EDITOR NOTE: This is a reprint of a series entitled Just the Tip authored by Thomas Brobst. His ‘make-do-with-what-you-got’ and ingenuity makes for interesting reading and maybe help a poor soul out of a perplexing repair. See if you agree with me this is fun reading.
Just the Tip
Tip #14
Ola, meus amigos! And welcome to another episode of Just the Tip! This month I actually have something that’s new and exciting, at least for me! I hope it will be for you too. I’ve been installing an electric fan in my MGA, to go with the fancy, new aluminum radiator.
Heat problems, you say? Not on my watch! Anyway….it was necessary for me to move the oil cooler forward to make room for the new fan. To do this I had to remove the grille. Whilst the grille was off I wanted to rehabilitate the cardboard air tubes that terminate behind the grille. All of this necessitated removing numerous nuts and bolts on the horizontal panel (floor?) behind the grille. The Moss Motors online catalog refers to this “floor” as the Radiator Duct Panel (hereafter referred to as RDP). The problem is that the bolts/screws of interest are installed from the top of the RPD while the nuts and washers are installed from the bottom of the RDP….underneath the car. Since my arms aren’t long enough to reach both areas at the same time I was forced to resort to alternative solutions.
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Magnet on bolt head
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The average hack would simply seek out a helper, but, I’m sorry... I work alone. Haha! In the past I’ve used tape and vise grips with varying levels of success—didn’t really see any of that working here. So, as I sat and pondered the situation I received a much needed flash of inspiration—Magnets! Of course! Why hadn’t I thought of this before? I grabbed a magnet. This one in particular is a rare earth or neodymium type….I dunno, but it’s powerful; cylindrical, half-inch long, half-inch diameter with a quarter-inch bore. It fits nicely on the head of a 10-32 pan head screw as well as a 5/16 hex head bolt.
Flat and lock washers defying gravity
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Excited with anticipation, I inserted a bolt thru a hole in the oil cooler flange and then down, thru the top of the RDP and placed the magnet on the head of the bolt. Then I crawled under the car, skeptically optimistic, with washers and nut in hand. I found the threaded bolt stem sticking down below the RDP.... taunting me. I gulped, held my breath and raised the flat washer up to the bolt trying to steady my shaking hand. Schwoop! The washer was sucked right up onto the bolt! Whoa! Did that really happen? Next, I offered up the lock washer….Schwoop again! It really works! Gravity be damned! In disbelief I presented the nut to the end of the bolt half expecting it to thread itself on but alas, ‘twas not to be. That would have been a little creepy, right? But the nut did stay stuck to the end of the bolt and made it easier to get the threads started. Not only that but I could spin the nut all the way up was able to fully tighten it!.
I always say I’d rather be lucky than smart! It worked that same for all the fasteners, six in total. Amazing! No helper required! I gotta remember this one since there are lots of places on an MG with similar nut/bolt placement where this tip will be applicable.
Told you it was exciting, right? So, there it is. Until next month readers… Happy Times in your garage! If you have any tips you’d like to share I’d love to hear about them. Email me at thomas.brobst@gmail.com.
Until next month….happy motoring!
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March 2023
