The MG Experience Owner Journals

New Carpet For Austin A30

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:00:19 -0500

John O'Sullivan's Journal --

Hi
I have recently purchased an Austin A30. Running well, needs brakes worked on and a good clean up.
I want to put new carpet in "Norma" named after previous owner of 44 years.
My question is: Would it be better and cheaper to get a local car upholsterer to fit new carpet or pay the $370.00 and by one of the pre cut ready made kits from the UK for the Austin here in Australia? Anyone one else had a similar experience?
Thanks John
Australia

Posted 2013-06-18 14:00:19 by John O'Sullivan

Rear Axle - Fuel Tank

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:59:14 -0500

David Steverson's Journal --

Rebuilt rear axle ready to go back on new springs, along with new fuel tank

<IMG 0348>

<IMG 0349>

Posted 2013-06-18 05:59:14 by David Steverson

1954 MG TF/B Pickup Update 6-17-13

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:44:49 -0500

Ken Smith's Journal --

I have been test driving the project car around the neighborhood, scaring the little kids and squirrels, making the dogs bark and hoping
my single glasspack isn't too loud. It is. I will be adding another GP to the system this week.

Brakes work great, clutch is still a bit stiff and sticky and there is only a teeny drop of oil coming from the rear of the oil pan.

Yesterday, I had a coolant leak because I only tightened 3 of the 4 clamps in the area around the fan switch/temp sensor.

Still lot's to do, but it's great to be driving instead of twisting nuts.

Cheers.

<1954MGTF-B PU small01>	<1954MGTF-B PU small02>	<1954MGTF-B PU small03>
<1954MGTF-B PU small04>	<1954MGTF-B PU small05>

Posted 2013-06-17 15:44:49 by Ken Smith

Euro-Car 2013

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:46:27 -0500

Wayne MGB Show Car Journal --

The 2013 Euro Car went off well. With the threat of rain broadcast heavily over the media our mob of Cars was still above the average for a rain day. It started off with a pretty good morning but as forecast at noon that change to a rather steady drizzle then stop then drizzle for most of the afternoon. One nice surprise is that we had Jeff Zorn (LBCC)attend our little show and of course I bought some trivia from him. We took second place with the open juding system now in place.

<A Rainy Day for 2013>

<Jeff Zorn Working - LBCC>

Posted 2013-06-16 16:46:27 by Wayne Owens

Tweaking SU's

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:51:53 -0500

George Heissenberger's Journal --

After a beautiful 40+ mile ride to and from work Thursday, I had an old friend come to visit on Friday. As he is a car nut and ex formula V racer we took the B out for a spin with him and again with his girlfriend. On the second trip around the block the B started to sputter under load going up a hill, but no big deal. Did the same thing again on Saturday so I checked and adjusted the carb mixture as they were a little off. After two sequentially longer check rides it seems alright again. I wonder of its anything to do with the fuel fill up from Thursday.

Posted 2013-06-16 12:51:53 by George Heissenberger

Crinkle Coat Finally Done-Dashboard Back In.

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 21:10:34 -0500

A.R. Pope's Pinky Journal --

Bead blasted & primed metal dashboard last October & last week applied plastikote 217 crinkle coating. Let it dry for a few days. Installed it all back today. Now choke cable is too short after clipping the rough threads end to route it back through sheath. Plenty more for my to do list to tidy up before its ready to start again. Noticed fuel tank drain bolt is seeping. Need to drain tank & add a new gasket. Windshield has a 6 inch crack in the center & an independent glass repair shop will do their seam seal job for $65.00.
Left rear tire was flat & after spraying some soapy wager I found it leaks at the spokes near the valve stem. Read a good thread here about removing the tire myself with truck tire bead breaking tools and so I,ll assume I can then patch the tube like on my Schwinn & Huffy bikes when I was a kid.
Was a good day of work. Cell phone was silent all day so got a lot done. MG physical therapy well worth it.

<Crinkle coat redo>	<Drying in HOT sun new dash paint>	<Choke cable short>
<Left rear tire leaks near valve stem at spokes>

Posted 2013-06-15 21:10:34 by Andrew Pope

Fixing Leaky Oil Pan

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 15:44:33 -0500

Jeffrey Louis's Journal --

I worked on the MG this afternoon and discovered the cause of the pesky oil leak. I found the oil was coming from the rear portion of the oil pan near the four back bolts. I tightened them up and will have to keep any eye on the mat on the garage floor.

<Testing out the new floor jack and stands>	<Picture of rear bolts - oil pan # 1>	<Picture of rear bolts - oil pan # 2>
<Working under the car>

Posted 2013-06-15 15:44:33 by Jeffrey Louis

Enjoying A Sunny Day

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:26:07 -0500

Jeffrey Louis's Journal --

The weather in Northeast Ohio today is perfect for cleaning and driving both my 1976 B and 1993 Mercury Capri Convertible.

The MG has been running great for the last 2 and half months since my restoration has been completed. There are a few small projects I plan to do over the next few months including adjusting the rear brake drums and trying to fix a pesky oil leak from the rear portion of the oil pan.

<1993 Capri and 1976 B - Back>

<1993 Capri and 1976 B - Front>

Posted 2013-06-15 12:26:07 by Jeffrey Louis

Ex-Dick Protheroe E-Type "Low Drag Coupe"

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 05:37:18 -0500

Roger Butt's Journal --

Prescott 1970 - Mike Wright finished 2nd in the Sports Cars, Touring Cars and GT Cars 3,001cc and Over class, which would end up being won by Jack Maurice in his Ferrari 250 LM.
This is the ex-Dick Protheroe E-Type "Low Drag Coupe". This car was formerly and latterly registered CUT 7.
To see more fantastic Jaguars fitted with JAP Magna wheels, go to the Images/Gallery section of our website, or use this link: http://japearceengineering.com/imagesgallery/

<E-Type Low Drag Coupe>

Posted 2013-06-15 05:37:18 by Roger Butt

Get Your Kicks (on Route 66) With Magna Wheels!

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 05:26:13 -0500

Roger Butt's Journal --

Geo Hahn from Tucson, Arizona kindly sent us this great picture of his TR4. Geo is a member of the Tucson British Car Register whose members have a wide variety of British sports cars.

Geo says “I got my wheels from a fellow in the South (state of Georgia) who had them a while but never got around to using them. As I recall that was about 8 years ago. He said they were raced in the 60s in Florida on an MGA.

I like to vary the wheels – I also have a set of wires and stock disc wheels for the TR4 - but fall & winter are the big driving seasons in the desert southwest so the JAPs go on for the long, fast roadtrips.”

<Geo Hahn TR4 (2) - Route 66>

Posted 2013-06-15 05:26:13 by Roger Butt

I.W.R. Cortina-Lotus

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 05:20:24 -0500

Roger Butt's Journal --

John Davies contacted us with a view to someone helping him fill in some of the gaps in the history of his car. John is the proud owner of Lotus-Cortina Reg. No. DAR722B, and has owned the car since 1975. John kindly sent us a great period photograph of the car sporting J.A. Pearce Magna wheels. To see more (including the Autocar article in December 1966 in which this car was featured) go to:
http://japearceengineering.com/general/i-w-r-cortina-lotus/

<John Davies Lotus Cortina>

Posted 2013-06-15 05:20:24 by Roger Butt

Tonneau Windshield Lift-a-dot Post

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:36:09 -0500

Paul Mansell's Journal --

I don't know about any one else but I have found that the central lift dot stud does not hold the Tonneau well especially if you try driving it wont stay on the post and comes un done flapping around. Not very safe and real nuisance, so go to thinking about improving on it.

Simplest way was to replace the post with something more secure.

Thought one was to somehow use and attach those push together clips used on all sorts of straps, push chairs backpacks etc. but how to fasten and how difficult to do if you need both hands to clip them up.

