two steps forward... etc

Where can I begin. The shortage of cash and other domestic/professional issues have slowed things down to a less than walking pace.
I purchased a new flat wheel/wire brush thingy for the grinder to finish off the last two wheels.
However, since there is no front suspension fitted I didn't feel like using the jack on the diff to totally raise the car from the ground. The way things have been of late I'd probably drop the car and be unable to raise it again. So that was out. It'll have to wait till the front suspension  is finished.
What else has been done then ?
Not much. Ground down the RH front bumper chassis front in readiness for the chrome bumper mounting.
The brake calipers got my attention next.
The RH side caliper was split and it was impossible to remove the cylinders. They were almost fully in.
A quick trip to the local filling station to use the air line to try and blow them out was a miserable failure. The air line end only accepts tyre valves.
Nearby was a local garage on a run down industrial estate. I'll try there I thought.
Big mistake. I only needed a quick blip of an airline on the brake hose and job done, but.
The reception was very swish. Round about there was evidence of high performance cars, Porsche, BMW, Jags and a very nice pristine MG midget. At least they might help.
The elderly snooty receptionist greeted me with a curt "Yes". I explained and she replied " are you a customer of ours ?".
Needless to say after 5 minutes of waiting I gave her a get out clause on her return " They're too busy ?" Yes she replied.
So I hot footed to my local repair man who was very obliging. I must add I'd just paid him £350 for the MOT and stuff on the Renault runaround ( Wifeys car).
The LH caliper/cylinders were in a much worse state. Crusty with rust and oily gunge. There was no way a blast of air was going to remove them.
Despite three soakings in penetrating fluid there was no movement, not even round ways let alone outwards.
I desperately ground a clean face onto the ends of the cylinders and welded a steel bar to them so I could apply some leverage.
Well after three attempts, all resulting with the steel breaking free of the weld I resorted to a more logical engineering solution.
I drilled and tapped an M6 hole in the centre of the cylinder and tried using a screw to force it out. Trouble was I wasn't sure if the threads were stripping or not. So, I drilled/tapped three more holes on the inside of the cylinder and tightened in a circular sequence. Bingo, out it came.

top left is the offending cylinder ( with prising out bolts still in situ. Just look at the rust and crud on it though. Bottom right is the same caliper. Rusty but not too bad and should clean up nicely.


The seals were easy to remove and these will be renewed, but also the cylinders need replacing = more unexpected cost, plus the hoses could do with new ones + £ !!.
Eventually in a pit of despair I removed the bump stops. Not easy at all. They were thankfully in good nick so i painted them and the following day re-fitted. It took the best part of the afternoon to attach the 4 nuts per side. The access was fiddly and restricted and not easy with baggy latex gloves on. let alone trying to get the bracket in place and thread the nuts through. I eventually had to drill one of the mounting holes on the end of the cross member out to M10 from M8 to allow the bolts in and the angled top seat properly. I must say its a crap design and allowing bolts to pass through aluminium and steel had corroded the bolt un-spinnable, hence the need for drilling.
The painted Armstrong damper were fitted next. The LH side went on no probs, if a little fiddly with the two bolts nearest the inner wing. The access was again restricted and very little room to swing a spanner. The wifeys kamasa knuckle wrench helped though.
The RH side was a different matter. The inner bolts would not seat and "grab" the threads. I removed them several times and each time with little movement possible failed.
I left it for another day. This time with some gentle persuasion ( hammer) and only attempting one bolt at a time in it ( they, the two nearest the inner wing) went in. TFFT. It still took two hours though !.
Until more money comes my way I'll be concentrating on the bodywork. There are lots of little rubbing down/filling/sanding/wet/dry-ing to do and this is definitely cheap to do, but very boring.
Uni has a few more weeks to run on placement before the final one day assessment ( I failed the last one in unusual circumstances -  along story and very depressing ). I did have a job offer which made the episode bearable, but as of a few days ago this was withdrawn. Real bummer, and not much on the horizon either.
Still, I'm trying to remain positive. If I don't sink into a deep depression first.

grinding out a result

The title refers not actually to grinding but the wire brush thingy. Same thing though, it spins very fast and can do serious damage to car and body.
Today saw me get to grips with another two road wheels, since its about the only thing I can do without some cash for the mass of front suspension parts needed.
I have two wire wheel brush thingies. a cup shaped wheel and a straight flat wheel for the grinder and another smaller cup wheel for the drill plus a good curved and flat handled wire brush.
I started with the flat wheeled brush in the grinder and after 2 hours one wheel cleaned both sides !
I was getting tougher on the second road wheel as most of the bristles had gone and it was very difficult to get inside the "join" of the Rostyle.
So, carried on with cup brush till disaster struck, the grinder just died. No amount of shaking and tapping would bring it back to life.
After lunch I sat down and took the grinder to bits. Couldn't see anything obvious, brushes o.k, switch o.k, power to, good. Then it dawned on me, the fuse !!.
What a wally, 30 mins wasted on what should have been the first thing I should have checked.
Doh........
Anyways, here is the scuttle in primer as promised last time



