NG TD Refurbishment Page 1:
Introduction: This is the first page in the Emma Blog. The last entry on this page is 03 July 2021 it is followed by 'Emma Page-2:' in the 'Drop Down List Box.
Introducing an NG TD called ‘Emma:
As mentioned under the ‘Pegasus Blog’ I have decided to carry out a rolling restoration on ‘Emma’ my NG TD while the build of Pegasus is on hold.
Emma is an NG TD kit car built in the late 1990’s using a kit from John Hoyle Engineering and registered on 1st April 2000 as an NG TD Roadster.
As I am writing this blog retrospectively the date below each refurbishment article is the date each period of work was published on the NG Owners Club Website.
Emma’s NG radiator badge:
The dummy radiator badge/filler cap suits the car, but to anyone more than the casual observer it is obviously a dummy! The problem is the method of mounting and from a distance you can see that Emma had the badge perched up in the air on its thin threaded base.
What is needed was a more substantial plinth (that looks wide enough to actually pass water), so I turned one up from a piece of black engineering plastic. The size was determined by what was in my goody-box, which was 45mm diameter. After mounting it in the 3-jaw chuck I bored a 22mm hole with a Forstner bit and then took off a 20mm slice.
The job was completed by bolting everything back in place. To me I think it looks better to see what could, or might be, a functional part, as opposed to a decorative ornament.
15 April 2021
Emma’s Oil Pressure:
When I went to see Emma with a view to purchase Dan pointed out some known faults, which are only to be expected on a 21, nee 48 year old car.
One of the faults was a lack of oil pressure, or perhaps more accurately no indication of oil pressure as the pipe to the oil pressure gauge had been broken and the engine oil gallery outlet blocked off. No oil pressure light was fitted either, but the engine sounded ok so I took a chance.
After giving Emma a good service I turned my attention to the lack of indicated oil pressure and on removing the blanking plug realised that it was an airline fitting, which meant that it was most likely a 1/4” BSP thread, which was confirmed by measuring. As well as having a working oil pressure gauge I also wanted an ‘Idiot Light’ and as oil pressure switches are normally 1/8” NPT I ordered a pressure switch off eBay and a 1/4” BSP male x 1/8” NPT female brass adaptor from Car Builder Solutions (Part # ‘ADAPT19’ at £4.80).
In the cardboard box that Dan had donated was a new oil gauge pressure pipe and an adapter with a 1/8” NPT male thread and two x 1/8” NPT female threads. (Similar stainless steel ones are available from Car Builder Solutions as Part # ‘ADAPT27’ at £11.40).
Assembly was by screwing the 1/4” BSP adaptor into the block then screwing Dan’s 1/8” NPT adapter into that. Finally the oil pressure switch and oil pressure pipe were screwed into Dan’s adapter.
With everything connected I fired it up and was relieved to see a good oil pressure with both a cold and hot engine.
I owned a MGB Roadster during the early 1980’s and cannot remember if it had an oil pressure warning light. There was a yellow light on Emma’s dashboard which was inoperative so I decided to use that. On removing the light from the dashboard there were no wires connected, no wonder it didn’t work! Note that this is not Dan’s fault as he paid to have the wiring done by a professional kit car firm, no wonder they are no longer in business as the whole of the wiring on this car is disgraceful!
Removing the ignition switch I found a terminal that was live when the ignition was switched on and took a cable from this terminal to the live side of the bulb. Another wire went from the bulb earth to the oil pressure switch.
Success at last and I now have an oil pressure gauge and a warning light. Last but not least I have put a 1/8” NPT plug into the tool kit; now if the warning light draws my attention to low oil pressure that turns out to be a split gauge supply pipe I will simply remove the pipe, plug the outlet and continue on my way.
19 April 2021
Seat belt extenders:
Emma has Securon seat belts and with the seat suitably positioned (I’m 5’ 10” tall), I struggled to fasten the seat belt.
Investigating eBay etc. revealed that seat belt extenders could be had for around £6 a pair with free postage; unfortunately after checking the spec. I discovered they don’t fit Securon belts. The Securon belt extenders are circa £14.50 and upwards for each extension belt plus post and package.
I was about to bite the bullet and invest just under £40 when I realised that I would end up with buckles where buckles didn’t really need to be, plus the act of fitting them would turn the diagonal strap into more of a vertical strap. What is really needed is an extension to the other end of the belt, rather than the buckle. Securon actually sell a short strap which could be used but they are £20 and upwards plus postage and they only seem to come in red.
A related problem was rusting of the originally chrome plated seatbelt support brackets that are fastened to the upper rear of the seats. Ideally these should have been re-plated but I wanted a quicker solution so they were removed and the rust thoroughly eliminated with an abrasive pad. To finish off I painted them with a combined primer/top coat green aerosol paint, which doesn’t match the paint but does match the green piping on the seats.
An hour in the workshop produced a couple of brackets made from 25mm x 4mm steel strip 9” long (sorry if I flip between metric and Imperial). Margaret (HWMBO), made me some sleeves out of black leather cloth and after some paint and final assembly I can now buckle up my seat belt without breathing in.
So I saved circa £40 and provisionally cured a related problem (the rusting brackets), relatively cheaply. The belt is still diagonal and the buckle remains at the side where it doesn’t dig into my stomach.
The loose switch hanging from the dashboard in the last photo is another story!
22 April 2021
Emma’s Carbs and Throttle:
While carrying out a service after purchasing Emma I found that the engine had a fuel leak (cured by renewing the hose between the two carbs), and an air leak, cured by blanking off the pipe in the inlet manifold that leads to the vacuum advance/retard on the distributer (Emma’s distributer never had a vacuum device fitted). Also there was a considerable delay when shutting down the engine caused by a sticking throttle cable; the immediate rectification was a big throttle return spring but after doing around 20 miles I decided that it needed sorting.
First expense was a new throttle cable (2m of inner and outer Bowden cable** from CBS), plus a couple of solderless nipples from the MGB Hive and a couple of cable adjusters from eBay. I already had a selection of cable ferrules from my old bike hobbies.
Note.
** I discovered later that I f you buy 3m of inner and 2m of outer cable it will be enough to make two cables.
First job was to snip the old choke and throttle cables off at the carburettor end. The choke had a very stiff action and the cable was way too long so I pulled the knob all the way out and cut 4” off the end of the outer cable, then greased the inner cable and put it back in. The other end was treat to a new solderless nipple, then snipped to length; the end result was a nice light choke action.
