20 October 2006

MGB Engine

This 1970 MGB engine has been shipped to us from Florida. We rebuilt every part, then fitted the ancillaries, then fitted a 20 gallon water tank and a rigged exhaust, and fired it up on the bench -- allowing it to run at about 2500 rpm for about 20 minutes.

posted by John Twist  # 10/20/2006 07:41:00 am 

10 October 2006

MG TD Rear Axle Seals

This owner complained of leaking rear axle seals, so we quickly changed them. We found that the owner, upon reassembly, had failed to adequately tighten the various nuts and bolts in the rear axle, and believed that it was due to this general looseness that the seals had ended up leaking. We were wrong. Our owner only got half way home before the real problem evidenced itself. We've now changed the left wheel bearing and expect that this will solve the problem!
Something's quite wrong, as I continue to be unable to post pictures. Maybe tomorrow?

posted by John Twist  # 10/10/2006 07:43:00 am 

08 October 2006

MGA 1600 MK II Engine

We received this MGA 1600 Mark II with a suspected damaged engine. The engine had what, at first, sounded to be a rod knock, but did not worsen as the rpm was increased. The owner told us that it had 25# compression in one cylinder -- yet when we remove the valve cover, all the valves were loose -- so it wasn't a recessed valve. No matter what, we'd have to remove the cylinder head. We expected the worst.

posted by John Twist  # 10/08/2006 01:39:00 am 

05 October 2006

1963 MGB Body Preparation

This is a particularly attractive MGB -- especially so for an early car. We're right at the end of preparation. The car will return to it's owner and he'll do most of the component installation.




Curt cleaned up the windscreen, and fitted it, along with the original soft top. This is one of the very earliest MGBs, and we have been careful to attend to all the details, as well as make the vehicle as original as we possibly can!














10/10/06 At the very end of cleaning and preparation, we believe this one is ready to go home!
I'm having such a time trying to upload pictures. Gosh.....

posted by John Twist  # 10/05/2006 07:59:00 am 

04 October 2006

MG TF Engine

Tom disassembled his engine forty years ago. He had us help him out with the machine work and some assembly, but he did most of the assembly himself, under our watchful eyes, right here are University Motors. Yesterday, Tuesday, October 3, 2006, this engine roared to life on the bench. It was quite spectacular!














After we finished running it for about 30 seconds, watching the oil pressure, Tom cleaned off the ancillaries and Curt painted it MG Red in the spray booth. Tom made an ingenious tray to hold the engine, and four of us were able to lift it up and place it into the back of his car -- and back to Ann Arbor he drove. Those couple of shots of oil in each cylinder, just before startup, really left a haze in the shop. But the smoke, the flames from the exhaust, the roar -- it was all worth if after FORTY YEARS of silence.

posted by John Twist  # 10/04/2006 07:17:00 am 

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