The MGA With An Attitude
MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (May 1 - May 15, 2021)
Saturday May 1, 2021:
 This morning I jgot busy posting up Fridays tech session photos and notes. I was just too buggered from the heat to do it last night. Then about noonish as I was reviewing yesterday's pictures I nearly jumped out of my chair and said "We gotta go back to Tech Central". Huh? One of the pictures was the disassembled MGB master cylinder, which made me remember that I got distracted with other things and left all the parts lined up on a bench outdoors Boo, hiss. We hustled back up there to bag and tag the parts, and to leave a note telling there were two parts missing, which is why I didn't reassemble it.
While I was there, I ended up lending a hand toward getting the newer Jaguar XK8 fixed. It's still not
running, but I gotta say this is not a habit of mine to be working on a modern computer controlled car. Installing the replacement engine control computer, and repairing a resistor to get the computer cooling fan working again. I pulled the Weller temperature controlled soldering tool out of the Magic Trailer for this one. Neat tool, only 60 watts, so it takes a minute to warm up. A thermocouple in the tip gives feedback to hold the tip temperature at 700dF. Perfect for circuit board work, and good for small wires, Not enough power for larger wire terminals, but for that I use the Weller 140 Watt trigger gun.
Did a lot of electrical diagnostic work measuring resistances, voltage and current, and a little soldering, and now waiting for some heat shrink tubing. The short of it is, the blower is rated as 0.8-watt power draw, about 1/20 of an amp at 15 volts. A 250-ohm resistor in series with the blower drops voltage just 1-volt from 12.4 to 11.4 volts when running. The blower is rated for 7 to 15 volts. I suppose the resistor is to protect he blower motor from over-voltage if alternator charging voltage might peak around 15.5 to 16.0 volts. The 1-volt drop in a 12 volt circuit must imply the blower motor having 12x the resistance of the dropping resistor, or about 3000-ohms when running. We measured the motor resistance at rest and found about 600-ohms. So it may draw about 5x the current on startup, but otherwise the blower power draw must be nearly nil compared to the computer power requirement. You may have noticed a picture from the prior page showing the computer appears to reside in the engine bay. That was a huge surprise to me, until I realized the computer cabinet is walled off and sealed on top, and the blower vents into the passenger compartment for cooling the computer.
After a cool-down in the shade and breeze, it was late afternoon again, so this evening I finally finished up Friday's notes (and now today's notes). I'm still neglecting some minor maintenance on my MGA.
Sunday May 2, 2021:
Minor question on wiring for ignition and lighting switches. Someone thought I was slacking on my trip reports, which I was. Kind of nice to know a few people still read this stuff. And someone wondering how Tech Central works. Just bunch of good old boys getting together to tinker with their toys. One more question on wheel and tire sizes good for the MGA (with same old answers).
Monday May 3, 2021:
Questions from an old acquaintance about loose parts in the top arm of front suspension on his MGA, making a loud clunk noise (never good). That turned out to be a quarter inch of end play in the top trunnion bolt joint. Maybe try tightening the bolt first? Some discussion on irregular ride height in the suspension, primarily too-tall leaf springs and what to do about it. Someone reported rebuilding MGA side curtains, which are believed to be original factory issue, and finding a signature inside of the fabric cover that had to be there before it was stitched up. Never seen that before, but apparently some craftsman in the late 50's was proud of his work.
Got invited to a CMGC Board and Staff meeting tonight. Very odd, as I hadn't been invited to a staff meeting for at least ten years. Wondering what they had in mind, but suspect something about the web site. Sure enough, all the members of the web site committee were there, plus two additional members of the Board Of Directors (only one missing). After a brief spate of "other" old business, this turned into a pony show with committee members puffing up their belief in the Wild Apricot web site as the future of CMGC presence on the internet. Being pretty much 6 against 1, I tried to keep my dissenting mouth shut. I recon the committee was lobbying for approval to spend some money on a trial run (which seems to have been approved). Got another committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday. Bring the beer and popcorn. Late night request for an update on the CMGC web site Driving Events page for upcoming events. I think that came out of the staff meeting.