Thought two, just replace the small lift-a-dot post with something more robust. I happened to have some chair leg base adjusters, the ones that screw into a nut with a plastic base on it. the thread size was perfect as the lift-a-dot slide on it nice and securely.

Now how to attach it.

Short length of metal strap with a slight bend at each end and suitable sized holes to fasten one end to the base windshield mount and the other to accept the furniture base adjuster. I tapped this so that the furniture base could screw up tightly, may add a nut to the other side if needed to fasten it securely.

Took off the lift-a-dot post and undid the bolt on the windshield post base mount, bit tight quarters but got it out. I then re fastened through the bent metal piece and voila, ready to go.

Will try it out and see how well it works, if necessary I can always add another nut on top to totally eliminate the possibility of the lift-a-dot coming off.

See pictures parts and finished product.

<Parts almost ready>

<finished>

Posted 2013-06-14 22:36:09 by Paul Mansell

Heater Guage

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:09:39 -0500

Bob Sinclair's Journal --

I have a 1980 MGB in excellent condition. I used teh heater recently on a chilly drive. The next day all of the coolant leaked out at the heater guage. I was told that I could bypass it with half inch hose. Any thoughts?? Thank you, Bob

Posted 2013-06-14 12:09:39 by Bob Sinclair

VHY 5H - Playmate Of The Month!

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:34:09 -0500

Roger Butt's Journal --

John Vevers from New Zealand kindly sent an extremely detailed MGC article to me from Thoroughbred & Classic Cars magazine (December 1977 issue) which heavily features John Chatham’s Targa Florio MG GTS race car – resplendent with its original JAP Magna wheels. The picture here is the centre spread.
To see the whole article, go to the General section of our website Blog page or use this shortcut: http://japearceengineering.com/general/thoroughbred-classic-cars-december-1977/

<Thoroughbred & Classic Car Dec'77 - MGC Article - Centre Spread>

Posted 2013-06-14 09:34:09 by Roger Butt

University Motors Special

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:21:30 -0500

Roger Butt's Journal --

GGW 807J - The MGC GT University Motors Special with its original JAP Magna wheels.
The photo was kindly provided by the current owner Rick Parry. We made new centre caps for his wheels some time ago.
To see more info go to the History section on our website http://japearce.co.uk/

<GGW 807J New>

Posted 2013-06-14 09:21:30 by Roger Butt

The Mighty Magna Is Back On The Street!

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 07:07:03 -0500

Roger Butt's Journal --

Mention Magna to a Sixties drag racer and it could only mean one thing – monster wheels, and the wider the better.
J A Pearce Engineering originally developed their famous Magna wheel for dragsters and racing cars – often in outrageous widths – but by the mid-Sixties, the word had spread and demand for a road-going equivalent prompted the company to launch the Magna road wheel at the ’64 Racing Car Show at Olympia.

Must-have Magna look
Advertisements appeared regularly in the motoring press of the day – Motor Sport, Car and Car Conversions – and Magna wheels became the ultimate sports car accessory, their unique styling transforming the looks of even the most mundane motor. The wheels were very popular with leading circuit racers of the day, particularly in the ModSports series. The man in the street wanted to sport the same kit as the E-types of Dick Protheroe and John Burbidge; he wanted his MGC to look like John Chatham’s; and thanks to J A Pearce, a whole generation of Mini Coopers, Lotus Cortinas and AC Cobras got the Magna look. So successful was the Magna road wheel, that sales helped fund Pearce Engineering’s Formula 1 team.
The wheels were available in 10in to 15in diameters, and 5in to 10in widths, for both bolt-on and centre-lock fittings. The centre-lock version was sold as a direct replacement for wire wheels, pre-fitted with splined adapter plates and married with unique aluminium three-eared knock-off spinners.

Magna makes its triumphant return
Since production stopped in 1973, it has been a long-held dream of Pearce’s directors to make the Magna wheel and centre-lock spinner available to a whole new generation of car enthusiast. And thanks to a major investment of time and money, the company is delighted to announce that it is doing just that and they are now accepting orders for Magna wheels.
New tools have been created from original wheels to allow production of both magnesium and alloy cast versions, only now they will be made from even better, more modern materials. They will still look just like those wonderful wheels of the Sixties and Seventies and great effort has been made to preserve the authenticity of the original designs using the latest Cad-Cam technology.
In addition to the wheels, J A Pearce Engineering plans to reintroduce some of their other products, including racing mirrors and steering wheels. And what’s more, every single one of these new products will be made in Britain. In fact, there is only one way to describe this great rebirth of Sixties engineering – Absolutely Fabulous!

Find out more…
If you would like to know more about J A Pearce Engineering’s products or the company’s fascinating history, or if you just want to look at some sexy wheels, please visit our website at: http://japearceengineering.com
Follow us: https://www.facebook.com/japearceengineering
Telephone Number: 0843 2899 855 (UK local call rates)
Email: info@japearcenegineering.com
Contact: Roger Butt

<JAP Wheels Standard Paint Finishes - high res>

Posted 2013-06-14 07:07:03 by Roger Butt

Still Making Progress...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:52:48 -0500

"The B" And It's Journey Back To Former Glory --

Been able to put a few more hours (up to 20 hours so far) and gotten pretty far. I got the rear end out and most of the trim. Pulling the lines next and then I'll be ready for the engine & tranny to come out. Biggest pain is I have to rent an engine hoist. I'd buy one but I cant justify having to store it.....

<WP 20130612 023>

<WP 20130612 005>

<WP 20130612 029>

Posted 2013-06-13 19:52:48 by Chris Greco

Parts... Parts.. And More Parts.....

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:30:22 -0500

500 Dollar MGB.... HA HA HA.... --

Wow, the transmission came early!! It showed up today, and yesterday the Rivergate kit came. The tranny looks fantastic, but I may have to paint it to match the oil pan and gas tank, I'm still mulling that over. The conversion kit looks like it should be relatively easy to install, and with the exception of the purple anodize on the clutch slave cylinder I'm happy with it. That little bit of purple will stick out like a sore thumb in my engine compartment. Hmm... someone told me I could polish off the Purple?? We'll have to see I guess....

Posted 2013-06-13 18:30:22 by Chris Brinkman

New Radio And Steering Wheel

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:01:11 -0500

Roy Brown's Journal --

...today I replaced the old Kenwood radio with a brand new one...has
USB Connectivity for iPhone, iPod and compatible USB mass storage devices – iPod browsing is a breeze when searching by playlist, artist, album, song, genres or composer. Additionally, you can use advanced search functions like Reverse Browsing, Alphabet Search and Skip Search to find what you want to listen to, quickly and easily. The same USB connectivity allows users to connect USB thumb drives and external hard disk drives.

...also replaced the old rubber steering wheel with a nice wood Tourist Trophy ..this one is 14 inch diameter...gives me a little extra room for my knees...usually I would buy a leather wrap; but I plan to go to a few shows with this Bee so decided on the wood...

<Old stereo and wheel>	<New Kenwood>	<Night look>
<New TT wood 14 inch wheel>

Posted 2013-06-13 16:01:11 by Roy Brown

Beginning

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:18:15 -0500

Two Are Twice The Fun --

Traded our rebuilt 1980 camaro garage restored by my son and me for a 1975 MGB. He was looking for a change as we went as far as we were going to go with the Camaro. Always saw mgb's around but never been thought we would have one. Were totally booked.

Posted 2013-06-12 21:18:15 by kent j

Fueling Up With Non- Ethanol

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:08:12 -0500

George Heissenberger's Journal --

I filled up "the old girl" with non ethanol today. I've been lucky to have a plentiful choice of stations carrying non ethanol- specifically Sunoco premium non ethanol for the past couple of years. Before that it was hit and miss to find gasoline not containing 10% ethanol in the past few years. its a little more expensive but I've been averaging 27-28 MPG so I'm happy!

