MGB V8 Roadster restoration project Report 103

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Leo Farmer
5 years ago
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23th December 2016. Wishing all V8 members a Happy Christmas. I now have a list of jobs that need doing to the MG. I shall work through the list.

Although it is not always possible due to waiting for parts, or just getting fed up with doing a particular job and needing a rest from it.

I gave the petrol tank a rub down with 80 grit production paper to give a key for the paint.

I found a couple of Allen key headed screws for fixing the long spring.

1 23th December Wishing all V8 members a Happy Christmas. I now have a list of jobs that need doing to the MG. I shall work through the list. If it s possible, I shall attempt to finish each job before starting the next. Although it is not always possible due to waiting for parts, or just getting fed up with doing a particular job and needing a rest from it. The LT77 gearbox remote got a good clean in thinners to remove all the old grease. I gave the petrol tank a rub down with 80 grit production paper to give a key for the paint. After all my messing about with the cleaning the inside of the tank, the outside got a bit scratched and needed another coat of paint. I found a couple of Allen key headed screws for fixing the long spring. These screws are far better than the Phillips screws that were originally used. To date I have never had one not undo, unlike the cross head screwdriver type screws that quite often are bugger to get undone. I took this photo just after I had brushed on the paint. I was not too happy with the brush strokes. To my surprise, the next morning they had disappeared. V8 Register MG Car Club V8-restoration-Mike-Macartney-Rebuild-Report-103 1

Nearly all clean and ready for treatment to

The output shaft from the gearbox where it

rust. Our came the drill and muleskinner and

Coating the bright metal with Kurust to stop

2 Nearly all clean and ready for treatment to stop it rusting again. The output shaft from the gearbox where it bolts on to the propshaft had some surface rust. Our came the drill and muleskinner and the rust was soon removed. Coating the bright metal with Kurust to stop the metal rusting again. V8 Register MG Car Club V8-restoration-Mike-Macartney-Rebuild-Report-103 2

Fitting the crankshaft pulley. It needed a bit of gentle persuasion to fit it snugly into place.

It is always best to tighten one, and then tighten the opposite bolt, carrying on like this until all the bolts are

As I have been tightening bolts on vehicles for many years I tend not to use a torque wrench apart from head bolts and

The bolts that hold the belt pulley onto the crankshaft damper were given a little drop of Loctite, well not actually

3 Fitting the crankshaft pulley. It needed a bit of gentle persuasion to fit it snugly into place. A block of wood and a rubber hammer did the trick. The bolts were then all tightened up loosely, then tweaked up. It is always best to tighten one, and then tighten the opposite bolt, carrying on like this until all the bolts are fully tight. You should use a torque wrench if you are not used to tightening bolts. As I have been tightening bolts on vehicles for many years I tend not to use a torque wrench apart from head bolts and other critical bolts or nuts. The bolts that hold the belt pulley onto the crankshaft damper were given a little drop of Loctite, well not actually Loctite, but similar stuff from another manufacturer. The large bolt holding the complete front pulley on was tightened up with the air impact wrench. If you use a socket and bar the engine will turn over! V8 Register MG Car Club V8-restoration-Mike-Macartney-Rebuild-Report-103 3

Time to fit the polished stainless steel plenum bolts that I found on the shelf, I had bought these early in the rebuild and had

The Wasp, geared starter motor comes with all the parts you may need to fit the starter.

I spoke with Clive Weatley regarding a gear knob for the MG RV8 gearstick as it was missing from the second hand gearbox I purchased.

I thought for the time being I would look on ebay to see if I could find a Range Rover or Discovery gear knob that showed where the

4 Time to fit the polished stainless steel plenum bolts that I found on the shelf, I had bought these early in the rebuild and had forgotten about them. I added a fibre seal under the stainless flat washer to help stop any air leaks. The Wasp, geared starter motor comes with all the parts you may need to fit the starter. I coated the bottom part of the threads on the stainless steel bolts with Loctite aluminium anti-seize compound. I spoke with Clive Weatley regarding a gear knob for the MG RV8 gearstick as it was missing from the second hand gearbox I purchased. Unfortunately for me, Clive has not had the gear knob remade for the LT77 gearbox, only the later gearbox. I thought for the time being I would look on ebay to see if I could find a Range Rover or Discovery gear knob that showed where the gear positions were. Whilst perusing the listings I saw this replacement VW gear knob emblem, which showed the correct gear positions at 3.50 including delivery, I had to buy it. V8 Register MG Car Club V8-restoration-Mike-Macartney-Rebuild-Report-103 4

Before I attempted to make the gear knob to fit the emblem I bought, I needed to find out the thread size and type that Rover used for the

The thread pitch was too close together to be UNC thread so I tried a ½ UNF die on the thread and it spun on the thread easily.