The throttle cable was much more difficult and the nut securing the bolt that formed the pivot for the pedal was a plain nut that had come loose causing the pedal to flop about. There was no way I could fix that in situ as my best try put my hand a good 6” away from where it needed to be. Biting the bullet I set up an 18” extension with a deep socket and removed the two nuts holding the bracket (the bolts holding it were the two outer ones holding the right hand diagonal body to chassis bracing bar in situ).
With the pedal and bracket removed it was cleaned and greased and reassembled with a Nyloc nut, I also put another Nyloc nut behind it and locked the two nuts together (I’m not taking that bugger apart again!).
Reassembly was a nightmare and at one stage I got very close to cutting an access hole in the side of the adjacent fibreglass bit. Persevering, and with the aid of a long pointy tool (wedged into one of the securing holes for the pedal bracket and used as a handle), the 18” socket extension and some masking tape (used to tape a nut and washer to the deep socket), I managed to get it all back together. Once back in I could see that with the pedal located in its correct position the cable pull was out of line with the cable by at least 20mm; obviously not conducive to a good pedal action. Luckily I managed to change the angle of the lever part of the pedal by some nifty bending work with a Stilson wrench (never leave home without one!).
The original cable had no cable adjusters or ferrules on the ends of the cable and at the throttle pedal end the inner cable simply passed through a washer then a hole in the bulkhead before attaching to the pedal with a solderless nipple. First job was to make a cable locater using a piece of 20mm round aluminium bar suitably turned up in the lathe (first photo). Next I enlarged the hole in the fibreglass bulkhead (to take the cable locator), then drilled a hole in the master cylinder bracket to take a stainless ‘P’ clip (Second photo).
Back at the carburettor end I enlarged the hole in the bracket to take another home made cable locator** (third photo), then fitted the solderless nipple. This revealed that the copper pipe that carried the hot water for the heater prevented a good cable run so longer retaining brackets were made up to move it clear. In the new position the choke cable touched the pipe so a small piece of split fuel hose was cable tied in position as protection against both rubbing and heat. The whole job took around 5 hours, the worst part was the five day wait for parts, Sod’s Law resulted in nice weather but we couldn’t use the car.
Note.
** I had ordered a cable adjuster to do this job but after 5-days it hadn’t arrived so I turned up the aluminium cable locater. Sod’s Law was at its finest and the adjuster arrived the next day.
26 April 2021
Emma’s Cooling Fan Thermostatic Switch:
One worrying aspect when I purchased Emma was that she had green coloured antifreeze; as far as I am aware Bluecol (or another blue coloured antifreeze containing ‘IAT’ (Inorganic Additive Technology), is the only antifreeze recommended for older engines and cooling systems.
Emma also had a water leak where the sensor capillary tube was trapped between the hose and radiator inlet so I dumped the sensor. Following that I initially ran Emma with the fan wired to the ignition so it was on all the time; after around a week I wired it through a separate switch. Since then I have only had to switch the fan on once and that was when we were sitting in front of a Level Crossing waiting for a few trains to pass during Drive-It-Day.
I knew this job might take a few days as it was carried out in conjunction with a major overhaul of the cooling system which I will describe later. A period of rainy weather encouraged me to make a start. Although I had ordered an in-line-union to fit in a coolant hose and take the temperature sender I was reluctant to use it, instead I kept looking at the plastic plug in top of the thermostat housing thinking I could rethread the housing and put the sensor in there. This was why I needed the rainy weather as if I buggered the thermostat housing up there was a three day lead time to get another.
The plastic plug in the top of the thermostat housing was quite large and it appeared to have a deep thread. Measuring with a vernier caliper revealed It would be a close run thing but removing all the thread should leave me with the core diameter of the sender unit.
The thermostat sender had a M22 x 1.5 thread which requires a pre drilled 11/16” hole. Ever the optimist I ordered a suitable tap from eBay at a cost of £12.95. If re-threading the thermostat housing didn’t work I would still need the tap as the back-up plan was to re-thread the 28mm OD in-line-union** I had purchased initially.
Notes.
** If you purchase one of these remember it’s designed and threaded for the smaller sender unit for a temperature gauge as opposed to a thermostatic switch.
Car Builder Solution sell special in-line adaptors to take a thermostatic switch but their smallest size is for a 32mm internal diameter hose and my top hose is 28mm ID, so not a lot of use.
First job in my cooling system overhaul was to remove the thermostat housing and try and re-thread it. I didn’t have a drill bit of a suitable size (11/16”), so decided to remove the original thread with an adjustable reamer, but first you need a good method of holding everything still. That was easy enough as I cut out a scrap piece of plywood, drilled a 1” hole in the middle with a Forstner bit (to allow the reamer to pass through), and then bolted the thermostat to the plywood before putting the whole assembly in the vice. I had to pass the reamer through around fifteen times gradually increasing the diameter of the hole; by the time I had enlarged the hole to 11/16” there was just the barest outline of thread left. This was followed by tapping the new thread. Around 30 minutes later it was job done.
I still have to rewire the thermostatic sender unit to power the cooling fan but checking with a warm/hot engine and test meter reveals the switch is working fine. I have a cunning plan to improve the basic wiring which I will describe later.
Postscript:
If you are currently building a car and having the radiator overhauled then another alternative to the above palaver is to have a ‘threaded boss’ put in the radiator to take a sender unit.
08 May 2021
Adjusting Emma’s Tappets:
Introduction:
I appreciate that many people who build their own kit cars or do their own car maintenance have a good mechanical knowledge and how I am bringing Emma up to scratch may be like teaching Grannie to suck eggs. My articles are generally slanted towards those with more limited knowledge in a particular subject area; hopefully encouraging them to have a go/get a little more involved with their own maintenance.
Adjusting Tappets:
Emma wasn’t particularly noisy in the tappet department but nevertheless I wanted to check and adjust them.
The firing order of four cylinder engines is invariably’1342’ and on the ‘B Series’ engine the distributer rotates anti-clockwise when viewed from above. I always put a red cable tie on number one plug lead which enables you to always put the leads back on the plugs in the right order.
To adjust the tappets we need to turn the engine over which is normally done with a suitable spanner on the bottom pulley. Access is a bit tight on Emma so I adopted the fall-back-method; i.e. take the spark plugs out, put it in top gear, handbrake off and push it backwards and forwards.
On a four cylinder engine with two valves per cylinder we use the ‘Rule of ‘Nine’ i.e. with number one valve spring fully compressed we adjust number ‘Eight’ valve (One and Eight = Nine), hence the ‘Rule of Nine’. When we adjust number Two we put number Seven into the fully compressed condition. You will notice a pattern here insofar as whichever valve you adjust then the one that’s the same number from the other end of the cylinder head needs fully compressing. So the Fourth one from the front is number Four and the Fourth one from the rear is number Five when counted from the front (Four and Five is again Nine).
