil pressure gauge. Now everything is working but the brake test switch. Getting ready to install new seat covers and carpet, then she'll be finished--sort of.
Put in some new Parabolid rear springs. The first one took about an hour. The second took about 4 hours after much lube, heat and finally 3 sawzall blades. :X At least the exhaust is more than 2" off the ground now. :D
I took her out for a spin and hit 85 mph...... found out I REALLY NEED to redo the front end. She was shimming like you wouldn't believe.
Got the front alignment fixed on Friday, took it for a good test drive while running some errands on Saturday. Then my wife and I took it to our first drive-in movie in the B tonight! ("The Avengers," which made for an excellent drive-in flick.)
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Had a great time removing 40 years of gunk from the car, Resprayed the enginge compartment. cleaned and sprayed the waterpump.
Sure beats barking the knuckles. Looking forward to getting the new motor in next week.
First test drive of about two miles, heard a fluttering sound, drove back home, put her on the hoist, differential VERY hot, opened the plug - bone dry! Brand new rebuilt 3 years ago, checked every fluid level, greased all nipples before I backed it out of the garage, did not check diff. cause it was new and it never, never occurred to me it would be returned to me without proper oil put into it!
Put in 80/90 wt, drove it another three miles, no noise in the rear end!!!
I do have an audible "clunk" when brakes applied - and when parked, when sttering wheel is moved about 2 inches left or right, an audible "click" versus "clunk" cuase it's a higher pitched sound??
After the first turn around the block, and it was up on the hoist (I have a 4 post hoist), I double checked every nut and bolt that I could find (just as I had before the first drive) and the noises, both of them are still there.
My "first" and second drive(s).
Bob
Bob, I like that rear deck. Is there a thread telling us more about it?
Hi Bob,
GREAT JOB on the engine and bay! Very nice.
I too had that 'clunk' when braking or backing up. Turns out it was the front spindle assembly. Jack the car up and block it then put the jack under the lower swing arm and 'load' up the spring a bit. Grab each front tire, first at the top and botom, then at each side, and wiggle it hard, you'll probably find there is some free play (there should be none.) Chances are it will move and therein lies the solution.
If you've done all the work to date yourself, it's not that big of a challenge to replace the spindles. I did mine as assemblies (About $200 per side from Octagon here in Vancouver). Follow all your manual's instructions until you get to the part about knocking out the fulcrum pin and the lower bolt. Forget that part, just load up the spring (like in the test, above) and use a mini-grinder with a thin 'zip' style cut-off wheel and CAREFULLY cut the suckers out. You'll cut through the rubber bushings, but you need to replace those anyway. Seriously, it's a short afternoon fix that will eliminate the clunk, the diving and will ride better over those teeth-clattering potholes that don't exist!
Gord
Replaced the steering rack gaiters and put in GL5 oil. The boots had started to split and there was only a smear of oil inside but the rack seems fine. Aligned the steering with a steel tape(!). Will take to the tyre shop for a proper alignment job tomorrow.
My car has had the brake clunk for 25 + years. Replaced both spindle assemblies, etc. Several years ago. Still has the clunk.
I (with the help of my brother) Put on new springs Saturday. And of course the required test drive. WooooHoo Handles great despite the need for new shocks. I think I'll do them next.
We took Punkin out for a short tour to breakfast. Instead of driving 7 miles straight to the restaurant, we took the scenic route with lots of winding road. It took about three times as long to get to the eggs and such, but it was much more fun than the straight and level route, although there were no Mustangs to challenge like yesterday's tour in the E-Type. All in all, it was an enjoyable tour. I drove down and Michelle drove back home again.
We really enjoy our little British sports cars! They each need a bit of work and TLC, but we can drive them safely the way they are, so we do.
We toss a shilling to see who buys the breakfast or the petrol. Obviously, the winner buys breakfast. We'll see you on the road!
Clay & Michelle Whitehead
Gord:
The fiberglass tonneau is made up of two sections that are held together using three bolts and butterfly bolts. Joined together, they are held to the body using two metal brackets that hold it against the rear cockpit rail plus two straps that attach to the snpas normally used to hold the older, half tonneau in place. Comes cream coloured but paints up real well - on mine, the paint guy included a rubber compound into the paint mix - colour is as brilliant on the tonneau as on the rest of the car.
Bob
Well, Sunday I did 315 miles in the GT that I outlined with pics in the post, Swap Meet Find & BCNH Run, so I won't go over that again.
Tonight, Jackie and I drove the back roads to Wareham for dinner and then stopped by the cruise night at Plumb Corner in Rochester for a few minutes. Big turn out, so we were relegated to the overflow grass lot. And no, there weren't any other LBC's there.:(
Arranged to meet up with MGE member Steve (essjayarr) there. He sold his GT last year and had some "leftovers" for me.(tu) (His new project is putting a Subaru engine in a VW Superbeetle!)
Below is a couple of pics from the cruise night, perhaps we should have a caption contest!;)
Cheers,
Rick
I removed the piston from #3 cylinder to inspect the bearing. I found the oil holes are filled with swarf. Fortunatley they were still standard sized bearings so hopefully the crank will polish out. I also removed the drive shaft in preparation for engine removal.
Edited to correct my bad spelling.
Being relativley new to the forum and also being from down under I do not know what the acronym LBC stands for. I know about NBG (but that describes my dexterity and machanical skill).
Anyone able to help enlighten me?
First welcome to the forum. Secondly LBC. stands for Little British Car. Or I like to refer to mine as a LBSC: Little British Sports Car. Or the EETC: Expensive European Touring Car. Again welcome and keep coming back
Decided to go for a last run before we go overseas for 6 weeks. Dropped the top, fired her up and backed out of the garage just in time to feel the first raindrops on my face. Selected first gear, then drove her back into the garage again. BUMMER!!! Bloody rain. The clouds disappeared fairly quickly and I thought maybe one last chance when I heard a lot of noise in the street. The local council came in and re-surfaced the middle strip of the street, leaving fresh tar and gravel all over the place. No way was I taking her out to spattered with all that lot. BUMMER!!! Put the car cover over her and tucked her in until we come home. 8-)
Happy motoring one and all.
Andy
Drove to the top of Mt Washington on Sunday. We did right around 600 miles over the weekend.
Cool! (tu)
Can't make the Portsmouth show. We're going to be back in NH the 17th. But we have to do another run soon!
Here's a pic of my sister's cabin, and a sunset shot from the back porch. The trip was tough to take, but somebody had to do it!
Left it at my sister's for a couple days so I could ride my motorcyle home.
I got my tires repaired for free just down the street. I was sitting there while they were working and they couldn't find anyone who spoke spanish there, so I offered my services, not asking for anything. After helping, they told me to take my car and go for no charge. I was pretty lucky.
Not so much what did to my MGB, but what I did for the B. I bought a donor car for the rear quarters cheaper than buying one new quarter. I'll bring home the car next week.
Placed an order for new floor pan, door seals, rad cap, flushed rad took out old pan and put on new oil filter
[color=#003300]Yesterday, drove some 450+ from home in MS to where my Dad is in hospital in IN. Things went very smooth, that is until I got into Evansville(first destination) and the clutch went out. :( I think it may have just run out of fluid. Need to find my way to auto parts store to get some, then try to get it working again. Any suggestions?[/color]
Replaced the cross member pad w/poly from Basil. Went great till one fell in the cross member no big deal just had to remove the spring. I don't know why I did this since the old rubber ones were in good cond but I feel better.
Took my GT to the filling station where Richard the owner lets me use his lift (when it's idle) in exchange for a large Cuban coffee - bit of good luck eh (tu)
Final prep for the Dillard trip ... checked rear brakes for adjustment and gear oil leaks (none since I installed SKF seals, sweeeet >:D<), torqued rear axle mount bolts to 40 ( couple were a bit loose), greased chassis, and replaced diff oil w/ Lucas synthetic 75 -90
A note about this oil ... maybe I'm wishful thinking but it seems to have minimized the worn thrust washer "clunk" in just a few miles! :S Maybe some property that is like "cushioning" all those bits? Also feels like the car's coasting further off throttle - curious to hear opinions; meantime I'm pleasantly surprised :)
Attended 2nd Annual Memorial Day MGCCNWC car show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoKDCcqjtCI
Then came home and started install of new Stainless steel header to tailpipe tip Tourist Trophy exhaust. http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=65448
Nice looking unit,easy install even with the difference in the thickness of the header flange and the polished Weber 45 DCOE intake manifold,once torqued down the large flange washers just tilt sideways a bit to exert sealing pressure on the flange.Loosened the motor mount and lifted the drivers side of the engine a tad and slipped the header in from above,( contrary to moss directions )
it was easier and faster.
Cleaned the engine and gave it a fresh coat of high temp ceramic before the install.
All in all an easy way to replace the old and put in the new, never to rust again exhaust;)
Besides it sounds great and looking at the car from the side you can see that mirror shine stainless tubeing running front to rear(tu)
Removed the front suspension on the rt side in prep for a new spindle kit. Busted a few knuckles on some frozen bolts.
Still seems one thing gets fixed, another pops up.
Wired one of the relays for the low beam of the Halogen bulbs, and went for a drive, they are really twice as bright. Any thing with a reflective surface sure lit up for half a mile.
Now if I can trace the high beam problem, no juice from the switch in the blue white line -- I am getting to know the wires personally, swapping out some connectors, and then the aux electric fan just stopped.
Am considering wiring the low beams in as running lights, to come on with the ignition, and then off when the high beams are activated via the dash switch, or I suppose I could just put a foot switch in from something else.
Am becoming convinced it is the dimmer switch, but some odd stuff is going on, cannot eliminate the possibility of some shade tree mechanic wiring. The dipper just turned out the lights going to high, and now turns on the RF low beam, even with the high beam wires pulled at the junction.
Regards, John
Worked on the rusty drivers seat frame. WD40's new penetrating fluid, nice can, and some light taps with a mallet freed up the frozen recline adjuster. Next step wire wheel the rust off, coat of paint, all new guts, then new cover. Start on the passenger side. Lots to do still but light at the end of the tunnel.
Interesting. I changed the oil in my roadster a couple of months back. What came out was very brown. Since the new oil (just regular Catrol 80w90 EP gear oil) my axle clunk has also gone away.
One more item off the maintenance list!
Fitted the rear engine plate, flywheel and clutch assembly ready to put the girls heart back in tomorrow.
Getting close!
Visited Magee in the hospital(read MG in the service shop) and saw her up on a lift... walked inside and under her and am still amazed at the lack of rust! Anyway, after the parts fiasco(I had no idea the original distributor had been changed to the much higher performance Mallory Dual Point...Now being changed to Pertronix) I have the right stuff coming early next week and should be back on the road with fresh brake fluid and less fouled plugs by Wed. They also drilled a hole in my gas cap to relive the negative pressure build up(is that possible?...lol). I found that the vent tube in the trunk was clear right up to where it goes thru the floor into the tank?
I think the top will be next on the list especially with rainy season approaching... After this repair I have confidence in attempting a road trip soon ... Maybe July to Lime Rock? But my main goal is to drive to Austin for the F1 race... now perhaps I should start looking for accomodations?
Today i found The Donk ! The antiroll bar and link on the near side are up the duff, So i raided my spares shelf and changed the whole near side front suspension assemble and raided the garage attic store for the spare anti roll bar so i can use the car over the bank holiday weekend,and i have ordered new bushes to fit at leasure as i here they are b@%$()"d's
Played "Christian Barnard" today and completed the heart transplant. The girl is still in Intensive Care but off the ramps, just the distributor and the carbs to go then the challenge of timing and starting.
Absolutely knackered but a real good feeling. My first!
I finally got that blasted brake caliper bolt off! The bottom one came out with some effort. The top one was a beast. Not surprising, since it was heavily rusted and had rounded corners. I had to use a 6-point 5/8 socket, and a long breaker bar to shift it. But, at least it's out, and my front suspension rebuild can restart. Also, the upper wishbone bolt...came out after only 5 minutes. Yet, it too was seriously rusted!
I spent the last two days unplugging my EVAP hard line from the seperator to the cannister. I tried using stiff wire and then I filled it with PB Blaster from the top and made a rig to connect the air hose to it. I cranked the regulator up to 120psi and waited. Every now and then I unhooked the air hose and poked at it with the wire. after a while I could hear little bubbles so I kept at it. On day two after an overnight soak I was able to get in further with the wire and finally it blew clear.:D
Didn't have to work on my MG today but I did work on another members car. New points condenser and ground strap and replaced both of the wing window knobs and did it without shattering the glass.