I then machined the aluminium down to the shape of a gearstick knob and recessed the end for the gear position emblem to fit in.

freehand cutting much easier. To double check, don t ask me why, I also tried a ½ UNF nut on the gearstick.

5 Before I attempted to make the gear knob to fit the emblem I bought, I needed to find out the thread size and type that Rover used for the RV8 gear knob. I measured the outside diameter of the thread in both mm and imperial and it appeared to be ½. The thread pitch was too close together to be UNC thread so I tried a ½ UNF die on the thread and it spun on the thread easily. After threading one end of my lump of aluminium, I screwed it on to the bolt. I then machined the aluminium down to the shape of a gearstick knob and recessed the end for the gear position emblem to fit in. NOTE: When machining freehand in the lathe, don t look at the shape on the side the tool is cutting, look at the opposite side, it makes freehand cutting much easier. To double check, don t ask me why, I also tried a ½ UNF nut on the gearstick. I then found a suitable ½ UNF bolt that I could use as a mandrel to hold a lump of aluminium that I could use to machine the gear knob out of. Nearly finished, just a bit more shape to put into it and recess the badge. V8 Register MG Car Club V8-restoration-Mike-Macartney-Rebuild-Report-103 5

Enlarging a hole on a stainless steel cable clamp using a cutting tool in the Dremel type tool.

You can see in the photograph that the plates that bolt to the engine have gone rusty.

For the small extra cost of manufacture I would have thought that the plates could have been made of stainless steel as well as the

I replaced these metal clamps with stainless ones with a rubber insert to hold the cables.

6 Enlarging a hole on a stainless steel cable clamp using a cutting tool in the Dremel type tool. I don t know who made these manifolds, as they came with the project I bought. You can see in the photograph that the plates that bolt to the engine have gone rusty. The pipes have not rusted as they are in stainless steel. For the small extra cost of manufacture I would have thought that the plates could have been made of stainless steel as well as the pipes. Each side of the rear of the engine are two studs to clamp the wires that go to the oxygen sensors. I replaced these metal clamps with stainless ones with a rubber insert to hold the cables. The hole in the replacement clamp was smaller than the stud, hence having to open up the hole. It does not work using a drill as one of the sides of the stainless clamps has an oval hole. I blasted the rust off in the cabinet, blew them down with the airline, cleaned any grease off with panel wipe and coated the steel plates with Kurust. V8 Register MG Car Club V8-restoration-Mike-Macartney-Rebuild-Report-103 6

While I was messing about with the exhaust manifolds I thought it would be a good idea to check the matching of the

The exhaust manifold was then bolted to the cylinder head without the manifold gaskets and all the Allen headed bolts

As the blue seems to get everywhere if you apply it with your finger I wore a pair of gloves and rubbed it in to the

To my amazement the amount of metal that would have to come out of the head casting around the exhaust ports was

7 While I was messing about with the exhaust manifolds I thought it would be a good idea to check the matching of the exhaust ports to the manifolds and smooth them out if needed. To do this I coated the manifold face with engineers blue. The exhaust manifold was then bolted to the cylinder head without the manifold gaskets and all the Allen headed bolts tightened up. As the blue seems to get everywhere if you apply it with your finger I wore a pair of gloves and rubbed it in to the face of the manifold flange. To my amazement the amount of metal that would have to come out of the head casting around the exhaust ports was massive, not a job to do at the present time. It does at least show how much tuning work can be done to these V8 engines. I must make sure that the manifold gaskets match the exhaust manifold and not the cylinder head or the gaskets could burn out. V8 Register MG Car Club V8-restoration-Mike-Macartney-Rebuild-Report-103 7

BACK TO THE STARTER MOTOR WIRING One of the exhaust manifold gaskets attached to the exhaust manifold to check if the

That s a relief; they do match the manifold and not the cylinder head.