Not very exciting I know, however I've now done the lower section too. I don't look as good as access was tricky in some areas and its not visible when the grille is in. I'm sick of the black paint that's everywhere, this car in the past had one hell of a colour change from White to Black. Now I've decided its definitely going back to White. Which White though ?  Wifey likes Old English white, I prefer Glacier White. Anyone know what colour it would have been when made in 1977 ???
I have husbandly duties next few days so may get more time over the weekend to finish the wheels off (five seems a very big number thinking of the time spent grinding them, 2 and 3/4 done2 more to do !)
More soon...ish

more to do too ( two) 2

So, on an overcast Sunday I did what I wanted, sort of !.
I tackled the front bumper mounting ready to fit a chrome bumper mounting ( eventually, when purchased- I have the chrome bumper, but not the fitting bracket)

The scary grinder made mincemeat of it. see above. I still have the top box section to remove ( the part behind the grill) but wont do that till I've decided what type of grill to buy.
Now I've had time to reflect and give some logical thought to it I think I've cut it back too far. It is level with the crossmember. The diagram and instructions I've seen from the NAMG register shows the original rubber bumper mounting end plate still in situ with only the top box section cut back. Oooh Errr !
So I moved on to something else as the neighbours were out and about outside and trying to enjoy their Sunday too. I wire brushed the rusty crappy back plates with the grinder and whire wheel cup brush thingy. I then painted with the Hammerite rust converter, left to dry and painted with Hammerite matt black. It was a pain to apply as its so thick, however doing this will save about £14 on a part thats not vital or is seen. I also painted the shorter springs I purchased a couple of years ago. This time I used a different matt black paint that was a lot thinner and they looked a treat ( they were an inexplicable light blue colour !). Then I collated all the suspension nuts, bolts, washers and things and labelled them LH or RH. I was afraid of mixing them up, the RH stuff was on drivers seat/rear tailgate/bucket and the LH stuff was in the passenger foot well.
That done, wire brushed the washers and bolt heads and painted matt black I put them away.
Then that's where I started to go backwards.
I spent ages trying to removed the LH nuts and bolts from the hub to disc. Last time I had to drill them out.
This time I had to also. Trouble was the 1/8" drill bit was blunt and dull. Then a brainwave. I clamped grinder into workmate and sharpened drill bit. It took me back 35 years as an apprentice toolmaker. I was then forever grinding drills back to a neat cutting point and it was a knack I'd not lost.
So, after one and half hours the two parts were separated. Long time ? yes, the trusty Bosch electric drill was overheating big time when it was time to use the 3/4" drill bit, so I interspersed this with trying to remove the LH kingpin spacer from the stub axle.
What a performance. The RH side slid in and out like an old sea boot, or even precision engineered part utilising a H7 - f7 sliding fit.
The LH side had been hammered in and would not budge. I had to use the bolt and the inside of an old rubber bush copper liner. Even the it was tough with lots of faffing. Look at the spacer tube once removed. Its been roughly (very) ground to be a hammered in fit !



This now explains why the steering was very heavy ( and why the LH side wishbone holes were Oval )
It also means I need a new kingpin and spacer to add to the growing list of unsuspected faulty parts.
    After some searching "Watford Classics" can supply the bottom half only + kingpin, second hand for £20 so its not as bad as replacing the whole hub assy at £60 ish.
And I thought I had only to remove the suspension parts, paint them, put on new lower spring and bushes and jobs done. Haa ! 9 months later and the cars still on the axle stands and immobile.
I did tackle the front scuttle with the hand held wire brush and it looks somewhat better.

This is the "before " shot. I'm still looking for the "after" photo.     more soon folks

A little more done means even more to do

Had a great end to my two weeks and a bit off.
Finished the dissertation for Uni ahead of hand in date and well before the extended Easter break so had it very easy, albeit with little or no cash. I packed in the Saturday night job to concentrate the final push at placement, exams and dissertation.
The weather has been glorious and not one day of rain, only sun, sun, sun and a little breeze.
It was doubly difficult since this time or year sees my birthday and inevitable cash for parts come my way. However, my b'day is on the last day of the hols hence the frustration at not having the money earlier, but plenty of time.
That said I have a small sum to spend wisely, but probably not on what I thought all through winter.
I did plan to re bush (Polybush) all the front suspension so its all removed and painted up from September last.( see a few posts ago RE all laid up for winter)
I made a list then and it comprised :-
Poly bushes + roll bar bushes
2 top damper nuts and bolts ( mine were welded on at the nuts !)
2 Brake discs ( well and truly rust bound and scored beyond belief)
4 Nuts + bolts to hold disc to hubs ( why not 8 I here you say, I'll explain later)
2 Inner grease bearing retainers
1 set of shims
1 set of brake pads + pins etc
2 back plates
2 or 4 bottom wishbone arms (see photos of painting/removal..viz oval hole. Is it wise to replace only one side ??)
Misc split pins
Grease...how much and what type ?
       I also needed other stuff that was left pending from other little flurries long forgotten about viz:-
Duck oil releasing fluid

