The MGA With An Attitude
MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (January 16 - January 31, 2024)
Tuesday, January 16, 2024:
Sitting in Fort Myers, Florida (USA) today. As promissed, just uploaded a new Part Numbers tech page for the special 1/2-inch Tab Washer for front disc brakes caliper on the MGA 1600 and 1600-MK-II (standard model). It would be nice if we could get one of the traditional vintage British car parts suppliers to commission a minimal production batch for resale.
Wednesday, January 17, 2024:
Received a report of a previously unknown "Kellison" bolt-on fast-back hardtop for MGA. This picture shows an Austin Healey roadster wearing this hardtop, but a period advertisement also mentions another fastback hardtop for the MGA. -- As a side note, this top on the Healey looks similar to another "Custom Automotive North" fastback hardtop on an MGA (but surely not the same manufacturer).
 Good news and bad news. Good news is, discovered a Brit car shop I didn't know about, East Coast Jaguar in Wilmington, Delaware. John DiGiacamo rebuilds components, water pumps, wiper motors, hooters, anything electrical for vintage British cars. Bad news is, British Racing Green in Newark, DE is now out of business since our last visit there. My shops list has been updated.
I had to post this story on my web site, about Success Procuring A Title. There are not many people who have enough persistence to continue struggling through all the hoops thrown up by the DMV. Procuring a title for a car that does not have one is not supposed to be easy. The first presumption is that the car is stolen, until proven otherwise. In the end, perhaps the DMV ran out of hoops, or maybe they just got tired of saying no, and maybe felt some trust for such a cooperative and persistent customer.
Thursday, January 18, 2024:
A bit of chat about installing an MGB "GB" early 5-main bearing engine in an MGA with early low-starter gearbox, using the early MGA engine rear plate (slightly modified).
Friday, January 19, 2024:
This started off looking like it might be a miserable day with greater than 50% chance of rain between 9:30-am and 1:30-pm, some of it as high as 80%, smack in the right time frame to ruin a good tech day. But we're going anyway. Sure3 enough it was raining when we arrived, so duck under a tent to get the first picture as guys were ducking into the garage. When th rain slacked off to a mild dtizzle, it was time to install a new dipstick in the gearbox of amodern mini van. Turned out to be one of the modern cars that does not have a dipstick in the gearebox, just a rubber plug in the fill port. The new dipstick was too long and didn't fit. I think they cut some off the bottom end to allow it to go in to be used as a plug.
One MG engine being assembled crankshaft and oil pump already in place. Fun exercize to straighten the sump flange and glue a gasket to it with RTV sealer on one side, set it in place and install the screws gently while the sealer cures.
Then it stopped raining, and the sun came out for a while, suprise to everyone. We rolled the VW Rabbit race car out of the trailer (love the new tail gate) and pushed it into the shop for some exhaust pipe repair (likely next Monday). That one will go racing next week end. The VW Scricco on the lift above has blow an engine two race dates in a row, and no more spare engines, so it will be laid up for a while longer.
Saturday, January 20, 2024:
Someone restoring an MGA 1500 front wing, and welding in new sheet metal for the parking light area. Found printed instructions that came in a Lucas Model 539 Reversing Lamp Set, which used the same lamps as the 1500-type front parking light). Part of the instruction sheet is a diagram with dimensions for the hole sizes and locations, so now we can make a fabrication drawing for the reinforcing ring that is to be welded into the wing behind the lamp.
Half a day doing data backup, not finished yet.
Sunday, January 21, 2024:
Not new by any means, but someone thought this vintage (and modern) rotary hole punch could be good for punching holes to install Lift-The-Dot fasteners. So I added it to one of my web pages.
Finished the data backup, stop worrying about it for a while longer.
Monday, January 22, 2024:
Special trip to Tech Central today for a little assistance on the exhaust system of the VW Rabbit race car. Push it outside for access, jack it up to crawl under. Tight space, but unbolt, hammer and pull until it came apart.
The flex coupling is a VW part. The "S" bend was welded together from two turn-down tail pipe ends from a Mustang GT. This was inserted into an expanded end of thinner wall pipe. At some point the pipe was smashed flat on the bottom side, and the thinner pipe broke off. Once removed from the car, the objective here was to grind away the welds and split the thinner outer shell. Then grind the thicker inner pipe smooth, and beat the flattened end back to round. That was at least a half hour of grinding and pounding, but it saved the custom made connector to be re-installed with a simple slip on pipe connector.
The other task here was to install new 5-point seat belts. Old 3-inch belts had expired, and a rules change now allows use of 2-inch belts (much easier to install and to use). All done, good day's work.
