Ken G's Journal

Fuel Gauge Is Up

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:13:19 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Swapping out the voltage stabilizer by itself did not resolve my fuel gauge or temp gauge problem. The stabilizer is giving out the correct voltage but the gauges were not working so I pulled the dashboard and decided to start eliminating potential problems. I ran a new wire from the stabilizer to the fuel gauge and a wire to ground. Gauge one didn't do anything, Gauge two did nothing, but gauge three from the parts bin worked. YEA!!! A step in the write direction. So I hooked that gauge to the wire going to the tank, nothing. I went under the hood where the main harness connects to the rear harness. The rear wire was in good shape continuity, and the front harness was good. I tested both and they seems to be fine but the connector between the two harnesses was a bit corroded. I cleaned the bullets a bit and used a new connector. Fuel gauge fixed!!. That is all I have time for tonight but tomorrow I hope to get the temperature gauge working. Problem is I don't have 3 of those..

Posted 2026-04-17 17:13:19 by Ken G

Ups And Downs

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 17:04:50 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Oh the ups and downs of working on this car. So I changed out the alternator on Wednesday and as soon as I started up the car I had a major failure of the water pump jetting coolant everywhere in the engine compartment. Huge mess and annoyance. I had a water pump on the shelf which only took me an hour to track down. For some reason I didn't label that box. Friday night I removed the alternator, coolant, radiator and old water pump. The bolts came out easily enough and I was able to clean it up. This morning I installed the new water pump and all the other bits. When it was all back together it started right up and I thought i was off to the races, and well then it started to stumble. I tried to give it gas and it just would die, but if I left it back to idle it would sort of run. I thought I heard air leak so I searched around for that that and tighten a few things that I hadn't worried about before. Still no luck, It would start, barely run and then die after a couple of minutes.. I remembered that when I started it the first time I didn't heard the fuel pump prime, so on a whim I disconnected the positive to the fuel tank and turned the car over a could of times, and then reconnected the fuel pump. Turning the key the pump started to prime and when I started the car all the issues were resolved, lots of power, no pause. So weird, something must have off with the pump and the car was only getting the fuel that was flowing via gravity. SO ok the alternator is working, I don't see any leaks on the water pump and the car is running like it was before. I still need to fix the fuel and temp gauges so tomorrow I'm going to swap out the voltage stabilizer again and see if that sorts that out.

<PXL 20260410 213829559>

Posted 2026-04-11 17:04:50 by Ken G

Ugh...again

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:40:45 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

The water pump failed tonight. I started the car up and had coolant spraying everywhere. What a mess.

Posted 2026-04-08 17:40:45 by Ken G

Door Windows Completed

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:24:56 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Yesterday I installed the passenger door window. Having the experience of the drivers side this one went in so much easier. Maybe an hour to do it. It runs up and down nicely and everything is tightened up. I spent the rest of my available Sunday time doing some research on how to install the door cards, carpet and the rest of the kick panels. I've decided I'm going to first try using Velco for all of it. I know that I will need to remove the panels and the carpet in the future for some deferred projects and if the Velco works I will be very happy. The new alternator should arrive tomorrow and if that works a lot of things will fall into line. Well I can hope.

Posted 2026-04-06 12:24:56 by Ken G

Door Windows Continued

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 07:58:50 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

The fuel and temperature gauge issues continue. I have tried two different voltage stabilizers to no luck. I ordered a solid state one from Dave Connitt who was great and very helpful. While I was waiting for that to arrive I noticed that my Alternator was kicking out 18 volts. I know that is high and I wondered if that was causing the issues with the voltage stabilizers? No problem I have a spare sitting on the shelf from the 1977 MG, I'll just swap them out. Well different bracket and different plug but I was able to get it installed and lined up. Started the car up and that one is also generating 18 volts! What the hell? That was a total surprise as I didn't remember any issues in the other car. So I've ordered a new Alternator which should arrive next week and I hope to get it installed and hopefully this will resolve any issues. In the mean time I worked on finishing up the install of the drivers door window. It wasn't as hard as I expected, (Probably since I didn't replace all of the old rubber like I should have) but it was a little hinkey. I could get it to move up and down in the middle but it would not completely open or close. Reading on the forum I saw a little note that someone said you need to use short bolts or a lot of washers as the tracks could bind in the back. Through trial and error that ended up being my problem I didn't have the original bolts so I used what I had available. 1/4-28 1/2 inch long bolts and I guess they were too long so I added 4 washers to each. This fixed my binding issue and now the window goes up and down somewhat smoothly. I aim to get the passenger window in yet today and then look to start on the door cards and carpet.

<PXL 20260405 121529367>

Posted 2026-04-05 07:58:50 by Ken G

Windows

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 18:18:10 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I continue to work on sorting out the issue with the fuel and temperature gauges to no success. After fiddling around with those things for a couple of hours I decided to change focus. I installed the front vent windows and the back tracks. While I should have done it the right way by replacing the rubber gaskets on the windows, the glazing and all that, I decided that will be a project for future me. I want to make a little project and knock something off the list so it was a win. I hope to get some time in the next few days to install the glass and door cranks but we will see what happens next.

Posted 2026-03-22 18:18:10 by Ken G

2026 Finally Some Warm Weather

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 17:52:11 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

The winter in NJ has had a lot of snow and cold, but I'm hoping that the weather has finally changed towards Spring. We were in the mid-60's today and even though I was out of state for a soccer event and came back early for a dance recital I still was able to make a bit of time for the MG. First tried to just start it up and it wouldn't go. I cleaned up the plugs gave it another try and on the 3rd attempt it fired up. I let it run for about 15 minutes while I worked on cleaning up the garage from the inevitable winter mess. Shut it down and half an hour later it started up first attempt. Did it again after about an hour and drove it back into the cleanish garage with brakes, clutch, and all lights working as intended. Quite happy with that. I need to track down my to do list that I avoided during the cold and see if I can get some projects completed. First on the list is the fuel and temp gauges, both are out. I thought it was the voltage regulator but when I last tried a replacement I had no luck. Anyways it is always a happy day when I get it running and don't have to fight that waking up a sleeping MG problem right of the bat.

Posted 2026-03-08 17:52:11 by Ken G

Ugh What Is Happening

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 05:45:35 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Yesterday I went to the MVC and got the car titled, registered and licensed, first time since 1991 as far as I can tell. Today after work I reinstalled the hood and went on the first road test since having the car. Backed into the road, started to go around the block in first and second gear and decided that I didn't want to go to far on the first drive. I pulled into a driveway and reverse out. As I go to put it into first gear, she dies, just like that. I crank it over and it sort of runs and I hit the accelerator to up the rpms for the shift into first and it dies. Restart it two more times some thing. Push it home. My first thought is out of gas, so I ran to the gas station and put 3 more gallons in the tank. nope not even trying to start now. Got to say I'm pretty bummed, from a exciting high of the first drive, to a crap out in the street and a push home.

Posted 2025-10-30 05:45:35 by Ken G

Rubber Bumpers

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 14:55:38 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

This morning the car started on the first try which really surprised me as it was a little cold and my experience with a DCOE is that they don't like the cold. I played a bit with the idle and raised it to around 1000 which it holds nicely. I spent a ton of time searching the garage for the steering wheel horn rubber button to no luck but it did give me a chance to clean up and reorganize. I did have one event of note. I opened the last box that came with the car when I got it. It held the door window parts and the side mirror and a TON of packing peanuts. Looks like it is all there so now I need to order new rubber since it is all apart. I did pull the bumpers out of the shed and gave them a quick go over and got them installed. Overall it went pretty easy. It is starting to look like a real car again,

<The last unopened box>

<A few packing peanuts>

Posted 2025-10-26 14:55:38 by Ken G

Moving Forward

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 07:12:58 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Yesterday my goal was to get the car running and use the light to set the timing. About the third try she started up, a little fluttery with full choke, but once warmed up pretty solid. I had painted the timing mark white, but it wasn't showing up very well. I went back and forth in the drive multiple times and the brakes are holding, I hope to get it on the road this week once I get the insurance sorted out again. Having this hurdle passed I worked on putting some things back together. I installed the steering wheel cowl, the glove box, (but not the door) and the center vent covers. The dash and ignition wires from the steering wheel are all hanging down and I need to figure out a nice clean way to move them out of the way. Many issues still remain, bumpers leaking oil return, leaking water pump, install the windows in the door, carpet. etc. but I can't overstate how nice it feels to have the car starting and moving. This has been a long process since getting the car.

<1000015099>

Posted 2025-10-26 07:12:58 by Ken G

Running Again.. But For How Long

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 18:27:55 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

No soccer tonight and my wife has car uber duties for dancing daughter so I snuck into the garage and messed around. I reset the static timing, and tried to start no luck. Advanced the timing a bit and there was a little life, advanced again and she powered up. Very slow and timid but once a warmed up she idled well. The DCOE is bogging, almost stalling, when I hit the accelerator so I'm sure I need to do some fine tuning with the timing and see what that gets me. Anyways it is nice to see some life in it again and now I can start working on some of the things like cleaning up the dash, the door windows and carpets.

