1971 MGB GT - Luggage compartment resto - see page 30

[Peter C]

11 minutes ago, N19 said:

I'll be at Enfield on Saturday, will keep my eye open.

I’ll be going if the weather stays dry and I’ll be driving my Nissan.

[Peter C]

Looks like the two bolts under the dashboard will be staying after all.

Bugger.

[Soundwave]

Crazy how you had a much easier time getting tail lamps for the MGB than you did the Sierra!

[Peter C]

53 minutes ago, Soundwave said:

Crazy how you had a much easier time getting tail lamps for the MGB than you did the Sierra!

I could have bought five sets of MGB tail lights yesterday, all versions were widely available.

[High Jetter]

If you open the radio case you might see you can modify it to fit around those nuts. There may be components in the way, of course, but worth a look.

[Peter C]

24 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

If you open the radio case you might see you can modify it to fit around those nuts. There may be components in the way, of course, but worth a look.

I propose to remove the carpet and felt from beneath the speaker to make a little more room for the PYE.

Or I might smack the underside of the dashboard with a large hammer.

[Noel Tidybeard]

what are these 5 versions of tail light?

[lesapandre]

Bit like 6° of separation.

[Peter C]

38 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

what are these 5 versions of tail light?

There are three versions. The shape of the lens and screw locations vary.

[Peter C]

If Beaulieu was good to me, the Enfield Pageant was even better.

Came home with a small hoard.

I got a Ring aerial, new in box for £5.

A TIM volt meter for £5, which doesn't fucking work.

An interior light for £1.

Big bag of large cable ties for £2 (not in photo).

Three more ashtrays for my interior project, at £1 each.

A rust free (apart from a little bit of grot on the inside at the bottom of the window seal, where it can't be seen) tailgate that will need painting for £40.

A 38cm diameter (exactly the size I wanted) Mountney three spoke steering wheel, for which I paid £50, then found similar ones a row later for £35. 

Not a bad morning out, the weather stayed dry, had a good rummage, can't complain.

Earlier this week I bought a steering column bush and felt (from eBay), which I plan on fitting on Monday.

All good fun.

 

[SiC]

43 minutes ago, Peter C said:

If Beaulieu was good to me, the Enfield Pageant was even better.

Came home with a small hoard.

I got a Ring aerial, new in box for £5.

A TIM volt meter for £5, which doesn't fucking work.

An interior light for £1.

Big bag of large cable ties for £2 (not in photo).

Three more ashtrays for my interior project, at £1 each.

A rust free (apart from a little bit of grot on the inside at the bottom of the window seal, where it can't be seen) tailgate that will need painting for £40.

A 38cm diameter (exactly the size I wanted) Mountney three spoke steering wheel, for which I paid £50, then found similar ones a row later for £35. 

Not a bad morning out, the weather stayed dry, had a good rummage, can't complain.

Earlier this week I bought a steering column bush and felt (from eBay), which I plan on fitting on Monday.

All good fun.

 

Dunno if you saw me doing it in my VP1300 recently but that felt will need a good soaking in oil before installing. 

[Peter C]

21 minutes ago, SiC said:

Dunno if you saw me doing it in my VP1300 recently but that felt will need a good soaking in oil before installing. 

Would you happen to know at what height in the steering column the felt needs to be installed?

[SiC]

9 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Would you happen to know at what height in the steering column the felt needs to be installed?

At the bottom.  Old one in picture is roughly where it goes.

Your column may be slightly different as it could be a crash collapsible type and have extra sliding bits in. Go careful as you can cause the column to be in a collapsed state and I don't think the bits exist anymore to restore it. 

[Peter C]

5 minutes ago, SiC said:

At the bottom.  Old one in picture is roughly where it goes.

Your column may be slightly different as it could be a crash collapsible type and have extra sliding bits in. Go careful as you can cause the column to be in a collapsed state and I don't think the bits exist anymore to restore it. 

 

Luckily, I don’t have a collapsible steering column.

[SiC]

32 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Luckily, I don’t have a collapsible steering column.

But unluckily if you have a bump!

[Peter C]

I spent most of yesterday tinkering with the MGB and just about everything that I attempted didn't go according to plan.

First task involved removal of the steering column, as necessary to replace the felt and plastic inner bushes.

The reason why I wanted to replace the bushes is because whilst driving over bumps, I could feel and hear a knocking through the top of the steering column.