Tuesday, January 23, 2024:
Couple of requests from Chicagoland MG Club to make updates on their web site. The "web site committee" has been making new pages for a few years now, but they have yet to figure out how to manage the basics of the server account. I suppose that job is finished when they take me away. It has only been a temporary assistant assignment for 24 years.
Wednesday, January 24, 2024:
A tech question about routing the wiring harness at front end of the MGA. Turned out someone repaired a front air pan, but neglected to restore a hole for a harness pass-through grommet. Another question on converting an electric tach from positive earth. That turned out someone else had already done it, replacing a power resistor and a capacitor at the same time, just looked a bit strange in configuration. Someone asking for opinion (advice) on restoration of body sill inner panel, three pieces or all one piece. Owner's choice, whichever you think is easiest. Another request for opinion on the short velocity stack (needs a different name). Giving 5% power increase for $40 or so, kind of a no-brainer. Who wouldn't?
Thursday, January 25, 2024:
I dunno. Get to take a day off occasionally.
Friday, January 26, 2024:
Friday at Tech Central. Better turn out with a dozen people here over the course of the day. Past the holidays, and better weather I suppose. The early ruckus out front was a race tech inspector who came for inspection of the Rabbit with fresh mods to the roll bar and seat belts, and new helmets and fire suits. With everything up to snuff it earned all new safety stickers, and that was easy.
Then we needed to get underneath to re-install the exhaust pipe we were working on last week, and that was getting pretty close to track ready.
"Tina" the wannabe race car needs to have the old roll bar raised to meet newer safety standards. That will require come cut and weld to insert some extension tubing. The bonnet was getting a bit of bondo on the front corner that was being welded last week. -- The roll bar was out of car and on the table,and someone said, "Cut here". The first cut was 90% through before someone else said, "Stop, that's the wrong place. After a brief team review, "Well we can weld that up, now cut over here". Then a bunch more grinding, and I recon we will see more of this next week.
The Mercedes SSK (Excalibur Chevette kit car) was getting more attention. Wow, I didn't know there was that much wiring in a simple kit car.
The fiberglass hardtop for MGB was getting a facial today. I think this top is intended to go on Tina to qualify as a closed car for some particular racing class, but it may be along time before we see this one in action.
With that stuff done, we had a little time to play with my car. Just a new pair of hinges for the driver side door, and I get to clean them up and paint them. A shot of primer, and two coats of finish paint. I had two shades of red in spray cans, and this was a good time for comparison. In the center picture, the hinge on left got the slightly darker shade. After due consideration, the lighter shade was a better match for the car, so both hinges got the lighter shade for the second coat. Rustoleum wants 24 hours to dry, so they will just hang there until we come back again.
Saturday, January 27, 2024:
Some discussion about MGA Twin Cam water pump rebuilding and seals. interesting to see at least three different seals with different thickness all listed under the same part number, pretending to be OEM or direct replacement parts. Maybe the thickness doesn't make much difference. Trying to figure out if this needs a new tech page.
Sunday, January 28, 2024:
Got a note today from Giovanni Rizzi, son of Arnaldo Rizzi Nuvolari (who passed away in 2021). Giovanni is now the current caretaker of the notable MGA that his father owned. -- Some discussion about cleaning grease out of an MGA steering rack to restore it to use with gear oil. Looks like the only reasonable way to do it is to disassemble it.
Monday, January 29, 2024:
Someone asking about a vacuum pipe for early MGA where there is an adapter fitting in the rear carburetor. Current issue replacement pipes are later style with male threaded nut on that end, but they are not interchangeable, because the thread in the throttle body is different. -- Roughly bi-monthly Zoom tech session with John Twist of UML Ltd., This time chatting about cylinder heads.
Tuesday, January 30, 2024:
An interesting item popped up on eBay. This is a 2-page blueprint of the factory drawing of the MGA Twin Cam chassis frame. Looks like it was folded up to fit in a file folder or envelope. Good chance the blueprint is 60-65 years old. For as long as the link lasts, see here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296194189058
No idea what will eventually happen to this document. Might be nice to get a full size scan of it to post on line for all to have access for all eternity. Wishful thinking I suppose.
Wednesday, January 31, 2024:
Today's primary concern was, we left the lights on this morning, and 15 hours later the battery was very dead.
We found the materials that were purchased a long time ago (Nov 1, 2021) to make up 8-foot long 10-gauge wire jumper cables (good for 60 amps) that will fit in a sandwich bag (never assembled). We got to work putting them together. Having one assembled after 20 minutes or so, some nice stranger came along with standard jumper cables and gave us a jump to get it running. We then left it running on fast idle for another 15 minutes while we assembled the second run of 10-gauge jumper cable. All working in the dark with flashlight, of course. Give us a day or two, and we may get a picture of the handiwork.
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