Posted 2025-10-22 18:27:55 by Ken G

Broken Wire

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 07:38:32 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

The car hasn't been starting for a few weeks but I really hadn't had a lot of time to spend on this issue. When I determined that the car wasn't getting power to the plugs at all I realized that the issue is more than just bad timing. I "guessed" that I had maybe fried the points, condenser or the coil while doing other testing so that is where I started. I checked the coil and had power on both positive and negative posts. I then decided to pull the distributor and check that over, clean and re-gapped the points to .017. After getting the Distributor back into the car. (I have the darnedest time getting it to align and slide in. There must be a trick.) I set the static timing. Thinking I had it covered, I tried to start the engine and well it was the same. Turns over great, but no ignition and no spark to the plugs. Annoying.. I then checked the wires to the coil to make sure they were good and tight, positive from the fuse box, center to distributor, negative to distributor, all tight on the post, but I noticed that the negative wire at the coil was bent at a sharp angle. I tested the continuity of the wire and got nothing. The wire was broken but it was covered by heat tape and I hadn't noticed. I replaced this 8 inch piece of wire and had spark and combustion!!!. I wasn't able to to get it to stay running but it was great to see some life.

Posted 2025-10-20 07:38:32 by Ken G

The Plot Thickens

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 08:24:57 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

This morning I was starting to research which water pump I need to get for my eventual replacement, Maybe just a new gasket but probably replace the pump since I'm in there doing the work. So after reviewing the Moss site I see there are two versions of water pump, so I went out to the car to determine which one I have. Low and behold I found that the top bolt was missing on the pump. That is strange, so I looked at the photos from when I pulled the engine from the car the bolt was out before I pulled the engine. Compounding the issue when I painted the engine I didn't notice that the bolt was gone and I just painted over the empty hole. Ok so this is now raised a bit higher on the priority of items I need to complete. Lesson learned, again something I should have done as preventive maintenance when the engine was out instead of putting it off till later.

<waterpump>

Posted 2025-10-04 08:24:57 by Ken G

Week Day Work

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 17:33:01 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I was able to get a bit of time this evening after work again to sneak out to the garage. I hoped to get the car running so I could test the brakes in the driveway. Not much luck. It would turn over like a champ but no ignition. It is so weird because a week ago It would start up on the 3rd or 4th try with combustion at every crank, now nothing. I cleaned the plugs, reset the static timing and tried starter fluid not even a cough. I need to go back to the beginning and systematically go though everything again. Not happy about that. Also I had noticed a small amount of coolant on the ground but hadn't found a source, ending up thinking it was just excess via the overflow tube. Today I found the leak. It is on the back side of the water pump gasket behind the alternator. It runs down the engine and on to the cross member. I hadn't noticed this before and would have changed it when I had the engine out. Also it appears that coolant is a reacting with the engine paint and causing it to peel off. Looks like another task is on the list for the winter.

Posted 2025-10-02 17:33:01 by Ken G

Short Update

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 18:46:41 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

This one is going to be quick, but it was nice to be able to work for a little while during the week. The front brake lines seem to be holding, pedal is tight and I don't see any leaks so that is good. I adjusted the hand brake and it is clamping down around 3-4 clicks so I'm happy with that. I tried to get it to start and well she didn't want to do that tonight so I'll save that for next time. I've decided that while the brake lines are in and seem solid they just look terrible so over the winter I'm going to buy the tube and create my own lines. I can't seem to find the correct dimensions for the fittings but the rest seems easy enough to source.

Posted 2025-10-01 18:46:41 by Ken G

Clean Up

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 15:17:28 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

With the car running I feel like I can start to work on the clean up items on the list, it is a long list. This weekend my major goal was to stop the oil leak at the return line and get some semblance of brakes. This is what I ended up working on: Saturday I added a throttle spring and was able to get the car running with that in place. Minor adjustments and it seems good for now. I removed and reinstalled the return oil pipe with the hope to stop the gusher of oil draining out the back of the pipe. I was mostly successfully it is still dripping but not enough to make me concerned at this point. My driver side headlight was on, but quite dim so I worked through the ground points and move a few things around and now I have bright lights at all four corner, hazards, turn and brights.. The front driver side brake line was constantly leaking so I replaced that, bled the lines and it seemed good. I then went to bled the line on the passenger side and nothing came out. The hard line was either rusted or contaminated so I replaced that line also. After bleeding both lines again they are working well. I'm out of time for bleeding the rears so I will safe that for another day. While I did get the brake lines installed and they are working I am soo unhappy with the way they look I've already decided I'm going to redo them this winter. They remind me of the time my daughter drew line pictures on the wall with a sharpie. That's it for now

Posted 2025-09-28 15:17:28 by Ken G

Running So Now The Real Work Begins

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 14:55:29 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

It has been an off and on project for the last three weeks trying to get this thing running. I felt the timing was close enough when I could get it to run briefly using the starter fluid but after cleaning the carb out and messing with it I wasn't getting anywhere. So today I pulled the weber DVG and swapped it with the DOCE that was sitting on the shelf since I had removed it from my previous car. Third try it started like a champ. Messed with the idle and have it running at 1100 rpm. I was able to drive it back and forth in the drive way so pretty happy. BUT, and there is always a "but" when I'm working on a car, now I have problems to solve. The return spring for the carb and for the accelerator peddle are missing so that is a hassle. The brakes completely failed in the driveway so that is a bit of a problem, the radiator puked on the drive, the return oil line is leaking like all get out, and the temperature is pegged at high. (Even before the coolant leak). So all in all a good day

Posted 2025-09-20 14:55:29 by Ken G

Here We Go Again

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 10:30:05 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Still working on getting this car to run. Before I pulled the engine it was running pretty decently, but now I'm having some issues getting it going. It turns over like a champ but I don't get any ignition or coughing. Move it to 10 degrees before TDC, verified it was the compression stroke by the pressure coming out of #1 plug and visually inspected it was up. Rotor is at 1 O' Clock Set static timing by use of a light per John twist Cleaned up the plugs Spark plug order 1,3,4,2 Fuel pump runs and I see fuel going into the clear filter and hear it in the carbs. (Weber downdraft) I turn the car over and nothing. I used my inline spark and see a spark for each wire. I have tried to rotating the distributor both clockwise and counter clock wise and no change. I feel like I'm missing something very obvious but I can't sort out what it is. Pictures below showing the set up.

<PXL 20250830 144424834>

<PXL 20250830 144732665>

<PXL 20250830 144738154>

Posted 2025-08-30 10:30:05 by Ken G

Will It Start? ....No

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 15:14:29 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

It is amazing how things sneak up on you and drain on your free time. Kids sports, camping trips, getting sick and work just all plot against doing the fun projects. it has been 2 months since I last worked on this thing. But today the soccer game started at 8 am so I've had most of the afternoon free. I climbed back into the garage and cleaned it again to be able to get to the MG and started to work. I installed a new negative battery cable, hooked up the starter and battery and tested the electronics. They are basically working I have a couple of lights that I have to check the grounds on but overall good enough. I pushed the car into the driveway, added a couple gallons of gas and tried to get it to start. I had hoped that I would get lucky and it would just fire right up. nope not that lucky. So I checked, fuel is getting pumped up, and the plugs are making a spark good signs. I set the static timing per John Twist, double checked the wire alignment 1,3,4,2. and ...Nope. I advanced the timing small amounts multiple times. nope. Took a break. Reset the timing again, tried a couple more times nope, nada nothing. So I'm giving it a rest. Having a nice cool beverage, doing a little research and we'll try again tomorrow.

Posted 2025-08-23 15:14:29 by Ken G

Continuing On

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 16:02:11 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Continuing on with the project. Documenting it in the journal some how makes it a bit more real, ev3en when there isn't a ton of progress. Today I installed a brake relay, I was digging through a box of items and came upon it. I don't even remember buying it but I figured since I had it and everything was easy to access I'd take care of it. I also rewired the horn relay to a different power source. I think I will eventually add in a power stud or second fuse box but this should be ok for now. But that stuff is all pretty small.

Posted 2025-06-22 16:02:11 by Ken G

Some Time Today

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 14:06:55 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I got a bit of time today but it is HOT in the garage. I worked on the clutch and brakes today. Topped off and bled the clutch line and started working on the brakes. I started bleeding the rear brakes with the EZ bleeder and ran into some problems. The driver side front line was not tight to the flex line so that leaked a bunch and then I found that the same line going into the reserve was also weeping. Of course this is the line that attaches to the bottom of the reserve and is a royal pain to get at. I tighten the line under the car, remove the fluid from the reserve, loosened and retightened the hard line and tested. All seemed good. So I started bleeding again and it is leaking again there. Very lightly but right on the paint of the engine compartment. So after mucking around with that for 4 hours, I'm done for the day. We will see what tomorrow brings.

