Dan's 1976 MGB

Plan G

2011-10-09T11:20:00.002-04:00

I am way past Plan B so....

I reinstalled the carb last week, and yesterday, got the car started. Ran kinda crappy. Let it warm up and was starting to try and adjust the carb, but noticed some leaking fuel. Shut it down quickly! Not a huge leak, but it appears to be coming from around the edge of the float chamber. Not the float chamber plug, but the edges. Bummer.

So, in lieu of continuing the spend time screwing around with it, the new plan is to have it towed to a good shop in South Jersey in the late winter and have them get it running again. They can tune it up and I can drive it some in the spring. I have reached the limits of my mechanical ability, and no amount of watching youtube videos is going to fix that!

So I will shift my focus back to the '65 B disassembly at this point.

Carb Progress

2011-08-02T16:22:00.004-04:00

Pretty much done with the 'rebuild' phase of this little project. Everything is disassembled and cleaned, ready to be put back together... Last night, I took apart the innards of the choke mechanism (probably a little more than I needed to, as I can't quite see how the rotating cam fits back) and cleaned the housing up. The assembly was sticking a bit when I opened it up - would not return all the way back - so I am hoping that that will be resolved now (assuming I get the cam back together properly...). A couple of pics follow....

Choke Assembly

Parts Removed

Piston

Empty Casing

Mating Surface Smoothed Out

Carb Rebuild in Progress

2011-07-03T15:47:00.013-04:00

I started taking apart the carb a couple of weeks ago. This is the much-maligned Zenith-Stromberg 175CD-2 carb that has actually been very reliable for me in the 23 years I've owned this car. But I figured, with the car not really running for about 4 years, it might be kind of gunked up with old gas and have dried out gaskets, so might as well clean it up before tuning the car.

I have it mostly disassembled now and cleaned, and I am very surprised at how little actual gunk is in there. Other than some discoloration, most of which cleaned up with carb cleaner, there was only a small chunk in the air chamber -

I'm awaiting the arrival of some parts that I ordered a couple of weeks ago, and today I had to order another part - a plastic insulator for the auto choke, which was either cracked or cracked when I removed it....

Here is the starting point -

And with the carb removed -

Various views of a now non-existent piece of automotive technology -

Here is the current status -

Front Brake Job Completed

2011-06-07T09:59:00.009-04:00

Finally got a few spare hours yesterday to replace the front pads in the B... Passenger's side had been grinding a bit when I was test-driving it. Job wasn't too hard, once you get into it. I figure it took me about an hour and a half in total, spread out over 4 hours (of course), as I had to make a Home Depot run in the middle to buy a clamp to compress the pistons. Some pictures follow -

The passenger's side was the one that was grinding a bit, the pads show that there was basically no friction material left on them....

Old vs New...

Pads out, now need to compress the pistons...

New pads installed....

One side completed....

Driver's side weren't too bad....

Compressing the pistons....

Driver's side completed...

A little overzealous compressing the pistons....

Float Charger Installed

2009-11-17T14:45:00.005-05:00

I bought a float charger at Harbor Freight for less than $8! Pretty good deal, assuming it works! I have it hooked up through my work light for now, since I have no power close enough to the car for the cord to reach. I will probably run a power cord across the garage to the outlet on the wall next to the house.

Here is what it looks like hooked up -

Running Again

2009-11-11T13:43:00.003-05:00

Ok, after replacing the battery (and the positive battery cable clamp, which fell off when removing the old battery) the B is now running again, although starting continues to be problematic - kind of stutters and pauses as the starter turns. I'm down to about 1/4 of a tank of gas, so think I can take it and fill it up with high-test, see if that clears up the running at all. I have sourced a Z-S rebuild kit, so I will remove and rebuild that carb over the winter.

No Start

2009-10-03T15:35:00.001-04:00

Well, I think the battery is officially dead. I have a good new ground, from the coil bracket to the alternator bracket, and the car won't start even when jumped. The battery showed 12 volts before I tried to start it, but nothing afterwards. So when I get back from my trip next week, I will buy a new battery and see if that makes a difference!

Water Pump Project Complete!

2009-09-26T21:24:00.003-04:00

Started and finished the water pump replacement today, and also replaced the d/s headlamp as well.....

Here are some in-progress pictures.

Removed stuff...

Ready for removal

Old Pump

Removed

New Pump

Installed

Half-way back together

All done!

After replacing the pump, I hooked the car up to the Audi and let the battery charge up a bit, then started 'er up! Drove around the block a little to warm up the car and check for leaks - there don't appear any so far. Have to check the anti-freeze level tomorrow.

Parts!

2009-09-25T14:58:00.002-04:00

Ok, I received my parts from Moss this week, so starting tonight, I'll get cracking on replacing the water pump.....

Needed a new headlamp as well....

Parts

2009-09-18T08:50:00.002-04:00

I ordered a few items last night, from Moss. New water pump, spare gasket, a headlight. Delivery is scheduled for Wednesday of next week, so hopefully I will have everything done sometime next week-end. Really want to get back on the road, as the primo driving weather is here - warm days, cool evenings!

Big Squeal

2009-09-01T11:05:00.002-04:00

I started the car Thursday night, to take a little drive, and after warming a few minutes, a major-league squeal started coming from the engine! It appears to be either the alternator or the water pump (I am leaning towards the latter). I started to take off the fan belt last night to isolate the cause to one or the other, but got interrupted so will have to try and get that done tonight or tomorrow. I am kind of hoping it's the alternator, as that will be easy to replace, but I really think it's the water pump. I think that can be replaced without removing the engine.

Quick Update....

2009-08-24T19:26:00.002-04:00

...just to say 'no update'....! After a week of vacation and a week of inactivity (didn't even get a chance to start the car after we got back from vacation!), I drove it a bit yesterday and the usual - pulled strongly but ran like crap! I am going to have to start mixing in some fresh high-test gas as I am just below 1/2 a tank.

I am loving the sound of the exhaust, however - it is different with the '75 downpipe from the sound it made with the catcon and '76 downpipe. Much more 'raspy', if that makes sense. More British sounding. Love it.

Still Using the Old Gas...