In practice I never look for the valve spring to be on full compression, I look for the adjusting nuts to be at their maximum height as I find it easier. Some people don’t bother with the Rule-of-Nine instead they turn the engine so both springs in one cylinder are compressed and adjust both valves on the cylinder where both pushrods rotate freely.
Before we can start we need to remove the spark plugs, tie a knot in the lead of number one plug to identify it or use a cable tie etc. for long term/future identification. Now remove the rocker cover which is quite close to the bonnet, as the rocker cover is slightly to the near side of centre it’s easier to remove it from the near side. Emma’s rocker cover is aluminium and a bit crappy so I gave it a quick polish on the buffing wheel and then a polish just to keep corrosion at bay. To do a really good job you need to apply a lot more effort. A rub down with 600** grade wet and dry (I use WD40 instead of water), is a good starting point then go over it with 800 grit then 1000 grit and finish off with 1200 grit. To degrease it I used aluminium wheel cleaner followed by a wash in soapy water. If you have a buffing wheel then now’s the time to use it but leave it for at least one hour to oxidise (a tip given to me by a professional metal polisher), before you start polishing. If you haven’t got a polishing mop then apply Solvol Autosol to a piece of stiff cardboard and rub vigorously.
Note.
** Abrasive grit gets it grading from the number of grits that would make up an inch if laid end to end; i.e. if we removed the grit from grade 600 paper we would need to lay 600 pieces next to each other to achieve an inch of length; therefore the higher the grade number the finer the grit.
Back to the tappets and I found the easiest way was to do everything from the left hand side. The settings are 15 thou** (0.015”), cold. Hold the 15 thou feeler gauge between your fingers and slowly pull it out with the other hand. This is what you are trying to achieve with your adjustment; i.e. a nice sliding fit. Insert the feeler gauge between the end of the valve stem and the pad on the rocker arm. Adjust if not a nice sliding fit. Adjustment is by loosening the locknut (1/2” AF spanner), then turning the adjusting screw with a screwdriver. Keep the screwdriver still while you tighten the locknut. You can test for accuracy by trying a 0.016” (10+6), feeler which shouldn’t go in, then a 0.014” (8+6), which should be loose.
Note.
** Most Imperial feeler gauges also have a gauge marked 0.0015” but this is ‘one and a half thou’, don’t confuse this with the 0.015” gauge, if you do you will burn out your valves.
To replace the rocker cover I like to use Blue Hylomar Sealant; start by applying it to one side of the gasket then stick it to the rocker cover. Leave it for about 30 minutes to get tacky then apply a coat of Hylomar on the other face and lift the rocker cover carefully into position. After checking that the gasket is not displaced fit and secure the special rocker cover fastenings but don’t over tighten.
Finish off by checking the spark plugs then put them back in; some Copaslip grease on the threads is a good idea, now connect the leads in the order 1342.
DON’T FORGET TO TAKE IT OUT OF GEAR BEFORE YOU TRY AND START IT!
Postscript:
Most tappets when correctly adjusted are normally reasonably quiet but several things stick in my mind from my days as a young mechanic.
1. Correctly adjusted tappets make the engine sound like a well oiled sewing machine. Just listen to a Bugatti, “eat your heart out Rachmaninov, a well tuned Bugatti is music to the ears!”
2. A broken con-rod is often preceded by a loud tappet like noise that gets worse, much worse!
3. A single loud tappet noise on a VW Beetle is often followed by the disintegration of number three exhaust valve and a ruined engine.
4. Later Talbot cars had the noisiest tappets I’ve ever heard, even when correctly adjusted.11 May 2021
Emma’s Dashboard:
The recent National Drive It Day (25th April), was our longest trip since getting Emma through MOT some two weeks earlier. During earlier shorter drives I had noticed that with the seat in a comfortable driving position my left knee rubbed the dashboard and my toes were hovering awkwardly in mid air to keep my foot clear of the clutch pedal; when we got back home I decided to do something about it.
The solution was simple enough, “nibble a bit out of the bottom of the dashboard! to give a bit more room for my knee, of course unless you nibble a bit out the other side the dashboard will no longer be symmetrical; but as the missing bit is partly hidden by the steering wheel it’s not really noticeable so I didn’t bother having a nibble out of Margaret’s side (side of the dashboard I mean).
The first thing is to check for the presence of wiring and switch bodies etc. behind the dash, it would be a shame to cut through them; also don’t forget that some previously low hanging hidden wires may now reveal themselves and require moving.
Access for this dastardly deed required removal of the steering wheel** so the opportunity was taken to go over the steering wheel, steering boss and all instrument bezels with some Solvol Autosol followed by AutoGlym polish. I also drilled a 12mm hole (with a Forstner bit), in the dashboard close to the steering column; this will take another toggle switch.****
Notes.
** Removal of the steering wheel improves under dash access considerably. On ‘Kermit’ (my Aero Merlin Cyclecar), I could hardly get in it after I finished building it so I fitted a removable steering wheel. When I finally find or build my ideal NG TA a removable steering wheel will be a top priority.
**** In certain areas of the dashboard toggle switches are not acceptable for IVA unless you fit special guards.
You don’t need to remove much of the dashboard to make a considerable improvement. I marked out the waste with a French curve and felt tip pen, then cut out the bulk with a fret saw (used in the push rather than pull mode to help eliminate chipping of the front face of the facia panel). This was followed by the use of a drum sander in an electric drill to smooth and profile the edge.
I don’t think that my dashboard is standard and before starting I suspected that Dan, the previous owner/builder, had pinched someone’s wardrobe door. Once starting to reshape the dash panel I realised it is laminate faced. It looks a bit like burr maple but I’m not sure what it is a copy of. It’s actually a very nice dashboard and being laminate will not be unduly affected by; wind, rain, snow or sun, so thanks for that Dan!
Tip: - One of my hobbies is woodwork and I often use plastic laminate as an infill. I have found that the best way to trim laminate is with a guided parallel router cutter.
The end result was a considerable gain in comfort. The car was tested on a 32 mile round trip and I and I am pleased to say the modification lived up to my expectations.
As my dashboard doesn’t appear standard this encroachment on the left knee may not be a common problem, however If you consider doing a similar modification there are a few things to bear in mind.
1. The curvature at the bottom of the dashboard needs to meet current IVA rules if your car is yet to pass IVA.
2. If your car is currently in build it might be worth sitting in it for an hour or so (read a book to stop getting bored), this will enable you to get a long term feel for any discomfort.
