The MGA With An Attitude
MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (March 1 - March 15, 2022)
Tuesday, March 1, 2022:
Today was supposed to be our feel good day, laying on the red paint to finish the "minor" blister repairs we started the day before. Yesterday's primer looked a lot better when dry, so six thumb screws and three minutes later the bonnet was off, and get started with some wet sanding to lay the primer flat. So far so good, get on with the masking work (kind of time consuming). That come out okay, ready to paint. We only wanted to paint the
area between bonnet opening and windscreen rubber seal, about from corner to corner of the bonnet opening, and of course a little triangle on the rear end of the left front wing. Feeling good, mixing up six ounces of acrylic urethane paint with catalyzing hardener, which should beat least twice what would actually need. Put it in a small touch-up paint sprayer, make a few test patterns on paper to get the adjustments right. and I though we were five minutes away from euphoria, waiting for the paint to dry enough to pull off the masking. And that's when things went sour.
Change title to "the good, the bad, and the ugly". Ten seconds into spraying I knew we were in trouble, and it only got worst with progress. The nice acrylic urethane paint obviously didn't like the Rustoleum etching primer.(that had worked so well on the trailer fenders two months earlier). That looked like it was going to be a lot of work sanding down after it dried, and I didn't have much to lose at this point, so why not try something silly? Very quickly, while the paint was still wet, I took a clean rag with a touch or lacquer thinner, and wiped off most of the new paint. A quick blow dry,and try it again. As expected, pretty much the same results.
Knowing this was going to kill another day (at least one more), while the paint was drying, still not much to lose, a quick executive decision to give it another coat of paint. This was to be followed by another coat of paint once an hour for a few more hours, wanting to see if it would finally cover the bad primer as a seal coat, which we could sand down tomorrow (or the next day), and maybe not have to strip and prime it again (less primer could save some time waiting for paint to dry). This actually worked, at least enough to be encouraging.
The mixed paint has a 12-hour shelf life, so no rush there. A few more coats of paint at one hour intervals, and it was looking promising, about what I expected. With this much paint applied, I suppose we will give it a day and a half to set up and cure, rather than just over night, So we may be in for a lot of wet sanding on Thursday or so.
By late afternoon Jerry was back to assembling the front brakes on the racing Rabbit, so something to do while waiting for the paint to dry enough before driving away.
This all started with an unexpected loose wheel bearing on the right front, which in turn revealed a delaminated brake pad. In process of installing new rotors and pads on both sides, the was another delaminated pad on the left side, and this one had a badly bent backing plate. No one has any idea how that could happen and still have the brakes stay in assembly, but for sure it will be much better after repairs.
Wednesday, March 2, 2022:
Day off to watch the paint dry (really), so don't expect too much. Some follow-up messages on oil supply to the rocker shaft and wear on camshaft and tappets. A common queston on timing cover oil thrower compatability (already resolved). A queston on electrical controls for Yaris Electric Power Steering conversion (which I cannot answer). Someone looking for concours quality fuel flex hose for MGA (good luck with that one). And a question on the thread in the throttle body for vacuum pipe connection (easy, long since resolved).
Thursday, March 3, 2022:
Prompted by the current paint repair effort, I was reminded to order up some new windscreen wiper wheelboxes and wiper arms (and rubber grommets), also a few headlight retainer parts, which may arrive next week,
 As programmed, the objective today was to sand down the rough paint from Tuesday's fiasco and paint it again. The wet sanding went fairly well, not going through the enamel, at least on top. For the small area on the left wing I loosened one bolt and removed the piping for easier access in the body joint, and only sanded through the top coat in a couple small spots (not down to metal).
So mix up a few ounces of paint .and give it another spray. Like Tuesday, I didn't like what happened on the first try, so grabbed a rag with some lacquer thinner to wipe it off and spray it again. Yeah, nobody does that, right? Well it worked out okay. Relax for a couple hours before tearing off the paper and tape. Then reattach the bonnet in a few minutes with those nifty thumb screws. Final result not as perfect as I would like, but good enough to preserve a daily driver. A little more wait time before hauling off for late lunch and WiFi to bring you these photos and notes.
Friday, March 4, 2022:
Friday, my entertainment day at Tech Central, so let's see what's going on. There was this Corvette in early that had a filed ECU a couple weeks ago, big bucks to replace. Today, just a Check Engine light for Evaporative Emissions Control that needed to be reset (likely a false indication). Then an MGB with failed Lucas alternator, always the electronic units. Two spare alternators pulled out of the attic, I think the plan was to swap a regulator from one of those into the one in the car. Don't know how that came out, but it drove away at day's end.