2009-08-07T20:56:00.002-04:00

So I've been driving the car around and around the block for the last wee, and the gas gauge finally moved below 1/2.... Of course, I put a gallon or so of new gas in it a couple of weeks ago. But it's running pretty crappy with the idle set low (via the adjustment screw). It's idling around 900 rpm but is very lumpy and 'missy'. I will check the plugs when we get back from vacation. I also purchased a carb rebuild kit that I will put to use over the winter. I would imagine that there is a lot of gunk inside the carb from sitting for 2+ years.

It is also getting a little rougher to start, taking a few minutes of cranking, and it seems like there isn't a consistent power feed to the starter, as it bogs down a bit. But it does start eventually. Will have to diagnose that as well. Wonder if it is because I don't have a real good engine ground.

But even with it running lousy, it's nice to be driving it again!

More Driving....

2009-07-21T10:14:00.006-04:00

Spent about 20 minutes driving the car again last night (before massive thunderstorm!). I put some carb cleaner in the fuel, and also added a couple gallons of fresh gas from the lawnmower gas can. I figure I will do that until all of the old stuff is used up. But I want to keep adding fresh gas as the bottom portion of the gas that is in the tank is probably pretty rough..... I guess I could have drained the tank, but I hate to waste the gas... ;-)

The passenger's side front brake seems to be scraping a bit. I need to check the pads on that side. The look ok peering through the wheel, but it's hard to get light onto the brake pads and still be able to see.

Other things to be done -

1) Driver's side headlight low beam is out, so need a new headlight.
2) Tires - the newest tires are over 10 years old, so I really need to replace all of them
due to age.... Going to get the cheapest Pep Boys tires I can!
3) Ground strap - will need to put a nut onto the strap to make sure it grounds
securely (winter)
4) I think I will rebuild the carb this winter. Rebuild kits are about $60 or so,
much cheaper than having it rebuilt (like $200+). This will be a good winter
project.

I don't want to spend a ton on this car, since it's a real rust bucket underneath, but I do want it to be reliable for regular use. So, once the bad gas is through, I will go through John Twist's article on tuning the Z-S and see how far that takes me prior to the rebuild.

It's Alive!!

2009-07-18T17:44:00.001-04:00

(Cue Gene Wilder from Young Frankenstein here....)

Well, today, for the first time in about 3 years, the 1976 MGB backed out of the garage under it's own power for several trips around the block! What a great feeling for sure....

On Tuesday, I had the battery recharged. I figured, before I start chasing down power at various points, let me check the battery, make sure it can still hold a full charge. So today, I checked it - 12 volts - and put it back in the car. Decided to try and start it, and when I turned the key, it immediately cranked! What a surprise! So, I cranked it a bit to build up some oil pressure, which took just a minute or two of cranking. Then I connected the coil wire to the distributor, cranked it and it started so quickly that I could not believe it! Here is the video of it running, with my commentary....

http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c30/ddibiase/1976%20MGB%20Engine%20Work/?action=view&current=P7180066.flv

Pretty exciting, to say the least! But I still had several things to do before I could get on the road -

1) Remove the tires and take to the gas station to fill with air
2) Tighten the crossmember, which I had loosened to check the ground strap
3) Put the transmission stabilizer rod in place - never did this after replacing the engine
4) Check the oil and dashpot oil - added some Marvel Mystery oil to the latter
5) Add some brake fluid

So I fired it up, and moved it back-and-forth in the garage to check the transmission and brakes - they seemed ok, so I rolled it down the driveway and around the block a few times!

http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c30/ddibiase/1976%20MGB%20Engine%20Work/?action=view&current=P7180067-1.flv

http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c30/ddibiase/1976%20MGB%20Engine%20Work/?action=view&current=P7180068.flv

It's idling pretty fast, so I need to adjust that. And there is a pretty bad smell, which I think is the plastic wrap and label on the exhaust pipe burning off. But it shifts well and seems to run pretty good, so I can hopefully make a few adjustments and start driving it around again!

Continued No-Start...

2009-07-10T20:30:00.003-04:00

Well, did some more chasing down and eliminating of possibilities today..... I removed the battery ground cable and cleaned off the battery box where it attaches with a wire brush, to get a nice clean ground. Then I started to do some diagnostics on the non-starting. So I checked the relay (even though it's new) by putting the brown wire on the terminal for the red/white wire, and heard the relay 'click' - so the relay is fine. Then I put the brown wire on the terminal for the brown/white wire - which should turn the starter - no starter, so that probably means it's the starter solenoid. I looked at the wiring on the actual solenoid, and it seems to be okay when I compare it to the schematic in Rick Astley's MGB Electrical Systems. So the next step will be to start testing the voltage at various points, once I figure out how to use my multimeter!

Some Updates

2009-06-23T08:55:00.003-04:00

I've been slowly trying to resolve the starting issues with the B. There are basically 2 - fuel pump and starter. The existing fuel pump - which is a non-OEM - has been in the car since we bought it back in April 1988. It was emitting a constant hum, versus the intermittent clicking as it pumped gas. And there was no fuel flow to the filter. so I replaced that with a generic electric pump I purchased locally. That one seems to buzz constantly but didn't seem to fill the fuel filter. So I checked and blew out the lines (which included getting a mouthful of gas, yummy!) and they are all fine. I have a new fuel filter to put on, so we'll see if that works.

The second problem is the starter - turn the key, no sound. At first, I wondered if the wiring was messed up - if I put it on wrong when I rewired the starter after installing the engine. But I don't think so, since the car DID start and run a couple of times last fall. I believe it is the starter relay, which is slightly melted anyways. So I have a new one coming, that I ordered from the Little British Car Co (www.lbcarco.com). That should be here before the end of the week, so I can put it in and give everything a try again this week-end.

New Fuel Pump Installed

2009 Plans

2009-01-29T17:10:00.000-05:00

Ok, going to make a dual entry here, since I want to discuss both the '76 B and the '65 B and the plans for this year.