3. Modifications are a lot easier if carried out sooner rather than later.
4. The shape of the dashboard affects access and egress on a door-less car.
5. If you have a blank dashboard an early change of shape might be advisable before cutting out holes for instruments etc.
30 April 2021
Emma’s Wiring:
I mentioned in a previous post that the wiring on Emma is atrocious! In the short time I have owned her I have had to do quite a few repairs/upgrades. Unfortunately this appears to be quite a common trait with a lot of kit cars I have seen. I think it is particularly ironic that ‘Dan L’ (the previous owner), built a nice car and the specialist firm he entrusted the wiring to managed to make it the worst aspect of the car. Bad wiring introduces a number of common problems; e.g.
1. It is a fire risk, especially in a fibreglass bodied car.
2. It is unreliable.
3. It is very awkward to carry out repairs as there appears to be no rhyme or reason in its construction.
4. Wire thicknesses, fuses and relays appear to be hit and miss.
5. You cannot access the rear of the dashboard.
It is not particularly hard to wire a car yourself! The secret is to break it down into bite sized pieces and then combine it all into a loom; simply wrapping everything in loom tape does not in my opinion constitute a loom! To me single or double wires wrapped in loom tape look awful and benefit from some proper sleeving. If you wrap thicker bundles in loom tape then at the very least seal the ends with amalgamating tape or short lengths of heat shrink.
WHERE LOOMS PASS THROUGH A PANEL THEY SHOULD BE PROTECTED BY GROMMETS. It is NOT acceptable to have a standard grommet that is not suitable for thick fibreglass loosely slipped onto the loom in the vicinity of the panel aperture, see first photo. If you cannot source the correct sized grommet to fit into the thick fibreglass the neatest and best method is to make the hole in the fibreglass larger and bolt a small aluminium panel to the fibreglass panel. Careful routing of the wires will allow a single aluminium panel to be fitted to the bulkhead to which all grommets are fitted and all wires pass through.
The easiest way to wire the rear lights is to use a trailer lighting board cable as the loom. If you intend to use one of the wires as an earth return then the correct wire to use is normally the white wire as it’s the thickest one.
One problem with our NG’s is access to the rear of the dashboard but there is a simple solution. “Make the dashboard wiring loom longer so that the dashboard can be moved to the rear a foot or so if you need to access the back.
The second photo shows this method in action when I built ‘Kermit’ my Aero Merlin Cyclecar. You will note that when working on the dashboard it is supported by its lower edge in slots cut into two wooden blocks, the blocks themselves sit on a board that spans the cockpit. When the dashboard is finally positioned in place the extra length of loom is coiled up and cable tied out of the way; you don’t need to get under the dashboard to do this as it can be done by feel/touch. The third photo shows the rear of the dashboard. If the back of Emma’s Dashboard looked like this I’d be more than happy; but as it is ...........s*@$?
It helps to leave the area around the steering column clear, which allows a hidden switch bracket to be fitted on the outer column. The fourth and fifth photos show a bracket that I had fitted to three different Reliant Scimitars, the last one being a ‘Scimitar GTC SE8B’ that I owned for 23 years; the bracket was held in position by Jubilee clips and is simply made from a piece of cut and bent aluminium angle.
For me Emma is planned to be a relatively short term car to use and enjoy while I find or build my ideal NG TA. As it is I just want to get her reliable and improve her a bit. If I was going to keep her I would do a complete rewire and also change the dashboard, making a new one out of engine turned aluminium. I would also change the rocker switches for toggle switches which I prefer and are IVA legal on a car built and registered before 2010. Additionally I would have the instruments and switches on a separate panel (or panels), that screw into Riv-Nuts or Well-Nuts in the dashboard, a bit reminiscent of an early Land-Rover and old Morris’s etc. This would allow any dashboard work to be carried out without removing any ‘cockpit-roll’ upholstery etc.
Current IVA rules require a large rounded profile on the underside of the dashboard so I would fit a shaped piece of wood to the bottom edge of the dash and profile it with an appropriate router cutter; it can then be covered in leatherette to match the rest of the trim.
05 May 2021
Emma gets a replacement shock absorber:
When I first bought Emma the front right hand wheel jumped up and down like a lunatic. Always ready to try the simple solution first I topped up the shock absorber with 100ml of Penrite oil. 200 miles or so later the oil had leaked out sufficiently for the wheel to start jumping up and down again, time for a permanent cure.
The first port of call was the MGB Hive as reconditioned replacement shock absorbers are a reasonable £39.50, but unfortunately they were showing Nil Stock. On the plus side the abandoned chassis I bought off Mark Sadler had a couple of good shockers that were not leaking and had a full complement of hydraulic fluid. One was quickly liberated from the bottom garage, cleaned and painted.
Notes.
The shock absorbers are not handed but it’s worth putting the middle bolt in the shock absorber arms so the nut is facing to the rear of the car.
When the pin that connects the shock absorber arms to the trunnion at the top of the kingpin is removed the front road spring has a mind of its own. “DO NOT JACK THE CAR UP UNDER THE CENTRE CROSSMEMBER!”
Fitting the replacement shock absorber:
1. Jack the car up under the bottom wishbones until the wheel is just clear of the ground then lower it a fraction until you just cannot rotate it (this stops the top of the kingpin flopping in or out and damaging the brake pipe).).
2. Loosen the bolt that clamps the two shock absorber arms together.
3. Remove the split pin and castle nut from the pin that goes through the end of the shock absorber arms and the trunnion at the top of the kingpin and gently tap the pin out.
4. Remove the four bolts that hold the shock absorber in place and remove the shock absorber.
5. Clean the area and all the nuts, bolts and washers.
6. Loosen the bolt that secures the two arms on the replacement shock absorber and turn it round if necessary so the nut is to the rear.
7. Bolt the replacement shock absorber in place.
8. Cycle the shock absorber lever up and down a few times to displace any air bubbles.
9. Press the shock absorber arms down; if necessary move the top of the wheel to line up the trunnion so it passes between the shock absorber arms.
10. Clean the pin and refit it, I put the faintest smear of red rubber grease on it to help prevent corrosion and make it easier to remove next time.
11. Lower the car off the jack.
12. Fit and tighten the castle nut using a new split-pin.
13. Tighten the nut and bolt in the centre of the shock absorber arms.
14. Re-tighten all the disturbed nuts and bolts after 100 miles.
This is a fairly easy job that can be completed in under an hour.
06 May 2021
Gromit’s Access Ramp:
‘Gromit’ (or ‘Sprocket’ as one of my friends calls him), is our Border collie who we have had from new, he is of course a valued family member and goes everywhere with us. We have had him from just under six weeks old, too early I know, but his mum was a working collie and went back to work and the farmer was eager to get rid of the puppies.