Installed NEW seat belts. Members that sent me PM's about safety first will like this ! PS got them from VBB-)
Rather "snotty" weather today here on the MA Southcoast. But hey, the wipers work! So Jackie and I spontaneously decided on a run to Coastal Roasters in the drizzle.:) Besides, I had to wash the pollen off the car anyway.;) Took the long way (of course), 50 miles in the GT. . . and some great coffee!(tu)
Cheers,
Rick
Finally managed to wrestle the new convert. top back into place, misted it down real well, let it dry, wet her down again, let her dry then took her out on the highway for a run to see if a bit of a drive would stretch it some more (it's a mohair top) got it home, released the locks and today's efforts mad a bit of a difference. Now have 151 miles, carbs running great (too lean), brakes not overheating (settled in) and engine stayed within the normal temperature range. Manifold temp. was 210.2 (ceramic coated by Jethot).
Tried to install a wood dash, a new speedo cable and and sort out the mess behind the dash. PO x 2 was not retentive about what happened back there. I found large hands are a distinct disadvantage. Oh to have small skinny hands
installed my weber conversion kit. my luck being what it is the stock intake came off with most of the gasket with it. had to remove the exhaust manifold and replace gasket. weber works great though, car started right up and idled perfectly. cant wait to road test it but have to go to work. maybe next weekend.
Dennis
How did it go? My steel dash was so badly chipped I chose the woodgrain option. Finding the fit a bit of a challenge
Iain
Broken 2 windshields trying to install them Into the frame. Replaced the wing windows seals. I adjusted door striker plate. Started replacing gakets in all the gauges. Sence the windsheild is out might as well do the rest.
Next windshield windshield shop is going to do.
Iain,mine was really quick. But I think 1969 dash is a padded rounded no glovebox style? Where 1979 has a pretty much flat face. And I'm sure that I'm "not sure" about that! ps I just covered the top.
yesterday i recived the new bushes for the antiroll bar and i have them half fitted in by cramping them into the vise but i have found a neibour with a machine to push the bush into place, as i cannot get it any further with the vise !
1969 MGB - replaced coil, distributor, cleaned carb, added fuel filter, added antifreeze recovery bottle, changed oil and transmission fluid. Set timing after adding cheater cord to reach battery. Started to set valves and then realized I didn't have the right socket to turn the crank. Ordered parts for follow-on work. Chuck
Jog the motor;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVxIW_pImjw&feature=plcp
Make sure it's out of gear!
Today I made some covers for the tail light area on the GT. I used the material from the headrest covers I didn't use, it is the same as the cloth in the seat centers. I made the panels from 1/8" hardboard and spray glued the material on. They come out by removing one screw.
Took OUR MG to our local MG Car Club Show and Shine- instead of our annual big car show we put on a members picnic. rained all morning, sun came out for a couple of hours we were there, soon after we arrived home the skies let loose again. Good thing we didn't put the club budget on the line for a big show this year.
As we read the posts, we are glad that we have one to drive and one to work on. Today was a lovely day for a drive here in the Pacific Northwest (it wasn't raining).
We started the day out joining part of a tour held by the Centralia-Chehalis Vintage Auto Club. There was another MGB-GT in the procession as well. We had a nice chat at the first stop, Lattin's Country Cider Mill. They provided us with some nice fresh-baked apple fritters. Because of some other commitments, we had to leave the procession. They are a nice bunch of folks and we will join them again. Cars present included a Porsche Sportster and a Ferrari 330, as well as a couple of Huppmobiles, a 1961 Chevy station wagon and an early 50's Studebaker. I just can't remember the rest, except the '57 Chevy restored to stock condition, complete with straight 6 engine, that the owner had done himself.
The other commitment was to visit the lady we purchased Punkin from to show her the car restored to running condition. We purchased the GT after it had spent 24 years in her garage. The water pump had failed and perforated the radiator. We had trailered it home in early March, with the promise to bring it back to show and go for a ride when it was running again. After Michelle had got things set to rights to while away a few spare hours, we did some road testing to make sure things were working. We don't take it out when it's raining hard, so we had to wait for a decent day.
It was heartwarming for us to see the sparkle in Vera's eyes when she saw her old friend again. She enjoyed the ride that we took to see her daughter and son-in-law. How many of us get to visit with the previous owner and enjoy the visit? We (Michelle, Punkin and I )brightened her day and she ours. It was a nice ride from Olympia to Hoqiam, where Vera lives and home again. We hope other list members had a chance to enjoy the day and a nice drive in your MG.
Michelle & Clay Whitehead
It's a tonneau cover that comes from MOSS Motors in California. Costs $369. US$ Comes in cream colour and paints up beautifully - does block the wind somewhat.
Cheers
Bob
Now that the new carpeting is almost completely installed I put the restuffed driver's seat back in and took it out for a spin for the first time in 10 months. Gee how I missed that car.
I am getting back to restoring my 1971 MGB. Bought in 1973, been off the road since 1979, last worked on in 1997. Phew... I am working on the front suspension. Had only about an hour today so I inventoried all the parts to be certain I have what I need. I have cleaned, rust protected, and painted all that is needed and have rebuild shocks. these are the original shocks and I had them rebuild at Worldwide Auto Parts in Madison, WI. This is probably known within this forum, if not please let me know and I will send out info on them. Most parts are from original set up or purchased through Victoria British. Hopefully I will have time this week to assemble the front suspension and bolt the completed cross member to the frame.
I flogged Kermit home 185 miles in a constant rainstorm. Put it in the garage to rest, and will pull the engine tomorrow to install the 280ZX five speed! Then the flogging will get quieter!
:)o
igreased the window eg prings this makes them run mutch smoother.then it needed a 30 mile drive to test them.(or thats what i tell the wife). " Imust gease somthing else soon."
Lovely looking job Iain! In looking at your fan however, I believe it may be on backwards. The concave side of the fan should face the rear of the engine. There was a thread on this just a short while ago.
Thanks Earl
I put it back on the way it came off! It maybe has something to do with my overheating problem when idling in traffic!
We shall turn it round!
Iain
Since he got his start in racing in an MG, I went out like I do daily and made some noise in tribute.
http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/carroll-shelby-remembered-hundreds-revving-sports-cars-moment-165733429.html
fitting,indeed(tu)
Hi Iain,
Here's the mess before replacing the radiator and water pump on my 1972 MGB-GT which shows the correct fan orientation for clockwise engine rotation (from front of engine looking back).
Michelle
Hi Iain,
Your rebuild is looking good. Lots of work mate. I just replaced the radiator and water pump on my 1972 MGB-GT and re-installed the fan (six blade) with the same blade orientation as that shown in your photo. The fan pulls air into the radiator for clockwise rotation of the engine looking back to the engine from the front. An easy verification is to run the engine in idle and hold a strip of newspaper in front of the radiator. If correct it will get pulled onto the radiator fins.
Michelle
With winter just about here I decided to "bite the bullet' and install heater hoses and valve; They weren't installed when it was rebuilt about 12 years ago. The good news was that the heater matrix had no leaks, but the radiator did. So the rad went off to the shop for a refurb whilt I installed all the bits from Moss and did the inevitable cleaning & repainting. It all went well with no leaks on startup! It's now a pleasure to drive back from supper with a little warmth in the car!
The only job left to do? To install the cable from the valve to the control on the dashboard. I'm putting it off 'til Saturday because it does not look to be a fun job!! Are there any tricks to fitting the cable under the dash?
Brian, I have the same pending job...changed the heater control valve, no problem. But the cable through the dash to the knob has me less inspired!!! if you learn any tricks before I do, please advise....thanks!!
Nothing yet, but today is the day I pick up my first MGB. After 15 years of looking and indecision I made the call in 20 minutes last night. '76 roadster metalic BRG. I am like a kid on Christmas Eve!
As i closed up the garage last night a herd an all mighty crash and just shut the door so this morning i found the hinge jig in it's case lying on the floor between the offside and the storage boxes the area is about 12" wide it had fallen from it's store in the roof space totally missing the rear wing and door, It's 6 foot long, ! phew,,.. Fitted the relined roll bar and rubber mounts,... handling should be much better for the Tamar velley run this weekend,.
[color=#3366FF][/color][color=#0066FF][/color]
Put the Pertronix Flamethrower dizzy and coil back in to replace the Crane-enhanced 45D. Smoother idle.:)-D
Spent ten hours cleaning it, new wiper blades, miscellaneous odds and ends..........
You're quite right! I still have to fit new seat webbing to the driver's seat, take out the fuel tank and derust/paint, find out why my ignition timing slips occasionally etc etc etc.
That's why I bought an MG... to keep me out of trouble!
Loaded up heading to Radium Hot Springs Resort in the British Columbia Rockies
A bit later than usual for me but took the MG to my first cruise night of the season!
Today I had some fun drifting the GT in the rain out on the farm roads.B)-
I just installed my "Advanced Distributor" rebuilt by Jeff and it runs sweet but haven't taken it out on the road yet.
This coming Sunday (610/12)is a British car show at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in NY, really old and very cool planes and British cars.... what else does a guy need. This show will be the maiden voyage for this year in my B.
drove it to work and back then finally fixed the annoying twisted seat belt .
+Replaced my leaking and shabby looking thermostat housing with a new one from Moss..Problem arose when the plug was on back order and ofcourse already had everything out. I did keep the old plug however so I am up for the weekend. As my father always said, "Always keep old parts no matter what they look like as they may come in handy some day."
Not just this weekend...
Last fall I installed new clutch assembly and overdrive tranny, rebuilt speedometer and fuse assembly and relays from Bits for Brits
Over the winter sorted out all the bugs and in April took Mostly Green on a 3 day trip through Washington state and the Tulip Festival in north of Seattle.
All that work has given me a car that I can take anywhere!
Thanks to all of you for the tips and hints!
Ryan
Drove it for the fist time!
We arrived at Dillard about 8:30 pm and back home by 11:30 pm. Were going back in the am.
We got to meet several folks including a couple of members here.
Wow! What a way to cap off a three year restoration project.
Attempted to smog the 76..... still no dice.... year 4 saga continues.
keep your fingers crossed. There's a bill to raise the year to '81.
Finishing a rebuild. Installed the Water pump. Ground off the Air Pump bracket from the thermostat housing and prepped to paint it. Will prep and prime valve cover soon.
Installed an aluminum oil catch can today, hopefully it stops the annoying drips from the air cleaner base.
Then, we took it for a spin to the Dairy Queen for blizzards.
[URL=http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2827253690062237293DlIcBv]
[/URL]
Jackie and I drove the back roads through Acushnet, Rochester, and Wareham.B-) Stopped for dinner and then cruised home with a stop for a cone at Dockside Ice Cream in Padanaram.(tu) Jackie's found her new favorite there, "Cranberry Harvest".(:D
Didn't check the odo, but suspect it was about a 50 mile loop.
Cheers,
Rick
Today I did the British Motor Cars of New England drive, along with Bruce (bamct56) and BH (BH Davis) from the MGE forum, to Mrs. Bridges' Pantry (a British Tea Shop and foodstuff store), in South Woodstock, CT.
The post BMCNE Drive Sunday Rhode Island / NE Connecticut - PICS ADDED! has the details (with pics!).
Total of 162 miles (so far!) on the odometer today!
Cheers,
Rick
Refurbished the Rostyles and found an oil leak from the gearbox damm more expense
I cleaned out the garage and pushed the 70B in. It's time get down to business and get her running. I took the whole week off to get it ready for the British Field Day on the 16th in SLC!
I think this funny, until I get the bill. I purchased my 76/77 MGB on Thusday. Drove it for 1/2 an hour and it cut out and restarted after 20 minutes and drove fine for abt another half hour on Thursday. Drove well Friday for about one hour total drive time too and from work. First thing Saturday I take my wife for a drive to the gym. It cuts out again but wont re-start. It wants to fire up when you crank it over but stops when you release the key - there is no ignition light. Towed it to a MG specialist who says it might be the ignition switch. Does this sound right?
74 MGB Roadster/Tourer
Worked on installation of new carpet. Going with red carpets, black seats, and two tone red/black for the door cards. Actually the cards will be red, the arm rest will be black along with the top door cap. Tomorrow night I will assemble the driver seat. The frame has been de-rusted, metal prepped, and painted. All the clips for the seat fabric have been cleaned, de-rusted, and painted also. All new guts for the seat. Then on to the passenger seat. What fun :(, oh my aching back, knees, hands......wallet :)
Hi yes sounds right to me , had a similar problem with mine
Gordon
With much appreciation from forum members I started the G up with her new heart. What a sweet sound. Other than an oil leak where the oil cooler pipe did not seat properly (easy fix) all sounds good. Will take it out tomorrow if the weather improves. We have just had wild weather with 140 km winds and rain.
