Project 1974 MGB GT - The Mustard (Mit) Mobility Scooter - 6yrs ownership & the end is potentially nigh!

[Guest Hooli]

Wouldn't copper grease make them wear as it's an anti-seize compund with bits of copper rather than proper grease?

 

I'd have used red rubber grease personally.

[SiC]

Looking good ! I hope you used plenty of copper grease on them ?

I used their supplied silicone grease.

 

All back together now ... Except I was torquing up the spring pan bolts (30lb-ft - the lowest my torque wrench would go) and the threads gone. Thought it was going too well. FFS.

 

Jacking it up again and going to use the original bolt on that.

[Guest Hooli]

At least you know how to replace it now, should make it a doddle*

[SiC]

Turns out it isn't the bolts, it's the nuts. Threads are completely stripped out. Anyway replaced the bolt and nut with the BL quality originals.

 

All done on the driver side now.

 

 

Passenger side is on hold as this is happening.

 

So I quickly made a hole here.

 

By removing this.

 

So I can have a poke around inside it, while sat inside. Want to check it's insides before it embarrasses itself when I finally give this a drive.

 

Incidentally it was apparently refurbished when I was 1 month old.

[Guest Hooli]

Oh progress!

[Sigmund Fraud]

Wouldn't copper grease make them wear as it's an anti-seize compund with bits of copper rather than proper grease?

 

I'd have used red rubber grease personally.

 

I've always thought that it's the anti-seize properties of copper grease that one is after in this case - the grease is exposed to the elements and will inevitably dry out, but the copper particles will stay behind and prevent the joint from seizing.

 

Silicone-based PTFE grease is a modern alternative, which works on the same principle. I presume that this is what SiC's bush kit came with ?

[SiC]

Took the back off and a quick inspection.

 

Nothing visually a miss. Gave the contacts a good clean with the Dremel and wire wheel as they were rather corroded.

 

Brushes pretty much had no wear on them. These new ones will be going back.

 

Slipring had some scoring and generally grubby. Attacked this with the wire wheel too.

 

Turning by hand there is definitely a squeak to the bearings. However to get to them I need to remove the front pulley nut. Unfortunately it won't budge at all. Anyone got any suggestions? It's currently soaking in some rust penitrator in a vague hope it might help.

[Sigmund Fraud]

However to get to them I need to remove the front pulley nut. Unfortunately it won't budge at all. Anyone got any suggestions? It's currently soaking in some rust penitrator in a vague hope it might help.

 

I have found the Neanderthal approach to be the best : jam the fan against the body with an old screwdriver and use a rattle gun on the pulley nut.

[Guest Hooli]

Strap wrench around the pulley or an old fan belt clamped tight in a vice.

[Guest Hooli]

I have found the Neanderthal approach to be the best : jam the fan against the body with an old screwdriver and use a rattle gun on the pulley nut.

 

Last time I did that I destroyed the fan.

[SiC]

Tried that earlier but it bent the fan blades. I also tried jamming it further into the armature. Despite me treading on the breaker bar, it didn't shift.

 

My impact driver doesn't have enough power to have any effect on it. I don't have an impact wrench.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Last time I did that I destroyed the fan.

 

Tried that earlier but it bent the fan blades. I also tried jamming it further into the armature. Despite me treading on the breaker bar, it didn't shift.

 

Ouch ! Perhaps I've been lucky, but I find the hammering effect of a rattle gun is far less likely to bend stuff than the constant torque of a breaker bar.

[Mally]

I leave well alone and chuck it in the bin when it stops working.

Never buy a car from me.

[SiC]

I think a rattle gun needs to be on the Xmas present list.

[Sigmund Fraud]

I think a rattle gun needs to be on the Xmas present list.

 

I have a Clarke CEW1000 which costs about £60 - it's the shittiest impact wrench one can buy, but it's still managed to get me out of trouble on many, many occasions.

[SiC]

I have a Clarke CEW1000 which costs about £60 - it's the shittiest impact wrench one can buy, but it's still managed to get me out of trouble on many, many occasions.

I was tempted to get one of those, but rather not have the hassle of the mains lead. Never got a VAT free day on the last one a couple of days ago either.

 

I'm a massive Makita fan, so I'll probably end up with one of their body-only LXT battery ones. Still pricey but the kind of tool that hopefully lasts for years.

[SiC]

I leave well alone and chuck it in the bin when it stops working.

Never buy a car from me.

If it didn't squeak, I'd probably just stick it back on the car again! I think cleaning up the contacts hopefully will make it work more efficient.

[SiC]

Just realised I didn't use nut LNZ106 on the a-arm. They're supposed to be the nuts on the outside at the top. Arses. Means I have to jack that driver's side up again! Should be able to swap it all out though without disassembling the front suspension.

