Not So Fast

I may have had a change of heart about selling the B.  It's almost drivable now.  I've almost finished the interior.  There are still some things that need work but to be honest, I find comfort in that.  If I can get it into drivable condition and to a point where I trust that when I get in it, it is going to start and get me to point B, and then start again and bring me home, I'll be happy.  I've found a sense of peace in working on the B.  It's been a pretty big part of my life for about 7 years now. 

I've only driven it a handful of times in the period: 

• Once soon after I first got it to evaluate its condition in order to prioritize the future of the project
• A couple of times after replacing the pistons and rod bearings - then the clutch release bearing went out on me and I lost heart for awhile knowing the engine would have to come out.  I also made a big move soon after which put the B on the back burner.
• A few times after repairing the release bearing and replacing the clutch.  While the engine was out I had the bearing surfaces on the crankshaft machined and the flywheel resurfaced.  It ran okay for awhile but I could tell something wasn't quite right and it only got worse over time.

I'm finally at a point where I believe I have all of the major mechanical and electrical issues resolved.  I'm looking forward to getting it off the jack stands and seeing it on it's own wheels again.  I'm looking forward to strapping into the driver's seat and going for a drive.  I'm hoping it's good to drive for awhile before I have to do anymore real fixing.  I know there are some projects that will need to be done, but I'm hoping I can drive it and do them on my time rather than having to park it until I can get the next project done.

I'm hoping the B and I cover many miles together over the next 7 years.

Center Console

This is what a center console should look like on my 1972 B.  This is just to help me restore the one I have to an more original configuration.  It's had its share of DPO holes cut in it.  I'm going to try to fill them with something and repaint it black.  Hopefully I can get close to a matching texture in the filled spaces.  It will have to look better than the poorly cut holes.

For Sale

I've unfortunately lost interest in the MGB project and have decided to sell.  If you're interested or have questions, please leave a comment here or send an email to topheral_b AT yahoo.com

My initial price is $3500 as is.  I'm going to continue to do a few things to her and as the condition improves the asking price will increase. 

Things that I'll be doing before I consider the project complete:
Rebuild both vent windows
Install passenger side door interior trim
Replace the seal between the oil filter housing and the engine block (it's leaking like the Exxon Valdez right now - or should I say the Deepwater Horizon?)

Things that probably need to be done:
The fuel tank will need to be replaced eventually
The radiator needs to be repaired or replaced
The distributor may or may not need to be rebuilt

You have the whole history of the car during my period of ownership in the pages of this blog.  It's a no holds barred, very honest description of everything I've done and everything that needs to be done.

The B is currently driveable with brand new tires.  I trust it to get me around the immediate vicinity, but I've never driven it any further.  I put about 30-40 miles one day just around the local back roads and never had a problem.  It doesn't overheat, but the radiator seeps a little. 

Some pictures and an update

The B has been sharing time with studying for the CPA exam for awhile but I've made it a point to get in the garage for a few hours each week to make sure the project continues to move forward.

The big news since my last post is that it is insured and registered. I'll have new tires by this weekend and hope to take if for its first drive since the TO bearing failure back in 2006. Things that need to be done before the first drive:

• bleed the brakes
• check clutch travel and re-bleed if necessary
• drain and replace the differential oil
• grease the front suspension and the driveshaft u-joint

I finished mounting the top a couple weeks ago. My top came without the hardware mounted so I had to do that myself. I managed to hide the hardware on the driver's side but the passenger side was a little more stubborn. After I had it all the way I wanted it, the female portion of the Lift-the-Dot connectors tore free from the inner canvas on the passenger side. Without a better solution, I just went all the way through the vinyl. I don't think it looks too bad and it shouldn't cause any problems, but it bothers me that it doesn't match the driver's side. I don't anticipate having the top up much anyway, so it will rarely be noticeable.



Here are a few pictures.

Notice the missing grille? My bonnet release cable is stuck. I've left the grille out so I can operate the lever manually. I'll be adding an alternate release cable in the front driver's side wheel well so I can install the grille.

I've also spent some time on the interior. I completely rebuilt the seats. I cleaned and painted the frames and replaced the webbing, foam, and covers. I also have new carpet and panels all around. I'm still missing the passenger side door panel because I'm rebuilding the vent window. I've also not mounted the door caps or door pulls on either side.

You'll notice some missing buttons and extra hole in my center console from a PO. I'm contemplating what to do about that. I need a hazard flasher switch but I don't anticipate ever needing the lighter. There's also a map light that's missing. I'm not sure how I'm going to resolve the console situation yet. I want it to look better than it does, but still somewhat original. I'm also going without the transmission tunnel armrest. It's old and brittle and I like this look better anyway.

I have the door seals but I've not installed them yet. I'm having trouble figuring out how they are supposed to stay in place. I might have to resort to using an adhesive.

