Florrie & Allen Bachelder wrote:
>
> Regarding Neil's free play and clunk. Don't overlook simple things like
> rear shock mounting bolts. The free play itself is frequently worn thrust
> washers - and replacing them is one of the few possible DIY repairs on a
> tube-type rear end. No you don't have to remove that nut on the diff drive
> flange.
>
> Regarding that big nut... I've tried to loosen one of those - on my
> growling '76 B. I bolted a piece of angle-iron to the flange which would
> rest against a battery box to keep the flange from turning while I turned
> the nut. Huh! Air wrench didn't budge it and when I put the 1/2" socket
> drive on it, all the angle-iron did was to lift the car off the suspension!
> I finally swapped out the diff with a '76 parts car. The replacement
> does not audibly growl at any speed even though I drive with the top up
> most of the time. I have a hardtop for it but have never tried it. (Yeah,
> I know, that's a different thread.) Am I in for a surprise? My GT didn't
> growl either when last I had it on the road.
>
> Now if Neil is going to race, I can understand the search for a more
> efficient exhaust header - and I understand there are some out there. For
> street use though, that cast iron manifold is pretty efficient. One of my
> Bs came with a header and "one-box" system. After awhile the noise got on
> my nerves, so I replaced the exhaust system with totally stock components.
> Guess what - the stock system was louder - and <<faster>>, Go figure...
>
> Wiring - it's all color-coded. ' Guess I recall there are a few places
> where the colors change passing through a bullet connector, but the Haynes
> diagrams indicate that. Don't be intimidated - it's complex but
> straightforward. ' Suggest you xerox the wiring diagram, enlarging it as
> much as possible, and pin it to a wall in your shop.
>
> Neil - take heart - it may not ever end, but it does reach a sort of
> entropy. Everything it needs and all the little annoyances have their
> compensations. Yeah, my shirt sticks to the seat in hot weather, but I
> don't have worry about that growl our Cherokee's AC compressor is making.
> Nor do I worry about depreciation. There is nothing, absolutely nothing,
> that can go wrong with these cars that is not worth fixing. I have used Bs
> as daily transportation for 15 years. Not once in those 15 years have I
> missed or been late for work due to my MGB.
>
> Final thought on clunking - MGs don't necessarily want to clunk - but they
> do need to leak. You fix one leak and the car will find someplace else to
> do so. I got the engine on my '73 to the point where it didn't leak
> anything (let's say I got lucky) - and then the rain water started
> dripping off the underside of the dash.
>
> My $0.02-worth... Cheers,
>
> Allen Bachelder
> '67 B, '73 B, '73 B GT, '76 B,
> an interminable '65 resto project, and...
Allen
Quick fix to the rain running off the underside of the dash - crawl
under car and look for a rubber bulb at the end of a rubber tube - it
runs from the outside vent on the bonnet area and is supposed to drain
the rain water outta the vent hole. Guaranteed that the bulb is packed
with dirt and leaves - Clean out the bulb & run a long stiff wire up the
hole into the vent.
Rick
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