There was the MGA Coupe, nicely restored with a vintage Judson supercharger, that ran like crap. We were checking this one six weeks ago, determined it needed a distributor rebuild, but hasn't been done yet. Get the shop info and send it out soon.
The Magnette got the most attention today, engine in and hooked up, and showing off the new aluminum radiators for cooling and air conditioning., and the puller type electric fan, that was a bit too close to the water pump. I think they will move the fan slightly off to one side. Installed the distributor and spark wires.
Filled cooling system, noticed a sizeable stream of fluid leaking from a hole in a heater hose. Install a new hose,
top it up again, and fire it up (with no exhaust pipe). Loud and odd sounding exhaust, like a Harley motor cycle. Think we will wait until the exhaust is connected before worrying more about how it runs. Enough work there for on day, set that one aside.
The MGB wannabe race car was about to get a small rust repair patch on the front of the bonnet, but it looked like it would need multiple patches, maybe not worth the effort. Jerry seems to know someone who may have a mold to make a fiberglass skin for the MGB bonnet, so set that one aside for further consideration.
There was some work cleaning up the 5-main bearing engine for the race car, painting the water pump, and chatting up ideas an how to spiffy the engine up with fun racing logos after painting.
The Excalibur was getting the dash panel wired up, and trimming a bit of wood to fit around the steering column.
The rear bumpers were coming off again for a bit more trimming to allow the body to it down solid on the chassis. Hey, dig the neat trim panels over the bumper brackets. Oh, and the doors were getting first fitting .
The Chrysler mini van that needed brake work six weeks ago was back again. Nothing serious, but a firm suggestion that the lady should try out the new battery powered vacuum cleaner. The car is loaded with sample books for vehicle interior fabrics, as she runs and upholstery shop. Hey, we may have a new appointment to get the MGA seats recovered, maybe with real leather this time.
Saturday, March 5, 2022:
Enough hands on tech for one week; take a day off. But I can do some web site work while resting. Someone asked about the rear seal for late model MGA gearboxes, which reminded me that I didn't have an interchange part numbers list yet, so that was a good way to kill a few hours.
Late afternoon the electronic Publisher copy of the CMGC newsletter came in, so I got a start on transcribing that for the club web site.
Sunday, March 65, 2022:
If nothing else, at least I got the CMGC newsletter transcribed for the club web site by late afternoon.
Monday, March 7, 2022:
Big John (Schumacker) got another pipe bent to connect the header to the next pipe in the Magnette exhaust system, and was pushing and shoving to get the rest of the exhaust system to fit. I think it's all done, just needing to install some hangers.
Connecting choke an throttle cables, needed to lengthen a throttle connector rocker shaft. Cut in center, add 3/4-inch of a cut bolt, bevel all the ends, weld it together, grind smooth, spray a little black paint and call it good.
The Excalibur was getting the front park and turn lights wired up, one socket fell apart, both housings a bit rusty, two new lamps on order. Next task is to fill a few floor holes with plywood, and then fiberglass the body permanently to the chassis.
The Porsche 914 making some body restoration progress, getting the bonnet sanded down for new paint. This car has been hiding in the tent for at least a couple of years, many long delays, but now beginning ot look like a car again (sort of).
When the fun was winding down we found a little time to re-install the wiper spindles and washer jets on my MGA. The new wiper and headlight parts from Scarborough Faire ordered last week must have shipped today, because my card was charged for the order total. Not the amount I was expecting, so there may be something missing from the order. Need to wait 2 or 3 days for delivery to know what I actually get, because there is no other records or communication from this source
Got onto the evening Zoom tech session with John Twist of UML. Considerable chat about 5-speed and overdrive installations (among other things). Missed the CMGC staff Zoom meeting, but the two most active members on the website committee are now elected officers, so my presence as Webmaster is hardly missed.
Tuesday, March 8, 2022:
Did I just take a day off? Well, no. Got a request for information on radiator dimensions, which may be used to build a custom radiator to fit in the original space. Not wanting to take the radiator out of my car for measurement, this is going to move to a public request for measurements.
Wednesday, March 9, 2022:
Quiet days, maybe because of hot weather. With temperatures in the 80's in southwest Florida you don't want to stand long in the sun, stay in the shade with a little breeze to work.
With some free time, it was good to attack a car problem that has been bugging me for some time. The left (driver side) door hinges have been getting progressively looser in the past quarter million miles. The rear of the door has sagged slightly, now requires a little lift when closing, and sticks when wanting to open it. I have been collecting parts for some time, specifically new hinge pins slightly oversize, and I think I have four of them. The idea is to remove a hinge, knock out the hinge pin, drill the holes slightly larger, and install an oversize pin. There is even a tech page (or two) showing how to do this on my web site (photos and notes offered by others).