'76 B Status -

I really need to get this car back on the road. With Rob now driving, once AJ comes home from school, we may have a car shortage this summer. Kathleen will be using the Audi for her job, which will leave the van for Rob if he needs to get to wherever he might be working... AJ will be using 'his' car, I guess, and I'm not sure that we can afford to buy somethng just for Rob - especially of the van is just sitting here. OTOH, we will need to watch the van's mileage carefully, as it's over where we should be right now and we have to turn it back in (unless we buy it) on December 1.

Ok, the last time we checked in, the '76 was not starting and the fuel pump was making a consistent, buzzing sound, versus the normal click-click-click every few seconds as it pumps fuel forward.... So, I need to do a flow test to see if it is actually pumping anything (the fuel filter did seem to be filled but...). I probably should check the fuses as well, as I wonder if something shorted out and the pump isn't getting enough power... If not, then I will replace the pump. It isn't actually an original unit anyways. Depending on the prices, I may get an original SU-style pump or just pick up something locally. A generic pump will work, if you get a pressure regular, to reduce the amount of pressure in the system.

Once the pump situation is clarified, the car should be good to go, as it did run a couple of times. Just need to do a little carb tuning, as it was idling pretty fast. But oil pressure was fine.

'65 B Status -

Once I get the '76 up and running (and driving!) then I will turn my attention seriously back to the '65. Right now, it is mostly stripped. The running gear, engine and transmission are still in the car. The wiring harness is still in the car. The brake lines are still on the car. That's about it for major items. So, I'll start by removing the wiring harness and brake lines. Then I'll pull the engine and transmission. I'll leave the suspension and steering rack on for now. Then I need to figure out the next steps. I guess that would be bodywork, so I need to see where I can get that done, or decide to see if I could do it myself (learn how to weld!).

I also need to start going back through some of the removed parts and looking at them for possible restoration. I have a spreadsheet that I am using to categorize them and keep track of which box they are in. I'd like to be able to start looking around for parts, if I need them. In general, I would rather restore/rebuild parts that came off this car as the first option, then buy a different used part and restore/rebuild that, before the third option of buying a new/reproduction part - which almost always tend to be of lesser quality than the originals. Of course, it's generally cheaper to restore/rebuild a part than replace it.... That's the plan, at least.

Now I just need some warmer weather in which to restart this work!

Back to Earth....

2008-08-25T11:04:00.002-04:00

Well, didn't meet my goal of driving the car around the block yesterday.

I bled the brakes without issue, although it took me a couple of wacks are each corner to get the air out. The driver's side rear brake isn't real strong, so I will have to see what's up with that. But I figured I had enough braking power for a spin around the block.

Took the tires out to fill them up, then put 'em on and lowered the car. One last check of oil, coolant, dashpot oil, and then my sons, wife, daughter and several of my son's friend's came out to watch the big event! Of course, the car wouldn't start!
It would crank then make a loud 'clicking' sound and stop. Only thing I could figure was that the fan belt was a bit loose so the alternator was slipping. So I tightened the belt, and sure enough, it started right up! So we unhooked the jumper cables,
but when I stepped on the brake, the idle dropped to almost nothing. When I released the brakes, it jumped up again but eventually the car stalled. When we tried to jump it again, we again got that half-crank then loud clicking. So, there must be a vacuum leak with the brakes - when I looked at the hose, it appeared that there might be a slight crack in it. So, I will replace that hose.

At that point, I decided to call it a day. I am going to get the battery (dropped it off at the shop this am), and also change the battery clamp (which has a crack in it so it is a bit loose) and then, once I know the charging system is good, going to try it again.

Fired Up!

2008-08-24T16:06:00.003-04:00

1 year and 17 days after I pulled the engine from the '76 B, yesterday, it was fired up! As was I.......

I replaced the little section of fuel hose above the bulkhead - the original had all sorts of cracks on the back side that couldn't be seen when installed. Then, hooked up the battery to the van, removed the spark plug wires and cranked it. After a few minutes of cranking, the oil pressure gauge crept upwards! Fuel system was tight, so I hooked up the plugs, got back in the driver's seat, crossed my fingers, turned the key - and it turned about half the flywheel and started up! The idle is a little high, even after running for a few minutes, so I need to mess with that. I may actually have the throttle cable too tight.

But needless to say, I'm really excited! It's going on the road today after I bleed the brakes, and I am going to have to get the battery checked out and replace the positive cable clamp (it's cracked). But I'm really psyched!

Small Project - Replacing the Shifter Boots

2008-08-21T08:09:00.003-04:00

While waiting for the gas line hose, I thought I would do another small project, replacing the ripped shift lever boot. It consists of 2 parts - a rubber boot that seals the hole in the console for the shift lever, and a leather gaiter that makes the whole thing look purdy. Both were torn prior to being removed during the transmission removal.

There is a metal retaining ring that holds both of the boots in place. Several of the bolt heads were badly stripped but all but one came out easily. The last one was a real bear. I ended up breaking the old retaining ring apart and was left with one bolt with a small chunk of the metal ring around it. After much wailing, gnashing of teeth and - yes - cursing, I was able to get the last little chunk of metal off and could get to the bolt with vise grips (the Phillips-head indentation was basically a round hole). Using Vise grips, I thought I was turning the bolt - and I was, until it broke off below the level of the console! Oh well, 3 bolts will have to hold the whole thing together....

Getting the rubber boot and gaiter installed was a 3-handed job. One to hold them in place, one to rotate the retaining ring and hold it in place so the holes line up, and one to insert and tighten the bolt...! Fortunately, I was able to make do with just my two hands.

One bolt left.....

Old parts, new parts....

Completed!

Update

2008-08-18T19:58:00.004-04:00

I installed the new carb plug and seal - I was able to do it without removing the carb, thankfully, as 3 of the 4 carb nuts are a real PITA to get to..... Moss is shipping the new one out today, so I should have it before the end of the week. The old plug was really stained, probably from sitting for over a year. New one is nice and tight, and doesn't leak.

The hose is still weeping, and is to the point where it is now dripping slightly. In spite of that I decided to see if it would start. So, roll the van up to the garage door, hook up the battery and the parking lights all come on again! Must have a wire crossed somewhere - well, least of my worries now.