Thanks again guys
Iain
Took the steering wheel off using John Twist's method of putting pressure on the wheel with your thighs/knees and tapping the end of the column shaft with a hammer. Worked like a champ. Then I dropped the front crossmember and started to dismantle it using Lloyd Faust's instructions. I only took the shock off one side, which released the coil spring but his method worked perfect as well. I've got to get the crossmember dismantled and cleaned so I can send it to Pete Mantell so he can get it ready for the V8.
Painted the exhaust manifold, thermostat housing and valve cover. Waiting on Oil Pan Gasket.
I adjusted the indicator self cancel clip to get that working correctly and had a play with the hazard light switch and n/s screen squirt.
Every year before the MoT test I fine the hazard light switch contacts need a clean, due to lack of use I guess. Its not the first time I found the squirt blocked just before the MoT.
One thing that did surprise me was with the engine ticking over in the garage it sounded different from normal. There wa a tinny sound from the front of the engine. My guess is either water pump or timing case with water pump the prime candidate as the water level was lower than expected when I checked it a couple of weeks ago. At the time I dismissed the lower water level on the basis that I may have left it low when I refilled the radiator after my winter projects so I could later add anti freeze.
I better get this sorted before I go to France for the LeMans Classic.
Changed engine oil and filter...changed tranny oil...installed new shift boot...and, removed and cleaned/detailed the wheels. Discovered I have a front brake pad dragging a bit, so I guess that'll be next.
Chuck’s B was awarded the Fairest Chariot and Sterling Bonnet Award by The Calgary MG Club at beautiful and Wet Radium Hot Springs annual car show over the weekend.
Collected it from the body shop having had a new rear wheel arch installed and a few other bits done. Looks lovely now. Just need to get the battery discharging problem sorted.
Today I put new boots on the rack and refilled the gear lube. Took off all the wheels to have them balanced. Hope to be taking her for a spin on Father's Day.
Took my 90 yr young Mom for a putt today, of course she had a big smile all the wayB-)
Finally quit raining here on the Oregon coast. Got it out, put the top down, took her for a spin around the lake and rescued a Virginia Rail. What a good car!
After 5 years, I got the bloody machine smogged!! Off to DMV tomorrow!!
Installed an HD head unit stereo, 6 surround sound Alpine 240 watt speakers with 2 mid range /tweeter pods mounted either side of the instrument area,creating a center sound stage.
Next up is building a 10 Inch decware deathbox ported Sub http://www.decware.com/newsite/dbk10.htm
I build them a bit undersized to fit the MGB trunk and use heavy duty plugs so that the Bass Sub Speaker unit is removable when more trunk space is required for real long trips.
Bob Dylan sounds great(tu) Even at 80 mph with the top down.
The new Moss Tourist Trophy Stainless steel headers to tail pipe exhaust system complements the new stereo. Quiet when cruising and wicked sounding when on the throttle. Really lets me enjoy the tunes at a brisk cruising speed.
Drove a few hundred miles last week(just like I do almost every week) and enjoyed a few days up on a tiny Island in the San Juan Straits of Washington State.Bill Gates has a large Estate up on the Island and one young retired former Microsoft genius that has lived on the 5 1/2 sq mile Island for several years spent a nice bit of time showing us the workings of his new Ferrari FF (Shooting Brake) 660 BHP 4 wheel drive stunning exotic http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/ferrari-four-shooting-brake-revealed-2011-01-21
Father's day show coming up this weekend,Greenwood car show http://greenwoodcarshow.com/ and The Vintage Sovren races http://www.sovren.org/events/historics/ coming up the following weekends, ABFM Bellevue Wa. http://abfm.com/ after that, MG's under the stars(watching the upcoming big meteor shower) and many more events to travel to, who could ask for more! Busy Summer,get out and Drive:)
Cut out new seat back stiffeners from some heavy picture mat stock. Velcro'd the last couple of pieces of carpet that I didn't want to glue down.
"Newark Carpet Kit" from Partstrain.Com not the best quality carpet, but it will do for now.
Picked her up after what ended up being very minor electical work, mostly connections. She runs fine and I took across Mt Coot-tha ib Brisbane about one full hour of sheer driving pleasure in a 'real car'. Grat fun!
I am unfamiliar with the smogged term. Is that just a USA/California issue?
Anyway I trust the DMV visit will have a positive outcome.
Ah, smog..... all vehicles in California newer than 1976 need to pass smog, which in essence is just making sure that the car is not running to dirty. In my case, I bought a 77, which what turned out to be a major headache. Took me 5 years to get the engine rebuilt, the carbs cleaned, the fuel injectors cleaned, and so on and so on and so on....
After converting to Weber carbs... Drove my '73 B to work without having an alternate plan for a ride home.
Read some of the blogs on this forum and got inspired to remove my "B's windshield. Persistence pays. The hard upper left bolt was extra hard, probably cross-threaded. Literally had to use "foot" lbs to make 1/4 turns with a box end wrench. Other three post bolts were a breeze.
Thanks all for the inspiration!
Maggee is my daily driver. She has been in the hospital for the last week or so on a low priority basis. I apparently fried the secondary points by changing the coil while trying to address a coughing issue at higher rpm... I also figured a brake fluid flush was in order...
I was sold on the idea of a pertronix ignition soooo... The master cylinder started leaking after the flush... Not unexpected. But the car feels brand new with the distributor work... I am so very pleased. now looking forward to a road trip... Maybe Naples or key west!
1979 MGB Rubber Bumper converted to a 1974 Chrome bumper.
Removed heater valve and replaced with a small ball valve plumbing piece with a manual on/off arm lever. Works great no leak.
Also after hard starting after the car sits in the garage for weeks, an anti-backflow (check) valve was inserted in the fuel line just in front of the fuel pump. The car starts right up now becasue the fuel does not flow back into the gas tank after sitting idle.
These were 2 easy fixes for 2 annoying little problems.
Actually it was last Saturday. We had 11 cars from the Iowa City British Car Club turn out for a parade for a local small community celebration parade. We won the vehicle category. Now have to figure out how to distribute a $20.00 gift certificate over 10 owners! There were four MGBs, one MGC, one TR6, two big Healeys, a TR7 a Morris Minor and a new Mini.
Is that something Moss has or you came up with it yourself?
1974 MGB Roadster
Completed the driver's seat on the dining room table, the Mrs even helped. Not to bad I think for my first effort. Now on to the passenger seat, same condition as the driver, rusty, moldy backerboard, shot foam, rotted straps, frozen seat recline mechanism. So a total rebuild :( couple of day's fiddlin.....
Installed Heavy Duty Throw out bearing, installed engine, motor mounts, starter.
Backed up the roadster so I could back up the GT so I could pull the truck out and get to work! Tomorrow I will finalize insurance on the GT... and maybe check my grounds on the Roadster to stop the wiring from catching fire!!
Finished the drivers side door. Complete rebuild. Only broke one bolt!
Oh have do yourself a favor and clean the window regulator and let it soak in oil.
Took OUR MG to a local cruise night. Our local MG club is trying to organize more "flash mob" type meet ups at local cruise nights, so the word went out to meet at the local Wegmans grocery store, but there are cruise nights at different Wegmans the same night LOL!
drove it around town with the top down after work. (it finally stopped raining today). Also tryed to glue the back corner fabric around the support bar. (hope it takes) I used the 3M trim spray glue.
Jamie
Exercised 2 demons that have been plaguing me for years. The Brake booster while it would do its job and boost the brakes it wouldn't hold vacuum for long and weeping washer fluid from the nozzles.
Drilled a small hole next to the filler neck of the washer fluid bottle and filled it up 80% of the way put 80 miles of twisting road climbed up over a mile and some high speed driving and not a drop leaked out.
The brake booster has been plaguing me on and off for years. When I added the supercharger I replaced it with a new one from moss which is not the same as the original. It would work but would not hold vacuum for very long after shutdown and it recently started hissing at shut down. Separated the master from the booster, removed the rubber and metal seal from the opening and gave everything a good clean. I used a bit of silicon to glue the metal seal in place and re-installed the rubber seal. Instant improvement however it was still hissing at shut down this time for a good 45 seconds after shutdown. Removed the master again and once again used silicon to glue the rubber seal in place. Hissing stopped and it returned to its previous working but not holding vacuum for long periods of time. Pulled everything apart again and added a 1 3/8th id o ring at the base of the master and re-installed it. No more hissing and after 15 minutes it was holding vacuum. Gave it a few hours and it was still holding vacuum. Let it sit for 48 hours and it was still holding vacuum. Gave it a drive today and after resetting the idle and adjusting the mixture brakes worked great and checking it a few hours after getting home it's still holding vacuum.
Installed the New Oil Hoses, Oil pressure gage line, Distributor, Intake and Exhaust Manifolds, Carburetors, Water pump pulley and fan. Hopefully it will be ready for the first start after rebuild on Saturday.
I spent some time listening to the engine at idle in the garage. The sound has changed a little. There is an extra tinnyness that I think is coming from the front of the engine. I am wondering if it is the water pump. There does not seem to be any measurable loss of water currently.
My main concern is that I have a trip to France for the LeMans Classic in early July and I don't want the car to let me down.
Retourqued the head. Put all the parts back in place. Ordered new carpets and 3 point seat-belts + wheel arch panels from SCParts in UK. They are providing free shipping worldwide for the next week so I took advantage.
Replaced the speedo cable and am now ready to put the bonnet back on.
I have no panel light in the temp gauge but the workshop manual doesn't show how to replace. Any ideas?
Looking forward to some dry weather to get out on the road. Good stuff!
I have no light in the temp oil pressure gauge. Anyone able to help?
[color=#006600]I just got back home from my trip to Indiana to help my Dad out. I posted when I got there that the clutch messed up, turns out the slave cylinder began leaking. Then found my RR brake cyl leaked as well. On the way back, not only did I run out of gas, many miles from the gas station I could use the gas card at, but the alternator began going out. :( One thing after another...[/color]
Ack! Total MGB dashboard electrical failure on my way in to work: fuel gauge, tachometer, temperature, blinkers, wipers, and heater fan. (Pretty much everything but the oil pressure and speedo.) Popped the hood and looked at the fuses and they were all intact, so I drove the rest of the way in to work and reckoned I'd figure it out this weekend. But I checked the wiring diagram at lunchtime and confirmed that all those systems did indeed go through the same fuse. Popped that fuse out and then back in, and I'm now back in business with all systems working again, even my dodgy wipers. The fuse must've just been making a bad contact after I hit a bump. (No lack of bumps in Michigan these days!)
Lucas, Prince of Darkness, I have vanquished thee yet again!
Note to self: clean MGB fuse contacts this weekend. That was a wee bit worrisome until I figured it out.
Drove to dinner last night with the wife. We celebrated 32 years of marriage. Nothing broke. And the car ran well too....
Finished my front brake job: new hoses, pads, clips. Old hoses were a bear to remove, the jam nuts were frozen and had to use the Irwin bolt extractors.
Took a quick test drive just now and the brakes feel great after having adjusted the rear brakes too. Have a nice high, firm pedal.
Off for a nice morning drive tomorrow to a favorite country cafe.
BobbyG
Oil change. I have no idea when I did it last. Oil was dark and down at the minimum level, so I decided to just go ahead and change it
A bit irritated with my MG right now! I had the radiator repaired (a couple of minor leaks on the header tank) fitted new top & bottom hose and installed heater pipes, valve etc. Finally refilled with antifreeze - mainly for corrosion protection. Two days later the water pump started leaking my new antifreeze onto the garage floor.
I also noticed that the steering rack is leaking oil out of the bottom bearing cover after replacing the gaiters and putting in the required one third of a pint. I guess that explains why it was nearly dry inside when I took the old gaiters off!
Will I ever stop this car leaking fluids? 41 years old and comprehensively incontinent!
Adjusted the driver's door (latch) to fit without dragging. Removed magnets from the fuel line that the PO had attached hoping for better fuel mileage. Removed useless and worn out seal around the back part of the hood. Ordered new parts from Moss: trunk carpet kit, muffler, slave cylinder rebuild kit, interior light lens, light switch bezel, and clevis pin and push rod for the clutch. Listened to its radio, which plays only music from the 1970's. Weird. Christine.