Removing the steering column was easy.

I bought new bushes and in accordance with @SiC advice, I soaked the new felt bush in oil for 24 hours.

Removal of the old felt bush revealed that it was drier than a nun's #### and there was evident play along the bottom of the steering column, where the felt bush is located.

I re-assembled the steering column with new bushes. I applied plenty of grease to the inside of the plastic bush.

A test drive revealed that the steering column is binding ever so slightly, which means there is no play between the steering column and the sleeve, however the knocking is still there. I now suspect that there must be a problem with the front suspension. Any ideas guys?

I decided to progress with my interior mods project.

The plan was to install the PYE radio under the dashboard and connect it to the external aerial and the central speaker. I wanted to keep the Clarion radio in the dashboard slot and connect it to a Bluetooth FM transmitter with an aerial hidden under the dashboard. I've installed the same setup in my W123 years ago and it works a treat, I get to play BBC Sounds and my MP3s from my phone via the original Becker radio.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get the PYE radio and its lovely surround to fit. I removed the felt from under the carpet that covers the transmission tunnel but there was still insufficient space for the radio to fit. The two bolts that prevented the radio from slotting in secure the dashboard to the transmission tunnel metal frame and must not be removed.

I really wanted to fit the PYE radio so I ended up cutting off the surround. I then fixed the radio to the top of the speaker, with part hidden brackets.

I fitted the radio, connected the green wire to +12V, the body of the radio to earth and the black and red wires to the speaker. With an aerial connected, all I got was static on both frequencies (LW and MW). Adjusting the volume resulted in horrendous crackling sounds from the speaker. 

I then connected another aerial to the Clarion radio and plugged the Bluetooth FM transmitter into a +12V socket. The radio works just fine but it refused to pick up a signal from the transmitter. I tried the transmitter in my Nissan and it didn't work either. 

I gave up. I put the Clarion radio back in and it shall remain my only ICE.

I removed the PYE radio and put it in the garage, where it shall serve as an ornament. 

Moving on, I wanted to re-fit the central armrest, which is one with the plastic console that extends around and to the front of the gearstick. I liked the idea of the console extending towards the central speaker and fully covering the top of the transmission tunnel. Unfortunately, the console was too short and did not extend towards the front of the speaker.

I loose fitted the armrest and console and lined it up with the gearstick gaiter and a crease in the carpet located to the rear of the transmission tunnel. I measured twice and cut once and constructed a spacer out of two by four timber, the purpose of which was to bring the speaker forward towards the console. 

I then secured the console to the transmission tunnel, via original fixings. When I tried to fit the central speaker, I found that there was insufficient space for the speaker to fit. Evidently, when I loose fitted the console, it wasn't quite in the right place. Bugger.

I wanted the speaker to be located as low as possible on the transmission tunnel, to enable me to fit switches and maybe some gauges above the speaker.

I am going to remove the central speaker today and cut back the timber spacer to make everything fit properly. 

When I visited Beaulieu and Enfield autojumbles, I was on a lookout for an original ashtray to fit to the front of the armrest. Mine was missing. I couldn't find one and rather than leaving a gaping hole in the console, I fixed the small chrome ashtray that I bought at Beaulieu for £2 in place. Looks good even if it doesn't serve any purpose.

The reason for all these changes is because as much as I love the MGBs dashboard, the original central radio / switch console looks absolutely ghastly. It's really plasticky and looks too modern compared with the metal dashboard. This is how the dashboard looked when I bought the MGB.

I wanted to reproduce the look of the earlier console and central speaker, something like this.

The trouble is that this type of console fits early MGBs, which have a narrower transmission tunnel and the only one I found at Beaulieu cost £85, a lot more than I was prepared to pay, especially if my plan involved chopping it up.

With part of the console and the armrest reinstated and my all black central speaker fitted under the dashboard, I have achieved a reasonable compromise. I used black gaffer tape to line the timber spacer, which works surprisingly well.

With the timber spacer cut back and the central speaker fitted lower down, the abutment of the two will look more coherent and will enable me to populate the dashboard with additional switches, a clock and an interior lamp.

More soon.

[BeEP]

I have no idea how MGB steering racks compare to those on BL's fwd offerings of the period (ado16, Allegro, Landcrab, Maxi), but if you had one of the latter I'd say with a high degree of confidence that the knocking was from the bush in the rack.