Main Engine to oil cooler pipe ( yes I know I should have bought two but I thought the one on the oil cooler I bought from E-bay was o.k - I was wrong)
Flexible clutch pipe ( leaking badly- and in a awkward place too)
I'm sure there's more suspension parts I need but have forgotten, and there's lots more other stuff
such as :-
Inner wing splash panels
front spoiler + mounting bolts/nuts
seam sealer
One wing attaching bolt set
One door bolt set

Anyways, enough of lists, I seem to spend my entire life either making them or thinking of making them.
The last day of my hol saw me wend my way to Thoresby Hall for a classic car show.
And a very good show it was too. I went alone so as to have no distractions and enjoy myself at my own pace. I bought said clutch flex pipe there too for a bargain £4. Normally at least £8 to 10 from the usual suppliers. I was initially billed as a "Mini" east of England show but there was much much more.
Lots of vintage motorcycles and scooters, American 60's monsters with fins ( fantastic, god how much do they cost to respray ??) Triumphs TR2,250, 3,4,5,6,7,8. Many MG's of all types, Humbers, Datsun 240Z's, Fords from the 70 &80's, TVR ( some nice Tuscans) Lotus Esprit ( My dream car), Eclat, Elise, Europa, 7. Jags, Rovers and lots of pre war stuff . I particularly enjoyed the Lambretta/Vespa scooters too ( more maybe later on that topic). All in all a very enjoyable day and I got home around 2.30 in the afternoon.
Just time for a quick tinker then, to "get a bit more done".
I'll start by replacing the flex clutch pipe I've just bought, it should be easy enough now I have the "wonder duck oil". I bought this a few weeks ago on recommendation and it is good stuff, I released the oil cooler pipe nut from the aluminium oil cooler nut housing without any trouble ( unlike a few years ago when I destroyed the old oil cooler trying to undo said nuts using WD 40).

Ha, how wrong can you be.
I'd done the sensible thing and removed the starter motor to aid access. I also found out that I'd only put one bolt back in last time I had the starter motor out some time ago, so its a job well spotted. WTF is the other bolt though?
After lots of swearing, socket swapping, bruised knuckles, dropped tools, duck oil and more swearing I decided I may have to cut through the f****ng thing with a hacksaw. The gearbox end undid easily but could only move One turn due to the pipe twisting. The other end was held in a bracket level with the side of the sump and comprised of flared steel pipe/union connected to inside of flex pipe, large 7/8" loose nut on outside of flex pipe + 3/4" nut as part of flex pipe ( acting as lock nut) well rusted and trapped on bracket. There was very little room. And to make matters worse the 7/8" nut ran down about 3/4" of fine thread. The 1/2" union was impossible to budge due to its location and rust and fine thread.
I got the hacksaw out again and cut off below the pipe body below the bracket so I could get a socket on it. getting somewhere at last. Uunfortunately whilst trying to stop the top steel pipe and union turning, it just sheared the steel pipe above the union.
Just as well really, I was getting fed up and frustrated after such a good day.

Here's the offending items removed ( the Union has gone......somewhere !)
So that means another part adding to my list just so I can at least move the car on the drive.

Job hunting and interviews are next on the agenda then final qualification and hopefully proper paid employment. May just be able to save some money to complete the suspension. Otherwise its back to the old bind of power brush on grinder and de-rusting stuff and primer application ready for whenever. Keep meaning to do the Rostyle wheels but can't be arsed as its messy fiddly and noisy especially on a hot sunny day with neighbours all outside. ( did one last year and it looks good in primer though)

More soon folks. p.s I'm a day older but none the wiser. Time for a drink.  I'm in Theatre tomorrow and up for 6.30 a.m.

Shredded, we can put humpty together again !