Cranked my new motor till it showed 70 pounds of pressure.(Took almost exactly one minute) Got the Accuspark module installed and working. Checked that the fuel pump I rebuilt would fill the carbs and that the carb needles would hold and that the pump would stop pumping. Figured out the spark plug lead order. installed the plugs. Filled the rad with glycol. It leaked at the drain plug so... drained the glycol and fixed the leak. Noticed the brakes still have a bit of air in the lines but no leaks.(yay!)Got the car off the blocks and onto the ground.(shop floor)Installed a new to me water temp gauge and the tach. Filled the carb dampers with oil. Added 4 oz of zinc stuff to the crankcase.
Tomorrow I fire it up for the first time in 8 years.
Hark thee brave Sir John Magee, Knight errant, beware, th'art ne're free o'er the everpresent goblins from the realm of Lucas .
[quote From John Magee
"Lucas, Prince of Darkness, I have vanquished thee yet again"
[/quote]
Installed the Rack and Pinion, installed the oil cooler, installed the radiator and cowling. Will install the exhaust header gasket, add water and do the Cam break-in tomorrow.
IT LIVES!
I started up the rebuilt motor this morning. (it was silent for 8 years) Ran it 20 minutes at 2000 and only had a tiny glycol leak at the top rad hose. Just tightened it a bit and cleared it up. No oil leaks or fuel leaks! Thing runs great! (The motor has new or re-machined everything)Oil pressure at 60 psi on the gauge, water temp good, alternator light went out.
The carbs need a rebuild but they work pretty well as is. I didn't rebuild them because the car ran well when I stripped it so I figured it was one less variable when start-up time came. It idles fairly well by tuning it with the tach, air hose in the ear and the piston lifting pins. I need a set of poppet-less butterfly valves and some throttle shaft seals. I also need to polish and plate everything.
I need an new ignition switch. It only supplies spark while the starter is engaged unless you wiggled the switch housing just so.
Definitely chuffed!
Adjusted the valves
Removed the radiator
Began the tear down to install a Weber DGV Carburetor kit & a Tourist Trophy SS exhaust
Also may want to replace the fuse block. The rivets will loosen when old. Had the same problem and checked each connection with no luck. I've been told that this is common
I've been away from the forum for a couple of days as our computer crashed. So right now, I'm learning a new system.:S
On Thursday night, Jackie & I went to Apponagansett Point for the first cruise night & outdoor concert of the season. A small turn out (we were the only MGB). The band, "Blues Train", had a pretty darn good blues harp player!(tu)
Meeting Dave (RIRaven) in the morning for breakfast at "The Barn" in Adamsville (maybe some Johnnycakes), then we'll cruise over to the Portsmouth Abbey show!B-)
Cheers,
Rick
Put in the exhaust hdr donuts. GT started good after I rotated the dizzy 180. Broke in the new Cam, changed the oil/filter, blew out the oil cooler and lines. Will install the hood and take it out for the first drive in three months tomorrow.
Spent 5 hours getting the old floor pan out and the new one ready for welding on Sunday. I know I should do the right one as well while I'm at it but there Is always the off season. The suns a shine in and I wana go drivin
Blue skies, 19 degrees C forecast, so it was out of the garage and off to work. First time out in a couple of weeks because of rain every day .
Installed Limey's 4-relay kit. Took me a few tries to get it wired correctly but Eric was gracious enough to email me extra help to get it right. Thanks Eric! They work great!
Thanks for the tips! I will definately try raising the motor a bit and going from the top. I've got just about everything stripped off the motor right now anyways, so this should be simple!
I have yet to pull the stock manifold. What's the trick to getting the back flange to clear the steering linkage to slip it off the studs?
Joined the Clustered Spires British Car Club for breakfast yesterday, a nice showing. A classic car show was across the street (Jefferson MD) and the club participated. I had to go home and do lawn work....
Drove the B to breakfast this morning with the wife, a nice way to start Fathers Day.
[URL=http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2469295550062237293bEJVEa]
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[URL=http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2846382310062237293jfAqFP]
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Here'a shot of me in a members TR3, a survivor of sorts and my favorite British car shape.
[URL=http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2744012130062237293PeHZRr]
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Fixed an exhaust bracket. Set the timing, Synchronized the SUs, adjusted fuel mixture, adjusted the idle speed then took it out for the first drive since the rebuild. I now has 9 miles on it. Everthing looks and sounds good. Temperture running slightly below Normal, Oil pressure about 65psi. Parked in garage and waiting for evidence of any oil leakage.
Finished my windscreen install with my newly polished frame. (Left off the sun visors really like it) Put the brackets back on so I would not break the glass if I decide to add them later.
This was only the 3rd windshield glass. (first 2 i broke putting them into the frame, WOW what a pain it is) all new gaskets on window, body seal, post and glass. Also installed new gaskets for the wing windows.
Aligned my latch plates on the doors so no more slamming noise.
Installed Fathers Day wood dash kit from my kids.
Just powered up the new red LED lights in my dash. And got the hazard lights working with a newer DPDT switch per the Rick Astley book. So happy to see this starting to come together.
Engine with big bore redo will be coming back soon from the machine shop so maybe just in time for the Seattle summer once it arrives.
Happy fathers day everyone!
Cheers,
Keith
Washed & polished her and then went to the shops - the long way round! Back under covers - it's going to rain tomorrow.
My trusty GT got me home from a 2500 mile road trip to Dillard and then thru North Carolina - had 3 failed innertubes and a mysterious disappearance of all the gearbox oil 2nd to last day :S (no leakage since). Other than that, NO probs >:D< Car ran like a lil bear, only me suffering from the baking sun once out of the mountains
Painted the passenger seat frame in preparation for re-upholstry.
Realized I have a daily driver on my hands (finally). Drive to work. Couldn't resist going out for lunch. Drove to the grocery to pick up some mussels for dinner. A quick spin around downtown. Drove home.
Any one of those legs would've been driven with clenched teeth and auto club card in hand til recently.
Life is good.
Decided to fore go the carb and exhaust modifications in favor of a full engine rebuild. Anyone know of a good source for T-9 transmission? I mean besides the $3700.00 "rebuilt" on Moss Motors?
Use the rivergate kit http://www.rivergate5speed.com/mgb_kit_description.html
more robust trans,better gearing,off the shelf parts,280Z or zx 5 speed 1976-1983.
For $895 plus the cost of a used transmission you save a bunch if you diy.
Or you could take it to them and 10 hours of shop labor have them install with a complete rebuilt 280 box for under $2400.No muss no fuss,and great people to deal with.
Z-specialties in Wa. state can get you a good 5 speed if you want to do the job yourself.
Oliver is great to work with too.
http://www.zspecialties.com/
although full engine rebuild and 5 speed conversion you are getting into the V6 swap zone,so why not go all the way(tu)
Enjoyed the nice weather :)o Took the "boat" to Seattle visited around and brought the "boat" back B-)
Happy to be in a B(:P) in the great NW !
Hey thanks for the info! That Rivergate site is awesome! I'll be ordering that kit tomorrow.
I've not considered te V-6 swap.....toyed with the 215 Buick V-8 for a bit but I have opted to keep the stock block 18V. Rebuild cost should be parts only as I'll do the machine work and rebuild myself.....I'm fortunate...between my job and my son in law's father, I have access to all the machine shop services I need.
I'm letting my B "recover" :o from a rather grueling 2500 mi. voyage in some intense heat. Today I tightened up the new throttle cable, a bit stretched from the trip. Checked the gearbox oil level again; after Sat's weird disappearance of all the oil on the 600 mile run from NC to Daytona, it hasn't leaked a drop since :S
And what did I do to the poor car with the Sawz-All in the pic? Looks ominous doesnt it; you'll just have to ask hehe ;)
Cut apart the transmission to locate the leak easier?:)
That oil had to go somewhere. You probably need to take it off the road till you determine whence it escaped.
More like this week. Installed a new windshield. Lots of good advice from this forum and Moss Motors' TS. Thanks all.
Did it on my own with the exception of recruiting two neighbors for the lower frame to body gasket. It went a lot easier than I thought ; used lots of silicon spray instead of soap & water. Also, did the job with the dash in place. Tomorrow I,ll re-install rear view mirror and sun visors.
(yesterday) Dropped the MG off at the resto shop for:
carb swap - ZS to HIFs
front end rebuild
rear seals and brakes
install Moss TT exhaust
So technically I'm not doing any of these projects. But it will be done in a week and back on the road. I'm sure that given my schedule I'd be looking at burning up the rest of the driving season here in Ohio with the car up on stands.
Can't wait!!
Worked on the lights, installed LEDs, will upgrade to electronic flashers for the LED lights. Ran the engine for a bit tweaked the carbs, couldn't find my unisyn! Hell last time I used it was in the late 70s on my Triumph Spitfire. Guess it got lonley and walked. I'm sure I'll find it as soon as I buy another....
I am putting together an axle out of the parts of three axles. I started out doing a de-clunk job and the pinion pin and gears had some wear on them from the lack of fiber washers but the ring and pinion gears look like new. I opened up the second axle which had a nice set of pinion and side gears but the pin won't go in to the case of the first axle, don't want to force it in. So I opened the third axle and that pin fits. I will end up with one really good axle, one decent axle that I may be able to make better with parts from the axle currently in the car and a wire wheel axle with no side or pinion gears.:)o
Replaced a lost battery cover, windshield washer pump, glued top to the "third bow" of the frame, drove with the top up for the first time. Much quieter with a battery cover!
Replaced the "new" Lucas points who's rubbing block wore out after 1,500 miles with a spare set of vintage Blue Streak points.(tu)
Cheers,
Rick
Thunderstorms, pouring rain, inside work, stripped down drivers door top rail preserving as much as I could using the old covering as a template, foam is ok. Have to pick up two new captive nuts, the old ones are shot, then I will re-assemble with new black leatherette (vinyl).
Set the timing, balanced the carbs, set the valve clearances, washed & waxed from top to bottom and treated the seats. Took the first run since installing the engine. What a difference, unfortunately the quiet engine has shown up a rumbling gearbox. Down to the shop and picked up a second hand unit that I can refurbish on the bench and still drive the B.
I just need to remember the purpose of buying an MG was to DRIVE it not to show up my challenging automotive skills!
I am thinking of renaming my G but I do not know the name of the girl. Remember the rhyme[b]There once was a girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead When she was good she was very very good but when she was bad she was horrid!.
Have a great weekend folk!
Removed brackets from bumpers to get the ready to send to the plating shop. Car is at the painters, had planned to paint with some DuPont acrylic laquer, but color turned out to be purple instead of the intended teal blue. Will use modern paint instead.
Installed a 14" ProComp electric "puller" fan w/ variable Hayden Thermo-Switch & Relay to replace 10" Hayden electric "pusher"fan. This led to many other "while I'm in there..." fixes! In all the fan and thermo-switch cost $48 via amazon. It has worked well in this Texas heat and in stop and go traffic.
Learnt how to wrap a scarf around my neck so it wouldn't keep getting blown off. Maximum temperature for Sydney today is 16 C/60 F and it it less driving to and from work.
Thanks for the correct version.
I guess the sentiment is more important than a name.
Have a good day
Looks great. How did you get so much room between the waterpump pulley and the radiator? It looks like enough room to hold a party!
Well done, must look into it as we share something of the same temperature ranges.
Thanks for sharing the info and the pics
Today I took some pictures of my MGB GT and then made a slide show and watched it no my 51" plasma tv. This week I have to trace down my overheating issues. I have never heard of an MG overheating has anyone out there ever heard of such a strange thing happening to an MG? ps that was sarcasm.
I took the 75 GT for its first run of the year. A scenic 60 mile run with friends to a mining museum and a 40 mile return run.
Car behaved perfectly.
Went out to the garage, turned on PBS's "Click & Clack" and continued compounding the paint on my '74 B. I'll get this thing to shine yet... :)
Drove the GT to Turtle Bay, North Shore of Hawaii, today to get it's 1st hundred miles. Plan to drop oil pan and oil cooler for a good cleaning when I change the oil. Readjust valves and put the valve cover on with sealant this time. Seems to be running good. Had the Hawaiian air conditioner on for the ride.
Changed fuel filter,no leaks,drove around awhile still good B-)
Moved my B yesterday out of its garage and kept driving for an hour and a half. It was that good.
Today got the Magnette out and went for a good long cruise. Beautifull!
And she who is supposed to be obeyed reackons I have too many toys. She is wrong and I bought a motor bike on thursday.