Here's a partial list of things I will want/need in the future roughly sorted by priority:

• radiator welded and recored
• new fuel tank
• front suspension rebuild
• distributor rebuild
• boot carpet kit
• alternator upgrade
• tonneau cover

Big News!

I was able to back out of the garage and drive around the yard over the weekend! The rebuilt starter from O'Reilly did the trick. Success did not come without a few small setbacks, but nothing major.

It all started a couple of weeks ago when I decided I wasn't doing myself any favors by putting off buying a starter any longer. I picked it up on the 30th after a few days waiting for it to arrive at my local store. It was easy to install. I've had the starter on and off so many times it's almost like pumping gas at this point.

So, with the starter in and a new battery, I decided to turn the key to see what would happen. I unplugged the coil because I wanted to try to build up some oil pressure before starting but I was never able to get any pressure. The good news was that it cranked beautifully. I never thought I would like that sound so much.

Not getting oil pressure worried me a little, but not terribly. I had the same problem back when I was trying to get it started originally a few years ago. The oil pressure jumped right up once I got it started. So with that in mind, I hooked up the coil and tried to start it. Nothing. Just lots of cranking. The sound that brought me such joy a few short minutes ago now became a source of frustration. I decided to clean up for the night and try again the next day.

Saturday evening I decided to try some starting fluid. I sprayed it in the carbs and cranked and it fired right up, only to die after burning off the starting fluid. I did this a couple of times while keeping a good eye on the oil pressure gauge. It jumped to life pretty quickly, but then I heard an odd sound. It was a large- amounts-of-liquids-splashing-onto-the-concrete-garage-floor sound that I'm really not very fond of. I quickly scrambled to my hands and knees to determine the source and found oil literally pouring from between where the oil filter housing and the engine block meet. This freaked me out at first and I decided again to clean up and call it a night in frustration.

I went to bed with two things on my mind. 1-the car is spewing oil like the Lakeview Gusher of 1910 and 2-it won't run without starting fluid being introduced into the intake. The good news was that 1-I had oil pressure and 2-I knew my starting problem had to be fuel related.

I got up Sunday morning hoping to correct my huge oil leak. After some research on MGBexperience.com I hypothesized that I might not have tightened down the bolt that holds the oil filter housing against the block with enough torque. When reassembling the engine, I was probably thinking that rubber seal didn't require or couldn't withstand a whole lot of torque. The only way to prove a hypothesis is to test it, so, I crawled under the car, attached the appropriate socket to my biggest, baddest breaker bar and tightened it until I was afraid to tighten anymore.

I then added about a quart of oil (the amount I had lost while the car ran a total of maybe 15 seconds), gave it another spritz of starting fluid, and she roared to life....only to die again a couple of seconds later. Frustrating, but expected. My main concern was the oil leak. I didn't hear anything. I got down and looked under and didn't see anything either. I tried the process over again several times with the same results. Oil leak problem solved. Now I just needed to solve the running dilemma.

I had narrowed the problem down to fuel delivery because I knew I had spark, compression, and that the timing was close enough to run on starting fluid. I began haphazardly messing with carb adjustments. Dumb move, but it provided the results I was looking for. I was able to get it running very poorly. I had to leave the choke in the full on position and it was backfiring out of both the tailpipe and the carbs. It would also rev up to about 3000 and then drop off to about 600 before backfiring a couple of times and then revving back up and the cycle started all over again. I tried slowly backing off the choke, but it would just die when I did that. A little research and brainstorming lead me to believe that I had a huge vacuum leak somewhere in the intake area.

Fast forward to Friday and I had some garage time. I left the office at noon, which promised to give me several good hours in the garage. I took the carbs and heatshield off and retorqued the intake manifold to the head. I applied gasket sealant to all 6 of the gaskets in this area and slowly and methodically put it all back together to make sure everything was installed correctly. I also adjusted the valves to make sure the clearances were correct. I turned the key and still had basically the same running issues. Vacuum hypothesis disproved.

The twin SUs had been rebuilt recently, and 1-I had no idea where the rebuilder had left any of the adjustments and 2-I had screwed with the mixture screws quite a bit just trying to get it to run, so I decided to start from square one with them. A little internet research provided the information I was looking for. I turned the mixture screws clockwise as far as they would go (full rich) and then backed off two full turns on each carb. I pulled out the choke, turned the key and it fired almost instantly and ran up to about 3500 RPM and just sat there as smooth as silk. That was a definite improvement over what I had been experiencing before. 3500 is too fast for idle, but that was easily adjustable. I just turned backed off of the idle screws until it was running in the 700-800 range. Needless to say, I was pleased. I let it warm up a touch and backed off the choke and it ran almost flawlessly for as long as I would let it.