Posted 2025-06-21 14:06:55 by Ken G

Still Moving

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 17:27:17 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I believe I've figured out the power drop off issue. For the testing I was using two 6 volt batteries in series. This worked generally but what I noticed is when the key was turned on the volts at the brown wire dropped from 9.15 to 7.52. I went over all the connections and didn't see any errors in the wiring so I made the guess that lantern batteries were too weak. So I got out the car battery, connected it with a 10 fuse to the line and it seems to have worked. I've got my lights, horn and turn signals/ hazards working. Maybe I've been a bit to cautious with this but I'm trying to avoid "smoke" issues. I've got the relays installed for the headlights and horn, reattached the dash, and installed the firewall plugs, starter and distributor. Next up I plan to verify the clutch, brake and fuel lines.

Posted 2025-06-08 17:27:17 by Ken G

Return To The Frustration

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 19:25:04 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

So yesterday was a nice high point, to day was a bunch of frustration. I had noticed that the headlights were not matching, one halogen and one incandescent so I bought a set of those cheap LED lights with the ring around them. I was thinking they would be work able in the short run and the day runners and extra turn signal lights would be useful. Beginning in the morning I pulled out the old lights installed the new ones and made up some connecting wires for the day and turn lights. Wired it all up and nothing worked. Monkeyed around with it a bit and was able to get some of it to work but then I found an issue which I messed around with for hours and still haven't sorted out. When the car ignition is not on, the new headlights work fine, but when I turn on the ignition, the lights turn off. Just weird. I have been pouring over the wiring diagram, traced the power, searched the web (found one similar issue (but there was no resolution) and I just can't sort it out. I do have relays on the headlights and that might be part of the problem, but it isn't the whole thing. I removed the relays and wired up the lights light original and they work fine with the ignition off, with the ignition on they are still one but are only at 5%. When the ignition switch is turned on something is adding a ton of resistance (I'm guessing) and I've got no idea.

Posted 2025-06-01 19:25:04 by Ken G

Time For A Restart

Sat, 31 May 2025 18:41:16 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

It has been 2 years since my last journal post and in those two years I've done no work on the car. It has been sitting in the garage patiently waiting for me to simultaneously get free time and ambition something very rare with two pre-teens in the house. But I'm happy to say that I have managed to do a restart on this project and after cleaning the garage last week I've managed to work two weeks in a row and can feel the excitement growing and some semblance of a feeling of accomplishment. I honestly couldn't remember where I was on the various systems that have to be completed to get this car running again. So I spent some time making a checklist of all the various component needed to be completed in the car. It is like three pages long front and back. Pretty detailed and a bit overwhelming but I didn't want to miss anything (I still will) and I just work more efficiently with a check list. The first thing I decided to tackle was the electronically system. Most of the connections had been completed and the dash had been temporally fastened in but I figured there were a few things that were either done incorrectly or were outstanding and not completed so I decided I needed to do a full test of all the components. I got a couple of 6 volt lantern batteries and connected them in series and started testing. So this car is a total Frankenstein, parts swapped from so many places. The electrical system is from a 77 and the car is a 76. This caused some complications and the turn and wiper stalks different but it also made for some little wins. The 76 has the OD in the right stalk and the left stalk has a push button which I've got wired to the horn. There are a lot of the warning lights that were built into the 77 that don't have a spot in the 76 so those have been capped off. Anyways using the test batteries I was able to get the hazards, turn, running lights head lights and brake lights working last weekend. I did find something a bit strange, some how I have one head light is halogen and the other in incandescent. No idea how that happened???? Today I was able to get the the the new OD light properly connected, the bright light dash warning light working, the horn to beep, the windshield wipers turning, the gauges lights lit and connected a USB outlet with a battery gauge. I also installed the starter. Overall it still looks a mess but I'm happy with todays progress and hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to connect the starter, install the distributor and test the brake system. Too early for any predictions but I'm glad to be getting at it again.

<1000031845>

<1000031844>

Posted 2025-05-31 18:41:16 by Ken G

Long Month But The Windshield In Installed

Mon, 29 May 2023 17:13:09 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

The goal was to have it running at the end of May and with only two mores days left in the month that isn't going to happen. Oh well what can you say life get busy some times. BUT I did have a bit of success today, I managed to get the windshield installed on the car with the new bottom seal. After reading about this on the forum I was dreading it, but I didn't think it was too bad. About 45 minutes to set the new seal into the window track and around 2 hours by myself to get the 4 bolts locked in and the seal flattened.

<Windshield installed>

Posted 2023-05-29 17:13:09 by Ken G

Still Moving....(Slowly)

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 10:48:51 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

The work continues putting the 1976 MGB back together. My Saturday was totally blown but I did squirrel away some time on Sunday. Most of the engine electrical connections are made and checked, The alternator is tightened and belt is in place, the Radiator is installed with the exception of the hoses. I made up the OD drive connections for the switch to the harness and wired in a new indicator light in the dash . I had hoped to accomplish more last weekend but I'll take what I can get.

<PXL 20230424 153952874>

Posted 2023-04-24 10:48:51 by Ken G

Good Lunch

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 12:41:04 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I had a very good lunch hour today. Got the valve cover, alternator, fan, fan belt, coil, and sparkplugs installed. Yes it is all low fruit on what needs to be finished but it is fun when the to do list goes down and I get to throw out empty part boxes.

<PXL 20230404 173211444>

Posted 2023-04-04 12:41:04 by Ken G

Engine Back In

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 07:08:18 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

It took most of the day but I was able to get the engine in and the mounts locked down. One road block that I ran into that was unexpected was that my Engine lift arm was about 4-6 inches to short to make it easy. I could get the engine and transmission into place but I couldn't get enough distance on the arm to easily move it in place. After the first time not sliding easily I pulled the whole thing out with the idea I could extend the arm out. Well I was at my last setting on the arm so I fiddled with the chains and the balancer to allow for some more adjustment. I think when I pulled the engine out I have the longer chain at the back, but while working on the engine I switched them. On the second try with patience and some 2*4 pry bars I was able to muscle it into place. The engine mounts went ok and then I started working on the transmission mounts. for some reason what should have been a 30 minute job turned into a afternoon ordeal. the mounts on the transmission went in ok, but the mounts on the body fought every step of the way which was just weird. With out the mount in there the bolts lined up and went readily in, but with the mount added in place they would not start. but eventually I was successful and happy for the days progress. The things you think may be difficult turn out to be easy but the things you think will be easy, the car likes to trick you. Now that the engine in back in, The fun begins getting all the parts back together and connecting it up.

Posted 2023-04-03 07:08:18 by Ken G

Making Progress

Sun, 26 Mar 2023 12:50:16 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

The last two days have been fairly productive. The hand brake lever and cable has been installed, the wiring underneath is secured, the engine side covers and front pully are fastened down. I filled up the transmission and so I believe I have everything that I am required to do to install the engine and transmission. (Famous last words huh) This week I'm going to fiddle around with the engine mounts and make sure I understand how the back transmission mount installs. I know it is different from when it came out as I've got the O/D transmission going in. If I have some time during the week I'll start to reconnect the wiring harness to the lights and horns and other bits in the engine compartment and to the rear harness.

Posted 2023-03-26 12:50:16 by Ken G

Putting It Back Together

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 12:33:27 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

Starting to put it all back together and I've got a concern that I'll miss something and it will cause a big problem later. I now have the brake and clutch lines and pedal box in, but not filled. The rear wire harness is run up to the front. The main harness is roughly in place but not connected. On the engine I have reconnected the transmission, side covers, front pullies, oil filter bracket and hard line and the OD Electrical harness. I think that is most of the major items, but some of the things I don't want to forget are: - Oil in the transmission - Reconnect the emergency brake - Ground cable for the engine mount - Ground cable from the transmission - Transmission restraint rod - Run speedometer cable - Wire up the OD harness to the switch This is is what I have so far, hopefully I haven't forgotten something biggish.

<PXL 20230309 162246346>

<PXL 20230309 162222331>

Posted 2023-03-10 12:33:27 by Ken G

The Agony Of Success

Sun, 26 Feb 2023 16:11:12 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

What a hassle! I spent today working on attaching the OD transmission to the engine. Multiple attempts ended the same, frustration, swearing and stomping out of the garage in disgust.. Finally I put the engine and transmission on floor, picked up the transmission and just shoved it on and like magic, it just clicked in? WTH!!! I quickly set the bolts and it wasn't until the 4th bolt was in that I took a breath. I had read the stories but hoped I'd be one of the lucky ones to get it on the first try. Guess not, but it is done and another milestone is completed. I had hoped to get the hard lines also set before the end of the month but it looks like I'm going to miss that goal by a week. (Unless I take some time off work ...)

<OD transmission attached to engine, what a sweet sight>

Posted 2023-02-26 16:11:12 by Ken G

Small Steps

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 08:12:59 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

Always small steps with this project. February doesn't seem like it has been too productive of a month so far. I have the foot pedal box and the pedals installed, and the main harness is in. I fiddled with the clutch and brake lines but didn't get them completed. I have installed the new flywheel and clutch and I'm getting primed to attach the new (to me) OD transmission. There is a week left in the month so If I can get the transmission attached and the hard lines connected by the end of the month I'll count it as a success.