Well, I have to say this may be easier said than done. We removed the side curtain and front bracket, and the door inner panel and door pocket, blocked up the rear of the door, and removed the top hinge (which seemed to be the most worn). I installed some flat washers and bolted the leafs together to keep them parallel, hopefully not to move when the pin was removed.
There's a picture of the new pin I had intended to install (bronze bushings that came with it not needed). Got a stout pin punch and a 3-pound hammer, stood the hinge on edge over the vice jaws, gave it a few firm whacks, but nothing moved. We beat on it vigorously for another minute, but still it wouldn't move. So we took it to the 20-ton hydraulic press with the air over oil pump. Took a while to get things aligned well enough to stay straight, and then we leaned on it hard, but stalled the 20-ton press, and nothing moved. Only thing accomplished was to either bend the hinge or compression expand the pin so it was binding a little (but still serviceable).
There was no drill press handy to hold it straight enough for drilling out the pin, and I didn't have a spare hinge in hand, so that was when I decided to quit while I was ahead. Put it back together, and put a couple new hinges on the next parts order. I removed the thick black card stock shim that was in front of the top hinge on the A-pillar to bring the rear of the door up a little. That also moved it forward a bit, so I also installed another card stock shim behind the striker plate on the B-pillar to re-align the striker with the door latch. Now it opens and closes with one finger again, no more sticking, so at least the final repair got a bit less urgent (ignore it for a few more years?). Guess I should have done that a few years ago before spending so much time chasing down replacement hinge pins one at a time.
Thursday, March 10, 2022:
I can't believe I never had a picture of this on my web site. Someone sent me pictures of a custom fabricated and welded tool to be used with a couple of worm drive hose clamps for removing a spin-on oil filter. As much as I appreciate the effort, I hated to shoot it down with reference to this $5 tool from Walmart. Since the guy hadn't heard of it before, I thought it would be good to post it in the Tools section of my web site.
Friday, March 11, 2022:
Tech Central tinkering day. Arrived promptly at 10-am, but had a parking problem and had to put the MGA and trailer in the street. Plenty of hands available today, beginning with, (Waddawe wannado first"? The red diesel truck is dirty, so give that a wash job before it goes out on a mission.
The Excalibur was getting cut-outs in preparation for installing doors. Couple guys working on carburetors for the Wanna-B race car.
Hitch up a trailer and pile five guys in the truck to serve as pushers, and head off to Naples to pickup a dead Corvette and fetch it back. Fuel pump not running, so spend time checking out a fuse and tracing wiring. Turned out to be a faulty fuel pump relay, so a quick trip to local parts store, and that one was soon ready to drive home. And a break for lunch.
My order for headlight parts and screenwiper parts has arrived, so take a few minutes to stash that away and update my inventory list.
The Magnette was getting gearbox shifter parts installed. Now the hand brake lever lands on top of the gearbox, so will need to bend that over a little (some other time). Wow, look at the new interior AC unit. Looks like it was born to be there.
Got out some big boy tools for an attitude adjustment on the exhaust system, making a little more clearance between header pipes and inner fender. I suppose it was the sheet metal losing that battle. They must have succeeded with alignment and clamping, because a few minutes later is was running with half an exhaust system and single small resonator (quiet enough for a test run). Meanwhile the Wanna-B race engine was getting final installation and adjustment of the carburetors with freshly painted engine on the stand (nice).
Kind of hot weather, so most were calling it quits a little early. This must be our last visit to Tech Central for the season, so bid the folks goodbye on the way out, and we will likely see them again in December. Half hour north in pesky traffic was enough sun exposure, so haul it in at a truck stop for WiFi to bring you these photos and notes, and have dinner.
Forecast for rain tomorrow, so before heading out again late night we took the opportunity to install new wiper arms we got from Scarborough Faire. First picture is the old arm from Moss Motors with the no-splines hub that would never stay on the spindle without a plastic soda straw shim/bushing to jam it together. Second picture is the new S.F. arm with the good splines that slip right onto the spindle and key perfectly, and having a little spring clip to hold them in place. It popped right on, worked like a charm. Having installed two new arms, the crappy Moss supplied wheelbox was skipping teeth on the passenger side, so had to remove the right side wiper and go back to running a single wiper on driver side only. Next opportunity we would like to replace the wheelboxes (again), but that's a rather time consuming PITA chore, so not sure when we might get that done.
Another 2-hours, 140 miles, found some cooler air after midnight.
Saturday, March 12, 2022:
Heavy overcast and windy (still warm) when we headed north again in the morning. Immediately ran into the storm with strong winds and heavy rain. So just 35 miles up the road we pulled in for a short stop fuel refill and breakfast to wait out the rain at Bushnell, Florida.
