How's this fit together ?

After a lovely holiday in Greece and some new found enthusiasm I set too bolting back the engine bay ancillaries.
First up was emptying the gearbox of oil. I did this a few weeks ago but left the 4 litre milk container in situ whilst I holidayed. I wondered long and hard about the amount to put back in. Several of the usual sources said 4.5 pints ( UK pints) some said 6 pints. WTF ? Well almost 4 pints came out as I've the plastic milk container to prove it. More searching  revealed that the gearbox ( with Overdrive takes 6 pints) luckily found the  answer in my Haynes manual, who says men don't read the instructions.
Filling up was a farce. First I undid the wrong topping up bolt. I knew from my meanderings it was tricky to fill up the gearbox as the filling hole is rather awkwardly positioned. I assumed it was just out of sight under the firewall/scuttle and just ( only just) accessible from the engine bay. It was a real struggle undo the nut with very limited access. How to fill/get a funnel/pipe in there though ?
                        As it happens whilst reading the Haynes manual I read the following chapter and it all came to light, viz-:
1/.   Drain the Overdrive at the same time as the gearbox, they share the same oil.
2/.   The filler plug is also a filler/leveller plug and is located on the LH side of the gearbox, access from underneath the car.

That cheered me up no end as I now had a definite plan to work to and as long as I remembered to replace the drain plugs we're off to a flying start.
That was the easy bit.
Removing the filler plug was easy enough, I had TWO sizes of funnel to re-fill with and a mighty Pneumatic hose length ( 400mm) to do the job.
It was too big in diameter to fit into the drain hole !!
More rooting around in the many plastic boxes and food bags inside the car gave me the ideal pneumatic hose size. This hose came directly off a PBE- P14, 5 Ton hot stamping machine that had been skulking around in my old "work" toolbox ( the hose, not the machine), along with a multitude of pneumatic fittings and metric nuts, bolts and washers. A quick soak of one end in wifeys favourite mug + boiling water saw the end slip over the funnel nicely.
I even had a calibrated measuring jug left over from the brake bleeding session. Or should that be "bleeding brakes" ? Max capacity 2 pints. No worries, 3 jug fulls should be perfect.
                      Well what a performance. It took ages for it to run down the pipe/ funnel and into the gearbox. At least 45 mins per jugfull (2 pints), maybe longer as I kept scroaming under the car to wiggle the pipe, lose some dribbles, mop up,  pull the pipe, shake the car and ponder on the carb linkages I put together wrongly.
After 2 jugs (4pints) I called it a day. After all it was 5 pm on a Saturday and my team had lost at home.
The following day saw me up early and at it like a man possessed.
Between the 5 minute top ups of the small funnel I loosened the RH carb and  turned round the throttle linkage, fitted the springs and throttle cable, oil cooler and pipe ends, fitted the Alternator and coil, and found the radiator, hoses and screws.
                    The alternator was a swine. When first fitted the pulley was not in line with the other two pulleys, at least half a pulley forwards. Loads of head scratching, spannering and jiggling saw me put it back as it was to start with, as brute force and ignorance was needed, not careful logic.
                So the moment of truth will arrive in the next week or two.
What moment of truth I hear you ask !
Well I have my suspicions that the block is cracked.
a/. two core plugs have been tapped firmly home after weeping rusty water
b/. emulsified oil, hence the head gasket change
c/. I left it all winter full of water with no antifreeze in, hence above.

So next up is another purchase of B&Q's 20/50 cheapo oil, Winns engine flush and decent anti corrosion/anti freeze for the start up/

Before that though I have to put a large coach bolt through the driveway gate or I can't open the gate without fear of it falling on beloved MG. Then enlist help pushing car down drive, reversing it out and back down the drive so I can start it nose to nose with family Clio runabout as "jumper". Not that easy with Son No 1 now away at Uni and only 2 girly girls in the house.

Wish me luck.

Bye the bye.........Why no comments ?  Listen guys i need em. Its a lonely life being skint and clueless. Go on help make my week.