Life is to short to listen!
"Dorothy's" head is back from the machine shop - woohoo!
So busy with renos in the last couple of months (I'll be a new dad in the next 12 days or less!) that I haven't spent any time on Dorothy.
Tomorrow I send her over to Todd at Sports Car Parts to reassemble and tune everything. I'd love to tackle at least half of it, but at this point it makes more sense to have the pros tackle this while I deal with the rest of life for now.
Today I cleaned and reassembled the HS6 carbs with lube and new gaskets.
Cleaned up surface of thermostat housing.
Cleaned and re-oiled the air filters.
Cut replacement fuel hoses.
Cut heater hose to replace the shut-off valve and pipe that Uncle John had in place.
Separated the heat-shield from the intake manifold and clean them up. New larger Moss HS6 heat-shield didn't fit my HS6s!?! I was hoping to divert a little more exhaust heat since there's seems to be a problem with vapourization. Hmmm.... Old smaller ones will have to do for now.
Charged the battery.
Stripped Hylomar from EVERYTHING...
Since we left the exhaust manifold attached and just pulled it back to remove the head, I thought I should tie it in so that it wouldn't slap around on the way to the mechanics. As I grabbed the manifold, the bottom pipe fell out of the exhaust clamp! Heh! Removed the manifold and tied up the exhaust ...something else for Todd to tackle!
Packed the trunk with all the parts for Todd to put back onto the head, and made a to-do list for him and the crew!
Looking forward to getting my mistress back on the road!
- Terrence
My son and I took the B to MG Live at Silverstone over the weekend and camped in the rain. It stayed dry for the autotest where we had entered the car with both of us as drivers. I have not seen the official results yet but I am sure I did better than James so that is all that matters!
During the autotest I could hear, what I think is, the left hand rear drum rubbing on the back plate in hard RH turns. I have the tube axle on the car currently and its LH wheel bearing has been changed within the last 5000 miles. That change was due to the same problem although I got the rub in ordinary road use at that time.
All in all we had a good time bought some parts, saw some nice cars, and watched some good racing.
Had a bad vibration under the car around 50mph. Thought it was u-joints, but must be gearbox mounts as the ones I had must of melted away B-). It was hot in the driveway today as I removed the x-member. Parts are on their way, and cleaning of the old stuff has begun.
Sunday, drove up to British Car Day at the [url=http://larzanderson.org/]Larz Anderson Museum of Transportation[/url] in Brookline, MA.(tu)
I posted some pics in the thread [url=http://www.mgexperience.net/phorum/read.php?1,2102360]British Car Day - Larz Anderson Museum - Brookline, MA - PICS![/url]. Took the back roads home, avoiding all highways, putting 120 miles on the car for the day.B-)
Monday, brought it to work, then snuck out to get a new the state inspection sticker. Then blasted back home as SWMBO texted me that when we both left for work, the windows were left open at home and thunderstorms were headed our way.::o So put the GT back in the garage and returned to work in the pickup.:(
Hmmm, maybe we'll try to get the usual suspect together for a run this upcoming weekend. . .
Cheers,
Rick
Rik, Our daughter and son in law live in Boston, so last time we visited her she took us to see the Larz Anderson auto museum. Very impressive!
This week she's the daily driver! My Honda's got a brake problem and the workshop can only fix it on Thursday. I'm not sure whether it's imagination, but She's a much nicer, more responsive car when she's used every day rather than once a week!
Tell me i have HS6's on my mgb, what needles did you finally settle on when tuning, sorry mine is bored out to 1950cc and has sporty camshaft and i'm an OAP so need any advice from you 'kids',thanks Chris
Cleaned parts using soap, hot water, screwdrivers, and sand paper. Finally gave up (or thought of a better idea) and the place where I bought tires let me use their parts cleaner for $5. Worked like a charm. Primed and painted the rear x-member. Patiently waiting for parts from Moss to arrive.
POLLACK11
I've currently got BBW needles in mine - my uncle did the original build and setup, but I haven't done an end to end tune yet to validate they're the right ones. 18V block overbored 20; Crane fast road cam; aluminum head; lightened hardware, etc...
Agreed to sacrifice my wallet. (Todd promised to be good to Dorothy)
Can o'worms! Er... looking forward to realizing her potential!
Stay tuned...
Yesterday was our 19th wedding anniversary, so I took the missus for a ride over the Dragon and back in the B...enjoyed her squealing like a little girl on a roller coaster...and, then out for a steak dinner on the lake front. What a perfect evening it was.
Parts came in for the tranny mount. Was very excited. Then the very frustrating work began. Probably wouldn't have been so hard if I wasn't doing this on my back in the driveway. Finally got mounts in, work on aligning the x-member and bolting it in tomorrow. Took at least 20 tries. Such an amateur. Can't wait to finally try it on the road. Hope the vibration is gone. My 9 year old was a HUGE help today.
Jackie and I went to our town's weekly summer concert series and cruise night at the Apponagansett Point beach.
My 1969 Grampian Gray GT and Rene's 1967 red roadster were appropriately parked in the front row for the Rhode Island based Beatles tribute band "Abbey Rhode"(tu). . . And I forgot my camera!
Cheers,
Rick
I declared the Lucky B completed after a 6 year process!!!! Just picked her up from the paint shop, all the little nicks are fixed and odds and ends done. So I am good to go for now. I love this car!
Very Nice. Enjoy.
Maureen.... that is a thing of beauty! Mine's getting close. Very exciting!
Finished the front end work by undercoating the wheel wells and installing the finished wire wheels. Now on to the back.
It's home in my garage,in Australia and I'm in NY. I miss it :S!!!
After receiving my order... found that belt was not correct..also could not mount radiator with original bolts.
Called englishparts.com and spoke to two different defensive reps.
One reminded me that they were in business for 35 years...so why the wrong belt?
Why didn't the original bolts fit the new radiator? Why wasn't new hardware a manditory purchase or at least included?
It was my first/last order.
I have money to spend on my restore and I found quickly which online company to avoid. I do not have the time to chat on the phone or to stand at counters trying to match up parts.
From my first MGB parts buying experience, I am learning the online stores to avoid.
Avoid the englishparts.com folks, at least...their after-hours folks are surly.
Just finished an oil change after the 100 mile breakin. Will verify valve adjustment, install a new valve cover gasket and see if that is where I'm leaking oil from. Had some smoke from my dashboard the other day. Found an instrument light fixture had failed, bought some new 10e fixtures from radio shack and planning to install that as a replacement somehow. I have LED lights on order.
Re-installed the top. First time it's been on in over a year and a half. Week-end away coming up with the missus and the weather is looking a bid dodgy for part of the time.
Getting ready for the 20th annual Greenwood Car Show. http://greenwoodcarshow.com/ this Saturday.
Installed a bunch of stuff nobody will notice but since it is a daily driver were much needed. Stainless steel braided brake hoses all round,new clutch slave hose,new Master cylinder,adjusted E brake cable,Flushed all systems and bled once buttoned up.
Purchased like new Robbins Tonneau cover for the 1971 Bedouin B from a local club member. Now need to decide if I want to dye it to match the body color,the tan robbbins cloth top,or leave it black as a contrast.
Any and all advice is welcome.(tu)
Last years MG's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4WqKQVG7Y0
This year we will have an ultra rare 1949 MG YT touring roadster one of only 887 made post war 2 door 4 seat roadsters in white with red leather.
with 800 cars expected and 200,000 people viewing, the show will be a great kick off to the summer show season.
Now back out with the rotary polisher for a final buff.
ohlord,
Nice looking car. What color is that, do you have a paint code? Been looking for a suitable color for my 73 GT.
On another note. Adjusted the valves. Good - I found my Oil leak. Bad - it's a pin hole in the pan itself. Well, I wanted to clean the oil pan out anyway. Will weld it up once removed.
This evening, Jackie and I did a back roads loop through Fairhaven, Acushnet, Rochester and Wareham, stopping for supper before heading back home.B-)
It was a good night!;)
Cheers,
Rick
Thomas
Was interested in the 100 mile oil change. The engine suppliers suggested a 500 mile oil change and I am interested in your comments. 5l of oil is small potatoes so cost is nothing (cheaper than a fill up of pertol here)Just interested in the why. You can tell I am really new at this stuff.
Iain
100 miles is too short an interval on initial break in. Newly rebuilt 1800 engine, 500 miles and follow either factory manual or rebuilders spec sheet,for speeds,load,etc.
Lain,
Somewhere on the MGexperience I read about 100 mile oil change. Since everthing that could wear was replaced in this latest rebuild, I thought it couldn't hurt. So, going overboard a little, I changed the oil after the CAM break-in, which was only 20 minutes. Now at 100 miles and I will do it again at 500. Like you said, it doesn't cost much and it will take a lot of the worry away.
Tom
Drove it Thursday, top down, 100F. Hadn't driven it in three weeks, but it fired right up. The heat must be thinning the oil...
The 72 MGB paint was finished today and partially finished windshield reassembly.
replaced the oil pump in the overdrive after the pump seized for the third and final time. No amount of polishing it was going to save it this time.
Tahiti Blue - was a mixup with the painter, was supposed to be Teal Blue, but we liked this better
After pulling the tank and finding a bunch of junk in there, pulled the fuel pump and flushed the fuel lines. DCOE 45 Rebuild kit arrived so that is on the horizon. Will have to have the tank boiled out and resealed as it has some rust, but appears to be repairable.
After the trauma of losing all my gearbox oil on the way home from Dillard, I decided to end the once-minor oil leak from the OD sump for good. Replaced the God knows how old OD filter screen/ gasket assy. with the Moss one w/ improved sealing, and the pump plug O ring and relief valve copper washer (used a fiber washer). 4 hrs of Dremeling, polishing, and ensuring all mating surfaces were true, and I think I've won >:D< 50 mile hi speed run, no leaks yet.
Back from vacation and work slowing down.
I ordered ever thing to finish overhaul of suspension, cooling, wheel bearings, rear axle bearing kit and lots of other hardware. Looking forward to getting it all back together. Note to self: when you start a minor repair don't look around for everything else you can overhaul. Or buy another so you can drive one while you wrench the other.
Removed Carburetor for rebuild. Removed Intake and Exhaust Manifolds. Removed Radiator. Removed Alternator. Removed Thermostat housing. PO never put a thermostat in. Removed Breather Covers. Degreased Left Side of Engine and Engine Bay. Sat back drank a couple of beers and admired my work.
Our local MGE group's ice cream run was first delayed due to heat, then postponed due to thunderstorms.(td) (We'll try again next weekend.);)
So stopped by an old high school buddy's garage. He's replacing the head gasket and prepping his TD to join us on some of our runs!(tu) (And also use it his daughter's upcoming wedding!)
And also checked out his Magnette ZB that's also stored away in the garage.(tu)
Cheers,
Rick
I have owned my B for four years now, but since I acquired it from my Uncle, my career has moved me multiple times, and I had to put the car in storage just after beginning the teardown phase of a mild restoration.
Well, today, I have been reunited with my B! After little persuasion, I had a few of my buds from Atlanta tow it up to my new house in North Carolina. I am so excited to start working on it again. I have to restore the interior and figure out why the engine won’t start before I can take her back on the road.
I no longer own a "B" but witha friend stopping by with his "BGT" I might start looking for one :)
Replaced the two front push fans with a three-speed fan from a mitsubishi. Now, I wired the fan to run all times on low and when the fan switch connects, it kicks into high.
But now, my temperature gauge sits straight in the middle with the fan running. I like that much better. Now, to move forward with the A/C. I found an evaporator. I have a condenser that fits perfectly now that the fans our out.
She's coming along now.
Hello All,
Just finished tearing down my Weber DCOE 45 for rebuild and cleaning. What a mess. Found close to 1/8 inch of fine rust in the bottom cover and the start jets were clogged with the same. Choke screen was completely plugged with black junk. And if that wasn't the reason it didn't start the PO left out the O Ring and seat for the starting jets. By the time I am done with this thing I am sure it will run much better than it ever did for the PO. I didn't pull the butterly rail as I have heard that is factory set, but the rest is all in individually numbered envelopes per the exploded diagram. By the way if you buy a gallon bucket of carburetor cleaner thinking that you are going to soak the housing in it think again. The DCOE won't fit in a gallon bucket. More to come for sure.
