75th Anniversary

Sorry have been busy and was at Stoneleigh Sunday. Nope not bidding on ebay right now just got some old hobby stuff, not car stuff, listed. if it all sells they we are off parts shopping . So far only one out of my 11 listings is selling .

Due to a mix up in communication the car will now not be picked up and delivered until Monday ..................................... not particularly happy about this but not much can be done now :rant: .

Yesterday (Thursday) as I had to be in town for the vets the hound and I drove around to Boston Motorcool and picked up a new alloy radiator for the 75th. It seems it's even made in Britain, Leicester actually, and cost £48. Have a battery already and it's charged up and we even have soem new fob batteries so we will be able to start checkign things out on her.

Well things have a habit of changing on me :oops: the original idea was to have this pretty much as it came from the factory however as things progress and we find more problems and issues that requires parts replacement the oppertunity for improvement is too great to just ignore like swapping the Plastic/Ploymer 48mm TB for a nice Alloy 52mm one and replacing the damaged plastic/polymer inlet manifold for an alloy one. Just bought a TF 135 one complete with TB off the bay so had better start stripping the old damaged one off.

And yes I have ordered new manifold gaskets to suit.

Likewise the front brakes are pretty much furbarred calipers in a right ole mess and the inner pads required a heavy dose of 1lb Ball pein hammer to remove them from the carriers. of course this meant they were jammed on the disc surface all the time and so have seriously over heated:-

These front brakes must have been draggign pretty badly. Add in the totally knackered radiator:-

Add in soem coolant leaks:-

I suspect the inlet manifold gasket and/or the metal coolant rail witht eh thermostat in it as it looks pretty manky:-

Add an oil leak:-

And you have a pretty manky engine bay which needs cleaning up and in the process of doing so we may just discover the source of the leaks. So this weekend weather permitting will see if can get the platsic manifold off so we can further examine those metal cooloant pipes and get to the thremostat this will also allow me to see if it's the oil filler leaking or not. As we know she has over heated there is always a question over the condition of thecylinder head so with that in mind another has been bought from a MG-Rover .org forum member. It's actually a TF 135 head with cams so it will need that expensive bit ot steel to drive the distributor if we have to fit it .......................................... but we will cross that bridge when the times comes and if it comes .

We also have to consider the suspension bushes and many need replacing along with the rear shocks. So this has gotten me to thinking that perhaps adjustable shocks may be of benefit but I have never had nor used fully adjustable shocks before so am in a quandry over this .

Wow, it just gets better and better, doesn't it? Poor car hasn't seen a lot of TLC recently! :omg:
I would think about fitting a PRRT instead of the standard thermostat too, if I were you. :shrug:

David with all that is going on that thought had not crossed my mind .................................... thank you. As I don't know what is involved in that I will have to do some web searching to find out what is involved.

Meanwhile in the biting cold wind have managed to get the damaged plastic inlet manifold off and yep sure enough it was one of the leak sources :slapme: but what gets me is that someone has had it off and tried to bodge it with black silicone sealer. I found at least three different types of nuts holding it onto the head and the jiggle valve totally blocked and we now know why the coolant stopped returning to the tank:-

Notice the silicone sealant bodge. There was also a selection of different type nuts holding the manifold in place so new nuts will be bought to fit the replacement manifold.

The hollow in the head between the ports is stained pink from coolant loss.

This is what was scraped out of the coolant gallery that feeds the jiggle valve in the inlet manifold:-

It's a granulure reddish stuff and I am not sure if it's rust from the inside of the steel coolant pipes or K-Seal or Radweld of something equally as horrible:-

However it now looks like I may have to remove the head to clean this gungy stuff out and perhaps had better remove the underfloor pipes to flush they clean and carefully check their internal condition for rust and pitting .................................................... hmmm might even be better off just fitting new S/S pipes. Will give this some thought.

Whomever owned this and ran it was a right nightmare the more I dig the more horrors are uncovered and the chances of having this car running and on the road for the Drive you classic day in April are getting lower and lower.