It relates to my once super dooper car cover. When purchased for £15 from Argos it was great. Heavy duty polythene/vinyl with elasticated bottom and HUGE.
Time and the elements have done their worse and after two spells of high winds during the evenings has seen the silver cover turn into flotsam in many pieces, all held together by the slenderest of elasticated hems.
A few months ago prior to X-mas I did purchase a polypropylene spun undercover as additional protection as the outer cover was beginning to tear a little ( a lot really). The welded seams seemed to be letting go and had been stapled and silicone glued by me but not very successfully. But, good enough to keep out the snow and rain, mostly.
The first recent spell of wind tore the outer cover well and truly and I fought a losing battle with string and elasticated hook things in such a gale force wind. God knows how sailors go on.The following morning saw me in some despair and quite honestly I couldn't give a **it anymore. Any cash I had needed to go towards the suspension parts. Then the saga of the radiators happened ( household radiators not Automotive) so the MG plight was forgotten somewhat. That and the pressures of Uni and studying made my focus elsewhere.
It was only after another bout of weekend gale force wind was attention turned to the eerrant cover.
Was it recoverable ? ( I mean not literally, but figuratively ) viz could I salvage what was left of it or did I need another.Another was out of the question. Argos no longer sold the cover and similar ones were elsewhere were £45 +.
Another trip to Poundland  saw the purchase of 2 more hook/elastic thingies and some thick but small polypropylene covers, not bad for £3. Wilko's was next and 2 rolls of proper gaffer tape, the re-enforced type.
So one afternoon when wifey was out I removed the cover carefully, nay teased and coaxed it away from the crevices of the car and deposited it on the kitchen floor ( largest open space in the house )
It was a real puzzle.It was all in one piece ( around the elasticated bottom, just) but in several separate "flaps". I was worried about taping the edges and getting one flap or whole section twisted inside out.
The cover is huge and roughly car shaped, had staples in some areas and dry hard silicone glue in others interspersed with dirt and oil in one corner.
Anyways, after lots or kneeling and logical thought it was finally back together and mostly weatherproof.
As a further precaution I taped a thick polythene film in place of the windscreen and rear screen and re-fitted the cover.
If after the first spell of gales I would have had the hindsight to use the two spare wheels to hold the cover onto the car bonnet and roof maybe the damage wouldn't have been so bad. The cover is big and didn't half flap around in the wind.
Hindsight............................the tool of the foolish. Why is it experience is only something you get AFTER you need it !
Look a pretty picture of the current cover done. Just in time too. BBC say the next few weeks are more wind and snowy conditions.

When dreams fade a little

Or , as has been said "the kids need new shoes".

The MG fund has hit rock bottom. Just when I was beginning to dream of summer skies and long uninterrupted weekends working on YooPoo ( The MG, her new name, involving the letter suffix of her registration plate).
Last post I commented that the cash fund was growing quite nicely.
Well now its down to nothing, nought, zero, null, nuffin, zilch.....even bugger all.
Why, well let me explain. You knew I would.
Just before Christmas, Christmas eve actually, wifey asked me to put washing( Towels) onto radiator in conservatory.
Being a good ole Lostsock, and in a good mood I obliged. Only to see a strange bubble in said radiator with a little brown streak running down below. Pushing said "bubble" lead to a very thin stream of water jetting out horizontally into room. Despite my best efforts with the epoxy glue and latterly Mig welder I could not stem the flow. So, after a quick look see from the plumber to empty the rad and cut it out of the circuit a Christmas was spent with one room freezing cold. A Rad would not be available till the first week in Jan , and so it was but with me £ 100 quid poorer. Trouble was that Jan is a very expensive time for us and most people, and Feb sees most of the accumulated Xmas debts paid off.
And it came to pass I felt rather smug at using my hard earned cash to buy the rad and pay the plumber without too much extra debt incurred and some light at the end of the festive financial burden.
As Feb emerged from the torpor of a belt tightening Jan and the light at the end of the tunnel distinctly visible I did the same kindly thing again, yes hung the washing on the radiator, this time in the front room.
Horror of horrors. A huge brown stain down the wall behind the rad and a soaking wet carpet with rusty wet water. It was a big radiator too ( 72" x 37") A quick call to the plumber, a date was set and a price obtained.
£170 fookin quid. And guess what, guess how much I had in my MG pot left ?

No......................... £160 quid, exactly !!   That's OK wifey said I'll lend you the rest, its the least I can do.
I quickly and politely reminded her that its "our" house, to which, made her look ready to rev up for a real argument, so I desisted and went back to feeling smug but a little wazzed off.

Just to make matters even worse, the great windy weekend saw my cover ripped to shreds and the clothes dryer ( The aluminium pole with washing line round ) went and snapped clean into two. A replacement is only £35. Since wifey is in charge of where the washed clothes are dried I kindly offered that she might buy this item. I wish it had been the other way round ( she pays for radiators,I buy rotary dryer) but ,Hey Ho.......it all comes out of the same bank account and does nothing to hide my guilt at having (or not, as of now) actual money to fritter away on a "hobby".
As the title says the kids forever need new shoes. I don't know why ? Son is 17 and spends all day in bed, rises at (usually after) lunch and wears JimJams till bedtime. The only expense he generates is food (Lots and lots, normally beans,cheese on toast, scrambled egg, pies and sausage rolls- I keep telling him I'll not perform the colonoscopy in 10 years time) and an electricity bill that could run a small city from leaving every light on possible and making his x-box so hot you could fry eggs on it. Daughter has a penchant for clothes she never wears, creams and emollients to decorate the bathroom, 45,0000 different hair products and again has the same effect as son for the electricity supply ( Namely leaving lights on) Good ole wifey spends, like me, bugger all but has more of a conscience.
At least she gets to spend the £80 or so quid a week on shopping, which was once a joy now denied me as she does it online.
At least I'll be qualified this summer and hopefully in a job within our good old NHS system.
Perhaps then I/we will then have money ? Methinks a holiday is well due first though, if only. A lottery win of modest proportions will do fine. Not much to ask is it ?