I Just saw one a 1973 mgb in our local trader for 1500.00 looked good and had some things replaced but you know how that goes
I got rid of something. :D
Now I have to replace it. Then do the other side. :P
Gas Tank and Radiator are at the shop being cleaned and refurbished. Finished cleaning the 45DCOE and ready to put it back together. Cleaned up the intake manifold. Cleaned the fan and painted the pulleys. Time to have a cold one and go enjoy some fireworks.
I checked on delivery of more parts to finish front rear suspension, cooling overhaul, and a couple other little projects. They are to be here by COB Thursday. That means a day off on Friday and running soon.
I looked at it sitting there in the garage, and glancing down at a couple of scars on my hands from it, and remembering the fun at fixing and working on it and then enjoying the countless rides it has provided, decided that later today it will be out on the road this 4th of July!
We drove to Lowes this morning, and parked out front, near no other cars. When we came out, I found some SOB had taken the ashtray and a pair of decent sunglasses from the console. I just ordered a replacement coin tray from Pats MG's via Ebay, $15 shipped. I'd have loved to have caught that culprit in the act. Guess we'll now start rolling up the windows and locking the doors.
The dashboard illumination fixture for the tach shorted out, so I replaced it with an e10 fixture from Radio Shack, then replaced the bulb with an LED light. This light is whiter than the rest so now I'm going to replace them all.
Blew up the number 1 piston/block/oil pan etc. So bummed right now.
Sprayed the first coats of primer. Found a few small dents I'd missed. Will spot glaze and sand tomorrow
Today was my SWMBO Jackie's birthday (Yup, Born on the Fourth of July). So we went out for dinner via the back roads in the BGT (my present!;))
Cheers,
Rick
On an absolutely gorgeous 21 degree C sunny winter’s day...... nothing. I need to do penance!!!!:( Still tomorrow will only be showers maybe I should christen the girl!
Hope you all had a great 4th
Installed two replacement heavy duty electronic flasher units in place of the old Lucas thermal units to get the LED replacement bulbs to work in the turn signals and emergency flashers on the 74 B.
After two months of repairing the 76 B I bought, I passed a Texas State Inspection. Tomorrow I'll find out if I have all the documents I need to get it registered. Then, off to the Hill Country.
I got a lot of help from this forum and a lot of parts from Moss and the B'hive. Thanks.
Wire wheeled and painted swivel axles. Took newly pained rotors to get turned. Waited for UPS to show with a big box of goodies. Inventoried parts. Started the plan to rebuild suspension and cooling system. Hopefully I can bail early from work and get started. Nothing to do all weekend but get the B headed back to the road and help a girl put a new soft top on her jeep.
Replaced leaky thermostat housing and completely dissolved gasket with new housing and fancy gasket. Put in a 180deg thermostat instead of 165. Was going to paint red to match engine, but instead went with a polished look painted with clear enamel lacquer. Photos below.
I broke it. Rather the combination of a low car and a badly placed pothole in front of some railroad track broke it.
Hooked the fron edge of the nuffle on the track and pulled header right off the head. All eight bolts broke off. That should be fun drilling them all out. One broken hanger and some slighly deranged SS pipes.
Sigh.
Installed the driver's side seat belt then I drove it on the road for the first time in 13 years. Just a half mile out and back but it all worked.(I had no bonnet or boot lid.) Even tested out the overdrive... good as a new one. Looking forward to finishing up this project and going for a real drive.
Officially started my resurrection. Bought first batch of parts! Fuel lines, rebuild kits for master and slave cylinders, Bentley manual and rear brake cylinders. Have an end of August deadline to start the car for first time since 1994 and take it to a car shown at work.
Also my first post!
Started the body work. Ground some rust off the right rear fender and found some really thick bond dough from the PO. Under the putty was a patch that didn't look right. I think the outer wheel well was rusted and got welded to this patch.
Got 4 new tires on the MG the other day and realized when I was driving home (at dusk) I didn't have a passenger side low beam headlight, turn signals, parking lights, or..... pretty much all I had was a driver side headlight and dash lights. So Today I found my wiring problem with my lights, a corroded connection under the hood in the fuse panel, I scraped the corrosion and re plugged the connections and "Viola" I have lights all the way around. Just gotta buy a new turn relay and I will be completely legal/roadworthy. Good thing Georgia doesn't have inspections for classic vehicles in order to have a tag. Now getting ready to cruise the cooler evening and enjoy the convertible top for the first time!!!
Rejetted the Holley carb on my 3.4 v6. It was running rich.
I made a few changes and adjustments today that made a noticable improvment in my B's acceleration woe's.
1. I pulled the carbs then the butterflys ,removed the emissions valve from the butterflys and made some very low profile parts to seal the hole in the butteryflys then silver soldered it all back together.Shortened the butterfly retaining screws a little then reassembled with a red loctite on the screws.
2. Messed around with the sliding pistons and dashpots till I got the piston dampening the same.
One pistons dampening characteristics was much slower than the other.No rubbing or scraping going on but I found some descrepencies in the two damper assemblys that I was able to remachine and match.
2. I removed the heat wrap from the LCB headder thinkin the wrap was holding too much heat and possibly overheating the intake manifold and incoming air fuel mixture.It was in rough shape anyway and was easy to remove with the carbs and heat shield off.
3. Lastly I removed the rubber sleeve that joins the front and rear air filter cans thinking this would open up the avaiable intake area that the cans can breath through.
Thats it! Really noticable improvment...Next I'm gonna remove my freshly restored airfilter cans and replace them with some K&N filters and try some richer needles.
I'll keep at it until it runs like the proper MG should.
Sounds like a rebuilt and custom Recurved Dizzy would do wonders also.
I'll update after the nxt round of retuning
Today I gave the Humblebee a well-deserved cleaning after a 13 day, 3100km, relatively uneventful run through the San Juans, Oregon and Northern California Coasts and back up through the center. It was a BLAST! She ran like a well-tuned top, from the seashore to the torturous Highway 36 from Hydesville (just south of Furtuna) to Redding. 4 hours of 45 - 50 MPH driving up and over mountains, through slalom curves, switchbacks and every other manner of driving awesomeness you can think off!
Before we left, took out the fine tooth comb and went through everything. Even replaced the spindle assemblies (a VERY worthy investment), wheel bearings, brakes, etc. As I say, it ran like a champ and we had excellent performance and confidence. For the most part we did all but maybe 150 miles on the backroads and avoided I-5. Still, cruising at 65 - 70 mph was effortless.
After Hwy 36 and Redding we stayed the night in southern Oregon on our way yo Portland then home. Leaving the next morning I noticed and intermittent squeaking had suddenly begun to get worse. We pulled over and suspected it was a result of a loosened tailpipe which was quickly wired tight and off we went. Within a few short miles it was evident that the problem had not been solved and actually gotten worse.
Pulling into the back lot of a lonely country tavern I jucked the car up and pulled off the front wheel. The hub was sloppy so, Uh-oh! Popping off the grease cap, the outer wheel bearing essentially fell out into my hand.
Being as we were in the middle of nowehere, 80 miles from Portland it was a bit unnerving for Miss Paula, but she held up like a trooper. I cursed myself because I had returned a spare set of wheel bearings and seals the week before we left. Nonetheless, with a little help from AAA (BCAA here in BC), a comfy slide deck with a freindly young man showed up and drove us the 80 miles to our hotel in Portland.
The next morning we walked about 10 short blocks to an O'reilly's Auto parts store, picked up the bearing, a few tools and supplies I did not have and returned to the hotel. We were ready to rock and roll within an hour, so it was all good. (God I love the easy of repairing a B!)
All in all, it was a wonderful trip and the first of hopefully many cross-country touring drives. Maybe we'll do the Kootenays, Calgary and the Rockies before the summer is up! :) (She's ready for a little camping too!.)
Removed the exhaust, at least header back. Ordered replacement muffler, manifold studs and nuts, and hangers. Ordered more left handed drill bits for the impending stud removal exercises.
I think I will also need to remove the Tourist Trophy hangers and re-drill the mounting holes in the front hanger to get the exhaust up an inch or so.
Pulled the choke out and found out it wasn't attached to the carburetor. So much for the B being complete :) Since it too hot to have the top down in Florida today, went fishing instead!
Hi Rob,
Thanks for the invite! I'll see if we can work it out.
I didn't ask for shims at O'Reilly's. I did manage to get away with the old ones but I also had a few of different sizes tucked in the ol' spare parts box. I finished the run from Portland to Vancouver and been driving about for a couple of days, I'll pull the wheels off to check and make sure over the next week or so. I think it was the intense pressure from the driving. It was quite literally, turn left, turn right, turn left, turn right, at higher speeds for about 4 hours. I was REALLY having a blast!
Gord
Spent the day doing non-MG vehicle maintenance on the family fleet. . . so took the BGT on a back roads, after dark blast as my reward.:)
Cheers,
Rick
Punkin took us to breakfast and then a car show in Chehalis. It was mostly hotrods except a couple of restored antique cars. There wasn't an LBC in sight, unless you count Punkin out in the parking area all by herself.
Yesterday we checked out the Historic Sports Car races at Portland International Raceway. There were some of the same cars that we saw last week at the SOVREN races in Kent, WA. There were a few B's and Midgets running, but the competition for the lead was fought by cars that were faster. It was noisy fun anyway.
On the home front, the wheel cylinders and brake adjusters are ordered for Maggie B. They are coming from British Parts Northwest. I plan to install them when they get here and then overhaul the fuel pump with the BIG hammer. If that works, we'll see what we can do about the sticky throttle, then run her up and down the airstrip a few times.
Have fun!
Clay and Michelle Whitehead
Repaired old connection for grounding for Windshield Wiper delay. Delay is NOT OE, but made by Roberk about 15-20 yrs ago and still works well (when the ground wire is well connected). One of the few concessions to modernity my car actually suffers with. Well worth installing one (doesn't matter whose) if you drive your car frequently and in the rain. Definitely not OE, but can be concealed easily if you feel guilty about having one.
I finally fixed my non-functioning high beam. Like everybody said before, it was a faulty bullet connector in the front of the engine compartment.
Great to have the high beam back, I like to communicate with my flasher!
Put the recently de-arched leaf springs back into the car. Hopefully this will finally give adequate clearance for the drive shaft to NOT hit the tunnel plate. Does anyone actually sell the correct leaf springs anymore? very frustrating and laborious.
Used a Moss Carburetor Re-build kit and tore into my Zenith-Stromberg. It took a couple of hours but was not as difficult as I thought it would be. Of course, I haven't tried it yet. May be a while since I'm waiting on parts. Since I had the carb off, I went ahead and removed the manifold. Since I removed the manifold I might has well replace the gaskets on the side covers (which are leaking oil) and put on a new SS exhaust system.
In short, I spent a lot of $$ on the green beast.
Today I finished building a rear axle out of the best parts of three old ones. I put in new thrust washers and all new seals. Now I just need to rope somebody into helping me put it in so I don't mess it up.B-)
Alonzo,
Do yourself (and your B) a favour while you've got it all apart and spend a little time smoothing and polishing the inside of your intake manifold. I Did this to my twin SU stock manifold and the increased flow was incredible and well worth the afternoon of grinding and polishing. Here'a few pics...
Kelly,
Nice job! That's on my Winter To Do list for this year. Rear end, tranny and O/Drive.
Sorry, too far away to offer assistance.....
Thanks Gord, and nice job on the intake now I have to do that too. I think I found a sucker.... I mean my brother to help put in the axle.:D
G. Field, thanks for the idea & info. I' ll check my intake manifold.
Where do I start....Installed new rear shocks (converersion shocks), fixed my locked up rear brakes, found TDC and adjusted my timing, tuned my webers, took gauges out and painted pots white and installed LED lights (they look amazing at night). Most of these things I had never done before. I have owned MG's for 22 years and I learn how to fix something new everyday.
TR
I ordered new rear wing repair panels and rear outer wheel well repair panels from VB. Ordered new oil cooler, light relay kit and rear 3rd light from Moss. The GT is up on jack stands waiting for the fender repairs to start. Hopefully only down for a month, more if I discover more rust holes covered by bond dough.
Today I installed the new LED panel lights. Hallelujah I can see! A lovely green blush illuminates the gauges. Well worth the $AUD6.10 I spent. Actually cheaper than the flashlight bulbs I bought before I knew about the LED's.
Now just waiting for the new carpet and the lap/sash seatbelt to arrive from the UK.
Hey Jim!
No, I don't have a flow bench and I can't say specifically what the increase in flow was —but I can feel it! :) Plus! It filled in the time between the many coats of paint and primer that were applied while the engine was out.
On the physics side of things, removing that casting bump and making both sides the same while polishing the surface over which the air flows can only result in better, smoother air flow.