<PXL 20230211 023604936>

Posted 2023-02-21 08:12:59 by Ken G

January Is Done

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 12:34:17 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

January is done and I feel pretty good about my progress after the abysmal December. The engine compartment is painted and just needs a bit of a buff and touch up. I'm not going for show quality, it is more f a stop the rust and look "OK" from maybe 10 feet away. The painting on the engine is completed and I am going to start reattaching bits this week; Tappet covers, flywheel, fan and the like. The interior floor pans and tunnel are primed and I'm trying to decide if it is worth painting them with some color or just leaving it as since the floor is going to be covered with carpet anyways. I should so I probably will. Next steps will be to putting in the hard lines for the brakes and fuel, the peddle box and that odd assortment of items that are required to complete before installing the engine. A long way to go still but I feel like I'm not starting to put it back together as opposed to taking it apart. As long as i can find where I stashed all the parts I think it should go back together pretty quickly. Oh I got the flywheel back from the machine shop and it looks shiny

<PXL 20230130 133934473>

Posted 2023-02-01 12:34:17 by Ken G

The Work Continues

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 09:07:04 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

Such a long process, lots of baby steps and steps forward and back. This last weekend I sanded and primed the engine bay. It is by far from perfect but is much better than it was before. I hope to add a bit of color in the next week or so I have also done a bit of touch up on the engine paint and what not.

<Engine bay primed>

Posted 2023-01-17 09:07:04 by Ken G

New Year 2023

Mon, 02 Jan 2023 16:43:07 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

Happy New Year!! Between the holidays, the weather and some flu bugs hitting the house there wasn't much accomplished between the last update and Christmas, however the last few days have been productive. I cleaned, primed and painted the engine, patched and painted the floorboards. Both of those items took a lot more work than that one sentence conveys. I went with a gloss black for the engine and I think it it may need another coat but we'll see once it dries. Best wishes in the new year.

Posted 2023-01-02 16:43:07 by Ken G

Engine Is Out

Sat, 12 Nov 2022 15:28:08 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

I'm happy to say that today I was able to remove the engine without a ton of effort and no injuries. I and my daughter spent about 3 and a half hours doing to prep work on Friday afternoon. draining the fluids, removing the extra bits and getting it ready. This morning I spent about 2 hours setting up the hoist, removing the transmission brace and engine mounts and then lifting the whole big lump out. Overall with the support of the MGB forum and watching a couple of great videos online (David-Wilks and Endfloat) I felt it wasn't too bad a project. Now that the engine is out, I need to sort out what needs to be done and what extras I'm willing to work on.

<PXL 20221112 165827489>

<PXL 20221112 173447524>

<PXL 20221112 170237678.MP>

Posted 2022-11-12 15:28:08 by Ken G

Running Again.. At Least For Now

Sat, 05 Nov 2022 16:54:30 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

For the last 3 weeks or so in my spare time I've been trying to get this car started and I was having no luck. it was turning over but there was no combustion. I changed and re-gapped the plugs, set the static timing, verified the firing order, saw spark going to the plugs, multiple times, but it just wasn't starting. Earlier today I moved it into the driveway and tried to start it and again the same, no combustion. So there is sat this afternoon. I came back and was going to plug the plug to check the spark again with my daughter's cranking the car and while I was showing them what I needed, it started up. I couldn't believe it. Now my daughters are convinced they are good luck charms and that is all good too. :-) The car idled well, but still at 1500rpm. The weber carb will need a winter rebuild. I've got a couple of oil leaks to sort out, the temperature gauge was wonky off the scale to the Hot side as soon as the car started so that is something I need to fix. But I'm so glad it is running again. Which means next week I'm going to get everything around to pull the engine. The plan will be to pull the engine, swap in the overdrive transmission and clean up the engine compartment over Thanksgiving and get it all back in before Christmas. Just a short edit. I started it up and let it warm up a bit and was able to do a warm compression test. Looks good so far. #1 - 132 #2 - 137 #3 - 140 #4 - 135

Posted 2022-11-05 16:54:30 by Ken G

In A Hold Pattern

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 13:30:35 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

It was a busy week and even a busier weekend and I've had no time to work on the car. I hope to sort out the starter issue this week. I did manage to take a drive over to See Dick Mortitz to pick up my refreshed Over Drive and have a nice chat. I feel very lucky to live so close to this guy. If I can get the starter working and the car started then of course I'll move on to bigger and better things. Yup I've got to pull the engine to install the new tranny. The question is what will it snowball into once the engine is out. Clean and paint the engine compartment, replace the clutch, replace the hard pipes? We will see, but one thing is for sure, this thing will be on the road come spring 2023. (Even if I have to tow it behind my 4Runner.. lol)

<OD transmission right from Mr. Moritz>

Posted 2022-10-17 13:30:35 by Ken G

So What Now

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 10:27:23 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Well I had the car running on September 4th with the new starter and using the rewired set up from the earlier MGB's (wire coming from the fuse box and a 3 ohm coil) While I was waiting for the diode to put the wiring back to the original design I cleaned up the dash wiring replaced the turn and brake lights with LED's along with the flashers. Nothing that I thought was too critical to the operation of the car. When the diode arrived I connected it to the starter, replaced the original wires and had the expectation that it would start right up. Well nope. Car was turning over but not firing, OK fuel pump wasn't pumping so I quickly realized it was the roll over switch, easy to resolve, but did it Nope. No spark at the plug, hmm weird, power to the coil, Ahh the negative wire to the distributor was lose, fixed that now has spark. Still nope. I changed the wiring back to use the set up I had before the diode arrived (with the 3 ohm coil) to remove other variables that had changed since it ran last. Checked static timing, made sure the #1 cylinder was up, rotor at 1 o'clock, cables at 1,3,4,2 clockwise. Of how did they get flipped. changed the wires to counter clockwise, cleaned the plugs, checked gap. Using my inline spark thingee I see spark at the plugs. got a little bit of a back fire but nothing much. Today I went out to try to start it, and now the new high torque starter is clicking but not engaging. Power to lights and hazards. I put the battery on the charger and going to let it change all day. The worsee thing about this is that not that long ago it was running and I'm doing the same steps with no luck, frustrating

<PXL 20221006 142926174>

<PXL 20221006 142938721>

Posted 2022-10-06 10:27:23 by Ken G

Some Light Work

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 07:05:00 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I spent a bit of time last night working on the lights, turn signals and hazard lights. I had been doing some testing and not really having much luck, so I started at the beginning with the diagram, checking connections and verifying lines and made some progress. - Both the headlights are working on dim and bright along with the dash indicator. - Three of the four running lights are working. - The hazard dash indicators are both blinking and the right front and rear right side lights are on. I'm actually pretty happy with the progress, I installed relays for the headlights and those are working well, I just need to continue the methodical work one light at a time and get the left side up and running. One thing I don't understand is the set up of the turn light. It is a double filament bulb with 3 wires coming off of it, a green, red and black. If I connect the red and the green wires the light comes on as a running light and as a hazard/ turn light, but If I also connect the black (ground) wire it totally stops working. It has me scratching my head, but I'm sure there is a logical explanation I've just not gotten to it yet.

Posted 2022-09-21 07:05:00 by Ken G

Moving Forward

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 13:32:15 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Due to some minor issues with the wiring I removed the dash on the 1976 red MGB to allow some easier tracing of the problems. I sorted out some of the issues in the brake and turn lights, changed the bulb on the alternator light, installed a voltage regulator. Installed relays for the head lights. I received the diode for the starter so I'll be changing the coil back to the 1.5 ohm and use the "correct" wiring setup. This week, I got rid of the 77 MGB, there were too many ongoing issues and I needed to cut my losses. So we're a one MGB family again and my spouse is quite happy about that. Next up continue to get the switches and lights working, add an electric cooling fan, swap out the coil, set the timing, fill the clutch and brake master cylinders and see what we can do from there.

Posted 2022-09-15 13:32:15 by Ken G

Throttle Linkage Adjustments

Sun, 04 Sep 2022 10:48:05 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Based on some direction from the forum I was able to narrow the issue to the throttle linkage. I reset that and upon restart it holds a steady 1500 rpm. I adjusted the return stop and was able to get it to 1300. Still high but workable for now. I have some other issues I need to sort through, I turned on the hazard lights and got the front right turn light on, the back left turn and reverse light and the right brake light. Clearly a bit of work to do there. The turn indicator lights came on with the hazard switch so that is good. The red alternator light came on but it seems that the alternator is putting out juice. The Tach and the oil pressure gauges were working but the fuel and temp were not reading anything. There may not be enough gas in the tank and I might have not let the car run long enough to get a reading for the temp. One other thing I noticed is that there is some exhaust coming out of the joint between the exhaust manifold and the tail pipe so that might need a tighten up. Overall I don't think it is too bad.