Tuesday May 4, 2021:
Interesting message today from someone who some time ago had converted his 1968 MGB to electric drive. Kind of fun conversation, but the real question was about replacing the pinion seal in the differential to stop an oil leak.
Wednesday May 5, 2021:
Welcome to Cinco de Mayo, and the 7th anniversary of this continuous road trip. Thanks to an old friend Jim Parsons in Madison, Alabama for being the first to mention it.
Congratulations to Space-X for first successful landing of Starship SN15 on the 17th anniversary of founding of Space-X. And do remember the 60th anniversary of the first successful USA flight of a live astronaut (Alan Shepard) into space.
The picture may be deceiving. That is the second stage of Starship, the part that will go to orbit. It lifted off under its own power with just 3 sea-level pressure engines and partial fuel load, rose to 12,500 meters (7-3/4 miles, above most commercial airplane flights), and belly flopped with no power at terminal velocity (like a sky diver) until the last 1/4 mile with flip up and vertical propulsive landing. It landed using two engines (can supposedly land with one engine). For normal operation it should also have three "vacuum" engines with much larger bell nozzles for best efficiency in space (6 engines total).
Starship will eventually sit on top of a booster rocket (with up to 38 small-nozzle sea-level engines). The booster alone is half again as tall as Starship. The whole assembly (also called Starship) is more like 250 meters (388-ft) tall when fully stacked (which hasn't happened yet, as the booster is not yet ready to fly). Remember I'm a Machine Design Engineer, and I love all kinds of machinery. This adventure is akin to driving your MGA restoration project in the go-kart stage before you have the body ready. Let's light this candle!
Had another Zoom meeting for CMGC web site committee. As expected, they opened a trial period on Wild Apricot and spent the whole time unwrapping their new toy, trying to find the ON switch, stumbling around something they don't know how to use, and making another appointment for a week from tomorrow. I didn't have one minute to ask if anyone in the room knows the difference between an Internet Service Provider, and an Online Service (and why this is not going to work).
Thursday May 6, 2021:
Catching up BBS and email. CMGC May newsletter came in today, so I have some grunt work to keep me busy for a while. Did I mention it's hot and humid in southwest Florida? You don't want to stand out in the sun too much.
Friday May 7, 2021:
After morning email and BBS, another trip to Tech Central (likely the last time here until next December). The White MGB was getting a new hose for the clutch slave cylinder, then a bit of fun playing with bubbles in the clear hose while bleeding the clutch. That fixed, getting fuel hoses connected, on the verge of firing up the engine.
The green MGB was getting some new stainless steel acorn nuts on the splined wheel adapters to replace some rusting plated steel nuts.
The ZB Magnette was having teething problems with the new 1800 engine and overdrive transplant (with air conditioning). New plastic fan too close to the radiator, and clutch slave hose too close to the front suspension cross member. Thinking they should have set then engine back two inches when working on the mounts. Now looking in the MGA catalog for a banjo fitting for the clutch slave cylinder to realign the slave hose.
Get the Rabbit up high, and the Scirocco underneath in the shade. Needing to replace the alternator that lasted five hours in service before it broke the adjuster mounting ear.
The Excalibur kit car getting more wiring, now fiddling with the turn signal switch acting up.
One rusty Midget with repaired suspension and patched up floor getting a bit of clean up before reinstalling the interior.
Spent the rest of the day working on the CMGC newsletter transcribing it for their web site (not finished yet).
Saturday May 8, 2021:
Quick morning email, but the first post on the MGA forum had me cranking until 2-pm. Addendum information for two tech pages with photos and notes for installing tail lights on the MGA 1600-MK-II, mostly about wiring connections for those tail lights, and a bit about wiring the fuel gauge and sender unit. Please do not let the tail light wires drag on the boot latch release mechanism.
Moving on at 3-pm, for a short shopping trip, before late lunch. Got an appointment to sit in a motel room the next two nights, so maybe I can catch up the backlog. Stay tuned.
Sunday May 9, 2021:
I got a normal sleep session, but navigator was up from midnight to near 6-am, because he was invited to an on-line international gaming session of some sort that was happening in Japan.