OK have sorted out some bits needed such as:-

N/S headlight
Radiator
Clutch slave cylinder
A Blue drivers door handle ......... to replace the broken one fitted.
Front Sub frame of course with new ball joints and TRE's

Although that is only a small dent in what is needed.

Due to the damage to the plastic manifold have bought a TF 135 alloy one to fit in it's place along with new gaskets of course

At least it's in the right hands now pelz. I'm looking forward to seeing it when its all done, keep up the good work

It looked like this one would be fairly easy ....................................... well that's what I thought but it's turning to be anything but. The intention of keeping it almost factory condition is already out fo the window after all they never had alloy inlet manifolds and plenums but the plastic one is damaged and warped no doubt due to the over heating and it had been giving trouble for some time from the look at the attempted fixes. Am hoping that the muck can be flushed through the engine and heater pipes. As we are going to replace almost all the coolant hoses these won't need doing.

Never noticed until this morning whilst wrestling the thermostat housing out. It would apper tha she has had a new HG and not so long ago looking from the still shiney gasket visible in places. if one looks at the photo witht eh clogged up water way one can see the nice shiney gasket in the ehad joint. It's also visible at the other end of the block .................................... Hmmm makes me wonder just how well it was done if the bodge on the inlet manifold was done at the same time :oops: .

Anyway the hubs are off and top ball joints undone. Have ordered soem Bilt hamber Deox-c and a large platic ub with lid. When it gets here will mix up 20 litres and drop the whole hubs into it minus the ball joints and let them pickle for a while to kill and remove the rust ready for painting. Am fitting new wheel bearings so they won't matter although it might be worth having the flanges ppressed out first i suppose. Will enquire at a garage and see what they want to do this. Also not got a socket to fit the flange nust at teh moment so that also needs to be addressed.

Despite having to take the hound to the vets this morning we managed to achieve a fair bit including:-

1) Disconnect and remove slave cylinder

2)Get clutch release arm moving

3) Undo final bits connect front sub frame to body

4) Jack body higher and move stands further back for clearance

5) Find length of wood to support sub frame

6) Lower and remove sub frame

7) Remove front spheres

And here is where we are at:-

So next is check the spheres and remove the refurbed sub frame from the donor body then move it over and slide it into position the raise up and fit into the 75th body. So we have a busy few days ahead. Oh yes the front hubs are soaking in a solution of Bilt Hamber deox-c to remove and kill the rust on them along with the tower clamps for the spheres. Tomorrow will take them out and rinse them off then dry. The hubs will have the flanges removed that is assuming I can get the nuts undone. Have new bearings coming so would like to get the flanges out so we can paint the hub easier.

The Deox-C seems to work these are the splines from the front hubs:-

And here with a coat of paint:-

They also have a coat of lacquer on them. The hub knuckles are at the garage with the new bearings waiting to have the old ones pressed out and the new in. The knuckles need painting and will do that once the new bearings are in.

Meanwhile the refurbished sub frame was put in this afternoon after the snapped off inner front bolts had been drilled out of course:-

and in place with new bolts and new rear mounts:-

Next it's fit the knuckle pins then spheres then radiator hoses and the new radiator. After that we are stuck until the front hubs are back and the splines refitted.

So we shall begin to fit the rest of the coolant hoses so need to get the rest of the bits to do so. Lots to do and still get such as:-

Front brakes
New flexi hoses for the front brakes
Fit new braided S/S hoses to the rear brakes
Fit and bleed slave
Strip the rear suspension to replace the bushes
Check rear brake calipers.
Paint engine coolant rail and re fit
Fit alloy inlet manifold lower
service engine

That will keep me busy for a little while at least........................................ but we are making progress. Visible progress at that!

Due to horrible gale types winds we have been experiencing here not much has been done. However the front hubs are at a local garage to have the old rusted bearing pressed out and the shiney new bearings pressed in. Should collect them by lunch time Wednesay so that they can then be painted. Right now they are stripped bare to remove and kill the rust that was on them. This stripping revealed that the inner edge of the out race of the bearing had actualy started to rust away. No wonder they felt a bit rough. Once painted they can be built back up with the new top ball joints ready for the new brakes.