Posted 2022-09-04 10:48:05 by Ken G

1976 MGB Is Now A Running Car

Sat, 03 Sep 2022 12:42:20 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I worked through the problem with the new hi-torque starter. I ran a new wire from the fuse box to the positive side of the coil. I disconnected the W/LG wire from the coil and the starter. And changed the coil to a 3 Ohm from the 1.5. I was still not getting it to engage, so I reset the timing, cleaned the plugs, ran some pressured air through the metal fuel line, changed the fuel filter and ran some cleaner into the carb. It than started like a champ!!! Very happy and I was starting to doubt myself and all of the components. But now I have a new problem, the car is racing to a 5000 rpm idle. The throttle cable is not engaged, and I have backed out the Idle/ Mixture screw all the way. it sounds pretty good at 5000 rpm but I don't want it to run there too long so I have to sort this out. I started to do some research but didn't find this problem, yet .. I threw it to the forum hopefully I'll get some advice. Anyway quite happy at the progress, having it run is a great relief. Quick edit I received the car on Sept 1st 2021 so it took me a year and 2 days to get it running, a bit longer than planned but here we are.

Posted 2022-09-03 12:42:20 by Ken G

Starter

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 09:51:24 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I pulled the starter last night, easy job, maybe 15 minutes which was nice. I put it on the becnh and tested it per John Twists video. First few times I heard a slight clicking noice but the arm didn't move. I banged it with a hammer a couple of times on the solenoid and tried it again and it freed up. Ran it on and off on the bench and 3 out of 4 times it worked, bt the other 25% of the time it got stuck. I looked at taking it apart and trying to clean it up or maybe replace the solenoid but I don't think it is worth the effort at this point of time. Aftermarket replacement starters are $125 and the hi torque ones are $250. While I am getting tired of pouring more money into this car I feel like the hi torque starter might be the way to go. I just want to get the thing running

<starter mgb 1076>

Posted 2022-08-30 09:51:24 by Ken G

Steps

Sun, 28 Aug 2022 10:54:15 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

So one step forward few steps back. I put gas in the MGB and tried to get it started and not much luck, yet. I fuel pump pushed the gas up to the filter, and into the Carb. I tried to start it and it turned over but there was no ignition. I pulled the plugs that were a bit oily and changed them to another set I had, verifying the gap at .025. Tried again no success, and after a few tries the car just stopped trying to start. nothing... nada... dead. Checked and there were no blown fuses, headlights still bright and battery checked out at 12.3.. ugh now what. I bypassed the start solenoid with my remote start switch from the main power to the plug for the white and brown wire, there is a faint click. I'm guessing that the starter is jammed or the solenoid is bad. Either way it was working and in course of my attempting to get it started I messed it up. More research needed.

Posted 2022-08-28 10:54:15 by Ken G

Back At It, Battery In

Sat, 27 Aug 2022 13:06:33 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I went off for an extended vacation and forgot to do a journal update before I left., but I busy and got a lot accomplished just before leaving. Install new fuel tank - Done Install new fuel pump - Done Install radiator - Done Install new Exhaust - Done Connect and fill the master cylinder for the clutch and brakes - Done Since I got back I've been working on testing the electrical system. I used two 6 volt lantern batteries to do some testing on lights and connections, they were mostly good but I found a few issues I needed to correct. Which leads up to today, I installed a battery and did some more testing. Most systems seems to work, headlights, running lights, hazard lights went on (but I have a few bad bulbs and bad flasher unit) But the big news is that I was able to complete a compression test on the engine, it turned over nicely and the test was ok for now: A few days ago I but some MMO down the cylinders and I'm not sure if that helped or may have changed the results but this is what I got. I did the test twice, Cylinder #1 - 152 - 112 Cylinder #2 - 148 - 125 Cylinder #3 - 135 - 145 Cylinder #4 - 135 - 140 I don't know about that cylinder #1 seems like a huge change between the first run and the second. Would putting MMO make such a big difference(i.e. it is in for the first test but by the time I do the 2nd test it is all removed?) that would sort of make sense for both #1 and #2 went down. Anyways It isn't enough to stop me now, next step start up.

Posted 2022-08-27 13:06:33 by Ken G

Closing In

Sun, 10 Jul 2022 18:31:41 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I feel like I'm closing in on something, what it is I'm not sure of yet. This weekend I spent a lot of time cleaning up lingering issues: Installed the Clutch Slave and hose Springs on the clutch and brake peddle Wired up the coil and distributor, (lots of questions but all sorted out) Installed most of the carb hoses Cleaned up the unused wiring So items left to do: Install new fuel tank (when it arrives) Install new fuel pump Install radiator (I have an issue with the fan and the hoses I need to sort out) Install new Exhaust Connect and fill the master cylinder for the clutch and brakes Then we are at doing a compression test and work towards starting it up.

Posted 2022-07-10 18:31:41 by Ken G

How I Removed My Front Suspension

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 09:37:56 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

This is a record of the steps that I used for maintaining my personal vehicle, it is not to be construed as a work manual. I take no responsibility for any harm or damage that may come from following these procedures. (1977 U.S. MGB) Make sure you know what you are doing. Be safe when working on and under your car, JACK securely Note: Be sure to label and bag the parts, nuts and bolts as you take them off the car. Keep a list of items you need to replace so you can make a single parts order. 1. Loosen the lug nuts (13/16) on the front tires. 2. Jack up car using the front cross member. 3. Properly support front of car using jack stands on the main rails. 4. Ensure that it does not move while on stands. 5. Remove the lug nuts the rest of the way and take off the tire. 6. Using a wrench and hammer turning clockwise loosen the lock nut (7/8) on the steering tie rod. 7. Remove the bolt (5/8-11/16) connecting the front sway bar to the A-frame on both the driver and passenger sides. Remove the 4 bolts (1/2) holding the 2 brackets and their bushings to the cross member and remove it for now. 8. Place a container under the brake line to catch brake fluid. 9. Using a (9/16) flare nut wrench loosen the brake line nut from the hardline to the rubber line. 10. After it is done dripping tape a cloth on the end of the line to stop intermittent dripping. 11. Using box wrenches (9/16 – 5/8) undo the nut and star washer holding the rubber brake hose to the bracket. Return the nut and washer on the rubber line for safe keeping. 12. Using a hammer and punch flatten the retainer bracket that is holding the 2 bolts on the back of the brake cylinder. 13. Remove the two bolts (5/8) from the back of the brake cylinder, and the cylinder will come free. 14. Replace the bolts into the cylinder for safe keeping. 15. Remove the center grease cap by using a small screw driver and carefully tap and pry the cap off. 16. Clean the grease off of the cap and the castle nut in the center of the hub. 17. Remove the cotter pin that is securing the castle nut by using a small screw driver. 18. Remove the castle nut ( 1 1/8) using a socket. 19. Carefully remove the spacer and bearing from the hub, clean the grease. 20. Place a tray under the hub to catch any parts that may drop and pull the hub out from the spindle. 21. Remove the four bolts (1/2) from the brake dust screen. 22. Replace the four bolts into the swivel axle to keep them safe. 23. Remove the bolt (11/16) on the bottom of the steering tie rod and using a ball joint separator, separate the tie rod end from the swivel axle. (If you remove the tie rod ends from the tie rods you must count and record the number of turns to remove it.) 24. Place floor jacks under the A frames and raise the arms up to compress the spring and remove the tension. (Be very careful) 25. Remove the cotter pin and castle nut (11/16) and drift the top pin (fulcrum pin has a half cut head) the holds the swivel axle to the front shock arm 26. Slowly let the floor jack down to release the tension on the spring. The A frame should drop all the way down and allow the spring to fall out. 27. Remove the cotter pin and castle nut (3/4 – 3/4) on the bottom bolt holding the swivel axle to the A frame. Separate the A frame out. This is heavier than it looks. Keep trak of the washers, support, seals, distance tube and other parts of this. 28. Remove the nut (3/4) that connects the sway bar link to the front wishbone arm. 29. Remove the three bolts (1/2 – 9/16) that connect the wishbone arms to the spring pan. 30. The spring pan is loose and can be removed now. 31. Remove the nut (3/4) and washer that connect to front wishbone arm to the pivot and take off the wishbone. Place the nuts and washers back on the pivot. 32. Remove the nut (3/4) and washer that connect to rear wishbone arm to the pivot and take off the wishbone. Place the nuts and washers back on the pivot. 33. There are 4 bolts (9/16) with washers holding the shock to the cross member. Remove these and pull out the shock. 34. Complete steps 6-33 for both sides. 35. Removal of the steering rack. Turn the steering wheel to the full right, (Passenger side) and using paint or white out mark where the steering spines on the Pinion meet the steering UJOINT. 36. Remove the 4 bolts (1/2) that hold the steering rack to the cross member. Be careful to watch for alignment shims that may drop out. 37. Fully remove the bolt (1/2 – 1/2) holding the steering pinion to the steering UJOINT. This was very difficult for me to remove and I needed to use a gear pulling and drift pin. 38. Press the steering rack forward to remove it from the UJOINT, Be careful to not pull the UJOINT forward and separate the steering column I’m not sure how to better explain this so you may need to do more research to understand this. 39. Pull the intact steering rack forward to remove. 40. Place a floor jack under the cross member to support it for removal. I also place a support (ramps) on either side of the jack for balance it needed. 41. From the top remove the 4 nuts (11/16) that hold the cross member to the rails in the engine compartment. 42. When all 4 nuts are loosen you can knock them out the pins from the top down and slowly lower the floor jack and the cross member should lower. 43. With the cross member out of the car you can remove the final parts of the front suspension from it. 44. Remove the 4 bolts (9/16 – 9/16) holding each of the pivots to the cross member, Mark the pivots to remember the correct side for replacement. 45. Remove the 2 bolts (7/16 – 7/16) holding the Spigot (spring locator) to the cross member on each side. 46. Remove the two bolts (1/2 – 1/2) holding the shock buffer to the aluminum distance piece to the cross member. I needed to remove the nuts pull the whole unit from the cross member and then place the buffer and distance pieces in the vice to remove the bolts. The bolts were corroded into the aluminum and would not give easily.