So wait while the fuel pump ticks away and the fuel filter fills up a bit. Then unhook the coil and turn it over to build up some oil pressure.... Turns over great, so I got the starter wiring correct ;-) Turn it over a bit more and the cable on the battery negative post lets go and sparks are a-flyin'! No damage, though, so I hook it back on and keep turning the engine over a few seconds at a time. No oil pressure, though. Turn it over a little more and am REALLY tempted to hook that coil wire back up and see what happens. But I decide to shut everything down and check for a missed connection to the oil gauge. Far as I can tell, there is only one, the oil pressure line, and that is hooked up. Oh well, back to the Yahoo group.....

Oh, and I discovered the problem with the parking lights! After I unhooked the jumper cables and removed the key, the lights were still on! So, before I started looking for crossed wires, I did the thing I should have done the first time I noticed this 2 weeks ago - checked the light switch! Yup, it was turned on to the parking light position....................

Back from Vacation!

2008-08-18T15:12:00.002-04:00

Well, back home after a week on Cape Cod! I was planning on spending yesterday (Sunday) fixing the gas leak in the carb and the 'weeping' of the fuel hose on the bulkhead, but Moss Motors screwed up my order again. They sent the wrong part for the fuel hose (transposed a number for the SECOND time) and the part for the carb hadn't arrived, even though it had supposedly shipped on August 8! Bummer. So I spent some time on Sunday messing around with the shift boot retaining ring - the old bolts were stripped (the heads). I got three of them out and yanked off most of the retaining ring. Still have 1 bolt to get out, and it's a toughie.

This week, my goal is to get the car road-worthy. I need to install the carb part (which came today) and fix the hose (although that won't prevent me from getting the car started up). Also need to bleed the brakes (wanted to wait until the car ran as I'm not sure if I need vacuum from the engine). I will probably also take the time to adjust the handbrake lever as well, since the car is up in the air.

Good News/Bad News

2008-08-06T22:19:00.004-04:00

Well, good news and bad news last night. I finished hooking up everything - throttle cable, the radiator and the various hoses and wires. Decided to see if it would start, while up on the jackstands. Still need to bleed the brakes so didn't want to be
tempted to jump in and go around the block if it started.... ;-)

I needn't have worried - I hooked up the battery and hooked it to the family van. Soon as I did that I noticed that the parking lights are all on - so something is crossed somewhere. Turned the key and the fuel pump started clicking away! Took about 3 minutes of solid clicking to fill the fuel filter - and then another minute for me to notice the growing puddle of gas on the floor! The carb is leaking from the float chamber plug, which is irritating because I had the same issue 2 years ago and replaced the gasket. Guess it dried out again. I also have a seep from the fuel line where it comes up the bulkhead next to the pedal box.

So I guess I am going to remove the carb and have it rebuilt. Or maybe just order the part from Moss, since I have to fix that 'seep' anyways. Rebuilding the carb, I found out this am, will cost $250 and take about 6 - 8 weeks. And the rebuilder won't guarantee that the water choke will work...! So I am going to order the part and fix it myself.

Completed!

Leaky Carb -

Distributor and Carb in.....

2008-08-05T22:24:00.004-04:00

As noted above, I installed the distributor and the carb this evening. I ended up being able to remove the old distributor and replacing it with the one from the '76 by undoing a 'pinch' clamp that holds the distributor in place. Wasn't too difficult to do, other than forgetting that you have to rotate the rotor until it clicks into place, then you can push it the remaining 1/8 inch to get the clamp to, ummm, clamp.... So now the ignition is all wired up and ready to go, I hope!

Got the carb installed as well, always a fun job as 3 of the 4 nuts that hold it on are difficult to get to, and you can only turn them with an open-ended wrench about 1/16 of a turn at a time. So it's slow going. I hooked up the PVC valve hose, the gas line and the hose that brings in a little coolant to run the water choke. Still have to do the throttle linkage but I have some good pics to follow for that.

'75 Distributor removed -

'76 Distributor installed -

Ignition Side all Wired Up, New Oil Filter too -

Carb Installed -

Light Night

2008-08-05T08:15:00.003-04:00

Did not do too much last night. Ran into some neighbors out walking and ended up chatting for 45 minutes....

I did finish tightening up the exhaust system and managed to swing it away from the steering shaft, where it had been rubbing. Plenty of clearance now. I just put my foot up against the downpipe underneath the car and put a little pressure on it - it rotated enough to get off the shaft.

Also spent some time trying to remove the distributor. Not gonna happen. Because of the angle of the 2 bolts, I can't get a wrench on them, and even if I could, I would only be able to turn the wrench maybe 2 'clicks' at a time. So now I am thinking that I am going to have to figure out how to wire up the points distributor to the electronic ignition. I have an idea and will have to see if it works.

The plan for tonight is to get the carb installed and finish up on that side of the engine. Assuming that goes okay, I'll also start on the radiator. Going to leave the distributor for last.

Exhaust Clearance -

Topless Distributor -

Getting Closer....

2008-08-04T07:20:00.002-04:00

... to firing it up!

Had an issue with the alternator brackets, i.e., the 'new' engine didn't have them! Tried to use the part of a spare GB-Series engine (I have a couple of blocks 'lying around') but it was too short and didn't fit the newer, alternator holes in the block. Fortunately, I have a buddy locally with a complete '74 (with Sabrinas) and he let me have the needed parts. I've also sourced a set that is being shipped to replace those from my buddy's car. So the alternator is all set.

Next task was to get the new '75 non-catalytic converter downpipe into the exhaust. Had a tough time getting the old one out, but the same buddy has a very nice professional oxy-acetylene torch that made quick work of heating and removing the old pipe and installing the new. So, the exhaust is now hung - although I need to get a nut for the bolt that goes through manifold flange. A Home Despot trip is planned for today.

I also changed the plugs (Autozone was out of NGK's so I grabbed Champions). While there I stocked up on coolant, brake fluid, radiator clamps and gasket seal.

I also got the fan installed, along with the fan belt and some miscellaneous wires and hoses.

I need to finish bolting the exhaust up, and try and get it off of the steering shaft (it's rubbing). Install the carb and figure out what to do with the dizzy - try and wire the existing one or replace with my electronic one. Then the radiator goes back in and the brakes need to be bled. I'm hoping to be able to fire it up Wednesday evening.