[SiC]

Now you are so experienced in MGB GT suspension I will drop mine off in case you are ever bored, it will only take you an hour now!

 

My friend drove mine this summer who has spent thousands with Oselli Eng to make his perfect and pronounced mine tired!

Yours looks really nice. I'm intrigued about that tow bar though, how is it mounted? I assume it's not just directly bolted onto the chrome bumpers?!

 

Even after all this, I probably wouldn't say no to doing it...

 

Actually a really satisfying job to do. If I did it again, I'd make sure I had all the major to hand as spares. No messing around if the parts are worn or damaged and just change them.

 

Hopefully rebuilding the rear suspension will be less of a pain. The leaf springs bolts are all very rusted though, so it'll have to wait until I have an impact wrench to force it all apart. However I might just get away with only needing to change the rear bushes.

 

I was previously tempted to change all the springs, as the originals have no doubt sagged a bit. However I'm really not sure I'm convinced that the replacement parts will be of good enough quality. Beginning to see why people tend to only replace stuff that really needs it. Hence me looking to repair this alternator.

[Guest Hooli]

I've always thought that it's the anti-seize properties of copper grease that one is after in this case - the grease is exposed to the elements and will inevitably dry out, but the copper particles will stay behind and prevent the joint from seizing.

 

Silicone-based PTFE grease is a modern alternative, which works on the same principle. I presume that this is what SiC's bush kit came with ?

 

You may be right, I'm no expert in such matters.

[busmansholiday]

As for the alternator, service exchange, or carry a spare fan belt for when the front bearing seizes and then melts the belt. Then pray you are near enough home to fit the new one (any body with an old BL pile of shite always carries a decent toolbox) and get home before that melts ans it overheats.

[vulgalour]

Excellent progress and wallet draining happening here.  I see you subscribe to the priniciple of if a job's worth doing it's worth doing right.

[SiC]

As for the alternator, service exchange, or carry a spare fan belt for when the front bearing seizes and then melts the belt. Then pray you are near enough home to fit the new one (any body with an old BL pile of shite always carries a decent toolbox) and get home before that melts ans it overheats.

I do actually need to put together a small toolkit. I plan to get a battery box and stuff a few bits in there. One good thing on these cars is that you don't need many sized sockets or spanners.

 

I'm really trying to resist buying a replacement. They're dirt cheap:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F192339416166

 

Won't be as good quality I suspect, but should get the job done. Given a rebuild kit is £30 for the standard Lucas, it doesn't make too much sense to not just buy new.

 

Excellent progress and wallet draining happening here. I see you subscribe to the priniciple of if a job's worth doing it's worth doing right.

I still haven't had a chance to sort the bodywork either. Luckily there is minimal work on that front. Just glad I didn't buy a really crap one, as I'd been spending the same but on a hopeless car unlikely to pass it's next MOT. I am starting to understand the phrase, money pit when it comes to old cars....

 

I'm just hoping these things I've done so far will make it feel much better to drive. Before it felt rattled and clunked over bumps, loose and tired.

[busmansholiday]

"I'm just hoping these things I've done so far will make it feel much better to drive. Before it felt rattled and clunked over bumps, loose and tired."

 

I love an optimist.

[tooSavvy]

BITD... Back B4 that day...

 

I would go to the breakers and pickup an ACR alt off a Marina or the like - knackered for pennies.

 

Shoot round to AutoShack* and swap out for a rebuilt/exch.

 

I was fitting alt to IMPs [dynamo spec].

 

 

A saving there...

 

 

TS

[SiC]

After being soaked in this horrible smelling stuff (so must be good) overnight...

 

..nut came off without a fight.

 

Rest pulled apart easy enough.

 

Cleaned up shaft and put it all back together again. I'll strip it down and replace the bearings another day.

 

Onto the nearside suspension.

 

Came apart reasonably easy enough. Helped that I knew how to do it. Only one bolt, a a-arm bolt, was a bit of a fight.

 

Bushes properly knackered.

 

Currently got the new a-arm on and come in for lunch.

[Guest Hooli]

If you do the bearings on the alt change the pulley too. They wear in the V-grove so they don't fit the belts properly.

[SiC]

If you do the bearings on the alt change the pulley too. They wear in the V-grove so they don't fit the belts properly.

Making me more tempted to just buy a whole new one...

 

I really need to start treating and sorting this stuff before it gets worse.

 

This is how it looked around 3 months ago.

[Guest Hooli]

It's easier to buy a new alt, depends if you want the fun* of refurbishing it yourself.

Most old cars with V-belts that suffer a lot of belt slip are down to a worn pulley as even a new belt wont grip on them.

[captain_70s]

The problem with repo alternators is that, while they are cheap, I found they became a yearly service item...

 

That rust brings back bad memories of the Dolly's chassis legs...