[Westbay]

Kingpin wear ? 🤔

[Peter C]

44 minutes ago, BeEP said:

I have no idea how MGB steering racks compare to those on BL's fwd offerings of the period (ado16, Allegro, Landcrab, Maxi), but if you had one of the latter I'd say with a high degree of confidence that the knocking was from the bush in the rack.

How can this be diagnosed?

Would I need to remove the rack first?

[Peter C]

31 minutes ago, Westbay said:

Kingpin wear ? 🤔

Everything's possible!

[Peter C]

Right, I have sorted out the console and speaker fitment.

Rather than trying to shave 27mm off the two by fours, I made a new spacer out of left over decking boards, which happen to be exactly the right thickness.

Now the speaker fits properly and I have space to fit more gadgets on top of it. Win.

At Beaulieu I bought a boot carpet set from the same company from whom I bought the front seat covers. They also had a rear seat cover set, however I was reluctant to buy it until I knew whether my rear seats would fit ok. 

Good job that I checked.

The rear seat has been removed to accommodate the front seat belts.

Whilst the seat belts are only a simple two point affair, they are better than nothing.

It means that the back seat won't be going back in. I don't fancy cutting the seat foam to fit around the seat belts, no doubt that kind of bodging would look shit.

I will fit the replacement carpet set, then figure out how much black carpet I need to cover the central area. Bearing in mind that that the battery is located under the back panel, I will need to make the carpet removable. 

More soon.

[N19]

Just a thought for the top of the speaker, an offcut of that 'grippy mat' rubber stuff you can buy from the pound shop, very handy as you can then put something on there without it flying around.

[Peter C]

54 minutes ago, BeEP said:

I have no idea how MGB steering racks compare to those on BL's fwd offerings of the period (ado16, Allegro, Landcrab, Maxi), but if you had one of the latter I'd say with a high degree of confidence that the knocking was from the bush in the rack.

From the internet:

A knocking noise from the steering rack in an MGB, especially when turning or going over bumps, is often a sign of worn steering rack bushings. These bushings help the steering rack remain centered and aligned, and their deterioration can cause excessive movement and clunking noises

You might be right!

[Peter C]

Something else to add to my to do list!

 

[Sunny Jim]

You might have it all sorted to your satisfaction by now but you could buy more space under the dash where those hex head bolts are protruding by replacing them with a button head flanged cap bolt which is lower profile, something like this:

[Peter C]

50 minutes ago, Sunny Jim said:

You might have it all sorted to your satisfaction by now but you could buy more space under the dash where those hex head bolts are protruding by replacing them with a button head flanged cap bolt which is lower profile, something like this:

Very good call but 24 hours too late!

[Sunny Jim]

Doh. Sorry, I'll try and respond quicker next time! 🙃

[Peter C]

8 minutes ago, Sunny Jim said:

Doh. Sorry, I'll try and respond quicker next time! 🙃

Good lad.

 

[Peter C]

Whilst I've been busy focusing my attention on the dashboard, I have neglected the dilapidated luggage compartment.

I wanted to buy a used carpet set, which would complement the patinated interior of the MGB, however my search at Beaulieu did not yield any results. Instead, I bought a new boot carpet set from the same company that I bought the front seat covers from.

To fit the sections of carpet that cover the rear wheel arches, I had to remove the wooden capping and false floor.

The rear seat mount and what I presume is the rear seat seatbelt mounting obstructed the installation of the carpet.

So I cut them out, on both sides.

I will never re-fit the back seat. The seat is trimmed with the wrong material, I don't have all the fixings necessary to fit the backrest and the squab won't fit because the front seat belts have been retrofitted where the squab was originally located. 

I repurposed a Hyundai load liner to conceal the top of the rear seat area. I then cut an old piece of carpet that was attached to the rear of the back seat backrest in two and fixed it to cover the previously exposed foam within the rear footwells. I painted the remaining exposed metal black. I am not too fussed about the appearance of this part of the interior because the front seats mostly conceal the rear footwells.

The new carpet set fits pretty well. I used contact adhesive on the side panels, the floor carpet is secured with black screws and the carpet pieces that cover the side recessed areas don't need securing.

Much better. £50 well spent.

I bought a stick-on clock that I fitted with velcro to the glovebox lid.

In time, I will relocate it to the panel that I will install above the central speaker.

More soon.

 

[Westbay]

The fittings you cut off are the front seat belt fittings, no rear seat belts ......