So, in a nutshell I'm well and truly skint. I've already told the landlady ( a couple of months ago) at the pub where I work Saturday evenings I'm quitting come March. So, I am well and truly stuffed, skint, wazzed off (MG wise) and not a little frustrated.
On top of which my health ain't been so good for the last 6 weeks and I'm on my 3rd set of antibiotics.
It could be worse though..........I could have bought a Triumph !!

More soon hopefully, if I've not slit my throat before.

The Bodger strikes

So, a major spot of "bodging has been found on the LH suspension parts.
Half of the stuff was removed a couple of weeks ago without too much trauma. Except the top "A" arms bolt was loose, (Kingpin top) ( Nay...not enough thread actually).
Removal of the castleted nuts and lowering the spring pan was easy enough. I even managed to undo the drop link from the anti roll bar to the spring pan. It was a struggle on the other ( RH) side as the ratchet head was a little too large to allow the socket to sit on correctly and get enough purchase.
So how did I acheive it on the LH side then ?  Simples....I used the universal joint thingy in my ( sorry wifey's) Kamasa socket set, doh ! Its a lot narrower.
So where was the bodging then ?
Since I had free access to the spring pan and the drop link was off I undid the nuts holding on the lower "A" arm. During wire brushing I noticed a large blob of weld ( I first thought it was grease, as one end of everything was covered in 30 year old "stuff") but no. It was weld. I was annoyed and a bit in pain since I was using the scary grinder with the flat wire brush disc in. I managed to "wave it gently" accross my lightly surgical gloved finger, and it stung a bit.
I flipped said arm over to see the full extent of why the weld was there.

Weld ???

Ovality bodge

So, some heathen had welded on a bog standard washer over the oval hole. What a cheapskate. This even makes me look positively generous.
A quick check with MG hive see the arms a a couple of quid each.
More weld was to follow. Whilst engulfed in a cloud of rust tackling the spring pan orifice I noticed a partucularly difficult patch of rust/old grease which the wire brush did its best to worry.
Once the dust cloud cleared and fufferfour had a good look, this is what I found.

Looks like rusty metal in the base was replaced with 3 tons of weld. No wonder the wire brush struggled a bit.

Anyways, I did'nt bother to paint the two "A" arms since I decided to buy new ones. I did paint the pan though, together with all the other stuff removed. Since the weather was good I also removed the anti roll bar ( sway bar for US readers) and had to find a novel way to hang it to dry.



So, there's nothing like showing your undies and smalls in public then, Ha . Hope wifey dont read this.

Mefinks this may be the last of my efforts till springtime, as the feet were freezing as the light faded.

One last point, will the tw*ts who keeps offering me medical "products" via this blog please f**k off, thankyou.

Late addition. The t***s who keep sending me the offers for financial and medical crap have hopefully been thwarted.

Aparrently its the title of the blog post that thier meta-phisers search for. So I've changed it. Lets hope thats an end to it all.

Since not much will happen in Lostsock land MG wise here's wishing you all a merry Christmas and happy new year. If you don't believe in either sorry, your missing a good holiday. 

My cover is broken

That about sums up the weatherproofness ( such a word ?) of the cars cover.
I remember when I bought it and had high hopes for it. One long year ( or is it two) the elements and ruby the cat + other vagrant cat Colin have had their toll on the then excellent Argos cover.
At £15 though I can't complain. Other than it could be better spent on the long list of items I'm likely to need hopefully before winter really sets in.
All I've done since the last post is re-paint the RH  side suspension parts a little, more like touch up. Then managed to remove the LH brake caliper, pads, pins &  back plate. Hopefully on a sunny weekend soon I'll removed the rest of the LH suspension, then pray for cash and more mild weekends so as to assemble both corners and make it moveable again.
       Right now placement at hospital and academic work seems to be taking up all of my time. That and fretting about a sudden inward leak of the elements. In fact, I remember now,  during an odd moment I actually taped up the rear window with black plastic which should stop the annoying dribble of water right into my toolbox. What prompted me to do this was a Saturday intended to be devoted to the RH suspension cleanup/touch-up. On peeling back the cover I was met with the trusty plastic tray toolbox about 2" deep in water. it took a good 2 hours to dry up the boot puddle, tools and tray.
So, next on the must do is another trip to Argos for said giant elasticated silver cover. Hope they still sell it.
More soon peeps with photos..........donations or even comments of encouragement gratefully accepted.