<Fill 'er up!>

Posted 2013-06-12 20:08:12 by George Heissenberger

Bodacious Bermudan B

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:04:39 -0500

Clay Jolly's Journal --

I have the B listed on Craigslist for $3,000. I will sell it without the top for $2,000. There you go. I know the left side looks like rust. However, I've spent the last 7 months under the car from front to rear and there is NO rust. The stripe gives the appearance of rust.
But, I do say there is none.

Posted 2013-06-12 20:04:39 by Clay Jolly

Rear Diff And Axle Done

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:49:52 -0500

Mark M's Journal --

The rear axle and differential are rebuilt. New thrust washers and seals. Also, new rear shocks and links are in.

The adventure was trying to get my original leaf springs re-arched and they fell into many small pieces, so new ones are installed with all new rubber and u-bolts.

New brake lines are going in and new gas tank is awaiting it's new home (under my car)

The left rear shackle mount is completely rusted through and I'm expecting the repair kit any day now.

My plan is to remove old gas tank,install rebuilt axle,brake lines,shackles and all new brakes.

Then I can trailer the car to MG LTD and have the (ugh $$$$$) frame repaired,sills repaired and (BIG ugh $$$$$$$$) new floor pans.
I hope that's it, unless MG LTD finds more things that need attention, like the spare tire tub needs patching,left rear fender needs repaired from rust,etc.

When (if)I get the car home,I will put in new gas lines and install new gas tank......and then go begging for food on the streets because I won't have any money left.

Boy, I wonder if I will ever be able to drive this thing, because I still have the issue of new rings to install and get this motor running!!!

<IMG00709-20130609-1823>	<IMG00711-20130609-1829>	<IMG00712-20130609-1831>
<IMG00713-20130609-1833>

Posted 2013-06-11 23:49:52 by Mark M

Center Rod Replacement!

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:51:52 -0500

David Anderson's Journal --

Ya-say- I am not mechanically inclined whatsoever! Was wondering if some of you MGB lovers out there who are so inclined could help with some advice on the best(easiest) way to replace the center rod (in the center of the windshield)??? I took the mirror off, and have been trying to screw out the rod, but with no success! Do you turn the nut at the base? If so, which way? Do you have to remove the base plate? What!? easy for you, lol, not so much for me! Thanks!

Posted 2013-06-11 19:51:52 by David Anderson

Nice Start To 2013

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 01:39:58 -0500

Dennis P's Journal --

wow, really nice weather and car running great :) apx rebuild miles 2,000

<kitsap peninsula>

<down da road>

Posted 2013-06-11 01:39:58 by dennis pierce

Transmission Tunnel Hump

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:24:24 -0500

Paul MIDDLETON's Journal --

I had this starter hump made for the high starter because my tunnel was made for the low starter.

<Starter hump for transmission tunnel>

<IMG 1164>

Posted 2013-06-10 21:24:24 by Paul MIDDLETON

Battery Drain Problem Solved

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:55:16 -0500

Gary Brown's Journal --

Well it appears I no longer have the battery drain on the GT. I went back over the wiring for the fuse box/relays I got from Limey. Found that one of the relays was staying energized all the time. Did a little rewiring and now the battery seems to be holding charge. I'll watch it for a few days to confirm the fix. It's always the little things.

Posted 2013-06-10 18:55:16 by Gary Brown

American Collectors Insurance Video Of Baby

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:41:38 -0500

Gary Brown's Journal --

Here is a link to the video American Collectors did in West Virginia:

http://americandetourstv.com/cars-5.php

Posted 2013-06-10 18:41:38 by Gary Brown

Fuel Tank Painted

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:21:52 -0500

Peter B's Journal --

I started the preparation for the petrol tank replacement. The new one was sitting under the table for almost a week now and I wanted to give a good starter coat before fitting.
It's a galvanized tank so I grabbed the primer suitable for galvanized metal (the same I used for tree guards months ago), coated it and then painted black in two coats (the same black paint I used for the same tree guards).
Within a few minutes it turned to be touch-dry (like on the tree guards I have painted) and now it's resting in the kitchen to dry completely by tomorrow. Of course I opened a window...

Also we took Charlie out for a ride up on the A32 a bit.
It runs like a dream - the new front tyres give a significant difference in driving; they are the best investment so far...

The engine is also great, the car pulls nicely, all temps and pressures are ideal. Also checked the oil, the coolant and the brake fluid level - all stable and perfect.
Although the exhaust appears to be worse every time, it seems to be the next project after the petrol tank.

Posted 2013-06-10 15:21:52 by Peter B

First Interstate Drive

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:13:57 -0500

DAVID WEYANDT's Journal --

When I got the car it was hard to start with out playing with the choke. I checked things out and the plugs were almost white which indicated to me it was running lean. I turned the mixture nut on the HS4s a couple of flats. Ran the car for a couple of days and checked the plugs, still white. I turned the adjusting nut a couple of more flats and tried to start the car. It started with out playing around with the choke. Ran the car for a couple of more days, checked the plugs. The plugs were nice and tan and the car started no problem.

I went to the “British Car Gathering” in Hellertown, PA yesterday. This was the first time I had this car for that long of a drive and on an interstate highway. When you take that first drive you hear every little noise it makes. Well she ran perfect at 70 mph with very little exhaust noise. The surprise came when I had to make some moves because of traffic. Put the pedal to the floor and she took off actually pushing me back in the seat and shot right up to about 85 mph. Got her into the right lane and settled back to 60 mph for the rest of the trip. Got my bald spot sun burnt but a pretty good day.

Posted 2013-06-10 14:13:57 by DAVID WEYANDT

So Negative!

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:38:08 -0500

Mike Ruane's Journal --

So, a few weeks ago the boys (Tim and Jer) approached me about putting AC in the 67 GT. We had talked about this last year, but didn't do anything. Well, after a week of hot temps, they told me they wanted to proceed. They would kick in half the cost, I'd cover the rest, and we'd install it together.

I called Nostalgic Air Products, talked with the guys there, and ordered the kit. We were told it would be maybe three or four weeks. And, by the way, we'd have to convert the car to Negative earth because we can't use the generator, we have to use an alternator.. Well, first surprise, the kit shipped within a few days and was at my house within a week. So, with the boys away at their prom, I decided to convert the polarity.

Easy part- switching battery terminals, and polarizing the generator. Tougher - resoldering the resistor in the tach, and redoing the wire loop on the back of it. All done and dusted. Hopefully, the fuel pump, which seemed to work just fine, will be watched closely. Up next, fitting the alternator and modifying the voltage regulator.

Posted 2013-06-10 11:38:08 by Mike Ruane

Aussie Owner

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:00:33 -0500

Kenneth Bundesen's Journal --

I bought a 1967 model MG Midget MK3 a couple of years ago from a friend who bought it as a first car for his daughter. It was in going order but not registered. I am retired and needed a hobby. To date I have been slowly dismantling/cleaning/packing away parts. Finding the whole experience most enjoyable. Putting everything back together may be a more vexing problem.

Posted 2013-06-10 03:00:33 by Kenneth Bundesen

Sports Car Fever

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 23:54:49 -0500

RJ Marks's Journal --

I've always liked sports cars and convertibles in particular. I've had several Fiat Spiders and still have my 79 which I've already willed to my son Josh with instructions to further pass to my Grandson Jake. I've had a 59 Austin Healey 100-6 and a 76 Alfa Romeo Spider that have come and gone. I'm kind of determined to keep the cars I now acquire. A poor man's Jay Leno. :)

Just need to build my dream garage to go along with the cars! Future targets include NSX, Datsun Fairlady, Sunbeam, and whatever bargains pop up. Dream cars include Z8, SLS 55AMG, 911. A man has to have dreams! I've already been blessed in so many ways and just really enjoy life. And thanks to my loving and lovely wife Caren I can make those car pursuits. Ok, some of them. With permission. LOL

Posted 2013-06-09 23:54:49 by RJ Marks

Montana Glory Run

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:33:49 -0500

Kelly Burke's Journal --

It was four years ago this week that Jeff and I flew to Montana to pick up my Roadster and drive it back across the country. It was truly an amazing trip. We flew into Billings, drove to Lincoln (40 miles from Canada) and spent the night there. It was June 4 and it snowed overnight! We took it to Glacier National Park (where it snowed again), Yellowstone (snow again), through Wyoming, across the Big Horn Mountains (still had snow 5' high, across Nebraska (saw Carhenge) and into Missouri where she finally gave in. Broke down in St. Joe, MO, losing two cylinders. We drove her, gingerly, to the KC airport and left her there. Came back in two weeks with a trailer and brought her on home. What a trip!