Our family car at the time was a Nissan X Trail and poor Gromit couldn’t manage to jump high enough to get in the back so I made him a ramp which he used for the first six months or so of his life. He will be ten years old next month and although still reasonably fit he has lost a bit of his former agility and cannot now jump high enough to get in and out of the back of the TD without scratching it. What was needed was another ramp!
The fitment of a luggage rack on the back of Emma makes the ramp construction relatively simple. I had kept the original ramp which was made for the X-Trail and all it needed was to remove the hinges and alter the original one piece fold up affair into two shorter ramps.
The photos show the ramp in action. The car is used with the hood down and the ramp only goes in the car when Gromit joins us. Gromit is very well trained and will do what we tell him; pointing to the bottom of the ramp and saying “UP” resulted in him getting in the car. You will note that his ears are down, which means he is not happy; this was his first use of the ramp, I am pleased to report that he now has sticky-out ears again which means he likes going in the car.
Gromit has his own seat belt which connects to an eyebolt in the floor; to connect it at his end we bought a cheap dog harness from LIDL for £8.95. The ramp fits neatly in the car once Gromit is in. “He’s got a lot to answer for that dog!”
22 May 2021
Wiring Emma’s Cooling Fan:
In a previous post I described how I fitted a thermostatic sender unit to control the electric cooling fan. This post will cover the electrical wiring, but first a bit of relevant history. I was a Reliant Scimitar enthusiast for nearly thirty years and in the beginning, like almost everyone else who used their Scimitars regularly I suffered from premature failure of the thermostatic switch for the cooling fan. Eventually I decided to do something about it and completely changed the switch wiring.
Most switches work by switching On and Off the power to the appliance; I modified my wiring so the switch connected and disconnected the earth and I never had any more problems. Now many electricians will argue that the power in an electrical circuit is the same regardless of where you measure it and it makes no difference where you fit the switch, now that’s true but try this simple test. Take a light bulb with a positive and negative wire connected to it. Now secure the negative wire to the negative battery post, touch the end of the positive wire to the positive battery terminal and observe the size of the spark as you make and break the connection to light the bulb. Repeat the test but this time secure the positive wire to the positive terminal and make and break the circuit by use of the negative wire. You will notice a smaller spark. What you are doing by touching the wires to the terminal is mimicking the action of a switch. “What can’t speak can’t lie! The switch will last longer if the spark is smaller!”
Regardless of the theoretical aspects this rewiring solved my problem and ‘Rymfire’ and later ‘RoadRunner’ (my last two Scimitar’s), never burnt out another switch. In early 1990 I submitted details of my modification to ‘SLICE’ the Magazine of the Reliant Scimitar Owners Club and many other owners modified their cars with equal success.
Note.
Many years ago most cars were six volt and positive earth. Increasing battery voltage to 12 volts in order to have enough power to start multi-cylinder engines resulted in excessive erosion of the spark plugs, following which experiments revealed that a change to negative earth reduced spark plug erosion. A Volkswagen Beetle is just one of the many cars that underwent this change in both battery voltage and polarity; I’m sure this phenomenon is related to my switch experiment.
I’m a belt and braces kind of guy so as well as a thermostatic switch I wanted a manual override switch. If or when I rewire Emma properly I will go the whole hog and fit a warning light and a relay as well.
The sketches show three circuit diagrams.
1. How I did it on My Reliant Scimitar and Emma.
2. How I would do it if I was rebuilding/rewiring Emma from scratch.
Notes.
The Scimitar thermostatic switch is, from memory, quite small which may mean small underpowered switchgear/contacts. It is quite possible that a modern thermostatic switch may not require any wiring modifications; but as failure means an inoperative cooling fan why take the chance?
You will note that if I rewire Emma completely I will still retain the switch in the earth side of the cooling fan motor. Strictly speaking this is not necessary as a relay draws less than a quarter of an amp; however I’ve never been a conformist and when rewiring a car from scratch I always tend to put switches in the earth circuit if I can. The fuse will still protect the positive side of the circuit but a short in the negative circuit between the accessory and the switch will result in the accessory working, which in turn indicates a fault that you can repair.
This almost concludes the work on my cooling system, but not quite. When I purchased Emma off ‘Dan L’ he told me that the cooling fan had an intermittent noise and he provided a new electric fan free gratis. Fitting it requires the manufacture of new mounting brackets and removal of the dummy radiator cowl so it has been designated as a job for the winter.
25 May 2021
Emma gets a new identity:
In my opinion a lot of people would look at Emma and think “that’s a 1940’s/1950’s car.” Those with a little more knowledge would recognise the ‘FRB 135L’ registration as a 1973 car. Car enthusiasts with even more knowledge will know that whilst a registration plate can make a car look older it cannot make it look younger; so Emma is a maximum of 48 years old, but could be younger if it’s a personal plate for 'Frederick Ronald Bigalow'! “If that’s your name and you live at 135 Lansdale Place I’ve got a number plate for sale.”
To me this is one of Emma’s shortcomings and to complete the illusion of old age she needed a dateless registration, preferably with a combination of three letters and three numbers as they look the part and are considerably cheaper than numbers like ‘A1’ etc. (owned I think by Lord Montague).
I bought a personal plate some 25 years ago and after being on a number of cars it's now on my latest campervan. It wasn't too expensive but trying to buy something similar nowadays is a bit exorbitant. You can get a personal plate or dateless registration from a number of sources but after checking them out I decided to buy one direct from DVLA as their price includes VAT and the £80 registration transfer fee which is valid for ten years.
Unless you spend a small fortune you are unlikely to get a personalised plate, unless of course you have a very unusual set of initials, I know as I looked. DVLA prices start at £250. As another personal plate was out of the question I decided to just buy a cheap dateless registration that I liked the look of. After around an hour or so of checking what was available I bought ‘BXZ 644’ for £250 (step forward 'Barry Xavier Zatopek' it’s yours for £1500). Another £19.95 secured some black and white sculptured (pressed), period number plates.
Buying and assigning a registration number can all be done on-line.** From the time you click ‘Buy -Now’ you have eleven minutes to pay for it otherwise the purchase is cancelled and you have to start again so make sure that you have your debit or credit card ready. The ‘Certificate of Entitlement V750’ arrived in the post some three days later. While you’re waiting you can buy your number plates. Once you go on line to change the number you have to fit the new number plates immediately and cannot drive it anymore on the old plates once the transaction is completed. You also need to inform your insurance company of the new number.
