Chris, you can take heart in one thing. At this point there isn't anything
else on the car that could break!!!
Seriously though they aren't that bad. Mine is a daily driver for five
years now and has only broken down on me once. Try a good cleaning of the
fuse box and the ground connections and many of your electricals will
probably come back to life.
James Nazarian
71 B Roadster
71 BGT
63 Buick 215
"Aerodynamics are for people who cannot build engines"
Enzo Ferrari
----------
> From: Chris Thompson <ct@cthompson.com>
> To: mgs@autox.team.net
> Subject: You do realize... This means war.
> Date: Friday, September 29, 2000 5:54 PM
>
> It seems my 73 B and I have taken up adversarial roles. I fix something,
it
> breaks something else. I havent named the car yet, but when I do, it'll
get
> a female name. Between my mother, my wife, my daughter, and my MG, my
life
> is chock full of high maintenance women.
>
> So, you may recall that I had electrical problems, a hood that wont open,
> and a myriad of other small problems.
>
> Electrical problem was dead batteries, highly corroded posts, and me
> forgetting that the batteries werent in the engine compartment (Which was
> stuck closed, of course). Yank the two 6v's, buy a new battery lead to be
a
> ground lead for the other battery bin, a post/terminal cleaner, and a
brand
> spankin new Napa Size 24 12v battery. (With 550 Cold Crankin' amps,
yahoo!)
>
> The terminal on the lead that runs up front (You know, the long,
difficult
> to replace one) split in two when I tried to crank it down. At 11:30pm,
> nothing open. So I bought a replacement terminal for the positive lead
that
> I could clamp on. It wont fit over the battery terminal. It's just
> THAT much too small. Tried to spread the jaws a bit, but that
> didnt work either. Eventually I ended up pounding the terminal onto the
post
> with brute force, thinking all the while that THIS is the kind of dumb
thing
> that people on this list complain about DPO's doing. But I was
frustrated.
> Since I've owned it, I've driven this thing a total of 12 miles. Twelve
> HARROWING miles, as the brakes are more of a rumor than a reality.
>
> Finally, she cranked. Engine roared to life. And promptly died. cranked
> again. Kept my foot on the gas, kept it at 2000rpm for a while. Or at
least,
> what I later found 2000rpm to be. The tach remained firmly at zero for
the
> first four minutes or so. Then suddenly sprang to life. Add another item
to
> the list.
>
> Gunning the engine causes it to skip and backfire. This could simply be
the
> carb (A DGV) needing tweaked. The guy I bought it from admitted it
probably
> needed tuned.
>
> Backed it into the driveway, simply for the experience of moving the damn
> thing again. Sat in the driveway for a few, pulled it back in. Shut it
off.
>
> Went to tackle the hood. Ten minutes with a LOOOONG screwdriver and a
> well directed can of WD40 led to NOTHING. wouldnt budge. Forty-Five
seconds
> with a bent coat hanger and success.
>
> The engine had been off for ten minutes at this point, after having run
for
> ten (sometimes held at 2000-2500rpm). When I got down to grille level the
> pool of oil under the car was a bit shocking. A nice ten inch circle of
> black. I remember looking in the garage while I had it in the driveway,
and
> think I would have noticed a spot this big. I had a similar spot in the
> driveway the day I brought it home. It's like it's leaking AFTER or
during
> an engine shutdown, but not during. There's nothing in the driveway from
> where it was tonight, and it sat there for three or four minutes.
>
> As I dont have jackstands or ramps, I cant really get under this thing to
> find out where it's coming from. I could tell it had dripped off of, and
> pooled a bit on top of, the crossmember under the engine. The sides of
the
> head and block were moist, but not black.
>
> Oh, and the brake lights, speedometer, fuel gauge, passenger turn signal,
> passenger headlamp, Both high beams, and heater fan dont work. Windshield
> wipers, gas cap, side mirrors, and front side lamps are missing. Oil is
> spurting everywhere. The top of the carb, the opening closest to the
engine
> had smoke sitting in it and rolling over like a witch's cauldron.
>
> The honeymoon is over, the car that I was going to get drivable in a
weekend
> or so just became an engine pull, rebuild, full body repair/repaint. It
> thinks it can get the best of me, but I'll show it!!!
>
> So, now is the time for me to begin planning what I am going to do to the
> engine. What would YOU do. I realize this may open a holy war.
>
> I want a car that has good street handling, as I intend this to be a
driver.
> But I think I might like to try a bit of racing, so the top end is
important
> as well, thought not so much.
>
> I'm spoiled by my earlier forays into performance, with Honda's VTEC
engine,
> which gives you a different cam profile above 4100rpm. So you can have a
car
> with good pull from stop AND a good top end.
>
> There's been alot of talk here recently about cross flow heads, carbs,
three
> angle valve jobs, etc, but does anyone have links to stories about
complete
> rebuilds like this to help me choose how to put this beast back together?
>
> Sorry to those who could care less about personal narrative, but I've
always
> found it helpful to vent to sympathetic minds.
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> | Chris Thompson ct@cthompson.com |
> | 1973 MGB http://cthompson.com/mg/ |
> +----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|