Posted 2013-06-09 16:33:49 by Kelly Burke

Bristol Fun Day

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:15:11 -0500

George Heissenberger's Journal --

Tiny Bristol New York had their fun day with a car show, booths of exhibitors, fire dept chicken BBQ, music and book sale. It's a slice of Mayberry RFD. We Gomorrah every year with the MG and enjoy ourselves. This year the fellow with the blown Chevy powered MGB showed up and it was fun to see folks compare our two MGBs.

<Blown Chevy V8 65 MGB>	<OURMG is in the background>	<Model Ts>
<OURMG with my wife>

Posted 2013-06-09 16:15:11 by George Heissenberger

Radiator Hose Stupidity

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 19:53:04 -0500

Luke Reski's Journal --

I thought today would be a good day to hook up the original Air tubing to the heater box. Looked good but.. after an hour cruise Opened hood to check on rattling headlight and noticed the radiator hose had rubbed the alternator pully. Now the hose is almost worn through. put it away and ordered new lower radiator hose. It arrives Monday. How stupid!

Posted 2013-06-08 19:53:04 by Luke Reski

Burgundy Basin Cruise Night

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 17:22:24 -0500

George Heissenberger's Journal --

This week was the second cruise night at a new venue- the Burgundy basin inn in Fairport NY. There were about 100 cars, entertainment, food and beverages. Nice weather brought everybody out. Great start to a new cruise spot, and its on my route home from work so its convenient to stop in. Met my friends from the Western NY MG Car club. There were about a dozen of us there and 8-10 cars.

<Burgundy basin cruise night>

Posted 2013-06-08 17:22:24 by George Heissenberger

New Front Tyres

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 17:12:17 -0500

Peter B's Journal --

It's really a therapy having an MGB - every mile you roll with it, you work hard for.
After sealing the fuel tank we had a day out in Portchester castle again - "Charlie" looked awesome standing in the sunshine in front of the castle. The most beautiful car in the car park.
Getting home I have just noticed that hissing from the front left tyre.
Oh, my...
The tyres were far from new but usable, I thought so that was not a plan to replace any of them. As I moved the valve the hissing went off and on again, OK, easy-peasy, just have to replace the valve.
Took the car down to the tyre service in Denmead and the surprise just came: there was a tube in that tyre!
Let's see the scenarios:
- replace the tube (didn't really want that, waste of money and time as the tyre itself must have had a damage which led to the tube defect)
- replace that tyre only - wouldn't be elegant
- so finally I decided to get brand new tyres on the front wheels...

They promised it for next day so it was ok. The day before yesterday it was all fit as expected. Falken tyres (165 R14) and one of the good ones coming off put on the spare wheel which was really old and cracked. So a "renewed" spare tyre comes with a much better driving experience actually - it appeared to be the best time for the replacement. 102 pounds and some new friends in the tyre service :)

Also the new petrol tank has arrived a few days ago. That's the next project...

Posted 2013-06-08 17:12:17 by Peter B

New Member

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:15:55 -0500

Ernie M's Journal --

Hello everybody , my name is Ernie from Rochester wa I have a 76 midget my first mg can anyone give me a name of a reliable place to have my motor rebuilt at, and a rough estimate of what it could cost .ive always wanted an mg my brother in law had an mgb gt back in 72 long time ago thanks for any info

Posted 2013-06-07 12:15:55 by Ernie M

BL Mini 1000 - Pooh & Hunny Pot

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 21:52:56 -0500

My British Drivers --

POOH is a modified Mini 1000 for Canada, built in July 1979 as a 1980 model - the last model year to come to Canada - it had a smogged 998cc 'A Series' engine and the fugly crash bumpers on every Mini for Canada since 1975. It was purchased new from Gordon Bros. and covered less than 25,000 miles in 15 years.

The owner did not smoke, had no pets or children in the Mini and had carpet over the carpet....

When I saw the Mini in south Surrey in 1995 it had not been licensed for 2 years so I asked if it might be for sale - I had a son going back to school, he needed a small economical vehicle. Long story short, my son became the 2nd owner and I told him DO NOT SMASH the Mini, I'll give you what you paid for it when you finish school and get a "real" car.

Of course we set out modifying it right away and my son took care of the Mini which I bought from him at the end of June 1999. With work being done on the Mini, I did not drive it to Mini Meet East Meets West 1999 in Colorado Springs, Colorado (I had borrowed it to drive to Mini Meet West 1997 in Vallejo, California). However, next year we drove it across Canada to Mini Meet East 2000 in Magog, Quebec and home across the United States.

It then took us to Florence, Oregon for Mini Meet West in 2001, to Irvine, Calif. for Mini Meet West 2002 and over to Victoria for Mini Meet West 2003.

At the end of 2003, the Mini now semi-famous as POOH was taken off the road for a full strip down and rebuild with modifications. It emerged with new steel, Black over Liquid Yellow paint, a 1380cc 'A Series', rebuilt tranny & 2.95:1 final drive...and a matching trailer named HUNNY POT built from the back end of 2 Minis and 2 Mini roofs, with custom suspension, same paint, upholstery, flairs, Minilite wheels & tires.

In 2006 we set out for Mini Meet West in Prescott, Arizona and afterwartds headed east across the continent to the Smoky Mountains and north to Frederick, Maryland and Mini Meet East. The Mini took 1st in Class at both meets, later another 1st in Class and an unusual Judges Honorary Mention while they named the Car of the Meet (a gorgeous E-Jag) at the 2006 Portland ABFM at PIR. Next year POOH & HUNNY POT were 1st in Class at Vancouver's ABFM.

More awards followed, 1st in Class at Mini Meet West 2008 in Irvine, Calif.,...Mini Meet West 2012 in Prescott Valley, Arizona but the Mini and trailer combo had been built to travel.

Other trips saw POOH & HUNNY POT head for Winona, Minnesota and Mini Meet East Meets West in 2009 and Mini Meet West 2010 in Penticton, B.C. and Mini Meet West 2011 in Lake Tahoe, Ca/Nv.

Soon, we will set out for Bend, Oregon and Mini Meet West 2013.

The best story followed my "escape" from Irvine, Calif. at 4 a.m. after MMW 2002 to beat the morning rush hour traffic around Metro LA to head up the coast on Hwy. 1 to San Francisco. I got to Santa Barbara before dawn and stopped in a diner for breakfast. Later heading north through Big Sur, I jumped a new BMW sedan and Mustang convertible.

When I stopped at Moro Bay for coffee a woman approached me on leaving the small store, "May I take a picture of my husband with your car?" My answer, "Of course!" Turns out they had seen the parked Mini in Santa Barbara and I had passed them in the new BMW on Hwy. 1.

This couple from Michigan had flown out to LA to take delivery of their new BMW and to start a drive home to celebrate their 25th Wedding Anniversary. On Day 1, it was a dirt bag Mini 1000 with warmed up 998cc and fugly crash bumpers that caught their imagination.

Enough said!

Posted 2013-06-06 21:52:56 by Rick Higgs

Boy, That Was A Pain...

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 20:44:08 -0500

"The B" And It's Journey Back To Former Glory --

The dash is really a pain to get out. Not technically difficulty, only 6 nuts. But man are they hard to get to. Especially the one between ignition & high beam indicators...Lots of discussions on this site already so I wont go into details but you really gotta want it.

But it's out, with only minor scrapes & cuts on my hands.