Ahhh yes brakes ......................................... :slapme: the originals are in poor condition so Bigg Red was contacted for a rebuild quote :omg: which came in at £250 for the set of four which included their "set" discount ......................................... I know that I have seen Bigg Red mentioned and even recommended on several forums but must say some folks have more money than sense. Found a motorfactors with an ebay shop that can supply a pair of reconditioned front caliper for under £100 and when you retrun your old calipers you get a rebate back. This is much better than Bigg Reds quote for £130 for the fronts.

However as were in the region of these figures another option springs up ........................................................ brand new alloy AP 2 pot calipers which are being offered from between £90-£120 per pair. Of course these not only use and fit the larger 304mm Trophy discs but use the superior opposed piston design for the caliper and I beleive the piston are also of a larger diameter than that found in the standard sliding caliper. So I am looking into the availability of replacement pads for these AP calipers and if that proves to be OK then it looks like this is the way we shall jump. One reason is that we also need new discs and right now ECP in their ebay shop have Pagid Trophy 304mm discs on offer so this makes them about the same cost as the standard 240mm disc. Then we just need to get some new S/S braided hoses for the front and it's done.

Then onto the rear ..................................... and time to strip the rear suspension down for refurbishment and new bushes. Have not checked the rear brakes for function as yet but the hand brake was operrational so hopefully the ham fisted "Muppet" of an owner ot fitter has not bee loose there

It's not all been do nothing as the engines coolant rail has been cleaned derusted flushed through then painted with red caliper paint whcih should take the heat of the coolant .................................... I hope. Wanted some bright yellow but could not find any locally and a tin of yellow heat resisting paint seems to be exensive for what it is and how much I need so as the red was on hand from the AP caliper refurb on "Elsie" that was put to good use.

Well bit the bullet and am waiting on the delivery man now for the new AP Racing 2 pot calipers from MG Mania along with new longer caliper mounting bolts .............................. Easter has got in the way. Have a new pair of Apec 304mm discs coming too It will be interesting to see how these 2 pot calipers fit and if they clear the 16" Le Multispoke wheels or need spacers like the 4 pot calipers do.

We are making progress even if it's slower than I would like. The drivers side hub is now fitted:-

Complete with new bearings:-

All new ball joints torqued up along with the hub nut. Even bought new shock absorber bolts for the upper radius arms along with new nuts. Need to swap that scappy looking tower clamp for a better one and get the passenger side sphere in place so the hub can be fitted. Got the new radiator in place and both hoses connected but still need a good radiator fan for it.

In the engine bay we have been refurbishing stuff and painting to protect from the elements. The engine coolant rail is derusted and painted:-

and the TF 135 manifold arrived and has been stripped cleaned and the plenum painted:-

Which now matches the TV5 TB that was painted the other week. The manifold and coolant rail are only mocked up no gaskets fitted so we can sort out the wiring connections etc. It seems that the lower manifold is going to have to be drilled and tapped to hold the green Inlet temp sensor which the TF does not use but the 120 MPi does. Will have to make a insulation bush for the sensor to avoid heat soak from the alloy giving erronous readings. Have swapped the fuel rail and injector loom over from the plastic manifold but used the fuel return from the TF alloy one so the bolts line up.

It also looks like replacing the water pump will be a good move:-

It looks a bit shabby to me not to mention rusty. So that means belt and tensioner at the same time really. Trouble is that I tried to undo the two engine mount bolts and they are not budging :nonod: :bang: . So need to give this some more thought whilst I get on with the rear brakes and suspension over haul. Am de-rusting a pair or rear radius arms at the moment then they will be painted ready for new complaince bushes etc which have yet to order so need:-

Compliance bushes, washers and nuts
Arm to hub bush.
Radius arm inner bush to subframe.
Probably new top ball joints

Am also considering new hub bearings in the rear as well. We know the hand brake works but will clean the calipers and paint them if they are deemed fit for use. New Braided hoses are here waiting to be fitted but still need to sort out rear shocks......................................... so plenty to do still and so little time.