From memory, there was a large fuse and relay, but I may be mistaken.

The wire above it is the trigger wire for the operation of the starter solenoid.

8 BACK TO THE STARTER MOTOR WIRING One of the exhaust manifold gaskets attached to the exhaust manifold to check if the manifold gasket is the correct size for the manifold. That s a relief; they do match the manifold and not the cylinder head. I needed to modify the wires that went to the original starter motor or relays on the RV8. From memory, there was a large fuse and relay, but I may be mistaken. I wanted to dispense with this flexible extension to the main feed from the starter motor. The wire above it is the trigger wire for the operation of the starter solenoid. The engineers blue was cleaned off the exhaust ports with panel wipe. I cut the wire back to the thick brown wire and used a Stanley knife to cut away the insulation so that I could solder a terminal onto the wire. If you carefully go round the cable sheathing with a knife the insulation should pull off. V8 Register MG Car Club V8-restoration-Mike-Macartney-Rebuild-Report-103 8

I won t bother to show you the soldering operation again as I have shown this before.

The Governor has still not twigged that the torch is missing from the kitchen cupboard?

Also remember to put the heat shrink on the cable before you solder the terminal onto the cable. Here I am using the heat gun to shrink the sleeving.

Another simple job, I thought! The positive cable from the battery will also connect to the large terminal on the starter motor when the engine is installed in the bodyshell.

9 I won t bother to show you the soldering operation again as I have shown this before. I had to use the chiefs propane torch again as my soldering iron would not get enough heat into this large cable and the ring terminal. The Governor has still not twigged that the torch is missing from the kitchen cupboard? If you are using heat shrink to cover a terminal joint always slide the heat shrink well up the cable so that the soldering does not shrink it before you want it to. Also remember to put the heat shrink on the cable before you solder the terminal onto the cable. Here I am using the heat gun to shrink the sleeving. The connector from the oxygen sensor on the right hand exhaust had come apart. The three prongs in the photo should be attached to the white connector to the left in the photo. Another simple job, I thought! The positive cable from the battery will also connect to the large terminal on the starter motor when the engine is installed in the bodyshell. Wasp supply, with their geared starter motor, a terminal that has two wires to the trigger wire on the solenoid. I have not really worked out why as yet. I suppose I better read the instructions! I pushed them back into the white connector, in the correct places, and pushed the black rubber plug back into the connector. OK so far, when I pushed the plug into the other side of connector on the loom it pushed the pins back out! I think I may have to Araldite the pins in place. Another job for later! V8 Register MG Car Club V8-restoration-Mike-Macartney-Rebuild-Report-103 9

Will it fit through this hole? No way. Yet again, Plan B needs to come into action. Whatever Plan B might be?

The postage was a lot more than the 15p each that the grommets cost. They fitted into the holes in the guard fairly easily.

No way could I get it to go through the hole, even trying Vaseline and the vice.

From the part number it appears it is 10mm wide by 1175mm long. This is definitely the last report you will get before Christmas.

10 Will it fit through this hole? No way. Yet again, Plan B needs to come into action. Whatever Plan B might be? Eventually, I managed to find two new grommets for the alternator fan guard at John Craddock The postage was a lot more than the 15p each that the grommets cost. They fitted into the holes in the guard fairly easily. The problem came when I tried to push the bolt sleeve through the hole in the middle. No way could I get it to go through the hole, even trying Vaseline and the vice. I suppose I ought to replace this fan belt, although it still has some life in it. From the part number it appears it is 10mm wide by 1175mm long. This is definitely the last report you will get before Christmas. This afternoon, I rang up, the MG Car Club to renew my membership; I was surprised when the answer phone message said closed until the 9 th January! If you have any suggestions, comment, or tips I can pass on through these reports. You can me at: mikemacartney@btconnect.com 23rd December V8 Register MG Car Club V8-restoration-Mike-Macartney-Rebuild-Report

MGB V8 Roadster restoration project Report 105

MGB V8 Roadster restoration project Report 105 30th December 2016. Just in case somebody does the same as me and bolts the catch for the boot lock round the wrong way, I have included a photo that I found on the internet of the correct way to fit it.