Easily done too. Some mounted flap wheels, wet and dry sandpaper, an aluminum burr and a 1/4" - 3/8" VS drill.
Drove it to our town's weekly cruise night and concert at Apponagansett Point Park beach. Good blues band, Blue Reign, but only one other LBC (a Spitfire).
Cheers,
Rick
Replaced the overdrive gasket/strainer to stop minor leaks and changed the gearbox oil at the same time. Changed the engine oil, greased the front suspension and checked the timing whilst I was underneath. It was spot on. Now if it would just stop raining I would take her for a run!
Took my yuongest daughter to band practice and the library.
Tony
I replaced the fuel sending unit. Turned out to be a flooded float.
Then I put 50 miles on her to test out my work!:)-D
Went up in the mountains and got drenched. It's not supposed to rain in southern california this time of year. Nothing better than driving wet asphalt roads in the mountain that have seen nothing but heat for months. Just a wee bit slick. Got home and did an oil change on the rear diff.
Took the photo after I had to stop to clean my glasses.
I replaced the front shocks, one of them was completely empty, no dampening at all anymore.
Those arms are a pain in the ass to get on with those new rubber bushes!
Replaced the old leaky aftermarket fuel pump with a new SU AZX1307.
I drove my 66 MGB to work. Then we took it out for a spin and grabbed lunch. I hope the photo works, my coworker, Art stuck his hand out the window and shot the photo with his phone.
It's not what I've done it's about what I'm about to attemp. Replace the windshield in my 64B heard nothing but bad on this subject!!! Tomorrow I may have to write broke my new windshield :(
Go for it. I just did mine and it wasn't has bad as I had heard. Here's a couple of points:
1. Don't rush. If you get agrivated step away for a while.
2. After you remove the old glass, re-assemble the frame to make sure you have good, complete hardware. I had to re-tap some of mine
3. Replace all the old rubber (seals & gaskets). You've gone this far might as well do it right.
4. Get help with bottom seal (frame to body). It' a two to three person job. I use two friends and a lot of silicon spray.
5. Taper your four post mounting bolts. They are long enough to taper a 1/4" or buy the GM hood bolts everyone writes about.
6. Use the rope trick to seat your bottom gasket.
7. There are several good videos on "you tube".
Good luck!
I shortened a shifter 1 3/4". I did it on the bench grinder. Ground it down to 3/8" and used a 3/8-16 die to continue the threads down and then cut off the excess.
Oil change, air filter, ect. Used a black paint marker to touch up the front bumper MG logo, worked great.
Installed a high third brake light. Nice and small and inobtrusive but three bulb LED so nice and bright when applied!
Not today, but last night. I replaced the brake rotors, calipers, pads, clips, pins on mine. While I was at it, I took an air line, and blew out the crud on the dust cover. Who knew how much crap was on there? Also done, was I greased and repacked the wheel bearings. I'd never done that before, but after reading an article in Practical Classics, it wasn't too bad. Hopefully today, I'll finish up painting the suspension components, and will get to put them back together tomorrow! Still have to get the MG inspected before the PVGP show on Saturday :D
Drove the B to my annual high school reunion last night.
Driving to the "British Invade Gettysburg" event here shortly.
Saturday, pulled the head on the 71 & had the seats and valves recut.
Today was spent lapping the valves and putting it back together.
Getting the excess heat in the cab undercontrol. I am getting all the small things fixed so I can take short trips in town. Not that brave yet to go out of town with it.
Today was "Brits Invade Gettysburg". I made it late, but made it none the less. Some terrific cars in attendance. Had a scorching hot, but dry ride home.
http://rides.webshots.com/album/583112213DPbIND?vhost=rides&action=refreshPhotos&albumID=583112213&security=DPbIND
[URL=http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2681681450062237293Paujin]
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Drove to Daytona and then down the coast...
Back to Orlando. 140 miles! Nice sunrise.
Getting mentally comfortable for my trip in October to the Petit Lemans.
If all goes well, hoping for an early Sunday morning there on The Dragon.
Then back to Orlando for work that Monday.
.
Sprayed 3 coats of base and six coats of clear. Color sand and buff tomorrow. The car looks like it was dipped in baby oil happy so far with my garage pain job. The only small thing was I had to go with BRG from a 1964 jaguar! paint shop said he couldn't mix the MG color? It looks about 3 shades darker but still nice
I just replaced the front wheel bearings. I'm in the process of converting to a 3.4L V6, so with the engine out I decided to replace those. John Twist video was helpful, as always. :-) Next event will probably be the fuel line and pump.
Riff Raff,
I envy you doing Gettysburg in MGs - awesome. We did Gettysburg in 2010 in a Chrysler 300 with Virginian plates, got some very wierd comments until some one was up front enough to ask us why we were in touring the battlefield give we were from the south. The penny dropped then because we are from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia - non combatants!
What a great place!
WJR
Got the exhaust system re-installed after my ill-fated tangle with some tall railroad tracks.
And on a slightly related note bought a large collection of LBC dealer brochures. T-Series, A, B, Lotus, Jag, Triumph, Jaeger and more I haven't gone through yet.
I live in the country and I got tired of picking hay and bugs out of my radiator so I made a removeable bug screen from some bits I had laying around. It is held on by the two nuts that hold the core support braces. I can slide the screen out to clean or remove the whole thing by removing the two nuts. The sides are 1/2 x3/4" aluminum angle rivited to some metal strap. The screen is leftover bits from a window screen kit and small bunge cord for tension.B-)
drove it to work. my co-worker happened to park next to me in his LBC.
Haven't posted for a while so a little more than what happened today. More like the past week. Pulled Intake, exhaust and carburetor. Did a little touch up painting of the engine bay.
Rebuilt the 45 DCOE.
Took the radiator and fuel tank over to be cleaned out. Unfortunately the radiator core was shot. So they rebuilt it for me at about the same as a new one but with better stock. The guy who did it has been in business for 40 some years and said he has redone many MG Radiators this way and they work better than stock.
After getting the fuel tank and radiator back, put back in the intake and exahaust manifolds and carb.
Put the gas tank in put gas in it and much to my disappointment there was a pin hole in the bottom of the tank.:X So I screwed a zip screw with a washer in there for temporary. Went to start the car for the first time since I bought it and the damn fuel pump wasn't running. So, took it out and cleaned the points. Still wouldn't run (Take pictures of the wiring). Thanks to Dave D. I got the wiring in correctly. However, the pump still would not work. The weird part was the coil would fire just great when not attached to the pump housing, but as soon as you attached it no good. So, I decided that perhaps the diaphragm was too tight some how or another and put a screw driver under the points putting tension on the diaphragm and reassembled it. The pump ran very slowly connected directly to a battery, so I put it in hoping it would work. After putting it in. No good. Charged up the battery and tried again. It started pumping slowly, faster faster, and faster. Apparently being dry for so long in the AZ Climate made the diapragm stiff to the point that it would not allow the plunger to move up to open the points on the pump. Once it was moisturized with fuel it began working fine. The car fired and ran for the first time since I have owned it and ran quite well I might add. With regard to the fuel tank, I took it back out today and took it back the radiator shop. They were appologetic and are going to fix the probelm at no additional cost and paint it. Hope to have it on the road for the first time soon.
Following installation of the green(LED) panel lights. And awaiting arrival of the new carpet I replaced the MG badge on the trunk lid and the MG badge on the grill. Disapointed that they are plastic but the original trunk badge was too badly damaged to restore.
Then adjusted the door opening control. Never taken a door card off before it was interesting but simple. Now "she who must be obeyed"can open the passengers side door with a measure of ease!
Carpets and three point seatbelts arrived. Seatbelts will be okay. I think I am going to have an interesting time with the carpets.
Wish me luck and patience.
Regards
Iain
Cut, ground, sanded, wire brushed and painted. Leaf springs need flip side painted, need to weld a new rebound strap bolt to axle. have other spring pieces soaking in rust dissolver. Got another box of hardware and some stainless brake hoses. Oil cooler and brake overhaul kit and shoes.
So far I have installed re-corded radiator, and cooling components removed factory fans (one of the brackets was broken and ate the fan up.) installed a Hayden 14" as a puller. K& N air filter, New seat belts. Grinding, priming and painting every rust spot under the car.
I really want to have the wheels sand blasted and powder coated. But I have done more than I set out to do. But I know me, if your doing this take care of that and if you do that then why not just take care of this while your under here. But it will be ready to drive in a couple weeks.
Fired her up and took her for a spin .... much enjoyed on a sunny Brisbane winters day. Especially after having been overseas for almost 7 weeks.
:D
It was 100 degrees when I left the office tonite, so when I got home I got in the MG and two words came to mind...
BEER RUN!
Did an ice cream run with the Cape Cod British Car Club that I detailed in the post:
[url=http://www.mgexperience.net/phorum/read.php?1,2123008]Cape Cod British Car Club Ice Ceam Run Tonight! PICS![/url]
Cheers,
Rick
It's starting to look like a car again. Er, that is, I fitted the entire driver's side front suspension. Using the trolley jack to compress the spring wasn't all that bad--I'd wedged the spring in place, then lifted the pan. While I had the jack up, I fitted the kingpin/swivel axle. I had to temporarily loosen the drop link and the bolt holding the front of the A arm in place. With that all done, I attached the brake caliper, the steering arm, and cleaned the greasy fingerprints off the brake rotor. Still have to do the other side and bleed the brakes before I can drive it. Also today, I registered the car for the PVGP shows in a couple of days :p
Replaced rebuilt rebushed new clevis pin clutch pedal and brake pedal assembly. Removed all the slop and side to side play Making the new clutch master cylinder perform like a brand new B.
Installed a Garmin GPS in front of the speedometer,reads out not only mapping function but you can expand the speedometer function to full screen landscape style ,black with large white numerals visible even in bright daylight, Keeps track of Speed,max speed,avg speed,running time,stop time,overall average speed and 2 trip odometers both set individually.Dead on accurate.
Got a 1996 Chevy blazer roof mount third brakelight LED from "pull a part" for 19 bucks and primed and painted it Bedouin to match the car and will mount it below the luggage rack on the trunk.
Replaced reverse lamps with higher wattage bulbs.
Put a new coat of paint on the rostyle rims and polished the chrome trim rings.
For a year round driver the little 1971 Bedouin B takes a lickin and keeps on tickin(tu)
Finally pulled it out of the PO's barn and towed it home. Removed the biggest of the mouse nests I could see..
Mices (:P)love to eat wires. Best start with a complete inspection of the wiring(tu)
Cut out the rust that the PO had crudely repaired and hid with bond dough. Fabricated a new piece of metal and tacked it in place. Ground the fender bead off of the left rear and will weld it solid. Ran out of weld wire, but will continue tomorrow.
Drove the beast. 1st I had to reinstall the manifold, zs carb after I did a re-build kit, installed new ss exhaust. Oh also new seat covers and belts.
Ran good, but I'll probably re-tune it tomorrow.
Pulled and labeled all the wiring from the front lights and right fender. Removed the Charcoal Canister, Run On Valve, and washer assembly. Removed the heater box. Good thing I did the gaskets were in pieces in the bottom of the bulkhead. Probably would have had leaks and engine smell down the road. Picked up the gas tank from the radiator shop. Getting ready to pain the left side of the engine compartment. Finished the right side a week or so ago and it looks much better than before. Received parts from B Hive for fuel line washers at the pump and new oil lines. Too bad there isn't a good parts supplier hear in Phoenix. I would be moving along much faster. Seems that every time I start working on something I find something else that needs replaced and or I want to make it look better. But, hey, that is the way with a 36 year old car.>:D<
Rob
There really should be a law against putting a pic of Bedouin2 on the forum. I keep breaking the 10th commandment ( the one about coveting thy neighbours goods).
I fear converting my tartan red is probably a bridge too far.
Have a great day.
Iain
I laid the new carpet in the boot, trunk or whatever you call that spare wheel holder in the back of the car! Repack it, installed the three point belts and found out the issue of me being too round. It was when the "cheese and kisses" stuggled I realised I was sold belts for a car with a centre pillar and the locating point on the wheel arch is just too far back. I purchased an extention for drivers side and voile. Finished up doing the last minute checks for our club's "Winter Woolies Run" tomorrow. Rule is tops down. Should be a great day driving through the hills of WA.
Happy Motoring
Rob I assumed you would attach the third brake light to the luggage rack. That way if you ever want to sell your car, the light could be removed should the next owner want to keep it all original.
