DOWN TO THE NITTY GRITTY

Cleaning the motor and transmission was a messy chore. I tried several different degreasing products, but ordinary oven cleaner seemed to work as well as any of them. The transmission had never been painted so I left it mill finish. I removed the distributor, generator, oil filter and adaptor, intake and exhaust manifolds, and oil pan. After all the cleaning was complete, I wiped down all the engine surfaces, that were to be painted, several times with lacquer thinner, applied masking tape to the parts that could not be removed and applied two coats of high temp engine paint. The engine paint was available through Moss Motors and one can did the job. I cleaned all the nuts bolts and washers with lacquer thinner and a power rotary wire brush. I also bought new lock washers...a good investment. Cleaning and polishing the fasteners gives the engine the "showroom" look. Attention to minor details such as this is the key to a distinctive restoration.

I decided to replace the clutch, pressure plate and through-out bearing. It appeared to have a great deal of "life" left, but I would be upset if I had to replace the clutch six months from now. There goes another $150.

I have refinished the generator, starter, oil filter adapter, oil pan and fan assembly. Now it's time to reassemble the basic parts of the engine. Do not forget the torque settings chart in your manual and your torque wrench.

The oil pan was installed first, fitted with a new gasket and new drain plug. Installing the clutch, pressure plate and through-out bearing is fairly straight forward. The clutch disc must be aligned using a pilot shaft configured to match the front shaft of the transmission. Then tighten the pressure plate mounting bolts one turn at a time, and check your manual for the proper torque wrench setting. Now the transmission should easily slide into place.

Next, I reinstalled the generator, starter, fan assembly, distributor, new motor mounts, oil filter adaptor with new rubber seals and exhaust manifold with a new gasket. The intake manifold and carburetor will be installed after the engine and transmission are back in place.

Check out the almost "finished" product. It probably didn't look much better when it was new!

Next I will be cleaning and refinishing the engine compartment.

Talk with you soon!

TD

THE COURTSHIP BEGINS...

My wife won. I sold the Sprite to a guy that will give it a great home...he is an English sports car lover like me. Now I have more space in my garage for the restoration of the MGB, and does it ever take up space. You need at least three times as much space than the car itself requires.

First, let me say, that I am restoring this car to drive. I personally do not care for a car that looks new underneath. "Frame off" restorations are fine if you want to show your car and spend your days looking at it, but how could you enjoy driving a car in that condition knowing all that time and effort spent on the undercarriage was being ruined by road grime every time you drove it. After a careful inspection, I determined the undercarriage of my "B" to be solid and free from rust and damage of any sort; so I chose to leave it as is.

There are several items you will need prior to the commencement of the work. A digital camera, a pad of paper and a pen, several dozen Ziploc sandwich bags, two dozen one quart Ziploc freezer bags, several clear plastic bins with lids, and a shop manual for your make and model. Take plenty of photos, you may need them when you begin reassembly. As you begin to remove parts, inspect them carefully and determine if they may require replacement or reconditioning; if so make note of it immediately. As you remove fasteners and other small items, place them in one of the freezer bags, label them immediately and place them in one of the bins. Lastly, refer to your manual often. I know it's a "guy thing" to read the directions when all else fails, but it will only save you time to read about it first.

I began by removing all the trim and glass from the car. Next, I removed all the gauges and dash. The '67 B has a metal dash with a wrinkle finish. It appeared that a previous owner had tried to repaint it with a toilet brush...pretty disgusting.

The final stage of dismantling the car is the removal of the engine and transmission. You may wonder if all this is really necessary. In my opinion, what is the point of repainting the body of your car if it looks nasty under the bonnet. My car was a greasy mess under there. The motor had been leaking around the valve cover for probably thirty-five years and had never been cleaned or repaired. But do not let the oil leaks concern you. We British car lovers have a saying, "If the car was made in the UK, it leaks".

The removal of the engine and transmission is not that complicated. I have a good friend, Captain Bob, that loaned me his hydraulic lift and his help. He and I had the engine disconnected and out of the car in four hours.

Now my car is in little pieces. All the pieces are bagged, labeled and stored in a dry place. The engine and transmission have been separated and mounted on separate stands to aid in the cleaning and refinishing process. A detailed list of items to be replaced has been made and the shopping has begun. There are several English car parts dealers that have virtually everything you need for your restoration; Moss Motors, Ltd, Victoria British, Ltd, and Atlanta Imported Auto Parts. All these companies have web sites and they are more than willing to help you spend your money.

I am posting a photo of the my car before it became intimate with Captain Bob and me, and a few more of the engine before it was removed.

Well, that's all for now. More to follow...

TD