Posted 2022-07-07 09:37:56 by Ken G

Moving Forward

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 07:29:38 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Still moving forward I've got the new fuel tank, fuel pump and exhaust system on order, installed the fuel line and filter to the carb. Installed the accelerator cable, oil filter, and a few other minor things. the list of things to do is still quite long but I am getting closer to the start testing, maybe two weekends away. This is a wiring diagram of the rear wire harness I drew up a while ago, just putting it here for reference if it can help anyone out. (I want to complete this for the dash and main harness as time permits.)

<mgb rear wire>

Posted 2022-07-07 07:29:38 by Ken G

Happy 4th

Mon, 04 Jul 2022 15:23:51 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

The journey continues but at least I feel like I'm making some progress. Installed the oil pressure tube, the speedometer cable, the steering wheel cowling and the accelerator cable on the inside of the car. In the engine compartment I connected the rear wire harness, installed the oil filter bracket, connected the oil return pipe, set up the alternator and fan belt, replaced the temperature sending unit, installed the distributor and replaced the starter relay. A couple of good days, and I feel like I'm making some real progress.

<PXL 20220704 200947134>

Posted 2022-07-04 15:23:51 by Ken G

Dash And More

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 10:28:50 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

This weekend was hot but I was able to find sometime to work on the car. I removed the fuel tank and fuel pump. There was a minor bit of fuel in the tank so that was a hassle to collect and clean up. I'll be replacing the tank. I need to do some testing on the fuel pump to see it it needs refurbishment or replacement. With the tank out of the way and the dash installed I felt it was time to run the new trunk harness up to the engine compartment. Eight or the 9 wires matched up as expected, however I had one that I need to double check. The color on the main harness is not what I expected at the tie in point and I want to make sure I'm plugging it in correctly. Oh one thing I did realize is that I forgot to run the oil pressure tube from the gauge to the switch. So Big OOPS there and it means I have to pull out the dash to get that set up properly. I am feeling that the engine test is going to be happening soon, I'll be ordering a new fuel tank and exhaust system. Once those get in, things will come together quickly (I hope!)

Posted 2022-06-27 10:28:50 by Ken G

Dash Is Coming Together

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 07:28:10 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I've been working on getting the instruments in and rewiring the dash. The main harness I'm using in the car is from a 1980, The car itself is a 1976. I have two dash harness available a 76 and a 80 harness. I started first with the 76 and ran into a minor issue. the headlight switch is wired into the 76 dash harness where on the 80 it is in the main harness. This gave me three wires in the dash harness going to the light switch that I would need to rewire to their proper location. So I decided to switch to the 80 dash harness. This is working well with only a minor obstacles: - The 76 steering cowl does not have a location for the light switch, but as was pointed out by V8MGBV8 the wires are long enough I can move the switch to the dash. - The hazard switch for the 1980 car has the same pin out as the 76 car BUT the switch is a lot smaller so I need to get a proper sized switch. - The fan switch for the 76 is larger and has a different pin layout than the 80 switch, so I need to figure out how to get the smaller switch into the bigger hole. I may get a blank and mount the switch in that. I'm not really worried about it now as I have done a heater delete so the switch will have nothing behind it anyways. It may end up being a manual switch for an electric radiator fan. - The 80 dash has a brake warning light where the 76 dash has a brake switch. I plan on removing the switch and mounting the light someplace. - The dimmer switch was not working so I've hard wired it together adding a 10 amp fuse I also replaced the dash bulbs with LED's, The next goal is to get the dash back into the car and hooked up and finish off the rest of the harness connections.

<PXL 20220619 202652949>

Posted 2022-06-23 07:28:10 by Ken G

Brakes And Clutch Installed

Sun, 15 May 2022 19:50:34 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I got a bit of time in the garage today, finally installed the pedal box, the clutch master, brake booster and the brake master. The clutch pipe is connected but I didn't connect the brake master to the pipes. I realized I failed to buy a pressure failure switch so that will be in the next order. This wasn't hard but I kept missing or loosing parts that I needed to complete it.

<PXL 20220515 222033609>

Posted 2022-05-15 19:50:34 by Ken G

Not Much To Report

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 14:22:29 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Weather and life have been busy but some minor progress has been made. I added some fresh gas and charged up the battery and it starts like a champ, first time when the weather is warm. Second or third try when it is a bit colder. I spent some time rewiring the turn signal and the windshield wiper plugs. The car is a 1976, but my wiring harness is a 1977+. Which means that the plugs for the 1976 turn and windshield wipers do not fit the harness, but the stalks from the later cars do not fit the steering column. Bit of a hassle. I cut the wires from the turn stalk and fitted a new plug from British wiring, on the wipers I pulled them out of the old plug and was able to put them into the new plug. (I only wrecked one getting it out of the old plug) Now that I have the ignition, both stalks and the dash harness connected, (dash is still out) I just need to run the rear harness to the front of the car so I can begin to do some testing.

Posted 2022-04-25 14:22:29 by Ken G

Spring And 2022 Startup

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 10:32:48 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

So I think that Spring has sprung in NJ and this weekend gave me some good weather, and time to work on the MG's. I uncovered the yellow 77 after 3 months, put the battery on the charger for a few hours and I'm happy to report that it started up around the 5th try. Pretty surprised but I'll take the win. I plan on reviewing a few things with it over the next week or so and hope to have it back on the road. After I spent Saturday morning cleaning the garage, I was able to clean up the work area and get put in a little time on the red 76. It had been 3+ months and I had forgotten where I was at with many of the projects but going through my new parts box I reset my agenda. I'm going to first focus on the brakes, clutch and pedal box, then sort out the electrical issues and dash, then the engine and fuel systems. Sunday, I was able to get the hard lines for the brakes and clutch reinstalled. They had been removed by the PO and were bent so that was a bit of trial and error to get into place. I've got all the parts for the pedal box together and laid out, I hope to fit it back together and move to the clutch and brake cylinders. Lots of things to do but the warm weather has energized me.

Posted 2022-03-21 10:32:48 by Ken G

What To Do Next?

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 07:38:18 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

There is so much needed to be done it is a bit overwhelming. What I've been doing so far is to work on a section until I hit a hurdle of a missing part or lack of knowledge and then move to something different. This keeps the project sort of moving forward but no feeling of accomplishment as everything is in limbo. Last night I installed the front and rear running lights, reverse lights and license plate holder, trunk switch and lights. I began running the new rear wiring harness and found that it did not come with the bullet connectors, which is a problem since the light connectors are male and the harness plugs are also male. I looked through all more boxes of junk that came with the car and found none of these so yet another order and delays. I was going to install the headlight buckets and ran into another hick up, the PO had painted them and done a decent job but they snipped off the bullets at the end of the pigtail, and had wrapped the pigtail in masking tape before they painted. It keep the paint off the pigtail BUT the tape was never removed so it is a gluey tape mess, I'm going to try to clean them off but may just order new plugs.

Posted 2021-12-03 07:38:18 by Ken G

Wiring Woes

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 07:51:31 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

Not so much woes but dilemmas. The car is a 1976 and while I thought that the wiring harness was for the car, it seems like it might not have been. Last night I was working on the steering column and testing the connections for the turn and wiper stalks. The turn stalk fit right in but the wiper stalk gave me some issues. The stalk that was in the car has a 9 plug female pin using 8 wires. The wiring harness has a 7 male plug with 6 wires attached. The extra wires on the stalk are a yellow and a white wires, (appears for an overdrive). What this means is that my wire harness is for a later car, which should not be much of a problem, however it does complicate things. If I order a new stalk with the correct plug it will not fit the 1976 steering wheel column, so I'm going to change the plug on the harness to a 9 pin out, leaving the two wires in the plug but not connected to a wire in the harness. This leaves the OD switch as an option in the future and will make it easier if I ever have to change the switch out. In other news I worked on cleaning up brackets for the instruments and put some more time on the dash. I hope to get some led replacement bulbs for the dash in the mail today or tomorrow.