Spent a little time researching threads on a bolt of attaching generator adjusting link to front pate of generator. Should be a petty little issue, but gets confusing. Apparently this was a Whitworth bolt on the MG TD/TF, and changed to a UNF thread for the MGA and later cars. Confusion comes from Moss Motors listing the earlier part number for the MGA, same as the T-types, and I'm pretty sure this is an error in the Moss parts catalog.
But then I have been receiving new alternators for the MGB (can also use on MGA), made in Taiwan with what I thought was an 8-mm metric thread in that hole. Since I don't want to use a metric bolt and carry a metric wrench just for that error, I always drill out this hole and install a Heli-Coil to convert it to 5/16-24-UNF thread. I suppose these two errors may be related., or maybe Moss is intentionally trying to sell a metric bolt to match the erroneous metric thread in the outsourced alternators. I suppose I will have to call Moss for this issue.
Good part of the day finishing transposing the CMGC newsletter to their web site. Then I finally got to catch up posting Friday's tech session photos and notes (above).
Monday May 10, 2021:
Checking out this morning, took the opportunity to install a new slip-on steering wheel cover. The last one had to be stretched too much, tore a little on installation, didn't fit well and didn't last long. This one is a size larger, went on easy with very little stretch, seems to fit quite well.
Had nice email chat with a bloke in Australia about a new club for MG T-Type owners. In just one year they have grown to 175 members in 5 countries, with 90% in Australia. They will be a closed shop servicing members cars only, generating a lot of new tech articles to be published in a bi-monthly 50-page magazine, available to members only. You have to be a T-Type (or earlier) owner to join, and they will be limiting it to 200 members.I was really getting enthused for this one, until it dawned on me that I don't qualify to be a member, and the tech information they generate will not be available to the open public (meaning me). Wish them luck, but I can't remember ever seeing an old boys club that large.
Tuesday May 11, 2021:
Morning discussion about brake calipers that do not release, in combination with a new remote power servo installed under the dash. With one fuzzy picture it looks like the servo is mounted almost level, when the instructions call for 25 to 45 degrees up angle on the output end. Maybe try tilting the car for initial bleeding to get the air out of the servo. But otherwise this one may be going back for some rework on the servo mount.
Doing lot of trip planning today, lots of mapping, lots of phone calls. Looks like we will be heading north a few hours late night after the local club meeting.
Okay, we got there, meeting with British Car Club of Southwest Florida, 5:30pm for dinner followed by a business meeting. Just one Miata in the car park to show for 14 people inside (not counting us). I seem to remember there were a lot more people at this meeting five years earlier, like about 60?
We were finished by 7:30, then topped up the fuel and headed north. By 11-pm (220 miles on) we were sacked out near Ocala, FL for the night.
Wednesday May 12, 2021:
Haul out early, fuel up, grab a bag of breakfast and head north. About 180 miles on we had long escaped Florida. Another quick fuel stop in Tifton, Georgia, followed by 44 miles west to stake out a cabin at Chehaw Park in Albany, Georgia half past noon. We were in Albany this time for a tech peek at Kelly Seegmueller's MG Midget, "Mr. Tony" which seems to have lost brake fluid (with no obvious leak point). Husband Tom was trying to put up a new car tent (canvas garage), but it was pouring down rain today, so the garage wasn't done yet, and we took the rest of the day off.
Thursday May 13, 2021:
Nice day, cool in the morning, and no rain. So hustle over to Tom and Kelly Seegmuellet's place to have a look at "Mr. Tony". Kelly was all hyped up to get your car back on the road. The new tent garage was kind of nice, getting out of the cool breeze in the morning, and out of the hot sun in the afternoon (and a very nice day otherwise). No hydraulic brakes at all, and the master cylinder was empty, so pull my floor jack and jack stands out of the Magic Trailer, jack up the rear end, top up the brake fluid and start bleeding the brakes.