Note.
** I couldn’t complete my application on line as the DVLA computer doesn’t seem to recognise the MOT status of an Historic vehicle: I had to apply by post.
Emma’s original rear number plate was mounted on a piece of aluminium checker plate which is bolted onto a tow bracket extension piece.** I took all the number plate mounting components apart for cleaning, painted the rear fog light bracket and also took the opportunity to apply Solvol Autosol to all the rear light bezels followed by a coat of AutoGlym. Two small bushes 7mm long x 16mm diameter with a 6mm diameter hole through the centre were made out of aluminium bar to locate the M6 countersunk fixings centrally in the tow bracket bolt holes. Everything was assembled back together with stainless fittings.
Note.
** Personally I would have preferred a wider rear number plate to match the front but the rear valance has two round reversing lights fitted that would require removal/relocation if I pursued fitment of my preferred shape plate.
Personally I think the new dateless registration number transforms the car! Now when most people look at Emma they probably still think that’s a 1940’s/1950’s car. Car enthusiasts with a little more knowledge might now think the same. Unfortunately real aficionados (like what we are), will realise it’s a forgery as their vast knowledge of cars of that era does not include the image of a NG. Oh well you can’t win them all!
P.S.
When the other half asks what it cost just say “oh it was only £141.67” there’s no need to mention the £28.33 of VAT or the £80 transfer fee! All I’ve got to do now is to persuade Margaret to let me spend another £141.67 on ‘BXZ 446’ which would look nice on ‘Muffin’ the chosen name for my NG TA when I eventually find one. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Actually I’ve never been one to let the truth get in the way of a good story and I’ve already purchased BXZ 446 (and bought an MGB based TA). “So now’s your chance Barry! ‘BXZ 644’ and ‘BXZ 446’ for £2.5k the pair” now that’s a bargain you don’t see everyday!
Oh I nearly forgot “the insurance company wanted £30 to reissue the documents with the new number; but there’s no need to mention that either”. The total cost of Emma’s makeover was a reasonable £299.95.
28 May 2021
Sods Law #1- Emma’s Cooling System:
Most of us know that antifreeze will seek out any suspect areas in old cooling systems and cause a leak, but I didn’t expect it to happen quite so soon, especially as Emma was used to antifreeze. Maybe Bluecol is more adept at searching out the weak points but I can’t say I’ve noticed it before.
Within a week or so of putting Bluecol in Emma’s cooling system I ended up with two leaks at; a) the heater valve and b) the heater matrix. A new valve at £11.25** cured the first problem and replacing the heater matrix with the one I took out of the rolling chassis I bought off Mark Sadler cured the second problem, with hindsight the leak may have been there for a while as the passenger footwell carpet was quite wet.
Note.
** This brings the total expenditure on the cooling system to date to £101.15.
To remove the carpet to dry it out I had to remove the seat and the seat belt, not too bad a job. With the carpet out I rinsed it on both sides with a hose pipe and hung it up over a stepladder to dry. I was pleased with the nice clean carpet and decided to do the drivers side as well.
Returning to the seats, the runners were sitting on plywood spacer blocks which I didn’t like but the seats were a comfortable height so I decided to fit some metal spacers; an alternative would be a stack of penny (now called repair), washers.
Short story:
A couple of years ago Roger (my son’s best mate), said “Andrew I need twenty stainless steel spacers 10mm thick, 50mm diameter and with a 6mm hole in the centre, any ideas? Andrew said “if you pay for some 50mm diameter stainless steel round bar I’ll get Dad to make them.” When Dad heard the good news he thought “bugger that for a game of soldiers” and rang his mate Adrian (a Director at a local metal fabrication company), and asked him to laser cut them out of some 10mm thick stainless plate. When Adrian rang up with the price Dad said “how much to make some extras for me?” Adrian said something like “for you my man let’s call it twenty five pence each”, ‘my man’ got 30 for £7.50.
Suffice it to say that these stainless spacers have been on the shelf in my workshop (posh shed), for a couple of years or so gathering dust. Eight were quickly liberated and dusted off. The first job was to bore the 6mm hole out to 8mm and if you have ever drilled stainless steel you will know that it can sometimes be a pig of a job; in production holes in thin stainless are normally cut or punched.
Tips for drilling stainless:
1. Some grades of stainless work harden very easily and I try to avoid centre punching them if possible.
2. For best results you can buy special drill bits for stainless that have more appropriate cutting angles and flutes, but they are rather difficult to get on a Sunday morning! Second choice is a good quality drill bit; something like Cobalt. Third choice is a new drill bit of unknown origin and the last choice is a used drill bit out of your box of bits (no pun intended).
3. Select a slow drilling speed.
4. Don’t let the drill bit rub without cutting if you do it will quickly go red and weld itself to the job.
5. Lubricate the drill bit, you can buy special lubricant but I generally use lots of WD40. Blasting continuously with air from an air line/gun can also help cool the drill and disperse the swarf.
6. Take small bites. I never drill more than around a millimetre or two at a time, then withdraw, lubricate and clean the swarf away with an old paintbrush as stainless swarf is very sharp.
7. If using a hand drill I ‘squirt’ the drill bit by switching it on and off quickly.
8. If you overheat stainless steel it often turns the swarf into a golden colour, heat it much more and then you’re buggered!
9. To clean up I don’t use a file, you will ruin it, instead I use an angle grinder, fitted with a stainless steel cutting disc (not a grinding disc).
It took around 30 minutes to drill all eight spacers and deburr both sides with a countersink.
Note.
I have just described a system that works for me! No doubt there are people with more knowledge of drilling stainless steel than me.
Before refitting the seats I wire brushed the bolt threads and applied WD40. To retain the spacers in position while I refitted the seats I slipped a rubber ‘O’ ring over each bolt and used new Nyloc nuts and washers on assembly. I have a selection box of ‘O’ rings and they’ll perish long before I get round to using them all for their intended purpose.
Once the seats were bolted in I cut short lengths of rubber fuel pipe, put a blob of Copaslip grease inside and slid them over the protruding bolts, the seats will come out a lot easier next time.
Once the drivers seat was fitted the upper seat belt mounting was fouling the hood frame pivot, I then realised why Dan (the original builder) had used thicker wooden blocks on one side of the drivers seat. I then drilled two more stainless spacers, took the seat out, fitted them on the right hand side and bolted the seat back in. Fortunately it canted the seat over just enough to clear the hood frame pivot, but is not noticeable when sitting in the seat. I didn’t reconnect the heater valve cable as it’s a bit crappy so it will be renewed next time I place an order with Car Builder Solutions; in the meantime I’ll turn it on and off at the water valve itself.
