It can be done, but I wouldn't do it with one person. If you have two, it
may be worth the trouble, but having never replaced bearings with the engine
in I can't say. The job gets vastly more difficult if you drop one of the
front studs down into the crossmember. There are access holes to get a
socket in to them but good luck getting the stud back in line once it falls
through. Here are the highlights of my procedure.
You will have a very hard time balancing this thing on a jack, a tranny jack
might help but I don't know. If your new crossmember pads are a snug fit
they will assist the bolts in not falling into the x-member, but what you
will need to do is hold (or tape) the front bolts slightly extended while
aligning the holes with the body. I could not get the crossmember to sit on
the jack at any angle close to that it wanted to be installed at so I could
not push the front bolts through and start the nuts. What I did was to
install the rear bolts loosely and reposition the jack to allow me to jack
the crossmember to an angle closer to the correct one. As soon as the angle
gets about correct the front bolts will start contacting the frame and
getting pushed back into the crossmember. You will need to forcefully align
the crossmember while pushing the bolts via long extension and socket
through the access hole on the bottom of the crossmember. All the while
keeping the back bolts as loose as possible so that you have some room to
play with. As I recall it took a fair amount of muscle, a second pair of
hands, and some well placed four letter words to get it all together again.
I did the job without the engine in place and did use the engine bay for a
lot of the work, but I don't think that part would be much worse with an
engine in the way.
I would love to try one of those transmission jack inserts for a floor jack
during a job like this and if I ever do the job again I will definitely buy
one and try it out. There is definite room for work smarter not harder
improvement in my method, and that jack insert might just be the ticket.
James Nazarian
71 MGB Tourer
71 MGBGT V8
85 Dodge Ram
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chuck Renner" <crenner@dynalivery.com>
To: <mgs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2003 1:18 PM
Subject: RE: Replacing rod bearings
> > The last time I did this with the engine "in place", I lifted the
> > engine a few inches so the oil pan could clear the cross member. I'm
> > wondering if it might be easier the other way around, to drop the
> > cross member to get clearance. I've never pulled a crossmember on an
> > MGB, so I don't know just how much pain and nuisance I'm looking at,
> > though I'd guess that taking it off is easier than putting it back
> > on.
>
> Well, having done the taking off part, I can say that it isn't terribly
> difficult. Disconnect the steering columm and the brake hard lines, and
> then undo the four nuts on the studes that come up through the frame
> rails.
>
> The only part that's really difficult about this is getting the works
> balanced on a floor jack to wheel everything out. Of course, if you can
> get the car high enough, you could leave the wheels on and wheel it out.
>
> I haven't yet gotten to the replacement portion of this, but as they
> say, installation is the reverse of removal. Obviously you'll have the
> added challenge of getting the holes lined up. Also, one of the studs
> on each side goes inside the cross member, rather than being exposed, so
> I expect those to be a bit fiddly.
>
> While the removal can be a one-person job, I think I'll want another set
> of hands around for the replacement.
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