Here are the alternator parts from the '74 B -

Alternator installed -

Exhaust back in place -

All of the pictures can be viewed here -

http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c30/ddibiase/1976%20MGB%20Engine%20Work/

Back to it...

2008-08-02T19:34:00.002-04:00

Well, down to the deadline of August 3, but looks like I'm not going to quite make it.

Last night I pulled the steering rack off again, and tighten the driver's side engine mount. Put the rack back in - it's a two person job, really, to make sure the steering shaft goes into the universal joint. Colleen grabbed a pair of gloves and helped me out. I also started to put the intake/exhaust manifold on. That went fine until I got my wrench stuck behind the upper portion of the manifold! I was tightening one of the studs and discovered that I could not get my ratchet wrench out from behind! So at that point, I figured it was time to quit for the night.

Today, I was able to sneak the wrench out from behind the manifold! Removed the valve cover and jiggled it around and got it out.

Today, my plan was basically to get everything buttoned up, and have Sunday to get the car running. Well, ran into three issues today that will probably cause me to miss the 8/3 deadline -

1) No alternator brackets! The engine doesn't have them, and my old engine still has the brackets on it when I traded it in. I tried to take a bracket off one of the GB-Series but it's too small. So, tomorrow I am going to check out a friend's parts car to see if he has one that fits. I've also advertised for one.

Here is what's missing -

2) Exhaust system - the downpipe is really stuck in the muffler, and I need to get that out or use the catalytic converter again, which I would rather not do. But I'm going to take it over to my buddy's house tomorrow - he has a torch that we can use to get it out, versus my little propane thing.

3) The distributor in the '76 is different from the one in the '75. The '65 apparently has en electronic ignition while the '75 was points. The wiring is a little different so I need to figure that out.

'75 Distributor

'76 Distributor

If I can get the alternator brackets and exhaust issues fixed tomorrow, that would be great. I have a line on some infor regarding the distributor, so my goal for tomorrow is to have the 3 issues fixed, if not all installed.....

Mucho Progresso

2008-07-25T21:48:00.003-04:00

Made some good progress tonight.

Hooked up the driveshaft -

Reinstalled the shift lever (need to get a new boot) -

Wired up the starter -

I also tightened up the engine mount on the passenger's side and bolted the engine down to both mounts (no easy task when the car is raised up high in the air!).

Here are a couple of shots of the crossmember installed. You can see the hole drilled through the body of the crossmember to allow access to the rubber transmission mounts.

So now I'm off the Scout camp for a few days, so no work until at least Wednesday night. The next task will be to take the steering rack off to tighten up the driver's side engine mount, then put the intake/exhaust manifold back on so I can reinstalled the exhaust system. Then I can get the car back on the ground to finish hooking everything up in the engine bay and reinstall the radiator.

Transmission Crossmember

2008-07-24T08:00:00.002-04:00

I was able to get the crossmember installed last night. Also did the reverse switch (which had gotten caught up in the engine bay on some other wires) and a couple of the engine mount bolts.

The crossmember was a bit of a pain and required some 'staging'. Once I figured out how it all went together with the engine restraint rod, I collected the appropriate wrenches, sockets and bolts and rolled under the car. I had to remove the driver's side rubber mount to get everything to align properly. Then I realize that the transmission, which was resting on the rear crossmember, was too low to start the crossmember bolts. So I rolled out from under the car to jack up the transmission. The only place I could really jack it up was where the trans joined the engine (otherwise I'd have no room to work), but once I started jacking there, the engine started to shift upwards, not the rear of the transmission! So, I put nuts on a couple of the engine mount bolts. Then I was able to jack up the transmission only. Rolled back under the car, not I had the transmission too far up - couldn't get the mounts up high enough! Roll out, lower the trans a bit, roll undr, still too high, roll out, lower trans, roll under - okay, perfect!

At that point, it's a balancing act, holding the heavy crossmember with one hand while aligning the engine mounts in their slots and the bracket in the bottom of the crossmember while with the fifth hand starting a bolt in the hole to fasten the crossmember to the undercarriage... Once one bolt was started, I could relax. Only to discover that the transmission needed to be lowered a bit more that start a bolt on the OTHER side. Roll out, etc.

Once the crossmember was attached with a couple of bolts, I could reattach the driver's side engine mount to the transmission, put the other crossmember bolts in and then - using the 'crossmember mod' - put the nuts on the engine mounts holding them to the crossmember. All done!

This took me a lot longer than I thought it would. No work tonight, as we have a dedication for one of our Scout's Eagle Project at the Municipal Building at 6:45.

Work Commences

2008-07-23T09:08:00.000-04:00

Time to start reattaching the myriad of parts, wires and hoses to get the B back on the road. Here are all of the nuts, bolts and small parts that need to go back on/in the
car -

In addition, of course, there are large parts like the transmission crossmember, engine restraint rod, radiator, intake manifold, carburetor, exhaust system.....

Here is the order I planned out -

1) Trans connections - slave cylinder, reverse switch, speedo drive, starter
2) Crossmember & restraint rod
3) Driveshaft
4) Tighten front engine mounts (including removing/replacing steering rack)
5) Shift lever
6) Intake manifold, carb, exhaust system, air cleaner, fan, alternator
7) Remaining underhood connections - hoses, etc.
8) Radiator shroud, radiator
9) Fluid refills - brake, coolant, gearbox top-off, oil top-off, steering rack
10) Bleed brakes
11) Charge battery

In addition, I need to buy new tires. The front ones are 10 years old, and the rears are somewhat older than that. But I think I will wait until after the 'first drive'.

Last night, I spent some time positioning the car in the garage and jacking it way up in the air.

Now I have plenty of room underneath. Then I hooked up the speedo cable and clutch slave cylinder, and repositioned the transmission (shoving it around with my feet!). I also started to tighten the engine mounts (well, the passenger's side one, until my forearm cramped up from twisting it in unnatural directions!).

Clutch Slave Cylinder -

Speedo Cable (needs to be tightened a bit more) -

Tonight I hope to get the rest of the underneath stuff done (steps 2 & 3 above).

