Gertjan Yntema has this suggestion for replacement needle bearings for the MGA and early MGB layshaft: "What I have done is ordered new needle bearings, sized 3mm diameter and 15,8mm long and reused the ORIGINAL rings that held the original needles in place. I could use them without any modification with the exception of one ring that needed its protruding side sanded off. I have made a drawing to illustrate what I have done. Mounting the needles requires some fiddling around and an old shortened layshaft, but that will be at hand anyway, and an angled grinder we all have, right? The result is that the proper amount of needles is supporting the laygear which is so important as you say". [click for larger images]

"The second ring from the left has the protruding part sanded off, the remaining rings are used to provide an axial smooth and sufficiently hard surface for the needle rollers to roll by. This way 20 needles fit like original and the axial forces are little anyway".

One source for the new rollers may be http://simplybearings.co.uk