<WP 20130606 024>

Posted 2013-06-06 20:44:08 by Chris Greco

Since I Bought The Car!!

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:15:43 -0500

Herb Mester's Journal --

I bought this MGB from a "family member". Car was in "great shape". So far I have had to replace the starter, the whole ignition, the water pump, and tomorrow I will have new seat belts put in. All in 3 weeks. Love the car though!

Posted 2013-06-06 19:15:43 by Herb Mester

Day 2

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 10:07:04 -0500

Jay's MG Midget Project --

Got back to it yesterday and after about 20 minutes of tinkering with the master brake cylinder which I had dis-assembled several months ago, I decided that was too difficult a task to begin with. So, I took a fall back position and started working on the master clutch cylinder. This should be fun. I have the rebuild kit somewhere...

Posted 2013-06-06 10:07:04 by Jay Franks

Done Enough For This Year

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 00:29:06 -0500

Jeffrey J's Journal --

Tons of new running gear parts with a Schlemmer distributor, rebuilt carbs and new 185 70 14 tires. It's tuned and runs very strong, hits 90 like nothing to it. I have forsaken the radio and resorted to running a new fused wire carefully to the tail lights. No electrics but the essentials. It's fast.

Posted 2013-06-06 00:29:06 by Jeffrey J

The Disassembly Continues

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:34:07 -0500

"The B" And It's Journey Back To Former Glory --

Doors & windows now....The driver door has no rust inside. None at all, remarkable. The passenger door has some on the bottom but not much.

Next step, the dash....

<WP 20130605 018>

<WP 20130605 013>

Posted 2013-06-05 20:34:07 by Chris Greco

Header And Water Lines

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:53:43 -0500

Rick Bosak's Journal --

Since the Toyota engine was set up as front wheel drive the water outlets end up near the firewall in the rear wheel drive set up. This make things kind of tight with the header being on the same side of the engine. One water line goes over and one goes under. I had thought of running one of the lines over by the fender but was afraid that might cause air trapping. The header is "special" also as the steering shaft runs right through the middle, two pipes on each side of the steering shaft. The radiator is also Toyota, from a Trecel, fits great.

<header and water lines>

<route to radiator>

Posted 2013-06-05 18:53:43 by Rick Bosak

Exhaust Routing

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:31:48 -0500

Rick Bosak's Journal --

Well we have the entire exhaust system fully routed. We are using quick release clamps and a used Bosal muffler. We've tried to keep the system as tight as possible due to the well known lack of ground clearance on the Spridgets. We found we had to move the fuel tank to the side to make it all work. Can't wait to hear how the 20 valve four cylinder sounds with this unknown muffler. A little loud is not bad with such a small hard to see car lost in todays giant SUVs.

<exhaust routing>

Posted 2013-06-05 18:31:48 by Rick Bosak

1969 MGB GT Primrose

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:29:25 -0500

Charles Burdick's 1969 MGB GT Journal --

Car is done and complete with mostly the original pieces that it showed up here with. New floors rockers, inside, outside and inner membrane. Good glass, new carpet, oil cooler, new rubber seals everywhere. Starts, runs, shifts and drives fine. I have the correct seats for her but have the no headrest rally type seat in her now. Rally seats were in the car when I get her and the "chicklet" seats need a redo but are all here and should be fine with new foam and covers. There is a 2" crack in the middle of the dasboard, however I have a very nice, uncracked 69 dash with all the gauges in it. All the hard bodywork is done and the Primrose paint is over epoxy primer. This is a very solid car ready for a driver or could have the interior upgraded with the seats and dash for a very original finished car. Non sync 1st gear tranny. I did clean up the engine compartment but didn't paint it - the car was originally Primrose so it all matched with normal wear and looks like a survivor as is. The chrome bumpers have pitting and I lightly cleaned but didn't buff them out. I think they fit the car the way they are. They are in nice condition and would look great re-chromed, but I'll let the new owner do all the detailing like that. Let me know what you think...

<final MGB GT pix 012>	<final MGB GT pix 015>	<final MGB GT pix 018>
<final MGB GT pix 017>	<final MGB GT pix 008>	<final MGB GT pix 009>
<final MGB GT pix 001>	<final MGB GT pix 004>	<final MGB GT pix 005>
<final MGB GT pix 006>

Posted 2013-06-05 15:29:25 by Charles Burdick

Day 1 - Again

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:23:55 -0500

Jay's MG Midget Project --

I've had the car for over 4 years but could never "get around to it." I have completed all the other "Honeydos" and today I begin in earnest. I'll get back to the master break cylindar and see if it is reparable. If not, I'll start saving for a new one and work on the master clutch cylander. "moratori salutamus te"
Film at 11:00.

Posted 2013-06-05 10:23:55 by Jay Franks

Paint Process

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 22:40:56 -0500

David Neelley's Journal --

I used the SPI epoxy for the base primer on metal and also as a sealer. The paint works really great and is easy to sand if required. The only issue I had with it was it had to be top coated within 7 days. If not, you have to scuff it and reshoot. So doing this only on weekends was really tough!
The base coat clear coat was Matrix paint and their Universal Clear. It was very easy to spray. Fortunately a cold front had come through the night before and I did not have a single bug flying in the garage! Unbelievable in Mississippi in May! After all was done, I have counted 11 coats of paint from start to finish.

So now I am putting it all back together. All parts are being repainted, polished and in some cases, replaced. My Father is doing all the interior vinyl and is looking great! FatMat sound/heat insulation is going in. I still have to decide on carpet.

Again, patience really pays off and reading the MG Exp forums is great help!

<After the third coat of clear>

<Jaguar Sapphire Blue coming together>

Posted 2013-06-04 22:40:56 by David Neelley

Been Awhile

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 22:28:23 -0500

David Neelley's Journal --

Well, it's been really hard getting the MG painted just right working just weekends! Did not make my "show ready" date of April. Learned a lot of patience and a lot of "while I'm here, might as well do it right"...

So here's a few shots of the paint process. I painted it in my garage, taking two box fans and frames out of 1x2s with plastic stapled, lifted the garage door and set it on the frame with two fans. I then used cheesecloth taped over an entrance door for intake air. Worked great! I made sure all my "staff" involved had the correct respirators. By the way, I live in the "country" so what little exhaust I had did not bother any neighbors!

<after stripping to metal, started with SPI epoxy.>	<After body filler applied to epoxy, sprayed 2k primer>	<In order to spray both sides, I made a clothesline>
<After final sanding, sprayed epoxy as a sealer>

Posted 2013-06-04 22:28:23 by David Neelley

Rat Rod Mod

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 18:48:47 -0500

Madge Becomes A "Gentleman's Sportscar" --

Rat Rodder friend of mine laughed when he saw me vulturing my neck to watch a stoplight in the C with the top off. "Why don't you just use a prism?" he asked.

Apparently chopped-tops suffer from the same visibility problem as B/C Roadsters (and Minis), but they've been using prisms so they can easily view stoplights since the 40's.

Borrowed his (using a suction cup), loved it, and ordered my own which is now mounted to my driver's side visor mount. Pretty nondescript and it works great.

$10 from Speedway - http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Windshield-Stop-Light-Prism,2327.html

This prismatic one looks good too!
http://www.lightinsight.com/

<mounted-prism>

Posted 2013-06-04 18:48:47 by Scott McGrath

Transmission Solution

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:46:15 -0500

500 Dollar MGB.... HA HA HA.... --

So... I've been struggling with trying to find a 280z transmission that was worth buying and finally, after looking at several scrapyard possibilities I decided to bite the bullet and purchased a completely rebuilt unit from www.datsunpartsllc.com, along with the misc. fixins needed. Then, I called Rivergate and ordered their conversion kit. Rivergate was exceptionally helpful, working with me to include the correct stuff to allow for my new Stewart Warner Wings Speedo to hook up correctly. The only bummer is the 3 to 4 week wait for the tranny to come in... guess I'll start fitting bumpers...

