1971 MGB GT - Effort + Expenditure = No Gain - see page 17

[Peter C]

6 minutes ago, Marina door handles said:

I could swear a dog to a cat that these are the inertia seat belt mounts for the front seats?

Pete are you just being different or is it supposed to be like that? 

 

 

Dunno.

I have inertia seat belts in the front but the units are mounted further forward from the two points that you’ve identified.

[bangernomics]

Those capillary pressure  gauges are pretty accurate 

My last mini was pretty accurate at dripping oil into the footwell. Self cure for the rust.

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 01/12/2024 at 19:41, captain_70s said:

The handiest thing about not using sealed beams is being able to see moar than 3Ft in front of your vehicle.

FIFY

[Christine]

10 hours ago, Peter C said:

Dunno.

I have inertia seat belts in the front but the units are mounted further forward from the two points that you’ve identified.

Rear telescopic damper conversion plates , they are ..

[Peter C]

2 hours ago, Christine said:

Rear telescopic damper conversion plates , they are ..

That makes sense as my MGB has telescopic rear dampers fitted.

[IronStar]

On 04/12/2024 at 02:42, Noel Tidybeard said:

FIFY

What sort of sealed beams were you guy using? Mini has decent headlights, not as good/bright as HID or LED units, but on par or better then any other regular headlight with bulbs on my other cars. 

Did I randomly end up with greatest sealed beams ever fitted to a Mini? Do all my other cars have cataracts? 😅

[Peter C]

I replaced the light unit and the lighting system is now fully operational.

I've spun the MGB around so when I fiddle with the tappets on Saturday, I will at least benefit from seeing some daylight over the engine bay.

When I went to start the MBG today, the starter motor was slow to spin over, like the battery was about to fail but it kept spinning at this rate until the engine eventually fired, which makes me think that it's not a problem with the battery but perhaps with the starter motor? Or could it be an earthing issue?

More soon.

[Zelandeth]

I'd always tend to check earth's first.  Engine to body and body to battery.  If the factory engine one is buried somewhere inaccessible just add another one that's easier to monitor.

Better that than discovering it's failed when it welds your throttle or choke cable in place!

[2flags]

Always start with the cheapest and easiest option. A bit of emery paper has to be the cheapest out there. Clean the engine earth strap, then the battery to body connection, then the battery terminals. It's amazing what a difference this can make. Have you got the two six-volt batteries in the boot or is it one twelve volt? 

[chadders]

Mine takes a little while to 'wake up' at times. 

I'm pretty sure that it's a 'lazy' solenoid but it's been like this as long as I can remember and it just means that it takes a few seconds longer to start.

 

 

[Christine]

It's the fact that  you now have 70psi oil pressure to overcome ... blame zel

[Peter C]

1 hour ago, 2flags said:

Always start with the cheapest and easiest option. A bit of emery paper has to be the cheapest out there. Clean the engine earth strap, then the battery to body connection, then the battery terminals. It's amazing what a difference this can make. Have you got the two six-volt batteries in the boot or is it one twelve volt? 

I have one 12V battery, which looks relatively new.

[Peter C]

Despite the horrendous weather, I managed to complete a couple of tasks today.

Firstly, I had a look at the battery terminals and leads. All good. I haven't looked at the engine to body earth strap yet.

I removed the rocker cover. I was pleased to find that the valves, springs, rockers etc are all nice and clean.

Rather than using the rule of 9, when adjusting tappets I work on cylinder 1 whilst the valves are rocking on cylinder 4 etc... 

The clearance on all eight valves was way out. 

I adjusted the clearances to a tight 0.35mm, which is about 0.013 - 0.014 inch, which is about right.

Whilst doing the tappets, I removed the plugs. All good from what I can see.

I pulled the MGB out of the garage and went to start the engine. The same as last time, the starter was slow to turn over but the engine did fire and sounded sweet, with no more top end clatter. Win.