Engine Installation (7/20/2008)

2008-07-22T21:51:00.002-04:00

Today was the big day! I started by reinstalling the starter (you only put the bottom bolt in as the upper side of the starter is held in place with one of the bolts that holds the transmission to the engine - hence the screwdriver). I had to tilt the engine over to do this, and of course, when it was on it's side the oil mostly leaked out of various spots! Well, I need to do an oil change anyway.

Once the starter was in place, the boys and I then rolled the B out into the driverway, moved the engine and crane into place, and hoisted the engine up. Then we dragged the transmission over, lowered the engine and mated the two. It took a couple of tries to get the main shaft of the transmission into the right spot but once there, they slid together. Then we bolted it up. Back came the straps and we raised the whole shebang up into the air!

So we push the B back into the garage, and get the engine in place. I jacked up the rear end so we had some 'angle' to slide the engine in with. I also ended up having to jack up the front end, as the legs from the crane can't get under the spring pans. The last 'jiggling' to be done was to jack up the tailshaft of the transmission to get it to slide up over the rear crossmember. Then we did a bunch of pushing and shoving to get the mounts on the engine to align with the engine mounts in the bay. Total time for the install was about 3 hours. Not bad for the first time!

So next up is to reconnect the myriad wires, cables and hoses that make the thing run. But I'm in pretty good shape and on target for August 3!

Ready for the Engine! (7/15/2008)

2008-07-22T21:51:00.001-04:00

I spent a lot of time this past Saturday and Sunday finishing up the prep work for the engine re-install! The last task was the replacement of the driver's side engine mount, a fairly daunting task due to the steering shaft passing through the mount bracket - meaning you can't get a regular-thickness wrench on the nut holding the mount in place. All of this is done blind, by the way, as the nut is underneath the bracket, between the bracket and the front chassis rail. After messing around with a bicycle wrench (which is very thin) a decided to bite the bullet and remove the steering rack. Some pictures follow -

Two mof these bolts hold each steering rack end to the back of the wheel hubs. They were VERY frozen and required using the 'heat and beat' method to remove - heating them up with a blowtorch then putting a wrench on them and beating with a hammer!

There are 4 of these bolts that hold the rack to the chassis arms. They were not difficult to remove, being nice and covered with grease and grime.

The steering arms removed....

And the rack is out!

All of the bolts.

After removal of the driver's side engine mount -

And with 2 new engine mounts....

More Progress (7/7/2008)

2008-07-22T21:50:00.001-04:00

Done a lot of prep work in the past week -

1) Cleaned up and painted the transmission crossmember, and modified it with a couple of holes drilled through so I can tighten the crossmember to the transmission without dislocating my arm. This is a commonly-done mod.

2) Cleaned up the engine restraint rod and bracket. Amazing how much grease and grime collected on these parts! Also replaced the rubber bushings.

3) Cleaned up the transmission housing, it was REALLY grimy and greasy. It cleaned up pretty well, I used several plastic scrapers and then Simple Green. It looks like it may have actually been painted black at some point (mainly the bell housing) which is strange, as I always thought the transmission was left unpainted aluminum.

4) Removed, cleaned up and repainted the rear engine mount brackets. The rubber bushings and the pin were replaced, as were the actual rear engine mounts. Took a little bit to get the bushings into the bracket holes - about 30 minutes of pulling, pushing, vising and yes - swearing! - to get them through the holes.

5) Replaced the passenger-side front engine mount.

Pretty much all that is left is the driver's side engine mount - the one with the steering shaft going right through it! After trying several wrenches (including some recommended bicycle wrenches that are very flat) I felt like the bolt may have started to 'round' a bit, so I decided to remove the steering rack to get to it, as is usually done. I am hoping that I can simply remove the steering shaft at the front/bottom of the rack and slide it through the housing.

Update (6/13/2008)

2008-07-22T21:49:00.000-04:00

I've ordered all of the parts I think I will need for the engine install. New engine mounts, fan belt, exhaust downpipe for a '75 (non-catalytic converter equipped) B, new radiator hoses and various nuts 'n bolts. I ordered most everything from Moss directly, but the downpipe is from Victoria British (Moss doesn't carry just the downpipe). I also sourced a used fan from North Carolina (as I had left mine on the '76 engine and forgot about it!). The Moss order is supposed to arrive today, the Vicky Brit order on Tuesday.

Still not sure which clutch I will be using, but I will look at the one that's on there as I ordered a new rear crank seal.

I'm going to spend some time this week-end cleaning the transmission and starting to work on the engine mounts. The driver's side one is supposedly a real hassle to remove, since the steering column goes right through it! Here is a picture. You can see the steering shaft goes right through it -

Both mounts really need replacement -

I also want to clean up the transmission cross-member and do the mod where you drill a couple of holes in it to access the bolts that hold the transmission tailshaft in place.

New Engine In Da House (or, Garage) (6/7/2008)

2008-07-22T21:48:00.000-04:00

Picked up the used engine from a '75 B from Motorcar Garage on Wednesday. Right now, it is sitting on a rolling cart in the garage, while I determine what parts I need to order to install it. Probably mainly engine mount parts, and I'll put new radiator hoses on as well. It came with a clutch that actually looks pretty decent, so I am not sure if I'll replace it with mine or not. Maybe I will remove it and compare the pressure plates. I want to get the order in this week-end so I can get it next week, and maybe the following week-end start to prep for the reinstall.

Update - New Used Engine! (6/8/2008)

2008-07-22T21:47:00.000-04:00

Ok, been a while since I did much of anything with the '76's engine work.... This spring, I started casting about for a solution to the engine issue - I could have simply redone the rings and bearings of the engine, but everyone I talked to said it was really false economy not to get a full rebuild - to the tune of $4,000 to $4,500..... So, that wasn't really an option, since I don't want to spend that kind of money on this car. But I did locate a good used engine from a '75 B, at the Motorcar Garage in Maple Shade, NJ. It's an hour from home, so I am going to get it this afternoon!

I need to order some parts - engine mounts, some gaskets, etc. - before I can reinstall everything. And I want to degrease the transmission, too.

I'm trading the old engine towards the new one - say good-bye!