Picked up my B from a eng/trans rebuild and took it on a gentle mountain cruise up near Lake Arrowhead...
Fitted a 123-Ignition Conversion with new HT leads, adjusted the timing and tuned the carbs. Result is fantastic. The car runs much smoother, ticks over at 700rpm and has much more power. The engine is more keen to rev and it makes the B an even better performer. I'd advise anyone to go with this system. See the link below for more info!
123-Ignition Conversions
Scoped out a possible route for a club drive on November 3rd. Storm clouds on the horizon, then raced the rain back to the Beach.
Oh - and found a few new electrical issues to address.
Just a short run over to my in-laws for supper as my sister-in-law's visiting from Florida. (Speaking of Florida. . . Hey Marco, today's high here was only in the mid 70's with a light breeze.)B-)
Did play a little while driving over with a kid in a Golf/Rabbit with the fart can exhaust. I guess I must of semi-impressed him cause I got a thumbs up as he turned off.(tu) I'm imagining him saying, "That old man was rocking it old school!";)
Oh, and I did take the long way home.:)
Cheers,
Rick
Today start taking my '67 MGB apart for a complete repaint. For last year been working on it as well as using it for back and forth to work. I have reworked & sorted out all electrical system with an asian make alternator (ND 110amp self contained), late model O/D conversion and Dual Line Brake system upgrades. Complete brake and suspension overhaul with upgrades, replace that crummy (admittedly smooth running, just no power, SU’s SO Much better) weber setup with correct polished HS4's, some engine freshening up, restoration of the dash with a correct power coated finish and rebuilt gauges, negative ground conversion and a Peco header and exhaust system. It's been running great and handles really well with the upgrades done to this point. Going for BRG and black/black leather seats/ interior. Will keep posted.
Christmas came early this year! The wife & I headed out to Anza-Borrego today to pick up a fully intact "fish mouth" grille, complete with the top finisher *and* an aluminum hood (which is in very good condition) :D $75 for both! I've been searching long & hard for a top finisher for awhile now - very happy to have picked this up for such a good price. Very cool guy who sold me the parts - huge LBC fan & had all kinds of goodies on his property.
On the way home we stopped off at a local LBC graveyard - lots of good stuff (MGB/MGC/1100/E-Type/Lotus/Volvo/Saab). Kind of sad to see some of them rotting away, but pretty cool none-the-less. Enjoy the pics :)o
After a clutch master cylinder change and test drive yesterday, we took 'Emma G' to lunch at the Flying Nun Cafe in Samford just north of Brisbane followed by a dash accross Mt Nebo in the D'Aguilar range, outrageous. The naughty 'Emma G' was well behaved! Beautiful winter's day in South East Quuensland!
Mounted my new autocross tires 195/50/15 bridgestone Potenzas on 15" Nissan Z-car "Swastika" wheels. With the centers painted flat blacb & B emblems on the Z hubcaps she looks pretty good though
I need to grow out my mullet & find my "Members Only " jacket
It's not so much what we did to Punkin as what she did for us. Yesterday, the E-type took us to an All British Cruise In and Show in the Portland, Oregon area. There were a bunch of MGB's, a very nice restored MGA and a few other miscellaneous LBC's. Miscellaneous included a 1953 Sunbeam Alpine, a Jensen Healy Interceptor, Triumph Stag and TR-6, a Healy 3000, a Sunbeam Alpine, a Midget and Jag XJ-S V12. We met some nice folks and learned some new tricks to try on Punkin. I'll let Michelle post a picture or two so you can get the flavor.
Today, Punkin took us to breakfast and a Civil War re-enactment of the Battle of Antietam here in the Chehalis, WA area. As usual, Punkin ran flawlessley. The only problem we had was some other drivers not even noticing us as they took left turns when we were going straight through a stop light. We had the right of way, but they had the bulk, so I stopped.
It was a great weekend with LBC's. We hope yours was just as much fun.
Clay Whitehead
About 60 miles. . . including the RT 105 twisties!B-)
Cheers,
Rick
Put over 100 miles on the MGB this weekend, all short trips.
Actually it was what the B did to me. Keep plastic sheeting on the garage floor because LBCs have been known to drop a drop or two of oil now and then. Drove the B into the garage and noticed that the sheeting was folded over on one corner. Down on my knees I reached under to straighten it and laid my upper arm against the tailpipe. Got a nice four inch burn. The sheeting now has a strip of duct tape on each corner. Forrest Gump's Mama said " Stupid is as stupid does".
Had a great run through the Perth Hills stopping at a lookout for morning tea then 1 1/2 hour run through some beautifully wooded areas. Lunch at the Elizabethen village then a quick run up the hiway home. Great day covering 150 miles.
The G ran well as it was the first decent run since the heart transplant.
Roll on the Safety Fast Rally!
Broke my new windshield when doing the install ordering a new one in the morning. Think I might get the shop to install it to the frame then I will do the rest
Work has stopped on most of my projects. That is until my body gitz better....
Now it's my bad shoulders... Had a fall and it just made it worse....
Here's some pics from our trip to the "Third annual All British Cruise In and Show" in the Portland, Oregon area. It was a very pleasant day talking with other owners and discussing how they had installed various components. The 1972 MGB GT owner had installed dual bonnet gas struts and replaced the original fuse box with the bits4brits fuse box assembly and added the headlight and horn relay kit too. Very neat installation. There were not many cars at the meet which enabled much more personal time with owners for discussion - a definite plus.
Straightened up some wiring and did some cleaning in the engine bay. Ended up breaking an inline fuse coupling, which was actually a good thing...didn't realize how brittle it had become...probably kept me from finding out on the side of the road somewhere.
The 1972 MGB GT owner had installed dual bonnet gas struts and replaced the original fuse box with the bits4brits fuse box assembly and added the headlight and horn relay kit too. Very neat installation. Here are a couple of pics.
The 1972 MGB GT owner had replaced the original fuse box with the bits4brits fuse box assembly and added the headlight and horn relay kit too. Very neat installation. Here are a couple of pics of those assemblies.
well this is only my second mgb after i gave up on mg midgets its got two carbs on it and i cant seem to get the pistons in side them to move i removed them by the three screws and they didnt look like to me they would move or are supposed to move? any help would be appreciated ive got this car ready to crank and i think these carbs are stuck dont know?
William, the pistons in the carbs should move easily up and drop when you let go.
Same thing happened to me. Probably should check all that have not been replaced.
Replaced the thrust washers in the differential. Amazing how much you can get done once you get out and get started, which is a little hard to do this time of year in Arizona.
Put front and back bumpers back on new side moldings re-installed tail lights after a Meguiars restoration polish ( works great ) do the front end tomorrow grill and head lights about 2 weeks away from getting her back on the road. But finally I see the light
X2 on the AZ heat. I found an evap cooler on Craigs list for the garage. Works pretty good at cooling me down a bit.(:D
Drove it back to Chicago from Detroit where I spent the weekend. Even though it handles the expressways just fine, I jumped over to the rural 2-lanes and old state highways between Kalamazoo MI, and Michigan City, IN. 100 or so relaxed and sunny (and blazing hot) miles. Sweaty but enjoyable anyway.
I should add: about 600 total miles Friday through Monday evening, 24.6 mpg. Nothing that I would consider a problem, but I did discover that the right rear brake cylinder is leaking (fairly badly) so I had to carefully monitor brake fluid levels and I had to fix my hood latch which wasn't latching fully and was causing the hood to pop open now and then when I hit a bump. The loose latch was my fault. I didn't adjust it properly when I partially disassembled it to lube the cable a few months ago.
Chased electrical gremlins all afternoon. Tx temp 100, under my collar 130+.
Set out to install a volt meter in the center console. While there! I was going to figure out way my new map light only lit with the door open; not with the switch. I assumed with 1 black wire and 2 purple ( purple & purple/white) the black would be gnd and the other two hot. No, should have read the book first, fried the map light. So, proceeded to wire the voltmeter, simple right - black to gnd, red to a switched pwr source. Put it all back together. Started the engine, turned on the hazard lights, voltage went negative and engine died. Long story short - coincidence - small fray on radio wire came into contact with another wire, also with a small fray. Fortunately, it blew one of my lower main fuses. So after a few more hot sweaty hours, all is well.
I too replaced the door seals on my '67 B and I don't like the new seals. They are too stout and require a hefty slam to shut the doors. I predict trouble with these fat seals. Anyone know of seals with a smaller diameter tubing or different extrusion?
Greg
Interesting! I took a cruise up to Big Bear Sunday to test the recent cooling system mods. It was 104 in San Bernardino and 85 up at Onyx Peak and the car stayed cool ( below 195 ) all the way up. The mods consisted of taking off an electric fan, installing a Moss high efficiency radiator, add a shroud behind the radiator, install a 6 blade fan and a water pump with a cast impeller rather than the pressed metal version.
That seems like a demanding run for a car just out of the engine rebuild process.
Greg
ReinstalLed my distributor which is just back from Jeff.Lined up the crank pulley with the markers at +10o.
Noticed a missing bolt on the A arm mount and replaced it.This probably explains the clunk I have been searching for in the front end.
Checked the no 1 cylinder for TDC[/size]
Got the hood (bonnet) open, possibly the first time since 1985 or 1986 (that's the date of the last inspection sticker). Many thanks to some older threads about "lasso-ing" the hood latch with a wire fed through from the driver side fender area (release cable hopelessly frozen). Vacuumed out about 10 lbs of acorns and mouse "debris" from the engine compartment. Next step is to pull the plugs and see if the engine rotates freely. The plugs came out easily, hopefully the motor's not seized..
Drove it to work, then our town's beach concert cruise night.B-) Parked it next to Rene's 67 MGB roadster. They got quite a bit of attention!(tu)
Then when I got home, I realized the brake lights weren't working!::o Traced it to the switch, found a spare one in my barn of parts, installed it and am ready to drive it to work in the morning again!:)
Cheers,
Rick
I walked buy it in the garage muttering obscenities at it, then went inside to look for parts for the brake system. This weekend will be the fuel pump. Last week was the weber carb conversion and a new top.
Drove it 12 miles. (first drive in 10 years) It worked great. The used wire wheels are actually round! Quite pleased with that. (I converted from disc to wires) I didn't get them balanced because I didn't know their condition. They bounce a little at 60.
Discovered my rear axle leaks out the front seal...
My new Bosch halogen headlights from Bus Depot are awesome! Overall I'm very please with how it all went. I took the car apart to the last nut and bolt 10 years ago. I'm amazed I got it back together.
I had forgotten how good the brakes are on these little cars. It STOPS! It may not have worked this well 10 years ago... I replaced all brake components with new.
Now I have to install my new interior and get it painted.
I fixed my exhaust leak. I had not checked it lately and one of the brass nuts was sitting on the pan rail against the front downpipe. Looked like it had been there a while.::o Good thing too because I could only find one spare brass nut and another one was missing, all the rest were loose. I am suprised because I could barely hear the leak.B-)
Met your Brother at the great Greenwood car show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI2OaNCZcUA
You were missed(tu)
Tracey won most unique car of the whole show with her 1949 MG YT
Glad you got the exhaust leak figured out before it cracked the gasket and caused more issues.
The wife has been doing her best to keep me home doing her crap. I may not even make it to Bellevue ABFM.:)o I am glad Tracey won, Her car is cool.:D
got it nut loose? lol im reading the nuts were loose including u lol have a good un kel wild bill here
Definitly a loose nut behind the wheel here Wild Bill, I just got back from a road test.B)- Apparently I fixed the popping out of third issue when I removed the gaiter from the shifter boot when I shortened the shifter.:D
first there were nuts now theres gaters whats next squirrells driving u round lol keep it up kelly and youll have it licked lol!
Took the " Bedouin 2" on a late night test run. Closed private road on a friend's property.
Testing taller rear tires and new advance curve on Mallory dual point mech advance distributor.
An exhilarating few minutes on a long straight away ending in some very tight twisties.
Note to self: Get camera mount.;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rojc8G2xjts
Installed new moss MG emblem and mount but hat to put some spare over rider spacer behind because my bonnet wouldn't close and I spent for ever trying to adjust it. Any one else had that problem? Also went to install my new moss ( smiths ) oil temp gauge paid $150 for it and no leather washer come on Mr Moss pennies for a washer include it with the package please.
I agree that you should get a washer with a new gauge. I used an o ring for my oil pressure gauge connection under the dash. No leaks.
Bought BB a present...a rebuilt head with the larger valves. No more crack at the #3 plug...well..as soon as I install it that is.
