Hi All,
Well, I took advantage of the warm weather here in Central Maryland
yesterday to drive...yes, I said drive...my '66B out of the garage and
around the neighborhood for the first time since I purchased it 9 years ago.
It was quite the experience. I was surprised by how well it ran and handled
considering the fact that I did all the work!
However, I still have some issues I need to address, so I could use your
collective advice.
1. This is a common topic here on the list - bleeding the clutch hydraulics.
Basically, I have tried everything: a) The two-person, pump-the-pedal
process, b) Visibleed, and c) Mityvac. Of the 3, I had the most success with
the Visibleed, but the clutch pedal is still soft and I sometimes have to
pump it twice to change gears. I'm beginning to suspect the master cylinder
(which I rebuilt many years ago) and am considering buying a new one. Would
you agree?
2. The needle on my tachometer fluctuates wildly while driving. I remember
this being a topic of discussion on this list some time ago, but I don't
remember what the various diagnoses were. It seems pretty steady at low
(<1500) rpms, but it goes nuts while driving.
3. The speedometer needle doesn't move. Actually, I think it wants to move,
it just gets stuck. The odometer, however, appears to be working. Any
suggestions?
4. I've been told to use 30W, non-detergent oil in my transmission instead
of the 10W-40 that I put in. Would you agree? If so, where can I buy it? I
searched the local Pep Boys and they seem to have nothing but detergent
motor oils.
Other than that, I had a great time driving it around and I can't wait to
insure and register it so I can get it out of the neighborhood.
By the way, I ended up buying a 6ft, 1/2" threaded rod from Home Depot to
use as a guide for setting the toe-in. I just put a large fender washer in
between two nuts on either end and used them to measure the difference
between the front and back of the tires. By the time I was done, I bet that
I'm within a 1/16" of the proper setting. I will, however, bring it to an
alignment shop once I'm on the road. Speaking of tires, where can I bring
mine to get them properly balanced? Do places like Goodyear know how to deal
with wire wheels? I think there were instructions included with the Dunlop
wheels that I bought from Moss, and there is a little description of the
process in the Victoria British catalog. Is that all they need to know?
Sorry for going on so long.
Thanks,
Dave
1966 MGB
Crofton, MD.
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