I tried to check the timing with my timing gun but it jumps all over the place. I think my distributor may need to be rebuilt. I have it running pretty good right now. I had my wife help me bleed the clutch Saturday. I'm not sure I got all of the air out because the pushrod travel is not its full range of motion, but it seems to work. I may spend a little more time on that in the coming days.

After bleeding the clutch I took it down off of the stands for the first time in months. It was really good to see it sitting on its own tires. I couldn't resist the urge. I fired it up, backed it out of the garage, and took it for a quick spin around the yard. What a blast! The brakes need to be bled and I need new tires and then we will be ready for the open road.

Stay Tuned!

Fall and Winter Progress and Thoughts on the Future

Where were we? The engine is now back in the car and everything is wired up and bolted in and basically ready to go other than a couple items I'll discuss later in this post. I've installed new black carpet and the seats have new foam and upholstery. I started installing the top but ran into some problems that I'll need to resolve before I go any farther. It's really looking more like a car now than a project.

What's left to do? There's plenty left to do, but only two major items remain before I can get the B rolling. Well, really only one thing. I need a starter. My old one bit the dust and I don't think it would be worth the money to repair so I'll probably just get a new one from one of the 3 major parts stores nearby. You know the ones...they're always within spitting distance of one another. Anyway, the price is good at less than half of what Moss and VB want and they offer a lifetime warranty.

The second item is the radiator. It had a very slow leak (more of a weep than a leak) and is serviceable for short trips but I want to have it repaired, recored, and pressure tested before I go any further than the gas station or the office. I've heard bad things about the new radiators from Moss and VB thus the planned repair instead of replacement.

Beyond that, I have new body seals all the way around I have yet to install. I'll also need new tires. The tires that are on it have great tread but I'm afraid they're a bit on the old side. I'm working on rebuilding the vent window assemblies. Years of exposure to the weather have deteriorated the moving parts to the point of no return.

And then what? Well, I'm not sure. I like the idea of getting it going and making it my daily driver. I feel like I'm pretty close to achieving the goal of getting her on the road. I guess I'll make that happen and see what I feel like at that point. I've had moments where I'm ready to put the thing on Ebay as is just out of sheer frustration and lack of space in the garage. I think that was mostly the winter blues, though. Now that spring is in the air and top down weather is here, I'm having regrets over not spending more time on it over the winter.

So, my plan is to get that starter soon and take a drive around the block. At that point I think I'll be able to evaluate how bad the radiator situation is. Then tires. Then finish up the infinite list of little things that will drive me crazy. I think if I have it on the road, I'll be more likely to want to spend the time and money to fix all of the little things.

More Progress

I've made some significant progress over the last few weeks. Paint was sprayed in the engine bay. It looks great. Funny how what looks just acceptable on the body of a car can look great in an engine bay. It's no show car, mind you, but I'm pretty satisfied with the work I've done. Besides, the intent is for this car to be my driver, not a garage queen. I'm planning to put some miles on the car and I don't want to be afraid to do that for fear of scratching expensive paint. Nevermind that I've already put more into this car that it was sold new for back in 1971 or 72. Granted, that's not much money when you think about how much value the dollar has lost since then.

So what have I done beside paint the bay? I have my brake hydraulics hooked back up, along with the clutch master and slave cylinder. I've been cleaning and painting all of the small things that are going back into the bay. I sanded, steel wooled, and then clear coated all of the brake, clutch and fuel lines that are visible. Clear coat was to keep them from corroding so quickly in the future.

I made my big parts order last week from Moss Motors via The Autoist. I picked the parts up a couple days ago. This included my complete interior, main engine bearings, rod bearings, motor mounts, lots of miscellaneous MGB specific hardware, seals, gaskets, and the oh so important heater core (this is going to be my year round daily driver so I have to have heat!). Everything looked great and service at The Autoist was excellent as always.

I have already received my clutch kit from Bob at Brittek and some exhaust paint from Eastwood. I have a friend at work that is going to sand blast my exhaust manifold for me, then it will get a couple of heavy coats of Eastwood stainless steel gray high temp exhaust coating. If nothing else the engine will look pretty.

Here are a few pictures of the progress to date, and my lovely newly rebuilt carburetors.

Here's the picture of the engine bay before. I had started work at this point but you can tell how nasty things were.

Here's a picture after much degreasing, cleaning and sanding and some reassembly. It's not perfect, but it will be much more of a pleasure to raise the hood now than it was before.




Here's the engine that will fill the large empty hole in the picture above. New bearings started going in last night and will hopefully be completed tonight or tomorrow. Then I can start buttoning the unit back up to get it ready to drop back in.



And here's what will deliver the air/fuel mixture to be burned in healthy quantities as I cruise around with the top down. They were professionaly cleaned and rebuilt. Once I install them and find out how they work, I'll post the rebuilders name and a review.