It only took a few pedal strokes to notice the fluid leak at the 6-way block up front with the dual like pressure warning light switch. Well that's not so bad, just replace two small O-rings in that assembly, bleed the brakes all around, and everything else should be good to go. Going to spend more time under the car, jacking up both ends, so Kelly ran out to a local parts store to fetch back two more jack stands. Another small floor jack came along with the jack stands, but that one is likely to end up in the dust bin or given to a neighbor. With the front end up on stands, we got busy disconnecting five pipes and a switch and one mounting bolt from the safety block.
Once out of the car it required a couple of big boy wrenches to break loose the cap nut on the spool valve chamber, but we got 'er done. When the spool valve was out, we got to remove the leaking O-rings and measure the glands. Ah, peachy! The O-rings turned out to be a common standard size, 5/16" OD, 3/16" ID, 1/16" wide.
Second trip to O'Reilly Auto Parts to get the new O-rings, taking the spool and dial caliper along for reference. Sure enough, standard size O-rings out of the box, right off the shelf. The O-ring is 008 size, no special order required, and we were back to work in no time flat (with a couple spare O-rings for the Magic Trailer inventory).
I was a bit surprised to find the 6-way block had two different port thread sizes. The three up front have 7/16" threads, while the two in back and the switch port have 3/8" threads. But all five pipes have end fittings with the same 7/16" wrench size. There was a lot of fiddling to align threads for five tube end fittings, get them ll screwed in, mounting bolt installed, everything tightened up, and the switch reconnected. Then back to bleeding.
Still no fluid coming out of the rear bleed nipples, maybe just a lot of air all around, so we bled the front brakes first, which oddly enough was not much trouble, Then back to the rear, still no fluid coming out, not even with very heavy pedal force. Guessing maybe the rear brake hose might be clogged, we disconnected the feed pipe from the rear hose inlet end (getting to admire the neat electric fuel pump installation). Using Mighty-Vac to pull and pedal to push we soon had lots of fluid coming out of the feed pipe. Reattach the pipe to hose, and go back to the rear wheel bleeders, and still no fluid coming out. We adjusted the rear brake shoes properly, but full pedal force could not stop the rear wheels from turning (even though the hand brake worked very well). And the steel pipes on the rear axle were clean, not flattened. So "Mr.Tony" has had no rear brakes for a long time due to a badly clogged rear brake hose. I don't have that spare part, so put on on order, along with two front brake hoses, a clutch hose, all the related copper seal washers, and a front brake caliper repacking kit, just for good measure.
Off the stands, on the ground, roll it out, and start packing tools away, while Kelly gets to take Mr. Tony for a spin around the block. Of course Kelly has long been used to driving the car with no rear brakes (unknowingly), allowing plenty of stopping distance, so no problem here. Soon back withe big grin she said, "I'm going around again". I bet you are, and off she went. Next time back she said the brakes work just as good as they always have. Okay, they work good, but we will make then better with a new rear hose, after which she might think she has power brakes. Maybe the only thing that stopped the cruise was hunger.
Done for the day. The Magic Trailed had provided lots of tricks and tools and a few fasteners, and it took a while to get all packed back together. I headed back to the cabin, while Tom and Kathy ordered up a late lunch (or dinner) and brought it over to the cabin for a short visit and chat session. All is well that ends well, a beautiful day, good friends,and another MG back on the road.
Good-bye to friends, finishing up dinner, and get on line for another CMGC web site committee Zoom meeting at 7:30pm CDST, 8:30-PM local time, finishing up right on 10-pm. These photos and notes are finishing up at 1-am, time for some sleep before we hit the road again in the morning.
Friday May 14, 2021:
Last night ran later than expected, but I was awake at 9-am regardless. Catch up with BBS and a little backlog of email, clean up, pack up, and out around 11. Head north again, just keep driving. We found the one gas station in McDonough, GA that was price gouging an additional $.50 per gallon, so $5 extra to fill up, with only regular grade gasohol available, trying to blame it on a fuel shortage resulting from ransom hacking of the pipeline computers. Everywhere else the fuel prices were in a common narrow range.