watching paint dry

So, here are some parts painted today. Actually I'm a little disappointed with them. I rushed somewhat due to the imminent rain/wind/darkness since it was mid Sunday afternoon. What would have been ideal is a blasting cabinet and industrial cleaning tank. The Armstrong damper and the inside of the kingpin Assy where caked in years old grease. I did several coats of the foamy degrease stuff and a good wipes down but the grease just seem ed to be "pushed" around. Spent a not long enough time wire brushing like mad then decided to paint. Which paint though ?. I had two options. The Matt black stuff  I did the rear axle with or the Hammerite smooth Matt I purchased by accident. The axle Matt stuff was a doddle to apply and quite runny. Trouble was it lacked the " body" of a newly painted/refurbished  item. It looked more factory finish, i.e cheap for the mass market. The Hammerite was definitely thicker in consistency and not easy to apply ( or clean brushes ). Anyways, due to the parts ( stub axle and Armstrong damper mainly) being less than spotlessly clean I opted for the Hammerite. Looks good though, if not a little too thick and glossy.
                  Since "er indoors" was shouting 30 mins to evening dinner ( Nice homemade Prawn curry with all the trimmings) I packed it away to review next week.
The list of parts needed grows for this corner of the car, viz
Rubber bushes complete set
Inner rubber bearing cover
Grease gun + recommended grease
Top wishbone nut,bolt & washer
New set of split pins
New brake disc
New Brake disc back plate
New Pads, pins and strap/lock tab
New Bolts (4) and nuts - Disc to hub
mixed set of bearing shims

Then probably same for tuther side some time maybe in spring.

And that's on top of the new large oil cooler pipe, small oil gauge pipe/union, clutch rubber hose, brake fluid, clutch fluid.

Its gonna be a long hard winter............more soon folks.
( p.s WD40 is great for cleaning Hammerite off  brushes)

suspended suspension...or suspension suspened ! Part One

Enigmatic title ? Yes that refers to my attempts to undo all the rusted and oily tough nuts on the front RH side.
Since I have no form of oxy/acetylene torch ( or common blowlamp come to that) it was an uphill struggle all the way. Or even an upside down struggle at least.
I last touched the MG a good few weeks ago prior to my exams and subsequent re-sit ( result pending ).
I had managed to remove the brake caliper, split the caliper on the bench the tried to remove the hub as a whole. It was then I discovered I didn't have a socket large enough for the hub centre ( Inch & 1/8th AF)
I tried in vain all the local tool shops in town ( 6 in total) only to be given the same bemused look from all when asking for Imperial sockets.
Good ole E-bay sorted it in minutes, and had it a few days later. When it arrived I tested it on the rear.
I had a shock, the rears are  larger nuts. At first I thought I'd bought the wrong one, but turned out I was just too lazy to lift the front cover to look at the front hub. Why did BL make them different sizes ??
Anyways, I'm not touching the rear hubs, only the front.
So in a fit of pique and guilt trip of non revision I did what I normally do, nothing, for a good few weeks
That is until yesterday.
With most of the day ahead of me I set about the front RH unit again, but this time with the correct size socket. Split pin out and nut off easy peasy, off came the rusty disc and even rustier hub.
Spent some frustrating time trying to undo the outer hub from the disc hub..........impossible.
The workmate with jury rigged "new " jaws is rapidly disintegrating.
It has 4 bolts in from the back with well recessed heads, nuts at the front but even more recessed. And there is very little room at the back, in fact no room to fit a socket over the bolt head.
So, after another liberal dousing with the sweet smelling penetrating fluid I put it to one side and set about removing the spring pan + arms and upper arms.
Disconnecting the ball joint steering arm was easy with some synchronised bashing of two hammers. Timing was essential, as was "feel" since one hammer was of the "claw" type and the other "lump" type = gross weight mismatch. It took about 15 blows in various directions and swing timings then viola, it was free.
The front anti roll bar ( sway bar for U.S readers) came away easily.
Then the problems started. Or one problem in particular.
The bolt and nut through the end ( narrow end) of the top  "A" frame where it attaches to the vertical trunnion had been ...............wait for it

