Bill as for the cam bearings, get precision bearings other wise
you will have to have the bearings align bored and this is BIG BUCKS. I
had NAPA do mine and the whole job including the bearings was about $45.00
...Art
On Mon, 1 Jun 1998, Bill Eastman wrote:
> Hello, all
>
> During the continuing disassembly of the MGA, I have been finding some
> good and some bad. First things first. The cam is shot. the lifters are
> pitted and concave (vs. the usual convex) on the bottom and the cam has
> some pits on the top of the lobes and they are all slightly different sizes
> now. Where is the best place to but a cam? Moss wants $200+ and VB has a
> regrind for $100. Someone said that SICP has good cams at a reasonable
> price but I don't have the info or how to get hold of them. What about a
> slight performance cam? The rest of the engine is bone stock but I have
> never bought a stock cam in my life so if anyone has had success with a
> slightly hotter cam, I would appreciate the input.
>
> As far as the rest of the engine. The bores look great with a barely
> noticeable ridge on top. Judging by the fit of the new rings, there is
> about .003 wear which is really good for 80k miles. The cam bearings are
> just starting to show copper. The crank and bearings still look good after
> doing them last year. The rocker shaft shows some wear but not too bad.
> What is involved with replacing it- in particular how do you deal with the
> end plugs? The timing gears look good and the chain is a little loose but
> not too bad. The head looks great with no visible cracks, good looking
> valves, and no measurable warpage. The head gasket was sealing well when
> it was removed.
>
> In the transmission- the layshaft is toast as are all of the needle
> bearings. The ball bearings seem OK but I may replace the front one out of
> GP. The syncros are in surprisingly good shape so maybe the Mobil 1 is too
> slippery for them to work right. I will probably replace the 2nd gear
> syncro anyway. There is some extra play in the 2nd-3rd gear 3rd motion
> shaft pack and I may buy new thrust washers to take this out. I will
> probably buy new springs for the slider clusters to add pressure to the
> syncros so the will work a little better. There is some unexpected wear in
> the tranny. there is some galling on the back of the 3rd motion shaft
> extension where the needle bearings ride. I am going to dress this area a
> bit with crocus cloth on a file and let it ride. There are also some chips
> our of the first/reverse gears with the lay gear looking the worst. The
> reverse idler is kind of beat up also. The chips are right behind the
> rounded tips of the gear teeth that aid engagement. Again, I am going to
> live with these. The car is not new and the gears don't show any other
> wear- just some evidence of poor double clutching. Maybe they all look
> like that after 35 years. I am sure it will run another 35 years just as
> it is. Besides, if those three gears go, it will almost as much to replace
> them as it would be to buy a rebuilt tranny.
>
> Next step is to order parts and get the cam bearings replaced. Then I will
> start on the head.
>
> Having this thing back on the road by 14 June is going to be tight now but
> still we have to give it our best shot.
>
> Regards,
> Bill Eastman
>
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