Next time I go to start the engine, I will connect my booster to the battery. Presumably, if the starter cranks over quickly then that will mean that the battery is knackered? That might be an easy fix.

I am not a fan of the centre console - it's ugly. I removed it to reveal a tidy carpet fitted over the top of the transmission tunnel.

Ideally, I would like to fit this type of speaker grille and trim and completely remove the console.

Let's see what I can score at Beulieu in the spring.

Whilst fiddling with the console, I traced a red wire that extends from a warning light that is fitted to the console. It goes to the overdrive switch.

This matter will need further investigation.

The electric aerial that was fitted to the MGB was broken so I removed it. I had two spare aerials in the garage but neither seemed to fit. Today, I pinched parts from the old electric aerial mast, got them to fit one of my spare aerials and hey presto, I have a fully operational aerial and the radio works a treat. 

Next time, maybe tomorrow, I will tidy up the speaker wiring and find out why the right side speakers aren't working.

More soon.

 

[Peter C]

The MGB is now parked in the garage under the house and the Sierra is residing in my workshop. This means that any work on the MGB involves working outside or inside the garage with the door open. It's fucking cold and I'm a southern fairy, which means that until I get the MGB back into the workshop, there won't be many opportunities for further tinkering. Luckily, I only have two more weeks of work, then I have 16 days off for the festive break. I suspect that on Day 1 of my holiday I will move the Sierra back out under the carport, get the MGB back inside the workshop and re-start work.

Remaining matters to attend to involve:

• Replace the brake master cylinder and bleed the brakes again.
• Get the radio and speakers working properly.
• Sort out the centre console - see below, I have an idea.
• Sort out the rear interior light.
• Tidy up the A posts, door shuts and doors.
• No doubt there will be other stuff.

I've been thinking about the cranking issue that manifested itself recently. A long time ago, a mechanic friend told me that if the ignition timing is not set correctly, the engine may crank over slowly. One of the first things that I fixed on the MGB was getting the static timing right and getting the engine to run ok. That was a couple of months ago. More recently, after my first test drive, I adjusted the ignition timing whilst driving up and down the road and seeing if the tweaks made any difference. I can't be certain but I think that I first noticed the starting issue shortly afterwards. 

I checked the engine to body earth strap. It ain't pretty but it's there and doing its job.

So I adjusted the ignition timing back to where I set it before. Fortunately, I marked up the side of the distributor and the clamp with two red dots, so I knew where the correct point was.

I went to start the engine and it cranked over properly and fired up within two seconds. Could it have been as simple as that? I will try again tomorrow, when the engine is cold (again) and see if I've won.

Once I got the engine running, I took the MGB up and down the road. The brakes felt more solid than before, which is ironic as a replacement brake master cylinder arrived by post today.

Even if the brakes have slightly improved, I will still replace the master cylinder.

I've been looking at early spec centre consoles and the one I posted a couple of days ago is available but costs well over £100. I'm not paying that much. I have an idea, to remove the current console, spray the metal side sections of the dashboard structure matt black and fit this boxed in speaker in place of the console. The speaker box is wrapped in vinyl that would look fine in the MGB's tatty interior. The shape and size of the speaker box fits perfectly under the dash and I can also connect the speaker to the radio, for that full surround sound effect. 

More soon, once I've got the MGB in my warm workshop.

 

[plasticvandan]

Possibly a suck eggs thing,but I always set my timing by advancing til I got the fastest smooth idle,then retard a bit,with modern petrol I found retarding always needed anyway.other way is to advance till it pinks on a hard incline,then retard till it goes. Timing lights a waste of time,they are only a guide and for a brand new engine 50-60 years ago

[Peter C]

19 minutes ago, plasticvandan said:

Possibly a suck eggs thing,but I always set my timing by advancing til I got the fastest smooth idle,then retard a bit,with modern petrol I found retarding always needed anyway.other way is to advance till it pinks on a hard incline,then retard till it goes. Timing lights a waste of time,they are only a guide and for a brand new engine 50-60 years ago

Agreed, that's also what I do. However, on this occasion, the timing setting that makes the engine run smoother seems to prevent it from starting properly!