Root Cause (11/2/2007)

2008-07-22T21:46:00.000-04:00

Well, it appears that the blue smoke is caused by (drum roll, please) - broken rings! Both compression rings came aprt into 2 pieces when I removed the #2 piston from the cylinder bore! I guess that is good news. So I will replace those rings, and probably replace the main bearings as well, as they seem a little worn (some hints of copper showing through - not as bad as they look in the pics below). The cylinder bores themselves seem to be in very good shape - no scoring and no ridge at the top of the piston's travel. So I will probably pull each piston out, replace the rod and main bearings, then clean everything up and put it all back together again. I do need to check the valves to make sure none are burned or hanging up, and maybe replace the valve seals as well.

The broken rings...

Rod Bearings

Main Bearing

Opening It Up (9/6/2007)

2008-07-22T21:45:00.000-04:00

Made a lot of progress last night. Got the engine mounted on the engine stand, after removing the valve cover, intake/exhaust manifold and cylinder head. Next step will be to remove the oil pan and pull out the pistons to see if there is indeed a broken ring on the #2 cylinder. I'm hoping there is, to make the fix relatively simple.

Engine Mounted

Cylinders 1 & 2

Cylinders 3 & 4

Valve side of the Cylinder Head

As always, complete pics are here -

http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c30/ddibiase/1976%20MGB%20Engine%20Work/

Flywheeling (9/4/2007)

2008-07-22T21:44:00.000-04:00

Got some more work done on Saturday, before spending the rest of the week-end on Rob's Eagle project.....

Got the flywheel removed (no problem when you have the right tools!)...

The next step was the engine back plate, which came right off after after removing about 10 bolts.

Finally, I test-fit the engine on the engine stand. Took a little jiggering around of the arms to get them in the right positions. Once I had it on, however, there were gaps as the boltd I bought were a little long. So I have washers to fill in the spaces, and will probably remove the cylinder head before final attachment to the stand.

Flywheel Unbolted (8/30/2007)

2008-07-22T21:43:00.000-04:00

I was able to get the bolts off last night! Wasn't actually too hard, once I settled on the way to do it. What I did was set up my home-made flywheel holder tool, then heat each bolt for about a minute with my torch. The then took my ground-down socket (I ground it down until it was past the beveled edge, since the bolt heads are very shallow and allowed the socket to slip off) and tapped it with a hammer in the tighten mode, just a couple of light taps to try and break the bolt free. I then reversed the socket and tapped it in the loosen direction, and after a couple of taps, the bolt would loosen right up. Repeat 5 more times, and voila! a bag of bolts!

Next step is to ease the flywheel off the crankshaft, then bolt the engine to the engine stand, and I will be done with the preliminaries.....

Back To It (8/29/2007)

2008-07-22T21:42:00.000-04:00

Ok, after a couple of week lay-off for vacation, getting back to it.... The current issue is removing the 6 flywheel bolts. They have a very shallow head that allows a normal 3/4" socket to slide off, so I bought a new socket and am going to get it ground down to get rid of the beveled edge that all sockets have. The next challenge was to get the flywheel to hold still while I turn the bolts! After eyeballing it a bit, I came up with the following 'tool' -

It's held in place by one of the clutch bolts and an awl stuck through the angle iron into another hole. I could not use 2 clutch bolts as the holes are sightly offset.... I was able to loosen 2 of the bolts immediately upon installation of this tool, so that's good. Now to get the socket ground down so I can at those other 4....

Engine Removal Day! (8/6/2007)

2008-07-22T21:41:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I pulled the engine and transmission.... It wasn't very difficult, just involved some juggling of the hoist, engine/trans and car..... After lowering the car down from the jack stands where it has rested for the past couple of months, I rolled it back to the edge of the garage (needed the clearance in front) and jacked up the rear and put it on jack stands. This was to get some angle for the transmission to clear the front end, as I didn't have a tilt adjustment for my hoist. I then tied to bonnet up to the garage door opener to get it out of the way.

I had decided to use straps to wrap around the engine, as opposed to chains on the rocker studs, I felt a little more comfortable doing that. Until I actually wrapped the straps around the engine - they seemed awfully thin, but supposedly have a working load of 500 pounds each.... I had to cut a couple of feet off the ends, as once I got them ratcheted in, there was too much strapping to be able to tighten it fully. But got that taken care of.

So with the straps in place, it was time to bring the hoist into play. I roll it forward and clunk, the legs hit the front suspension spring pans! So now I need to raise the front of the car a bit to get clearance for the legs. When I do that, the car is almost level again! Oh well, lets proceed and see what happens.

I hook the strap hooks onto the lifting hook, crank the handle a couple of times, and the engine pops right up! Kathleen is the assistant here, and I start alternately cranking the engine up and pulling the hoist back to move the engine forward. Something was holding me back, and I realize that I need to support the tail end of the transmission to get it up off of the rear crossmember. Unfortunately, my rolling hydraulic jack is still under the front end, holding that up..... Ok, slide of couple of jack stands under the front crossmember, remove the jack, then raise the rear of the transmission enough to get it off the rear crossmember.... Try and move the engine again, hmmm, still stuck..... Oh, wait, the shifter is still in! I had put it back in the car to make sure the transmission was in neutral before I rolled it back (forgetting that the driveshaft was disconnected so it didn't really matter) and forgot to remove it..... Once that was out, the engine starting moving again.

Until it got stuck again. Kathleen went around the passenger's side, and saw two wires still connected. Appeared to be related to th speedometer drive, perhaps. Once those were disconnected, we were about to swing the engine out further. But now we had to clear the bonnet latch panel, so back comes the jack under the front crossmember, out go those jack stands, and now it's a combination of lowering the front and inching the engine forward until the legs of the hoist clear the spring pans, then the whole thing swings free!

The next step was to lower it to the ground and remove the transmission, which wasn't too bad. The clutch came next.

So now I have the engine on the ground, awaiting removal of the flywheel so I can then mount the engine onto the engine stand and open it up! That will be tonight's challenge, as the flywheel can be a pain to remove.

Back on the ground

Raised rear

Say 'Agh'

Ready to go

Oops, forgot one thing....