Posted 2013-06-04 16:46:15 by Chris Brinkman

I Wonder If It Really Was Bad Steel

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:49:56 -0500

"The B" And It's Journey Back To Former Glory --

or just lousy paint technology that allowed these cars to rust so easily.

My stripper arrived today, the metal stripper....POR stripper. Never used it before but I'd heard good things even though I have never found one that actually worked all that well.

So in the 2 hours I had available this evening, I decided to see how it worked on the rear quarter. The instructions are pretty basic; apply, wait 15 mins. Reapply and wait another 15 mins. Then hit it with a scrapper.

Seems to have actually worked. And remarkably, under the paint that had never been disturbed the metal looked as good as the day it left England....well almost. The area that had been disturbed by bodywork had rust.

Looking forward to seeing a silver shiny body...Or seeing what else I find.

<Stripping Befpre>

<Stripping After>

Posted 2013-06-03 19:49:56 by Chris Greco

Assembling The Body

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:35:19 -0500

Steve Lyle's Journal --

So, now I've got freshly painted tub in the garage, and freshly painted bonnet, boot lid, doors and valence strewn all over the house. Time to get things joined together.

First up, the doors. I bought some pipe insulation ($.99 for 8 ft at Lowe's), and cut it up to use as a cushion to make sure I didn't damage anything as I got the doors on. This stuff also worked great to protect the edges of the bonnet and boot lid as I mounted them, too.

For the doors, I followed the procedure I laid out in my 'door' journal entry. After a couple of test fits, I had them where I needed them. Then the latches and handles.

The bonnet was a bit more of a struggle. I hadn't followed Lloyd's advice of fitting the grille first and building the car around it. To make matters worse, my bonnet is a cheap replacement, not original to the car. So the front-view arch at the leading edge is too shallow for the grille.

My grille massaging consisted of mounting it as low as possible, then as far forward as possible (so the center 'plinth' would clear the bonnet), and then bend the top trailing edge down to provide some relief. It just barely gives the bonnet room to latch. A better fix would be to cut 1/4" or so off the bottom of the plinth, to enable the top edge to come down that 1/4", but since things are working now, I'll let that cat sleep.

Doing all that did give me some nicks in the paint. The benefit of using a modern, popular, paint color is that touch up paint is readily available, and DupliColor touch up paint for "Honda - R81 - Milano Red" is a perfect match for my paint. Yeah! A few dabs, and 2-3 feet of distance, and with my poor eyesight the nicks totally disappear.

So, now I've got the bonnet and grille agreeable, on to the rest of the fitment.

In theory, this would be simple - we drilled locating holes in the hinge arms and mounting brackets, I line up the holes with locating pins, bolt on the hinges, and I should be good. However, I wasn't. The hood was too close the nose of the DS wing. And over time, it got closer, and eventually nicked the paint there. What to do?

After trying to use the pins a bit, I accepted the fact that something had moved, and I had to start over. Again, this bonnet is a cheap repro. One aspect of that was that the brackets weren't lined up with the hinges - I had to bend the hinge arms a bit to line them up. So now I had to rebend them to move the bonnet to the PS a bit.

So I took the hinges off, took the bonnet latch off, set the bonnet in the opening, located it with wooden shims, then took advantage of the fact that the suspension and engine were off the car, and worked under the hood to test fit the hinges, taking them to the bench vise to bend the arms. After about 50 trial and errors, I got an acceptable fit.

Then I added the pneumatic lift struts and rear weather strip. Alas, doing that caused the rear corners to be high. After more adjustments, more climbing under the car, I got it to fit, but only after taking off the weatherstrip. And this was the good stuff, from Macgregor's too. Oh well.

On to the boot lid. Sort of the same deal - using the locating pin holes resulted in the lid being too far forward, so I ditched them and adjusted the lid as far to the rear as possible. Then I put on my new struts and my new Macgregor on-body seal ('72 originally had an on-lid seal), and I couldn't latch the lid. Or just barely.

So I ordered a replacement seal from McMaster-Carr. It's a bit lower profile. I massaged the mounting location a bit. And I got the lid to latch. It's a bit high on the DS edge - probably because of the original frame being bent by the prop rod on that side, but I can live with it.

So I've got doors and lids that open, close, and latch.

Next step was to install the light fixtures and trim strips. No trick to the light fixtures - although I did utilize a recent tip/trick posted on the MGE of filing off a slot on the outer flange of the trim ring so that it would clear the catch at the bottom of the headlight bucket, making it much easier to get on/off.

The side trim molding was a bit trickier. Basically, with this 'Frankenstein' of a car, it was a matter of trying to reuse the trim mounting holes where they existed, adding additional ones as required, and then fitting the door trim strips to match up with the front and rear fender trim (there were no existing holes in the doors, since both of them got new skins). Didn't come out perfect, but they're pretty good, and I can live with them.

Like I posted, 'good enough' is just that, right now. I'm getting anxious to get this thing on the road, at which point everything will start to go downhill anyway (i.e., stone chips, door dings, whatever). So the mantra is 'strive for perfection, but don't require it, and certainly don't expect it - if it's good enough, accept it and move on...."

<Doors, lids, and trim on....>	<DSC 8929>	<DSC 8940>
<DSC 8933>	<DSC 8862>	<DSC 8937>

Posted 2013-06-03 13:35:19 by Steve Lyle

Finishing Paint - Those Darn Doors

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:32:50 -0500

Steve Lyle's Journal --

I mentioned earlier that my initial door paint was questionable. So after I had the rest of the body painted, I decided that they were poor enough, relative to the rest of the body, that they needed repainting.

The problem with them was solvent pop. The paint I used was too thick, because too much of the solvent in it had evaporated, which resulted in solvent getting trapped in the dried paint.

And the solution to solvent pop is to totally remove the paint, and start over. So I loaded some 80 grit on a DA, and sanded down to the primer. Of course, gouging it in places in the process. From there I block sanded, reprimed, block sanded, wet sanded, and repainted.

I didn't want to pay PPG's prices for K36, so I tried a cheap urethane high build primer, which worked great - I couldn't tell any difference from K36 either in application or sanding.

So anyway, I repainted. But botched it, because, get this, I didn't have my compressor on. I've got a big one, and there was plenty of pressure to start with, but I was finishing up the first coat on the 2nd door when my gun went "pfft". Rats.

So, replay all the above - 80 grit/DA, blocking, priming, blocking, sanding, repainting.

By now, I'm anxious to make progress. I'm also overconfident in compounding. So I start in on sanding/buffing after only a day or two. Sanding goes well, and initial compounding goes well, but while using a not particularly aggressive buffing compound on a foam pad, I ripped the paint off the leading edge of the door just below the feature line. And burned it in a couple of other places. Aha - so you CAN burn this paint, especially if you don't let it fully cure.

On top of that, on the other door, there still appeared to be some solvent pop.

I got on the phone with the local PPG consultant, and walked him through the problem. His direction - I didn't need to take all the paint off, just rough it up, put on 2 coats, space them out by 25-30 minutes, and use their DT reducer, not the "Advantage" reducer that the store had sold me.

So that's what I did. After sanding/compounding/polishing, I still think there's something in the paint. But I'm honestly not sure if it's solvent pop or embedded dust. In any event, if you back off a foot or so you can't see it at all, so I'm going to call these doors 'good' and start to put the car back together.

Posted 2013-06-03 12:32:50 by Steve Lyle

MGs By The Bay 2013 MGOC 20th Show — In Danville.

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 22:05:38 -0500

Mark McGothigan's Journal MCGMGB --

MGs by the Bay 2013 (35 photos)
MGOC 20th show — in Danville.
Saw a row of rubber baby buggy bumpers, twin cam MGA, blue mk1, 33 MG

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151463118716375.1073741826.631596374&type=1

<IMG 0098>

Posted 2013-06-02 22:05:38 by Mark McGothigan

More Progress, More Fun

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 20:08:36 -0500

"The B" And It's Journey Back To Former Glory --

It's a good sign when you look at all the task on the list and are excited about what you get to do. My proposed budget may look like alot to make a nice car, but the return in fun is priceless. Let's see if that holds true in a few months.