<PXL 20211129 200523434>

<The dash cleaned up pretty good, I wish it didn't have those big cracks>

Posted 2021-11-30 07:51:31 by Ken G

Continuing Down The Path

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 06:52:12 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

Thanksgiving has come and gone and I was able to make a little progress, of course not as much as I'd hoped. I met a member on this board who was selling some items and found he lived only 15 minutes away from my house so it was a nice surprise and chat. My accomplishments were few but needed to be done. I removed the brake, hazard and fan switches from the dash and worked on cleaning it up. It looks better than it did, (at least it is clean) but I have some major cracks. It should be serviceable until I can either track down one in better condition at a reasonable price or spend the time to do the service on it. In the mean time I installed my new to me charcoal canister, cutoff valve and oil sensor unit and sorted out some wiring. The car came with out a distributor so I'm installing a 25D from a 1972 mg, this means that the wiring needs to be adapted a bit as it will not accept the plug from the wiring harness. After doing some research I've decided to follow the information in one of Jeff S. old post. I'm going to use a 3. ohm coil and run a new line directly from the fuse box to the coil +. On the negative side I'll use the existing dual white/ black wire to go to the tach and the distributor. As I understand it this will eliminate the need for the resistor and should be nice and clean. I have a big pre-Christmas order coming from Moss and once that arrives I think things will come together a bit quicker.

Posted 2021-11-29 06:52:12 by Ken G

Starting Out

Sun, 21 Nov 2021 10:34:17 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

Well not completely starting out as I've done the front and rear axles and brakes all around. I spent some more time doing clean up and started a few items. I removed the hood and have that setting out of the way, removed the original zenith intake and exhaust manifold. Installed the replacement exhaust manifold from a 1970ish mgb, and a weber DVG. I may eventually go to a pair o SU's but right now\ I have the DVG and i like that much better than the Zenith. After that was done I worked on the wiring harness, I found one wire that needed repair so that was sorted out. I installed a new fuse box and began labeling connections in the engine bay. I wasn't able to locate a rear harness in the various boxes of parts that came with the car so that was added to the shopping list. Reviewing things under that car I found that the main fuel line is intact, I had found a section of fuel line so I thought I might need to replace the whole line. When I get a new gas tank I'll inspect the line and make sure it is in good shape. Next items are continue sorting out the wiring harness and install some of components, clean up the dash and clean or replace any broken parts. (I really want to find a replacement dash as this one is in bad shape) Things to research: I'm missing the charcoal canister so I need to find a replacement or a way to bypass that. The air pump manifold is still installed so I want to sort out how to remove that properly I'm going to do a heater delete, but Moss's panel is pricey, I have to believe there is a less expensive option

<PXL 20211120 173231939>

Posted 2021-11-21 10:34:17 by Ken G

The Beginning - Act 2

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 15:05:40 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

So the yellow MG has been regulated to the driveway and work has begun on the 1976 MGB. Last night I did a wash of the stripped interior and started making a list of all the things I need, and hmmm it is a long list. I'm still on the fence regarding pulling the engine, but I have decided to not install the heater at this time. I'll be buying or making a blank for the tray, firewall and heater valve. I have the heater in my mess of parts and I may circle back to that in the future but at this time I'm skipping that project. I've decided to move forward with the existing wiring harness, I inspected it last night and it seems serviceable, I may regret this choice in the future, but the cost for a new one isn't really in the budget right now. My first tasks are going to be installing new fuel and brake lines, and getting the dash sorted.

<PXL 20210910 215559627>

Posted 2021-11-19 15:05:40 by Ken G

Moving On To Number 2

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 17:37:27 -0600

Ken G's Journal --

I've officially stopped work on the yellow 1977 MGB., There are still many things that need to be done with it, but it is running decent, all lights work and the brakes and emergency brakes are solid so it is time to move it out and move on to the next project. Not that it is a huge change as it is a red 1976 MGB. I found this car via this forum, it has 2 minor rust issue, and a repair on the rear but overall the body is in great shape, but this car is in parts. I'm the third person to work on the rebuild and I want to get it across the finish line by next summer. I swapped the front and rear axels that I had refurbished on the 77 to the 76 so those are done but that is it. The The wiring harness out, as are the brake and fuel lines, heater box and pretty much everything else. It is a bit over whelming knowing what to start with, so I did put up a post asking for suggestions, We'll see what people suggest. I was not planning on painting the car at this point, just leaving it the original red. The paint is in decent shape and I just don't think I have the budget for a repaint right now. If everything goes well and I get it running by next summer maybe I'll strip it down and get it painted next winter. Tonight I did a bit of clean up, I pulled the dash and the steering wheel turn signal stalk. Tomorrow I'll remove the ignition switch and if the weather is decent I'm going to power wash. There is a ton of dust, dirt and grime from 15+ years of storage that I'd like to clean up. Does it make sense to pull the engine before starting to work on lines, hoses and heater box? These are a couple of suggestions I've gotten so far.

<PXL 20210829 123508403>

<PXL 20210909 162516648>

Posted 2021-11-12 17:37:27 by Ken G

On The Road...again

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 15:48:05 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

With the wiring and ignition timing sorted out it was back to the brakes. Last week and a bit on this weekend I replaced the rear brake cylinders and pads, the front pads and bled the lines. Sunday I was able to get out and do a test drive, the engine started up on the first turn of the key and the brakes were solid. The only thing left to sort out is the emergency brake.

Posted 2021-11-01 15:48:05 by Ken G

Running Again, Sort Of

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 19:12:24 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Spent that last week or so sorting out issues with the yellow MGB. The timing was messed up and so I tried to fix it and well made it worse. I got a ton of loud backfire and no starting. I changed the plugs, reset the static timing and still no luck. New day started from the beginning double checking every step, adjusting the distributor, adjusted the plug wires, gaps etc and after a few trials I finally got it running roughly again tonight. This weekend I'll get the timing light on it and see if I can get it a little better.

Posted 2021-10-21 19:12:24 by Ken G

Wiring Progress

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 15:15:45 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I continued to make some more progress. I connected up the battery and tried to get it started and had no luck. The starter was turning over but not starting. I checked the plugs and coil and was not getting any spark. Traced the wires from the positive side of the coil, one goes to the starter the other into the loom never to be seen again. That is when I figured out what was happening and what that random wire connected to the ignition relay was doing. I followed the white, green wire into the loom and it connected to a bunch of wires and then to a pink and white wire. I could not find this in ANY of the diagrams I looked at, but on a whim I checked the continuity between the brown and white wire that had been connected to the ignition relay and the positive side of the coil. Ah HA, the pink wire was the Ballast wire. I reconnected that back to the ignition relay and tried to start the car. Well it didn't start, but it tried, coughed and back fired So I'm on the right track. Looks like the timing is messed up, I'll work on sorting that out and see the next hurdle. Side note in my testing the horn, headlights and wipers are working, I'll sort out the rest after I get the engine running

Posted 2021-10-14 15:15:45 by Ken G

Wiring Woes

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 09:26:33 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

This weekend I continued to trace and try to sort out some issues with my wiring harness on the 1977. I found that both my start and ignition relay have wires going to them that are grounded. I'm not sure why and maybe I just don't understand the relays. The ignition relay was not original to the car and at some time the white write from the ignition switch was tapped into a white with brown trace. I have no idea why this was done of the effect. I posted my question to the main board but haven't received any hits yet. Barring any new information I plan on connecting the white wire back to the ignition relay and leave off the white with brown trace, and for the starter relay I'll just attach the white with red trace that runs to the ignition switch and leave the other one disconnected, then try to jump the car from the relay bypassing the ignition switch. P.S. So an update, I opened up the loom to follow the white with brown trace on the ignition relay and found it went in, and then was terminated with a couple of other lose wires. So I have no idea why the PO went out of their way to connect a terminated wire, but at least that mystery is solved.

<Ignition relay with white wire patched to white with brown trace? Why do this?>

Posted 2021-10-11 09:26:33 by Ken G

Swapping Parts Cont.

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 14:41:10 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Friday after work and Saturday morning were really productive. I pulled the front end off the 77 Friday night and Saturday morning I installed both front ends. Lining up the front bolts on the cross member with the springs still installed was a bit tricky but not having to take them both apart was a big time saver. This week I'm digging back into the wiring issues on the yellow one to see if I can track down my brown wire short. So many baby steps

<PXL 20210930 212815516>

<PXL 20211001 222513575>

<PXL 20211002 143029735>

Posted 2021-10-04 14:41:10 by Ken G

Swapping Parts

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 17:35:20 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

This week I started swapping the refreshed crossmember from the 77 to the 76 body. On Tuesday I was able to get the wheels, brakes, steering rack and hubs off. Tonight I dropped down the crossmember complete with shocks and pivot shafts. It went pretty well using a jack underneath to lower it down. 3 of the 4 bolts dropped out but the 4th is in there solid. I'm not sure how it is affixed but it isn't coming out. It is in good shape so I'm leaving it in as t will make it much easier to install it back again. My goal is to have this swap completed by the end of the weekend and then refocus on tracking down the short in the 77 while I figure out my next steps with the 76. Anyone in need of a decent looking zenith carb? I pulled this one off to access the crossmember bolts.