A little more driving until the cheap Chinese distributor let us down again, killing the engine and leaving us on the side of the interstate for a 5-minute poke and go (with a few singed fingers). A stop for late lunch ar 5-pm in Dalton, Georgia, spitting distance from the state line. Will be heading into central Tennessee tonight.
Not done with the troubles yet. The cheap Chinese distributor continued to short something to ground (or go open circuit) three times on the interstate in traffic and in the dark. Enough already. We stumbled into a fuel stop in Monteagle, Tennessee, at 10:15-pm (having just gotten an hour back for change of time zone). Very nice weather, clear and dry, plenty of light at the gas pump, good time to fix it.
Pull the junk distributor out of the engine, and some spare distributors out of the Magic Trailer. The long cherished Mallory distributor 30 years in service had been tossed some time ago when service parts became extinct. Lucas distributor from 30 years earlier was in place after Mallory for a short time until the vacuum unit was found faulty. One more savior in hand was a nice used Lucas distributor that we received as a gift a couple years ago, long on the shelf and a bit rusty, but otherwise in surprisingly good condition.
Needed just a bit of fiddling to re-fit the base clamp to suit, swap over the cap from 30+ year old unit to the new (used) one, and make a fresh connector wire to run from coil to distributor. In spite of the problems we had just been through, the good reliable (used) distributor had me feeling very uplifted and comfortable as we were on the road again. Landed in Murfreesboro, Tennessee for the night as planned, just a few hours late at 1-am. Nice weather cool and dry, going to sleep well tonight.
Saturday May 15, 2021:
Better day today as the car ran well. Made a stop to visit Tandy Leather in Nashville, Tennessee.
Last time I remember dealing with Tandy was 1962 when I was 13 in Jr. High (8th grade). Young enough not to know what I couldn't do, I bought a Tandy Leather kit to build a 3-ring and zipper binder notebook to do as a shop class project. Everyone thought I was off the deep end, but I was persistent, and several weeks later I had finished a very nice hand tooled leather cover with the zipper closure all stitched in. Got an "A" for that project, and apparently put everyone else in the class to shame. I carried that leather notebook all through high school (until it got burned up in a house fire).
But that experience led me back to Tandy today, looking for leather lacing strip to stitch up my new faux leather steering wheel cover. The cover is nice enough without stitching, but a little loose so it gradually moves around the wheel to be misaligned. A bit like a kid in a candy store, lots of choices of material available in size, texture, color, etc, and lots of friendly service to answer all my questions. I finally settled on Kodiak Lace, 5/32-inch wide in Black, sealed, tough, and should be durable against anything my hands can throw at it.
Then on to the second purpose of this visit, leather to make stuff, especially car seat covers, armrest, and cockpit trim roll covers. Hang on. The place is huge with all leather products and accessory parts, no vinyl.
Imagine Jo Ann Fabrics with only leather material. I can't begin to relate all of the different materials available with variations in thickness, texture, and shape. If you would be cutting narrow strips for seat pleating or cockpit trim, a shoulder hide or half hide might be enough. For two complete seats, backs, bottoms, all around, and matching armrest, you might want a full hide. Prices vary a lot with different materials and shapes, but a full hide finished and ready to sew up in the range of $300 to $500 might be reasonable for a quality vehicle restoration job (adding labor of course).
Okay, we're out of here before I buy something serious I don't have time to do. The fresh distributor works well, and I think the working vacuum advance gives the car better character at expressway speed and half throttle. We were doing hills in northwest Tennessee and sailing through western Kentucky for a couple hours doing 70 up hills and a fair amount of 80 on level, and a bit more down hills. Another stop in Paducah, Kentucky, to pick up engine oil and fuel, and it figured to be 20.3-MPG hauling ass through the hills with the trailer. That looked better than what we were expecting, but it did consume a quart of oil in 230 miles, so maybe it doesn't like 4500 rpm and full throttle for hours on end. Will make a point to keep it under 75 for the next tank of fuel for comparison.
Four miles north of Paducah cross the Ohio river, and welcome to Illinois, land of the still closed dining rooms. Bummer. We finally settled on Denny's in Litchfield, Illinois for the late lunch at dinner time and watch the sun go down in Central Time.
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