Almost there

Success!

The end result

Looks kinda empty....

Trans separated

Flywheel removal next

All pics at http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c30/ddibiase/1976%20MGB%20Engine%20Work/

Engine hoist Assembled (8/1/2007)

2008-07-22T21:34:00.000-04:00

Got the engine hoist/lift assembled last night, I just have to tighten up all of the bolts and get straps or chains to attach to the engine - probably going to go with ratcheting-type straps, as you have a little more flexibility to adjust to positioning.

Making Space (7/30/2007)

2008-07-22T21:31:00.002-04:00

Spent some time this week-end cleaning up the garage. I had to move the '65B over about a foot to free up space for the engine hoist and engine stand to get to the front of the '76B. I really need a 3-car garage..... Or fewer bikes!

I also bought a 2-ton engine hoist at Pep Boys. I have to put that together then I'll be ready to pull the lump.

Finally Done Disconnecting! (7/26/2007)

2008-07-22T21:31:00.001-04:00

Ok, after some breaks due to vacation and work, I was able to finish up the 'disconnection' phase of this project by removing the starter motor cover and disconnecting the starter wiring. Unfortunately, I ended up cutting the starter cover off. I had really wanted to try and save it, as it certainly kept a ton of gunk off the starter (look at how clean the nut holding on the wiring harness is!) but I just couldn't seem to maneuver it off..... Oh well.

Next steps are to purchase an engine hoist (I heard they are about $150 at Pep Boys, may look on-line as well) and make some room to actually remove the engine! Right now, I'm being overrun with ink cartridges (I rcollect and return them for my son's Boy Scout Troop) and other garage paraphernalia.......

Starter Cover

And removed!

Here's why I need to make some room....

A Little Progress... (6/25/2007)

2008-07-22T21:30:00.001-04:00

Had about an hour to squeeze in a little time yesterday - so I unhooked the speedometer drive and the reverse light switch, and also unbolted the clutch slave cylinder. The last item to do is the starter wiring, but I have to get the starter cover off first. It's a hard rubber cover intended to protect the starter motor from dirt and grime. It did it's job, as the cover is covered with oil and dirt (and grime too) so I can't grip it to remove it. There are apparently two notches that have to be lifted outward. The recommendation I got is to cut it off, but I think I want to try and save it, as it's NLA in the catalogs and seems to have done it's job well.

The speedo drive, reverse switch and slave cylinder dangling.....

Starter cover.....

How I Spent my Sunday (6/10/2007)

2008-07-22T21:29:00.001-04:00

Well, I got a lot done yesterday! Removed the shift lever, exhaust system, transmission crossmember (a real bear of a job due to 2 very well protected bolts) and the alternator, and got the engine mounts unbolted as well. I have to unhook the reverse switch, speedomometer drive and clutch slave cylinder from the transmission, and the starter wiring, and I'll be ready to pull then engine and transmission out.....

Pictures follow......

No longer shifty....

An exhausting job....

Trans crossmember, and the gunk in it.....

Parts is parts....

You can view all of the pictures at my Photobucket site -

http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c30/ddibiase/1976%20MGB%20Engine%20Work/

More Progress (6/4/2007)

2008-07-22T21:27:00.000-04:00

Spent about 3 hours working yesterday. I drained the gearbox oil (never knew there was a drain on the transmission!). I also unhooked the driveshaft - which was a pain, since I was working alone, had to undo one bolt, then crawl out from under the car, put the transmission in neutral, crawl back under the car, rotate the driveshaft to expose the next bolt, crawl out from under the car, put the transmission in gear, crawl back under the car, undo the bolt, repeat three more times..... Only banged my head twice! I then unbolted the transmission crossmember and now the transmission is resting on the rear crossmember of the car. Next I have to remove the shift level (unfortunately, the bolts holding the trim ring around the shifter are pretty stripped, so may have to bypass them for now) and the finally the engine mounts and I should be good to remove everything.

Pictures:

Driveshaft unhooked -

Transmission Crossmember -

Crossmember Unbolted -

Rust!

More Engine Work (5/17/2007)

2008-07-22T21:25:00.000-04:00

Got a little done last night - figured out how the remove the cable to the heater valve, took off the distributor cap, unplugged the alternator and realized that I will have to take off the oil hose after all - there are several electrical wires wrapped around it. Also removed the preheater for the carb and the heat shield. I guess I need to remove the alternator as well, hadn't really thought about that. That will also decrease the engine weight by about 15 pounds!

Need to start calling around to see where I can rent a hoist.

Carb side....

Ignition side.....

Distributor detail....

Parts is parts!

'76 in for Engine Work (5/16/2007)

2008-07-22T21:23:00.000-04:00

Well, the '76 B has been smoking like a fiend, and doing dry and wet compression tests indicates that there is a ring problem on cylinder #2. So, taking a short (hopefully) break on the '65 to pull the engine on the '76 and see what's what.

AJ and I started disconnecting and removing stuff last night. We drained the radiator and removed it, along with the radiator support. We also removed the carb and disconnected some hoses and cables. Have a few more to go under the hood, then will disconnect the motor mounts and move under the car to drain the engine and gearbox oil and disconnect the driveshaft. I'll need to rent an engine lift from somewhere.

Some pictures -

Starting point.....

Radiator removed....

Radiator support removed.....

Carb removed....

Ignition side (nothing done here yet)...

Welcome!

2008-07-22T12:02:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my blog for my 1976 MGB! I had been posting entries on a blog I set up for the restoration of my 1965 MGB, but decided to set up a separate blog so I could keep everything separate. I'll be moving all of the entries related to the '76 B over here eventually.

Some background on this car - my wife and I purchased it in April of 1988, when we were living in Delmar, NY (just outside of Albany). We paid $1800 for it. That wasn't a bad deal, as mechanically the car was very sound. However, the body had recently been gone over, and some surface rust removed. Unfortunately, the previous owner did a crappy job and basically just bondoed everything up, including the sills - definitely NOT the right way to do things. The bondo has been working it's way back up to the surface of the car so the body is pretty crappy right now. As is the undercarriage, pretty rusty.

Here are some pictures of how it looked when we purchased it -