<PXL 20210930 173703077>

<PXL 20210930 212815516>

Posted 2021-09-30 17:35:20 by Ken G

Problems

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 13:55:57 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

It has been a bit since I last posted into the journal and there have been a few setbacks. I had the yellow 1977 MGB listed and was working on a few very minor items. While moving the wire bundles under the dash I put a damaged wire plug on top of the metal choke cable. When I turned the key it lit right up, So I've fixed the apparent damage but I'm still tracing down a short in the line some place. In the mean time I've modified my plan a bit. I'm going to move the mechanical parts that I refreshed from the 77 to the 76. Last weekend I finished moving the rear end and this week I started disassembling the red car's front axle to swap with the yellow car. I plan on continuing to sort out the short issue in the yellow car and see if I can resolve that and get it running again to sell. If I strike out or find the damage is to extensive to fix, (short of replacing the entire wire harness), I may swap the running engine for the one in the red car which is an unknown at this point..

<PXL 20210914 215427869>

<PXL 20210914 215453255>

Posted 2021-09-29 13:55:57 by Ken G

Getting In Trouble

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 11:00:45 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

I picked up my Yellow 1977 MGB that I've been working on last December with the understanding that I would eventually need to redo the floorboards, fenders and paint. I spent my time working on the mechanicals, getting the engine running, cleaned up the front and back suspension, replaced the brakes and didn't get to the body work. It was my plan to strip the car down and spend the winter doing body work, well things change. I found a 1976 MGB for sale, and after looking at it a while it came home with me on last Sunday. The body is in good shape, there is a little bondo on the back trunk but otherwise it looks solid. So now I have two MG's sitting in my 1 1/2 car garage. While they both fit it is a little tight to work on either one. What this means is that one will have to go to get me out of trouble with the boss. I have enjoyed working on the yellow one for the last 8 months, getting it running and driving has been great and I've learned a lot. However, I think I'm going to sell it and let someone else work on the body work. If I had unlimited time and space I'd keep it but I don't, and in the long run I think I'll be much further ahead. I'm in the process of making up my plan to move forward, I think I will finish up the outstanding "non-body work issues" -(turn indicator stalk, reinstall the bumpers and passengers seat) and get it listed as running but needs work. Once that is listed I'll get started on the red one in earnest. Right now it is a rolling chassis, with the engine and dash in disarray. I have to figure out a new game plan to ensure that I have it ready to go in the Spring of 2022.

<PXL 20210829 123433920.MP>

Posted 2021-09-01 11:00:45 by Ken G

On The Road

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 17:48:11 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

Today was the day, my project yellow 1977 MGB was back on the road for the first time since I've owned it. After I fixed my fan issue I went back and forth in the driveway a few times and then backed into the road for a quick run around the block. Everything seemed good so I did it again getting up a little over 40 in 3rd gear. Seems to be running decent, maybe a bit rich but otherwise ok. It took a couple months longer than I thought but I happy to have gotten here. The brakes are a little soft so I'll need to bled them again, and I'm going to need to run through the suspension and check the torques but those are all minor things now.

<"New Car Smell" air freshener added for first test drive>

Posted 2021-08-19 17:48:11 by Ken G

Lights And More Lights

Sat, 14 Aug 2021 16:53:14 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

The Hazards were working but the turn signals were not, I did a bunch of research on this site (Thank you as always) and it seemed most likely to be either a bad Hazard switch or a bad flasher unit. I looked under the passenger dash and there was NO flasher unit. So I thought hey this might be an easy one to fix. I went to NAPA and bought a new unit and it didn't fix the problem. More research. I tested the switch directly on the battery and it worked, Tested for power on both sides of the switch installed, and that worked. Tested the power at the positive side of the turn signal stalk, good!. Tested the wire from the stalk to the lights and they worked. CRAP I have a bad switch in my stalk. Further research to find out that to replace the switch you have to remove the steering wheel, and that doesn't look like fun and might take a week or two for parts and what not. OK, Back to NAPA and buy a SPDT switch, tap into the existing wire harness (That will be replaced when I get the replacement stalk). Success at least for the short term, at least it fixes the rear lights. The front hazard/ turn lights were still attached to the rubber bumper that had been removed by the previous owner. I'm not really interested in sticking that back on right away so I pulled the front lights out of the bumper, fixed the broken and cut wires and there we have front turn and hazard lights again. Zip tied them to the frame, certainly not a long term fix but serviceable for the next few weeks. Other items the windshield wipers are now fixed, when I pulled on the steering wheel cowl I found a "bug" in my wiring, yup a dead stink big in the switch, and with the help of my youngest we tested and found the brake lights to be working. Now I just need to put the hood back on and get enough guts to drive it down the street.

<Testing the brake lights>

<My MGB wiring is a little buggy>

Posted 2021-08-14 16:53:14 by Ken G

Lights!! Action!!

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 17:18:55 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

So with the car driving in and out of the garage, I thought about Working on some other issues and playing around with it running in the driveway. Well it is 95 degrees and just to hot for that so I decided switch gears and see how the electrical system is working. I played with all the switches on the dash and column and have a mixed bag, for one thing the front bumper is off and so those lights are not connected. - Hazard lights work fine in back, and light up on dash - Horn works - Left turn signal doesn't work - Right Turn signal doesn't work - Running lights and license plate work on passenger side rear not front - Running lights and license plate do not work on drivers side - Headlights work, very dim - High beam switch on column works - Dash lights for Ignition, Brake and Hazard work but high beam do not. - Fan switch doesn't work I didn't test the brake lights as I will need a helper for that one. Looking at my electrical diagram I think I have a issue with the flasher unit for the turn signal and maybe a ground issue for the rear lights. Time to get the tester out and start tracing. Not sure where the flasher unit is stashed, is it under the dash? I have relays for the headlights that I need to get installed so that may be the next project but I just don't see myself driving at night anytime soon.

Posted 2021-08-12 17:18:55 by Ken G

It's Alive And Moving,

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 17:50:05 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

So in the last post I just made I talked about the issue I was having with the car just crapping out whenever I hit the accelerator. I went into the garage tonight a bit dejected but determined. I mucked around with a few things, checked the fuel lines and floats, and I still wasn't getting anywhere, SO I decide start it up and advance the timing and that brought the car to life. While it was idling fine I guess it was too retarded to allow the DCOE to function, and moving it forward made a huge difference. I was able to back the car out and back into the garage multiple times under it's own power. So it ended up being a good day. I've got a replacement steering boot on order, and with continued good luck I'll have t on the road this weekend.

Posted 2021-08-10 17:50:05 by Ken G

On The Road Again? Not So Fast

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 16:06:52 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

The summer is always busy and I seem to be making slow progress bit with a series of minor set backs. After 3 or 4 tries I was finally able to get the brakes to bled. My back passenger brake wouldn't pass the fluid, but after I did the others and waited a couple of days it freed up and they seem to be working ok for now. Then the the emergency cable was ultra tight and it took a bit of work to get that to function properly. I reinstalled the charged up battery, added some gas and tried to get it to start, no luck. So I cleaned up the plugs and tried again and after a few fits and coughs she started up. I was very happy. I got in and gave her some gas and well she immediately died. Restarted and tried again, same thing. Started up again and slowly threw her in first gear and she creeped forward and then in reverse, but when I went to add gas dead again. So I played around in the drive way starting it and letting it warm up and trying to up the reves and every time I touched the accelerator it would just shut off. So I'm at a loss, as I did nothing to the engine while I was working on the other stuff and I do not remember it doing this before I started working on the suspension. I'm not sure if it is flooding or it isn't advanced enough. I have the DOCE that was on the car when I go it and a 25D distributor. There is no vacuum advance to the distributor from the carb, and I suspect that maybe part of the issue but I wouldn't have guessed that it would have this big of an impact. Maybe the carb is flooding the engine? Guess I need to start and the beginning and verify everything is in the right place. A bit of a bummer ad I was hoping to drive it around the block this week. Oh yes and of course the new rubber boot I installed on the steering rack developed a leak and poured gear oil all over the garage floor. yuck. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks

Posted 2021-08-10 16:06:52 by Ken G

Back On The Ground

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 10:01:49 -0500

Ken G's Journal --

So brakes are hooked up, sway bar is installed, tires are back on and she is sitting on her own 4 wheels. Pretty happy day. If I'm not too busy I hope to bleed the brakes and try to get it running yet this week. Maybe .. :-)

<PXL 20210726 224539241>

Posted 2021-07-27 10:01:49 by Ken G