FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR START-UP

The moment we have all been waiting for is only a few hours away.  The electrical connections have been made and checked, the oil pressure and water temperature gauges have been installed and the cooling system has been charged and checked for leaks.   Also the electric auxiliary cooling fan has been fitted and is fully operational.

The Weber dcoe carburetor has been rebuilt and properly fitted to the intake manifold.  Inline fuel filters have been installed between the fuel tank and fuel pump and between the pump and carburetor.  

Now, all that remains is the addition of the necessary lubricants in the engine, transmission and rear axle.  We will use an oil priming system to charge all the moving parts inside the engine before the engine is started for the first time.  This greatly reduces engine wear.

Stay tuned...

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

PS  Merry Christmas to all...

       Don't forget the reason for the season!

MGTD IN THE SHOP TODAY

We "classed this place up" again today.  A fellow MG enthusiast, John Tracey, brought his 1952 MGTD by the shop for a tune up.  His TD is difficult to start...imagine that, a MG, difficult to start.  

John's TD is in immaculate condition.  He has owned it since 1956 and it actually served as transportation on his honeymoon shortly thereafter.  This MGTD is very well maintained and as far as I can see, 100% original...a rare find.

John seems to be interested in fitting his TD with an electronic ignition.  Although it is not original equipment, it certainly improves the performance and requires less attention.

Stay tuned...

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

NEW GRILLE IS INSTALLED

This was one of those tasks that required ten times the amount of effort than I thought it would.  But, I am a very patient person.  I designed the horizontal bars so that they were adjustable individually.  This allows the bars to be perfectly aligned within the space provided.

The driving lights will be mounted behind the grille.  The bars should not interfere with the function of the lights...aside from that, it looks so BAD.

Later,

Tom McCurry

Tommy's Topless Cars

DESIGNING THE GRILLE

Sorry for the posting delay.  I have been a bit "under the weather" due to my recent confrontation with an oral surgeon...no pleasure has been experienced in the world for several days.  But now, I'm feeling much better and work resumes.  

Although my shop time has been limited to an hour or two per day, I have managed to make a decision regarding the grille design.  As discussed in a previous post, there were several design options, two of which did not work out.  

Although only two of the stainless steel bars are taped in place, I'm sure you will agree the addition of three additional bars will enhance the car's appearance without interfering with the function of the driving lights.  The installation will be time consuming but certainly worth the effort.

Hopefully, I will post photos of the finished product very soon.

Later,
Tom McCurry
Tommy's Topless Cars

INSTALLING THE HOOD LIFT SUPPORTS

The final fitting of the hood lift supports was a fairly straight forward operation.  I had fabricated the mounting brackets yesterday and they were easily fixed to the pre-drilled attachment points on the underside of the hood.  The lower end of the support is attached to another set of custom brackets mounted equidistant from the hinge side of the hood.  

The operation is smooth and easy.  Just one finger lifts it into place and the original prop rod is no longer required.

The hood lift supports were purchased from Advance Auto, part number 4398.

 I also mounted the driving lights today, but it was not a permanent installation.   The process was necessary in order to obtain accurate dimensions for the custom grille.

I have several ideas for grille designs and plan to fabricate them all, choosing the most attractive.

The nose of this car looks awesome.  The horizontal bar grilles I have planned will enhance its exotic appearance.

Later...

Tom McCurry

FITTING THE HOOD

We now have three projects going simultaneously in the shop.  John is working on Tim's fiberglass hardtop, Don is repairing the floor pans in his MGB and I am fitting the hood on my "B".
It appears that I underestimated the amount of time required to fit the hood.  I had a assortment of hood hinges and as it turns out only two good ones.  I spent most of the day aligning the hood.

I also fabricated four mounting brackets for the lift supports.  I will be fitting the supports to the hood and body tomorrow morning.  The latch components including the release cable have already been installed and lack only minor adjustments.

Stay tuned...
Tom McCurry

CONSOLE AND DASHBOARD COMPONENTS RECEIVED

I had ordered some parts from Moss Motors to complete the dashboard and console and I received them  yesterday evening.  Unfortunately, I had an adverse encounter with an oral surgeon Friday morning.  Consequently, I will not be back to work until Monday...hopefully.  I feel as though I just went 15 rounds with the heavyweight champion of the world and he just kept hitting me in the same place.  

When I return on Monday, I will be fitting the switches and gauges on the dashboard and console.  Following that, I will be fitting the hood supports.

Stay tuned...

Tom McCurry

PNEUMATIC HOOD LIFT SUPPORTS

One of the most aggravating things about working on an MGB, or any other British sports car, is the position of the hood when it is raised.  And that support rod...it is always in the way.  To remedy the situation I have decided to install dual pneumatic lift supports on the hood.  If I use a 28" support, the open hood position should be near vertical allowing greater access to the engine compartment.  They should be relatively easy to install...wish I hadn't said that.  

I will be fitting the hood in the next few days and I will post photos of the lift supports installation.

Stay tuned...

Tom McCurry

THE CUSTOM DASHBOARD

The original dashboard for my MGB was a disaster.  The upholstery material was cracked and both ends of the metal frame were compromised by rust.  

I removed the vinyl cover and foam pad.  John applied fiberglass to the metal dash frame to form a smooth surface.  I am trying to decide whether I want a painted finish or a vinyl covering.

We are converting the radio console, which mounts below the dash, to a switch panel.  The original shifter console will be attached to the transmission tunnel.

Urethane primer has been applied to the hood and the finish coat of "hotrod black" as been applied to the underside.  The latch assembly has been fitted as well as the release cable.  The hood will be permanently installed soon.

The archive listing of this blog contains detailed step-by-step photos and narratives regarding this restoration since it began late.  Please direct any comments and questions to tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com.

Enjoy...

Tom McCurry 

Materials and equipment purchased from:

Moss Motors (mossmotors.com)

Victoria British (victoriabritish.com)

Eastwood (eastwood.com)

The Roadster Factory (the-roadster-factory.com)

English Parts (englishparts.com)

Napa Auto Parts (napaonline.com)

Apple Hydraulics (applehydraulics.com)

Coker Tire (cokertire.com)

INSTALLING THE ELECTRIC COOLING FAN

TEnglish sports cars, such as the MGB, are notorious for overheating, especially in the warmer climates in traffic.  But there is a solution.  The original radiators simply cannot do the job.

To eliminate overheating from the equation, I chose to install an electric auxiliary cooling fan in front of the radiator.  The fan was purchased from Victoria British and required additional bracing.  VB furnished a mounting system, but it was not as "permanent" as I thought necessary.  The mounting system consisted of plastic ties, that resemble wire ties, which pass through the radiator core. Push nuts, of a sort, when fitted to the plastic ties, secure the fan to the radiator.  I fabricated metal brackets to attach the fan to the radiator support as shown in the photo to the right.

The archive listing of this blog contains detailed step-by-step photos and narratives regarding this restoration since it began late last December.  Please direct any comments and questions to tommystoplesscars@yahoo.com.

Later...

Tom McCurry 

Materials and equipment purchased from:

Moss Motors (mossmotors.com)

Victoria British (victoriabritish.com)

Eastwood (eastwood.com)

The Roadster Factory (the-roadster-factory.com)

English Parts (englishparts.com)

Napa Auto Parts (napaonline.com)

Apple Hydraulics (applehydraulics.com)

Coker Tire (cokertire.com)