Got a lot of the car taken apart. I haven't finished the engine compartment yet as I really want to see if I can get it running first. The engine really looks like it has been rebuilt but until I get it running for a bit, I wont know for sure. I'd hate to remove & replace it without a rebuild only to have to take it back out again at the end of the job. I have gotten it to start just not run for any length of time. Waiting for a couple of parts to arrive before I can test all that out.

I try to take the time to do fun jobs in between the time consuming tasks of photo, catalogue and bag parts....The latest was taking the dent out of the rear tail light area. Hadn't done any real body work in a while, forgotten how much an art this stuff is. Still fun, time consuming but fun.

I also tried and painted a wheel to see how black center with a silver edge looks...I kinda like it.

<Pardon the mess>

<See the previous entry for the before>

<I like this better than the stock>

Posted 2013-06-02 20:08:36 by Chris Greco

More Parts Come Off, More Things Discovered

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 19:51:03 -0500

"The B" And It's Journey Back To Former Glory --

I will be writing these in bunches as I get a chance to put this all down. Not sure if anyone will be helped by this but my wife suggested I document as I go. Since she is much smarter than I and every time I listen to her things work out, I figure I should type.

The parts are coming apart with almost no resistance. This car must not have spent its whole life in the south. Way too much humidity down here for rust free bolts. I will be ordering a heritage cert one days soon so perhaps that will shed some light.

I cut out the section of dog leg rust just to see how involved the sills might be with rust. Remarkably, it is incredibly sound. The rust may have been a recent event in this section as there are only a few pits in the sill below the skin. I was also able to get some photos inside the panel and it looks great.

The driver side was even nicer when it came to rust. Then the first surprise. Found some history of a previous repair, bondo worms behind a panel....if this is the worst secret the car holds, I will be thrilled...

<WP 20130601 012>	<WP 20130601 004>	<WP 20130601 007>
<dogleg before>

Posted 2013-06-02 19:51:03 by Chris Greco

So, First It Comes Apart

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 19:31:00 -0500

"The B" And It's Journey Back To Former Glory --

One of the most important things I have learned over the years is that memory fades. Worse yet, memories of how things go back together seem to fade the fastest.

Before I take anything apart, I prepared myself with a box of Ziploc bags & a couple of sharpies. I also bought a bunch of shoe box sized clear plastic storage boxes and few larger containers for the big parts. The smaller boxes I labeled with names like engine compartment, interior, trunk, doors, etc; I think you get the idea. Similar parts go in a labeled bag, then into proper box on the shelf.

Before I take anything off or undo a part, I take lots of photos. I am already at almost 400 meg after 2 weeks. I may need more drive space...

So far I have been amazed how clean and rust free the B turned out. A few holes in the passenger floor board, a rusted section in the passenger dog leg & a couple of pin holes in the trunk. It also has a rear tail injury that put a decent crease in the back wing.

<WP 20130527 013>	<Dogleg>	<WP 20130523 013>
<WP 20130527 016>

Posted 2013-06-02 19:31:00 by Chris Greco

Elbow Deep In It Now....

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 19:13:50 -0500

"The B" And It's Journey Back To Former Glory --

So I've had the car for a couple of weeks with 15 hours of labor invested to date. These hours were squeezed in between work and sleep, errands & the honey do list.

I first setup a restoration spreadsheet (used and donation to the author) from here: http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1869655#post1869655

Then I moved to the project plan to layout all the work I felt needed to be completed to make this a nice car once again. Naturally, the more I get into the disassembly, the longer that list will likely become.

I will attempt to document the entire ordeal, which I expect to take 6 months. I will need to figure out many lines equal 32kb, which is the limit of each journal entry.

Posted 2013-06-02 19:13:50 by Chris Greco

Western NY Centre MG Car Club Picnic

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 15:02:26 -0500

George Heissenberger's Journal --

Today the Western NY center had its second annual picnic on the date we used to have our big car show for forty years. The weather was thunderstorms and threatening all around but the skies remained blue over the Farmington town park, site of this years picnic. About two dozen British cars and 40+ members enjoyed the comraderie.

<MG club picnic>	<More club members>	<The pavillion>
<Talking about cars>

Posted 2013-06-02 15:02:26 by George Heissenberger

Summer Is Here!

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 07:54:51 -0500

Dale Wright's Journal --

Well we finally had some very warm weather in DC last week. Using the B-GT as a daily commuter from Alexandria to DC does get warm during the late spring to about October. Car is running well and it is time to finally address the phantom headline issue. Looks like a relay is going to be the best solution as far as cost and time spent to correct the problem.

George's Garage on Cameron Street in Alexandria has done a great job with several issues that I was not able to fix due to limited space and tools in my garage in Alexandria.

So, if you see the Green MG-BGT around Old Town Alexandria say hello!

Posted 2013-06-02 07:54:51 by Dale Wright

That Bloody Fuel Tank

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 17:58:56 -0500

Peter B's Journal --

Started using the wirebrush and the sandpaper underneath to see how the cookie crumbles. I've done the outer chassis with the cross member on the right and the floor - all looked nice and sound. New waxoil on.
The surprise came from the rear - I have just touched the petrol tank with the wirebrush to scrape off the old and dried underseal when that patch started growing rapidly form a tiny point... I pierced a hole in the tank, great!
Since I couldn't sit there for days with my finger on the hole I had to seal it somehow until I figured out what to do. After soaking my t-shirt with petrol the blue tac came into my view: I tried it on and unbelievably it gave me the chance! Quickly taped on that bit of blue tac and ran to the shop to find anything useful. I came back with a two-component sealer which can deal with the leaks on petrol taks, radiators, hoses, etc. (Such a witch craft!) Blue tac removed carefully and resin added - the new (and probably the most durable) layer of the fuel tank was born.
Of course now I have to figure out where will the money come from for the new fuel tank... :/

Of course we took the car out for a ride after the ambulant servicing (and fingers crossed not to have a stone chip hitting the tank) - today it was Hayling Island with a nice sunset on the beach...

Posted 2013-06-01 17:58:56 by Peter B

MG Club Picnic Tomorrow

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:55:56 -0500

George Heissenberger's Journal --

Tomorrow the Western New York Centre MG Car Club is holding a mamber picnic- this is the date we would usually hold our annual car show. New this year we are having a smaller sports car only show in July at a locak Elks Lodge so the setup will be quite different. So I am getting the old girl all washed and prettied up for tomorrows club gathering!

<Freshly washed>

Posted 2013-06-01 15:55:56 by George Heissenberger

Nardi Steering Wheel Hub For MGB

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 12:17:41 -0500

Nick Springett's Journal --

WTB/WTS Recently purchase a used Nardi Steering Wheel for my 1966 MGB but it came with a Hub for a 1979 MGB. Looking to buy the right hub and sell the other one.

Nick

Posted 2013-06-01 12:17:41 by Nick Springett

Alternator Repair

Fri, 31 May 2013 20:50:12 -0500

Jeffrey Louis's Journal --

I ended up tackling an alternator problem that occurred out of nowhere on my MG. I was taking the car for a short drive and the alternator began to make a loud metal scraping sound. I reused my original alternator when doing my restoration since it was functioning properly.

Upon inspection it was discovered the pulley bolt on the front of the alternator loosened up and the gap caused the alternator fan to be unbalanced and was scraping against the housing as the alternator spun.

The alternator was cleaned and tightened and now runs perfect and I saved the expense of having to buy a new or rebuilt alternator.