I’ve put in a photo of the heater valve so you can see I made an attempt to polish the rocker cover when I adjusted the tappets. At the end of the day the carpets were still damp so I hung them up in the carport, vacuumed the interior with a wet and dry vacuum, put a fan heater in the car to dry it out and had an early bath.
The next day the carpets were still a bit damp, this was a few weeks ago before the sun came out, so I moved them to Margaret’s greenhouse. 24 hours later they were dry and with everything fitted Emma was mobile again.
The final test was to put a load of paper towel under the heater then give her a quick run along the A47 to Wisbech for the ‘Big Breakfast’ at the ‘Bygones Café’ (just off the Horsefair and very highly recommended if you are in the area, we make the journey regularly just to have their breakfast).
Then it was back to Peterborough cross country a nice round trip of 52 miles, not a trace of a leak at the end of it and all the water still in the radiator when I checked it after it had cooled down. Now I wonder what’s going to go wrong next
01 June 2021
Extreme Soft-Top:
We went for a run out to Ferry Meadows recently, a wildlife habitat, Country Park, nature walk and lake etc. Of course Gromit had to go. This little visit resulted in two minor problems; the first was the car parking number plate recognition system. We were about to get out of Emma when a Park Ranger walked over and said "you might have some trouble getting out" I thought he was taking the P**s but he didn't mean getting out of the car he meant getting out of the park. It transpired that the automatic recognition camera doesn’t work on black and white number plates as it cannot recognise them and listed our entry as a 'blank'. I wonder if this applies to speed cameras as well but I’m not inclined to try and find out.
When we were ready to leave the automatic computerised ticketing machine didn't recognise 'BXZ 644' and asked me to make a honesty payment of £1.80 which I did. It would appear that the barrier lets 'blanks' in and out free gratis as half a mile down the exit road later the barrier raised. "I've only got to visit the park another 164 times and the future savings will pay for the new number plate.
The second problem revealed itself when Margaret decided she would like to call in at Sainsbury’s on the way back home, not a great problem you would think? Wrong! as when Margaret goes shopping ‘she shops for Britain’! Of course me and poor old Gromit are left sitting in the sun quietly roasting as we cannot put the hood up as it was under the carport at home. After Margaret finishes her food shopping she visits the clothing section, “yet more stuff for the charity shop!”
Back home I decided to make a bracket to take a golfing umbrella just in case our next trip out results in another shopping expedition, which it almost certainly will. All I need to do now is invest in a really big fishing umbrella and then if it rains we can park up and put the brolly up.
The bracket for the umbrella was a recycled table leg; I knew it would come in handy one day. The green net is attached to the front of the board and we just throw it over any shopping etc. in the back and tuck the sides in. The tennis ball protects Gromit from the sharp edges and the cheap Karabiners are for his harness tie down.
03 June 2021
Emma’s Toolkit:
In the good old days, before bikes and cars were computerised to within an inch of their lives, there was considerable satisfaction to be gained from always getting home under your own steam. Of course with the advent of mobile phones you can now keep your toolkit (AA or RAC etc. Breakdown Card), in your wallet. I have driven a lot of miles over the years, many of them in old cars, and have had a few breakdowns in that time (especially in the sixties and seventies), but on only one occasion have I been unable to continue my journey; that was in 1965, or maybe 66 when I was driving my father-in-laws Hillman Minx 1600 Super when it threw a con-rod through the side of the engine crankcase.
But I digress, if you want a toolkit in an open car (and at the very least you want a jack and wheel brace etc.), the first problem is where to put it where it is reasonably secure. At a push you could mount it under the bonnet but I started by making a false panel with lightweight plywood that is split into front and rear halves then carpeted over. The rear half levels off the well by the battery and the front half covers the rear passenger foot area behind the front seats. The rear half is again split into two so the part that covers the battery is left in situ most of the time. The tools and spares go in the rear well by the battery and emergency coats etc. are kept in the passenger foot-well’s away from prying eyes. The addition of carpet makes the plywood cover practically invisible.
Note.
Of course as usual there’s more than one way to skin a cat and it looks like it would be relatively simple to put a piece of upright plywood with a lockable access hatch on the TD and TF models, thus turning the slopey back bit into an angled cupboard.
The following tools are carried under Emma’s false floor:
• Jack (I use a screw bottle jack).
• Wheel brace.
• Multi-Tool (the cheap £10 version of a Gerber).
• Plug spanner.
• AF Spanner’s.
• Side-cutter pliers.
• Long nosed pliers.
• Pipe pliers.
• Crosspoint screwdrivers.
• Slot screwdrivers.
• Test light (the type with a spike on one end).
• Box cutter knife.
• Mole grips.
• Adjustable spanner.
• Wind up torch.
• A 50mm thick x 150mm wide x 200mm long block of wood, angled at the end (used to drive the car on to get the flat tyre/wheel high enough to get a bottle jack under).
• A 50mm x 75mm x 250mm long piece of wood (used between the front lower suspension wishbones and jack to spread the weight).
• Pair of riggers gloves.
• Kitchen roll (a thin part used one stolen from Margaret).
Note.
An old hand bag or wash bag makes a good tool bag but it needs to be small enough to fit in the recess.
Parts:
The following spares/parts are also carried.
• One litre of engine oil in an aluminium screw top container.
• One litre of mixed anti freeze, ditto.
• 1/8” NPT plug.
• Two indicator bulbs
• Two taillight bulb.
• Two sidelight bulbs.
• One headlight bulb.
• Assortment of fuses.
• Four spark plugs. *
• CB Points and condenser. *
• Rotor arm. *
• Fan belt *
• Duct tape.
• 5m of nylon cord.
• Assortment of cable ties.
• Wire cable (2m each of black and red).
• Four 45mm Jubilee clips (they can be joined together to make larger ones). Useful as emergency exhaust hangars.
• Two 25mm Jubilee clips.
• Two lengths of welding wire.
• Amalgamating tape. **
• Electric chocolate block.
• 6” length of 1/2” copper water pipe.
Notes.
* The parts marked with a single asterisk are parts that were replaced when I carried out the initial service; i.e. they are second-hand spares that are carried just in case.
Of course with good maintenance you may never need all these tools and parts, but it’s nice to be able to help other people.
Unfortunately I didn’t have enough room left over for a warning triangle or a first aid kit (both items are compulsory along with spare bulbs in many countries), but I think I might eventually store them somewhere in the engine compartment. It might seem a bit daft to carry a first aid kit but I know from experience that German police at the scene of an accident have the right to commandeer your first aid kit and give you an ‘IOU’.