[plasticvandan]

Usually too far retarded when it's hard to start.worth checking the vac advance is working

[2flags]

It will also be hard to start if it is too far advanced as it's trying to fire backwards!

[Peter C]

As it was a dry day, I decided to take the MGB to a work appointment in Marlow this morning.

I pulled the MGB out of the garage (it would be impossible for me to squeeze behind the wheel with the right side of the car so close to the garage wall), got in and..... the engine fired straight up. Win.

The vacuum / hissing sound that I reported previously was definitely still there. I was planning on opening up the heater box to see what is going inside. However, on route back from Marlow, by chance, I moved the gearstick across whilst the 'box was in 4th gear and the pitch of the sound changed! I then moved the gearstick back and forth and the pitch of the sound changed again. 

A bit of research revealed that the noise is a common issue and is caused by vibrations coming up from the gearbox via the gearstick. 

https://mgb-register.org/mgbrforum/viewtopic.php?t=849

I will investigate further.

On route home, I stopped off to take some pretty pics of the MGB. The photos flatter the paint but it still looks great.

More soon.

 

 

[Peter C]

I made time this afternoon to remove the central console.

With the console removed, I had a look at how the gearstick is secured. Looks like removal of these three bolts will enable removal of the gearstick and provide access to the nylon bush that is apparently causing the transfer of vibrations from the gearbox.

Now that I know what the noise is and that it is nothing particularly serious, I am happy to deal with it later rather than sooner. 

 

Before I removed the electrical switches and lights fitted to the old console, I checked which cable does what. To my surprise, all three cables that extended to the interior light were live! How can this be? When I put my tester on each end of the bulb, both were showing +12V. Madness. Or perhaps sorcery? 

When fiddling with the rear speakers, I noticed my favourite 10mm spanner, still holding on tightly to a bolt that secures the passenger seat, which I thought I'd lost during the time the MGB was in my workshop. Win.

And this is the result of today's tinkering.

The interior looks much better without the ugly plastic console. I love the exposed carpet on the transmission tunnel, even if it partially as new and part faded. 

The centre speaker is connected to the radio, which now pumps out tunes via five speakers. 

The white cable is for charging my iPhone, which is connected to a +12V socket, which takes power from the electrical supply to the heater switch. Speaking of which, the old heater switch was on the old console, an ugly looking thing. The original heater switch is the one on the dashboard, below the radio, to the right of the heater control knob. Initially I planned on reconnecting the cables back to this switch, however I found there are cables already connected to it. The switch doesn't do anything, so it's all a bit of a mystery. The new heater switch is now below the radio, to the left of the choke knob.

I doubt that I will ever bother finding the early original speaker console but I will look out for a chrome speaker grill, which would look more period than the current plastic one.

I like it.

More soon.

[Peter C]

Link for future reference.

https://mgbgtle.blogspot.com/2018/04/gear-lever-bush-replacement-and.html

 

[beko1987]

I thought you said you weren't going to make it look all pretty a few pages back? 🧐

Looks really smart now! Is it fully Wbod ready now? Or ready enough... 

[Peter C]

20 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

I thought you said you weren't going to make it look all pretty a few pages back? 🧐

Looks really smart now! Is it fully Wbod ready now? Or ready enough... 

Please believe me when I say that my MGB is not as pretty in the metal as it looks in the photos. Externally, every panel has a significant blemish and the interior looks like it’s been dragged through a hedge backwards, which is just how I like it.

It’s now ready to serve as a GWBoD, with the G standing for garaged. You really don’t think that I would take the MGB out on a salty and soggy winter drive after all the effort that I put in to making it good!

[Peter C]

I'll start with the brakes.

