Slow, Slow, Stop,Go !

Another confusing title ?
Well what else would you expect from good ole Lostsock.

Very little progress has been made this year. Mostly due to the weather ( winter !!) However now the summers here its time to get a move on.
There are only two things to possibly prevent this :-
                                                                                     a/. The Weather
                                                                                     b/. Money
there is also another possibility, work. Our Rota's been changed to a 38 week cycle with supposedly more weekends off, fewer night shifts and less 7 day continuous shifts. Six weeks in and it feels a lot worse than it looks on paper. Maybe I just chose a crap place to start and I know the two people responsible for the rota worked very hard to make it fair/better or that we are still understaffed by 20%. Rant over, back to things MG.

I left the MG in a bad state engine wise tuther winter which saw last summers engine start up mix oil and water together (again) after head re-skim, pressure test, block head stud hole chamfer  and new Payen gasket. So, I've had all winter to re-think after some considerable considering a new/refurbed/second hand "good"/complete engine out/rebuild thinking it may be that the block is cracked.

After some discussions with knowledgeable people I've come to the following conclusion.
Cast Iron blocks rarely crack hence the design of core plugs. Twas the discovery of two leaking ones that lead me to suspect a cracked block in the first place, the oil/water mix confirmed this after the head skim.
I was wrong.
 It is more likely that the head studs have " bottomed out" or some dirt got between when fitting the head. So, come time off of more than one day that coincides with a dry wind free day and wife has not nagged about some doom laden urgent DIY task to be done, I'll start on the engine.

Firstly is a good tidy up of the driveway then to the cars inside where all my tools and stuff are stored.
What prompted the post is that I've just done a big spurt of DIY garden related stuff viz :- removed front fence to be painted by wifey ( done, waiting purchase of new fence posts and me/son1 to refit) chopped down three large conifers and took to dump-it site (70% wifey 30% me). In a fit and flurry of "got to do it now" from wifey, she's been a blur of activity and arranged a professional tree surgeon to remove the huge Douglas Fir tree in the back garden ( and take it away) and he needs good access along the driveway to his tree munching machine. So since the MG has developed flat tyres at the front and he said it needs to be "repositioned" out of the way of lumberjack type blokes with chainsaws, a local garage put wind in them for me. A very helpful chap he was too and a classic car enthusiast ( He has a 2.8 Capri). The local fillings stations wind machine that just emits continuous burps of 20/30 psi just wouldn't do the job. Helpful chappies machine give 150 psi max,  and he did it for free.

To keep it interesting here's a shot of the "Mix" Opposite # 4 cylinder.

and the new Black Payen gasket before head fitting.

 I hit a crappy section of the Rota now which means lots of 4-12pm shifts with midweek days off. So wish me luck that fate, the weather, Wifey becomes nagless kind/ charming and enthusiasm/wisdom returns. Sounds like the strapline for "The Perfect Storm".......Hahaha......int life great !

Its been how long.............!!

Looking at the date of the last post has made me guilty and a little embarrased that I've ignored all you followers and the MG.

So to keep you all up to date, The life of lostsock is as follows in no specific order of importance or date :-
Got permanent contract at work, following straight on from early Feb 2013 temp contract end.
Son twin 1 off to Stafford Uni Sept 2012
Daughter twin 2 considering other offers from many Uni's after year off.
Spent most of last 6 months with me and/or wifey trolling cities for twin 2's choices of Uni ( Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester x 2, Sheffield, Bristol, York, Leicester and Nottingham - All Medical stuff)
Spent fortune on my (Wifeys Clio) as it was our (my ) only means of transport to/from work.
Bought new-ish Peugeot 207 for better mpg/commuting/running costs ( Wifey has her Clio back..yay)
Finances take a hit since kids are no longer kids anymore and despite me earning, overall income is lower !!
The weather since Sept 2012 has been crap, finances low and motivation for MG completion low.
Working shifts at a busy NHS trust makes me very tired and weeks without seeing daylight have become normal.
And last but not least..............motivation to finish the MG is back ( as soon as the weather improves, and I get the time off for more than 2 consecutive days)

So a recap MG wise. The engine is maybe no good. Its puzzled me the last 6 months as to why oil/water is mixing. The head  has been off, skimmed and pressure tested and re-fitted with a Payen gasket and torqued down correctly.
Maybe I've not cleaned out all the Mayo from pre head off test run. Maybe there is a crack somewhere in the block........how do I find out though ?

I've decided not to worry about it now since the engine is full of oil and good quality antifreeze. I'll do what I typically always do...ignore it. The worse case scenario is a new engine ( £1200 full recon with warranty or risk buying second hand block to rebuild myself)
However with so much bodywork still to do and the brake/clutch masters not functioning 100% the immediate work will all be bodywork related. Typically fitting windows and winder mechanisms. Aligning doors and bonnet and wings. Repairs to rear window and rear wing underside.

And so it goes. More news as it gets completed............soon with photos hopefully.

Forgot to say also Ive managed to delete the mass ( 95, yes 95)  spambot messages left as comments offering everything from financial advice to sex toys. Unfortunately I may have accidently deleted some of your comments too, so sorry. Please repost as I can't rescue them and I need the encouragement.

Life at last !!!!!

After 6 years .....it moves !!!
Brakes iffy, partial clutch, battery takes no charge and no exhaust but it moves.

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.