Well, I failed to get the MGA together last night. The steering u-joint
from Moss was about .010 inch to wide to fit into the yokes. The caps were
a little loose in the yokes but not bad enough to shim. Since I don't own
any useful power tools (just a drill and a screwdriver) I spent 2 hours
with a file and a whetstone shaving the retaining rings until I could get
everything together. What a drag.
I can imagine some guy with a several barrels full of u-joint parts in some
dimly lit 50's British workshop mixing and matching parts until he comes up
with u-joints that work. This person was a highly skilled u-joint
assembler and could probably tell by feel whether a cross was too wide for
the yoke at hand. The result was a beautifully functioning u-joint with no
chance for ever being rebuilt from mass produced parts.
I have read that the whole MGA was built that way and that is why it can be
such a challenge to restore. MGA are high quality because of the effort
from the final assemblers, not the precision of the parts used to build
them. Today we use the same approach on artificial heart valves. The
machines get them close then highly skilled artisans hand select and finish
mating parts so that they work perfectly.
Am I mad about this? I was at the time because it caused me to miss my
goal of having my car running today. After a good (but short) night's
sleep I can reflect back and consider the issue just another example of why
these old cars have more soul than their perfectly mass produced modern
counterparts. I hadn't set an artificial deadline for myself and had
suspected the issue, I would have enjoyed the craftsmanship involved with
making the part fit.
Then there is always the chance that Moss just sells a part that doesn't
fit. The morale of the story? If I had the time, I may have tried buying
a u-joint from someone else to see if it fit better. Otherwise just always
be prepared for some hand fitting when replacing MG parts.
It's going to be 65 F here today so I am taking the afternoon off to finish
the A and get it on the road.
People have asked about insurance. I use American Family for everything
since John Deere dropped me (they were pulling out of the region and yes,
it was that John Deere). AF requires an appraisal but they do it for free.
The rates are very good and restriction is that you have to have a daily
driver, be over 25, and "intend" to use the car primarily for pleasure. I
have never had a claim against them so I don't know how they work but my
agent is a nice guy.
Regards
Bill Eastman
61 MGA on the road today (I hope)
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