Tip: - ** A temporary repair to leaking coolant hoses and pipes can be carried out with amalgamating tape, but drive home with the radiator cap removed. The lack of pressure in the system will reduce the potential for a water leak, although the radiator will require topping up regularly as the water will eventually boil away.
So that’s what is in Emma’s toolkit!
The photos show the bits of plywood cut out for the false floor. Unfortunately I screwed the securing leg in the wrong place initially hence the extra holes on the cover that goes over the battery. The eyebolt holds Gromit’s (our Border collie’s), safety belt/harness.
WOFTAL: Very few people check their modern cars on a daily basis nowadays. The only thing I do is walk round and make sure nothings under the car, such as leaks, cats and Gromit’s tennis balls, other than that I just start it and wait a few seconds for the computer to do its checks.
In the old days we did a pre-use check using the acronym ‘WOFTAL’ Water, Oil, Fuel, Tyres and Lights. I tend to do this check on Emma once a week. The ‘’Fuel’ element used to include checking you had enough fuel for the journey but since the advent of ethanol based fuels I have included looking for ‘wet’ fuel hoses.
08 June 2021
Emma’s Safety/Security Switches:
It is very easy to ‘hot-wire’ and steal an old car without a steering lock; a lead with a crocodile clip on both ends is all you need. Clip one end on any live positive (+), connection and the other end to the positive connection on the coil, a quick push start and you’re away. “No I didn’t pinch cars in my youth, but I sometimes started them for friends who had lost/misplaced their keys.” Some vehicles were very easy to hot-wire; e.g. some early cars had an electrical socket on the dash consisting of red and black female sockets that normally took an inspection lamp that was an optional extra. To start the car you pulled the wire off the wiper motor (normally fastened inside the car above or below the windscreen), and stuffed it in the red socket. As the wire to the wiper motor was powered by the ignition the simple act of applying power to the wiper motor lead fed reverse power to the ignition.
Several of us young mechanics carried a universal key, a short length of wire with a small crocodile clip on one end and a split pin on the other end; the crocodile clip went on the windscreen wiper motor terminal and the split pin in the red socket, you now had ignition and a working press button starter.
Many vehicles just had two glass fuses spaced about a 1/4” apart, if you pulled out either fuse and pressed it in the gap between the two fuses then again you had ignition. For vehicle with three or more fuses there was invariably a position where you could place one fuse next to another and achieve the same result.
So what can the owner of old cars like ours do to prevent the casual thief? If you are building a new kit or restoring an old car then don’t use glass fuses. Two things that I have done on nearly all old cars that have passed through my hands is to fit two security switches. The easiest one is a CB points earth switch which is used as an anti theft device. You simply take a wire from the negative side of the coil and feed it to a hidden switch, the other side of the switch goes to earth; the result (when switched), is no make-or-break of the low tension circuit and hence no spark at the plugs. Ignition coils usually have double Lucar connectors at both positive and negative terminals but if you are wiring your car from scratch you can hide the extra wire in the loom, the only thing to remember is to connect the wire into the cable that runs from the coil negative to the distributer? Please see the diagram.
The second switch is a battery master switch which for maximum protection needs to be as close to the battery as possible.
Of course you don’t have to stop at two! Other anti theft measures include; a steering lock, an electric or manual fuel cut off tap, an isolator switch for the fuel pump and a cut out switch for the wire powering the starter solenoid (wire it through a relay). If you put the switches in a row you don’t even have to hide them! Simply put some of the switches upside down and remember the position sequence to get everything working; when parked leave all switches in the up position to confuse the casual car thief.
If you adopt any of the above procedures it’s worth having, and memorising, cockpit checks before starting and stopping, it saves embarrassment when you churn it over on the starter motor and then realise that the CB Points switch is in circuit. “I’ve lost count of the number of times Margaret has shouted out ‘switch’ when the car doesn’t start on the first attempt!”
In the above text I am particularly referring to pre-IVA vehicles, the current IVA Test requires two methods of anti-theft security which don’t operate on the braking system, or include a manual battery master switch. To comply you need to read the latest IVA Test Manual which is available as a free download.
13 June 2021
Emma’s Front Wheel Bearing adjustment:
The front wheel bearings on MGB’s are a little unusual insofar as they are taper roller bearings with a spacer collar/sleeve and the hub nut is torqued up.
The simple explanation for this unusual assembly method is that metal bar/rod is stronger when in tension. Using a spacer between the bearings enables the hub nuts to be torqued up which puts the stub axle under tension and hence makes it stronger.
Note.
The stub axles are quite meaty and I’ve certainly seen and adjusted many front wheel bearings that are not as robust, yet they do not have a spacer collar/sleeve. Remember that the MGB is a sports car and is designed to be driven with gusto! This tensioning of the stub axle increases the safety factor.
Of course if you just tightened the nut it could result in locking the wheel bearing so various sized shims are used between the outer face of the collar/sleeve and the inner race of the outer bearing so that when the hub nut is tight the bearing still has free play.
Note.
Before starting this job it’s worth buying a pack of spare shims, available from the MGB Hive for £4.95 with free postage. You will also require a 1-1/4” socket.
If you are not used to adjusting front wheel bearings then assemble the hub with extra shims and nip up the hub nut. Now refit the wheel and put your hands on the wheel 180 degrees apart at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock and rock the wheel; you should feel some movement/free play. The amount of free play should be barely discernible; you should just be able to feel it. If the free play is excessive then reduce the size of the shim(s). If you cannot feel any free play then add shim(s).
Notes.
If you put your hands in different positions; e.g. 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock you will get a false reading as steering ball joint play etc. will be affecting the ‘feel’.
Worn kingpins give a similar feel. Carry out the same procedure for checking kingpins but have someone in the driver’s seat with their foot hard on the brake pedal. Put your hands on the wheel at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock and rock it; any movement now will be kingpin related.
Once happy torque up the wheel nut, check the free play again and if correct insert a split pin** and refit the hub grease cover which should be packed with grease.
Note.
** If your car is fitted with wire wheels and you’re the poor bugger who is going to have to remove the split pin next time it’s worth cutting the legs of the split pin to an exact length and not being too heavy handed when bending the ends.
While the front ends on the jack with the front wheels off you get better access to the kingpin grease nipples.
Tip - Sometimes the gun doesn’t seal on the grease nipple and a worm of grease will ooze out between gun and nipple; putting a piece of cotton rag over the nipple before applying the grease gun will often seal it sufficiently to apply the grease where it’s needed. You can’t over-grease the kingpins so pump plenty in to help get rid of most of the old dirty stuff.
03 July 2021