When I got the MGB, the brake master cylinder reservoir was empty. The cylinder was obviously leaking and caused fluid to spill and in the process strip paint from the top of the bulkhead.

And the underside, where it leaked through.

As best as possible, I cleaned up what was left of the paint and sprayed Rust-Oleum paint to protect the metal.

I previously bled the brakes, with the old master cylinder in situ, connected to the brake line. The brake pedal was soft to the point where it would almost touch the floor but if I pressed it half way, released it and pressed it again, the pedal was firm and the brakes worked well. I assumed that the master cylinder was faulty. 

I replaced the brake master cylinder with the new part that I got from Moss Europe. A fiddly job but I got there in the end.

I bled the brakes right through, probably went through about 2.5 litres of brake fluid but the pedal was still soft.

I've had this spanner for decades, no idea where I got it from but it's the right tool to adjust the MGB's rear brakes.

The adjustor mechanisms have been recently replaced but the brakes were not correctly adjusted, especially on the offside.

I adjusted the rear brakes to perfection and I was sure that I've bled the brakes correctly.

A test drive revealed that the brakes are no better. The pedal is still soft and only gets hard when depressed half way, released and re-applied. 

I did not think to bench bleed the master cylinder before fitting it. I've done some research and it seems that air could be trapped inside the master cylinder, despite the effort that I went to to bleed the brakes. 

I can't think of anything else that could be causing the problem. I will remove the master cylinder, bench bleed it and have another go at bleeding the brakes. 

Next, I greased up the front suspension.

And the prop-shaft UJ.

Next, I investigated the overdrive switch wiring. This is a weird one.

Two cables extend to the switch.

The green cable is an ignition switched +12V supply.

The red cable passes on the +12V supply further down the line towards the overdrive.

I removed the switch and found that the original switch was defective.

I wired up a temporary switch.

At first, the new switch was working correctly and the red wire terminal was live when the switch was on. For some reason, the +12V supply (green cable) disappeared! No idea why. Apparently, this supply is not fused and as the cable disappears behind the dashboard never to be seen again, I had no way of finding out what happened.

I hooked up another +12V supply from the fuse box.

I fitted the new switch under the dashboard, hoping that I've solved the non-functioning overdrive problem.

Later, a test drive revealed that the overdrive is still not working. Bugger.

Next, to fix the malfunctioning dial backlights, I wanted to remove the rheostat and by-pass it. 

I got the switch knob off and loosened the nut that secures the switch to the dashboard.

With my arm bent in five directions behind the dashboard, there was no way I could remove the rheostat. The only way to get to it involves removing the speedo or rev counter and I didn't fancy disturbing either today.

My arm was sore afterwards!

Finally, the one thing that I got right today, is painting of the rear arches inside the cabin. In time, I will put carpet around the arches but for now the bright red finish looks ok.

More soon.

[Mally]

Brake pedal travel.

Clamp each flexy hose one at a time, as close to input end as possible and try the pedal travel each time.

This may tell you where you are losing solidity.

Either through poor adjustment, seized pads, or flexy hose bubbling.

[Marina door handles]

Has the car got a remote servo? I suffered complete brake failure in my first B because the servo suffered an internal leak and filled with brake fluid! Might be an idea to check it and make sure nothing funny is going on... 

[Peter C]

24 minutes ago, Marina door handles said:

Has the car got a remote servo? I suffered complete brake failure in my first B because the servo suffered an internal leak and filled with brake fluid! Might be an idea to check it and make sure nothing funny is going on... 

Yes, it has.

I’ve been advised to bleed the brakes with the engine running, thus the servo doing its stuff.

[Peter C]

And I’ve been told to lift the front of the car as high as possible whilst bleeding the brakes, apparently that’s the MGB Hive recommended secret way of getting all the air out of the system.

[busmansholiday]

I found a pressure bleeder (cheap one) actually worked on mine having tried various ideas including wedging the brake pedal down overnight to sort the same problem out.