Someone just had the same problem I had 25 years ago, so now there is a new tech page for Why it pops out of 2nd gear, and what to do about it.
Killed the day sitting, didn't get very far. Going to be cold tonight and tomorrow.
Sunday, March 13, 2022:
Some good news. Apparently Moss Motors has had the MGA and early MGB gearbox layshaft needle bearings reproduced. They are a bit different than original parts, using flat end needle rollers and flat sided thrust washers (no retaining spigots on the rollers), so they require a bit more fiddling for assembly and some care not to let the loose rollers fall out during handling or future service. But they should work well, and it solves a long standing issue of quality parts supply.
Sat all day in Ellisville, FL, Kicked around a few tech questions, and more discussion on crankcase ventilation. I thought we were going to go through Atlanta, GA and Chattanooga, TN, but navigator wanted a slight west on I-10 for a well known WiFi spot in Tallahassee, FL, so not leaving Florida just yet.
Monday, March 14, 2022:
Stopped in Tallahassee, Florida for breakfast. Added a new tech page for PCV valve with better illustration and official description from the original patent application.
Nice working weather by early afternoon, so with fuel stop we took the opportunity to install new screenwiper wheelboxes. One of the most miserable chores in the MGA, crawling under the dash on your back, trying to work past everything in the way. These parts are best installed as first parts into the body before anything else is installed, meaning there is a significant urge to disassemble the dash and much of the stuff behind it in the process. The trick is to figure out how to light up the dark area and reach around stuff without removing too much of it.
Hard to see the difference between crap parts and the good ones, but most of it is in the shape of the brackets that have to capture the casing (the outer jacket flared pipe).
The old ones (Moss aftermarket parts) also had soft plastic back spacers, and incorrect Phillips screws, and really bad rubber seals that failed within 90 days of installation. The new parts have nice plated cast metal back spacers and little hex drive screws (much easier to work). Mind you the new ones were not perfect either, but work okay with only minor re-forming of the clamp parts.
Then came the old time hang-over issue, while trying to get the parts back in the car. The center casing pipe running between the two wheelboxes was too long, had been that way since first restoration in late 1986, and I was determined to get it properly shortened this time around.
After lots of fussing and measuring in situ, the casing needed to be shortened from 13-5/8" to 12-3/4". I don't carry the flaring tools on the road, so off to O'Reilly Auto Parts to borrow a loaner tool. After shortening and re-flaring the pipe it went back together with less pain, and the wipers are working properly again for the first time since we tried to install the Moss wheelboxes a few years ago. Net working time from lunch to dinner hour was 6-hours, and boy do I have a sore back from all the time under the dash.
Back on the road after 11-pm, navigator claims quickest way to Chicago is to head 70 miles farther west out of Tallahassee before north, so off we went, crossing into Central Time Zone about midnight.
 After turning north we stopped at the Alabama welcome center (having missed Georgia this time). A pit stop killed another half hour repairing a wire on the trailer hitch connector to restore tail lights on the trailer. Then another 40 miles north into Georgia before stopping.
Tuesday, March 15, 2022:
Late breakfast in Troy, Alabama, and past mid day before moving on. Then ran into lots of rain, so stopped for late lunch (early dinner) in Falkville, AL.
`
Been passing a few email messages and a phone call or two with Curtis Skomp in Key West, Florida. He
is the son of Fred Skomp, who was brother of the guy who bought the 100,000th MGA (1962 MGA 1600-MK-II) when it was new and on tour around car dealers in the USA. After years of regular use it was parked and proceeded to deteriorate. As the "estate" was changing hands, brother Fred took the car on and proceeded to restore it as new. A few years ago Fred passed on, and the car passed to his son Curtis, so it is still in the family 60 year on. More information this car at RT-503. This car is currently on display at the Moss Motors east coast facility in Petersburg, VA, and is intended to remain as a show car.
The subject of current discussion is that Curtis is not so much a car guy, but is interested in learning about MGA, so he has purchased a restored 1960 MGA 1600 (older restoration on consignment) via North Shore Sportscars in Lake Bluff, Ilinois, and I happen to be headed in that general direction. Curtis is would like me to check out the car, and possibly recommend any repairs (or concours touch-ups) that might be done before the car is to be shipped to Naples, Florida. Give this another week, and I should get there. The car is intended for his wife to drive around the Naples, FL area, so he wants it to be in tip-top daily driver condition.
Rain finally stopped late night, and we were back on the road 11-pm, crossed a state line and stopped for the night at Tennessee Welcome Center.
|