Welded to the frame each side !!!!!!!      It was not even the correct bolt. One side had been a domed head with a spot of weld on the arm to stop it spinning. Tuther side had weld wire and gobs of weld on the nut and arm to stop it spinning.
A nifty slice with the super thin cutting disc in the scary grinder saw the heads sliced off expertly.
Trouble was I was left with two flush faces and a bolt that had been in situ gawd knows how long.
Repeated bashing with punch and lump hammer did nothing, either direction.
So I decided the whole assembly had to come off ( Armstrong damper with two upper wishbones, trunnion connected.
At this point sense prevailed and I took the lower pan A frame outer mountings off.
This was a scary move as there is a lot of force since the spring is forcing it apart.
Fortunately the car was supported on two axle stands so I used the trolley jack to lift up the lower pan to take the strain, undid the and nut and tapped the bolt through.
This was surprisingly easy, and it was the part I thought to be the most difficult job on suspension overhaul.
Careful lowering of the jack let the pan down gently, a few taps with lumpy ( my new best friend) and the spring was free.
I was still left with the top "a" frame connected and the lower one too !!!! albeit at the subframe side.
Since the top bolt ( welded ) would not shift the Armstrong unit complete with drop link had to come off ,so I tried to remove the Armstrong bolts (4).
The front two easy, the rear..............................gawd what a performance. RH side was slow.
LH side near impossible. No socket with my extension would fit ( if I had an extension half its length it may have worked ) but a spanner was a real tight fit movement wise. I think I moved it 1/2 a flat at a time with approx 45 seconds of fiddling to get the ring end located properly each turn, 40 minutes later the last bolt came out. The total time for the other three was about 15 minutes.
Bear in mind this was done with bleeding and sore hands, oily as f*** parts and sideways laying down right on top of our cast iron castelated sewer cover.
Then off the top half came, to join its other partly reassembled friend, fiend and co partner the hub assembly on the trusty workmate, to enjoy some time off in the sunshine bestowed on us this very late summer. As a gesture of complete juvenile frustration and envy I took enormous joy in drowning both twats in perfumey penetrating fluid..

Since that's a lot of text..........and no pictures ( hands and body too oily to get camera from bedroom) I'll leave it for now. More this weekend.

More grunt and groan.....with pictures

Instead of doing the right thing today and yesterday ( revising for exam ) I had a major potter with the MG.

So, fitted all new copper brake pipes. Cor, they ain't half long and complex. The bending them part was easy, too easy in fact. I had the idea I'd get them straight as a die looking ever so neat and tidy. Not a chance !. Still their in and fastened. Some of the P clips were a swine to re-fasten. Namely the one directly below the master cylinder. Two pipes almost went side by side ( with some ungentlemanly language and "persuasion"), the clutch pipe (steel) was in the way as was two thick cables and starter motor solenoid with mass of other wires. The  P clips distort like buggery when bent back then forward as their holes then don't line up.
One under the rear seat was also tough as it was a strap clamp holding the fuel line and another pipe/cable + the new copper line, all had to be fitted into a rubber 1/2 grommet.

The bad news is I have 3 leaks. One oil leak cured easily on the front oil cooler/pipe union. The union was leaking, cured by buying and fitting a new oil pipe. I was dreading removing the nut from the pipe as where it attaches to the Aluminium oil cooler as last time I sheared off the base thus ruined the oil cooler. The new cooler was a second hand purchase from good ole E-bay, bought and fitted a least two years ago. Trouble was I used the old pipes that came with it ( attached at oil cooler end) since they were better than mine.
Unwise move. During the last start up it leaked/ nay dribbled out.
So its repaired now with a brand new pipe. I have to buy another pipe now as I'm not risking the other one.
as you can see from the photo I still have the  Union to undo from the cooler. Tried today and it wont budge.

I'll leave it to absorb some penetrating fluid for a few days.
The other oil leak was at the engine end of the oil gauge pipe. Again I'd bought and fitted a new one ages ago but noticed a very small leak again at start up. I knew it would though. To fit it was a nightmare as its very inaccessible and I crossed/stripped the threads in the end of the hose. So another one is needed..again.
This time I've removed as much as possible to gain better access so as not to make a balls up of it.

The other leak is new, its hydraulic,  coming from the connection of the short rubber pipe to the clutch housing cylinder. This again is in the most inaccessible of places, below the starter motor solenoid and very close to the new copper brake line installed and between the gearbox and engine chassis rail.

So I did what I normally do on these occasions.........did something else on the car.

Removed the brake caliper + hose and attempted to remove the hub. Failed miserably. I didn't have a 1-1/8" socket. So whilst all I thought I would need would be new pads then all new rubber bushes it looks like I now need new discs, back plate and maybe pistons too. They are also soaking in penetrating fuel as we speak.

 Here's a view of the somewhat bare disc as I left it today. Incidentally, last night I fractured a rib falling down some ladders at bedtime ( Long story don't ask ) so its all been a bit of a struggle in more ways than one.

Here is one member of the family ( Ruby ) who loves the car....she sleeps in it till the early hours. How the hell does she get in when the covers over and the rubber strap/hook  thingies are on ?

More soon when I've got money to buy parts and the exams out of the way.

Minor potterings lead to (near) disaster and treason

So, fitted the water pump and  fan belt without too much trauma. Quite easy really.
Then decided to tighten the cylinder head bolts and set tappet clearances before starting engine....again.