Posted 2013-05-31 20:50:12 by Jeffrey Louis

New Front Brakes

Fri, 31 May 2013 17:17:20 -0500

Peter B's Journal --

After the first few rides we encountered a problem: burning smell coming from the front somewtimes with a bit of smoke. It happened half way home after the purchase but then nothing for the next two days and then again and the next day nothing.
Since "Charlie had around 250 miles done in the last 4-5 years (according to MOT odometer readings) with the previous owner I thought that the source of problems we are going to face would be coming from this fact. After asking around some of my experienced friends and my father they all suspected that the caliper pistons could have been stuck.
Fortunately there was a very good price on a full set of front brakes for an MGB GT - everything included: discs, pads, calipers (mad by Lockheed!), flexible hoses, dust covers, pins, bolts and nuts, I hit the button and the box arrived a few days later. It was sitting under the table for almost two weeks before I got enough time today (with a friend helping a lot) to open it up and start working on it.
It was a great adventure to take off the old brakes bit by bit and install the new one. The old one also wasn't too bad and everything behind the wheels looked alright with some renewed bits here and there. So even if there is no history for the car, the more I see the more I'm convinced that it was well looked after regarless of how often it was used.
So "Charlie" the MGB GT has new front brakes. The first test ride showed a bit of problem so we had to adjust the wheel bearings (I tightened them up too much in the first round) but the second was alright. Also the joyride to Portchester castle afterwards...

Of course when I have half an hour to spend with the car I always discover something to do. I started making a list of smaller and bigger projects. Depending on our budget and time the priority list is subject to changes :) Safety first and then the preserving and comfort. So the exhaust might come on first place (also a replacement I'm afraid as it sounds like having holes on it) and the seat refurbishing goes back a bit. Also I have bought a can of underseal spray and will do some job underneath soon just to see how it goes.

Posted 2013-05-31 17:17:20 by Peter B

My New CAR!!

Fri, 31 May 2013 14:43:40 -0500

Jill H's Journal --

Well, I purchased Dexter (aka '77 MGB) last Sunday. Dexter's interior was lovingly restored by a father daughter team and is beautiful. Dexter's exterior was restored by the owner that the father daughter team purchased the car from. The exterior restore was done by a father/son team. They removed the rubber bumpers, stripped the paint, and repainted Dexter red. The exterior work is also beautiful.

My 1st drive with Dexter was a 45 minute drive on the highway to my hotel. When I idled in the parking lot for 15 minutes after that 45 minutes drive, Dexter started to steam and spill coolant all over the ground. WONDERFUL!!! The cooling fans do not appear to be coming on. I didn't want to trouble shoot in the parking lot, so instead of driving dexter home (5 hours), I decided to have him towed.

After towing him home. My boyfriend left the key turned in the ignition and drained the battery. The he attempted to jump Dexter and hooked up the jumper cables backwards. This error blew the diode in the fuel pump. So now in addition to trouble shooting the radiator fans not coming on, I get to track down a fuel pump and replace it. Great fun.

I have play a little with the URP switch (radiator thermostat) to see if it is good. I shorted the plug to see if the fans would come on. They do not. I checked the voltage at the plug and there is none. I traced the wires back to the fuse block (wiring diagram in hand) and discovered that there is no power to the terminal it is wired too. Per the diagram, it should be connected to terminal 7, but instead it is connected to terminal 5. I guess i should expect this from a 35 year old car. The wires look to be all the original; very dirty and still the correct colors. I think I'd really like to make my contribution to Dexter's life to be to get him cleaned up under the hood. As far as the "no power to the radiator thermostat goes", I am wondering if they rough ride on the highway disconnected the constant power connection to the terminal block. If the car is still somewhat wired correctly though, I believe that would mean that the ignition switch wouldn't have power either, but it does appear to be working. Not sure where I will go from here to trouble shoot. I guess I will sleep on it for a bit and test again.

Posted 2013-05-31 14:43:40 by Jill H

Back In The Saddle Again!

Fri, 31 May 2013 14:35:46 -0500

Chris Kelly's Journal --

The B is back in Big D, and is on the road again! Sounds like the sewing machine it was meant to be, with great oil pressure and no more blue cloud following me. It runs a bit hot (about 185) but I'm hoping that break-in will loosen it up a bit and bring down the temp. I recently replaced my completely non-working hand brake cable, and in the process adjusted the rear brakes and bled the system - makes a world of difference. Now it will stop when I step on the brakes and when I pull on the handle. All of my dampers are working but leaking, so I'll need to address my suspension issues before turning to the cosmetics such as dash roll, carpet and top. Seats are way down the list.

<SAM 3188>

Posted 2013-05-31 14:35:46 by Chris Kelly

New Speakers..

Thu, 30 May 2013 21:04:56 -0500

Roy Brown's Journal --

....Installed new Kenwood speakers in the doors of my Bee....had a small problem of how to get the old speakers out since the passenger side door speaker grill was glued on ...finally got it out by taking off the door panel...all a new trip for me....door pull, window winder and top door cap. Had to cut the hole about a 1/4 inch larger to accommodate the new speaker...
....lubricated the door winder and window mechanisms while I had the cover panel off and noted how rust free the inside of the door was...added some Rustcheck oil to help preserve it....

<New Kenwood speaker..>

Posted 2013-05-30 21:04:56 by Roy Brown

Got Paint To Match

Thu, 30 May 2013 20:01:16 -0500

DAVID WEYANDT's Journal --

Spent the last 2 days cleaning up the engine bay and front grill section of Lil’ White Dove the ’79 B. Took off all the pieces from the hood latch panel and cleaned and painted them. Then I sanded the panel and painted it. I used white Rustoleum that I had laying around and it was a terrible match. So I went to Lowes and found Rustoleum “Appliance Epoxy Biscuit” that look pretty close. Resprayed everything and it was right on. I let it set up for 24 hours and put it all back together. It looks great but now everything else just doesn’t look as good.

I got some LED light strips from Creative Lighting to add a third brake light and turn signals by putting them on my padded roll bar. It will have to wait for a couple of days the grass need cutting.

Posted 2013-05-30 20:01:16 by DAVID WEYANDT

First Cruise Night This Year For Me

Thu, 30 May 2013 19:55:55 -0500

George Heissenberger's Journal --

I took OUR MG to work today - lovely day but hot- high 80's. Car ran great and never got up to the middle of N temp wise. After work my wife had an artists preview party to go to so I went to a local cruise night. as a plus they had a tasting for Dogfish Head and Linekugel beer there. As a minus I spilled mustard on my white golf shirt as I was eating my white hot. Doh!

<Wegmans Cruise night #1>

Posted 2013-05-30 19:55:55 by George Heissenberger

Cylinder Head Is Pulled

Thu, 30 May 2013 15:50:53 -0500

Anna P.'s Journal --

It took some doing as most of the studs had seized up years ago, but it is done, and the head is with the machinist. I drained and flushed the radiator while in route to the head. Now it is the waiting game. The machinist took one look and saw where my head gasket blew. I was relieved to hear that my gut was right. Blown gasket. He is going to check the head, and shave it, then check to see how the valves are sealing. More to follow.

In the mean time, I am researching the how to's of bearings and rings. I am also taking a razor blade and scraping off every bit of carbon and gasket that I can find. Time to also get the thermostat working again. New hoses for the rad. and my pushrods were pretty worn. Overall a big couple of weeks where I expanded my knowledge base considerably. Even my neighbor was impressed.

The engine is still in the car, and it may remain there. Read that you can attack via the dropped sump. More research to do...

Posted 2013-05-30 15:50:53 by Anna P.

Registration Mileage Confusion

Thu, 30 May 2013 15:32:28 -0500

Anna P.'s Journal --

When I reregistered the car, it appears that the DMV person decided that the mileage was 240,000 miles. I just found more bits of paperwork tucked away, and I do not see anything that lists mileage over the roughly 40,000 that the odometer reads. Why would the DMV employee make up mileage? I could see adding one hundred thousand, but two hundred thousand? Seems like a pretty big assumption to make.

Posted 2013-05-30 15:32:28 by Anna P.