During the process, well, at the very start I noticed a tappet arm well off centre, how strange !!!
Further investigation showed the tappet rod loose and flapping around at the bottom of its shaft.
More investigation by removing the small valve/tappet chest cover at the front.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There resting on its side and hiding in a puddle of oil was a tappet follower.
It was for the inlet/outlet (forgot now) of No 2 cylinder. I must have not put it back correctly during the head re-furb. They are very fiddly. They are about 2" long ( 50mm) and 3/4" diameter (15mm) with a hole in the end for the tappet rod to drop into. You need fingers like a deformed midget to get them in position and the grip of a python to hold them.
Anyways, did that eventually.
The big problem was getting the valve/tappet chest cover and gasket back on properly. It and the holding nut are directly under the manifold. No finger room at all. Bear in mind its oily too. I must have tried 15 times before biting the bullet and removing loads to access it.
viz. 
carb fuel feed pipe.
Heatshield
4 boingy springs
throttle cable
choke cable
Manifold nuts and stepped washers
4 of the most fiddly and awkward carb mounting nuts ever made
4 gaskets to carbs
inlet manifold
exhaust manifold

After that the cover and thick rubber gasket were a piece of cake.

Which reminds me, during some of the attempts at starting and trying to cure why it won't start unless off the jump leads means plug no 2 mystery solved.

Some time after starting the first time, inspection of said plug was clean as a whistle. No wonder, no spark, no compression, no exhaust ala no valve movement due to errant tappet follower.
No wonder the engine when started sounded a bit loud and rough.
Anyway, now I can't wait to restart, or at least attempt to.

I still have the oil gauge connector seal at the engine to replace, one oil cooler pipe( leaking at its union) at the oil cooler end to refit and replace some cracked fuel rubber pipes ( noticed during makeshift fuel filler /gatorade bottle).

I did remove the ancient selmer alarm fitted together with loads of bodged wiring and find where the mystery switch wires led to ( across the coil connections/ some sort of home made immobiliser device )
I've left this though to remove later.

I also solved the damper arm problem. After buying the kit to lower the rear from MGOC the Armstrong dampers looked at a too vertical angle.
A quick call ( well 2 months after fitting) to MGOC and they sent me the correct ones ( longer, you should still use the RB links even when lowering to CB height )
Spent a frustrating 3 hours replacing since it involved laying on my side and spannering away forever.

Next job is to replace the brake pipes from rear axle to front end, both front corners ( bought and waiting)
Then replace the front suspension bushes.( not purchased yet )
Then rebuild front and rear brakes. Ditto.
Between which I'll probably try the engine electrics again.

The Treason is ........horror of horrors I've been fancying a Lotus Esprit.
And , it was my hero Ed China who started it. A recent episode of Wheeler Dealer whetted my appetite for what must be the most beautiful of all sports cars ever designed. Trust my luck they are a real pain to work on though. Maybe one day well after the MG is sorted and I have money. A V8 would be nice.

Life goes on for poor old Lostsock, having an exam re-sit late August which has really ruined my summer.
Son No 1 behaves like lord rising from bed at afternoon and lounging in jimjams all day. Daughter No1 is just the opposite, full of action and plans giving us no rest. Wifey continues to nag re DIY on the house. So I'm torn between all this and revision for a tough exam in 4 weeks time.
Lets hope for some sunshine and cash.

More soon

Faffing around with fuel..... part IV

What I forgot to say between parts II & III is that I did try again to start the car after the first successful attempts some days later.
It would not start. never, No way.
The cause...........................bad fuel !

Remember I don't have an unleaded head. The fuel was about 10/14  days old. I should ahve known since it was a light tea colour. I dismissed this as mild contam from the plastic ( approved) container I'd previously had Diesel in.
After some research ont tinterweb I found out that fuel loses quite an amount of its octane rating if its just stood, particularly if its small amounts like less than 2 litres.
That's the reason it won't start.....................I'm sure........ish.

One tip I can pass on for all would be restorers of MG's is use a site called BBS.
Its a web ring for MG car restorers and has the best ever Forum. Post any question, General or Technical and your guaranteed to get some sound and experienced advice.
This is the link >BBS Forum   You have to register ( its free and very easy with NO commercial spam/hassles.

Its them who assisted me with my spring conundrum ( yet to be resolved- replacement wise).
Apologies for the delay in getting to the point of the thread. You knew we'd get there in the end though didn't you ?

I have a spare day from Uni/Placement Friday. So, before the big match and work in the p.m I'll put on the new fuel pump, replace the oil cooler pipe with a new one, replace the oil gauge engine block connector, re tighten cylinder head bolt, renew fan belt, set tappet clearances and renew the old wrinkly engine bay fuel pipe, get some new fuel and have another go at starting her up in attempt to find if the alternators charging and the leaks have stopped.

To keep you Interested here's  pictures of new and old fuel pumps.

 p.s I also have yet to finish fitting the new copper brake pipes from rear to front and front to L & R.
So thats enough to keep me busy for a while.
More trials and tribulations soon.