1974 MGB GT V8 - the homework continues...

Christmas is right around the corner....

Paint engine stand green, then place one of these tree skirts underneath while in progress and so celebrate the jolly mood of the season....

I think if you had to give your good lady to much grief, her response would be along the lines of,” Just because I know how to fix your flesh wounds,doesn’t mean I don’t know how to inflict them.” 😂

That said, I do think you are old enough and wise enough to know when you can push your luck 🤣🤣

Well, after leaving my old carbs and manifold in the house for (and I quote) "too long", they ended up getting decorated for Christmas!

Bit of a strange weekend, two steps forward on some fronts, one step back in others, tis the way it goes sometimes. C'est La Vie.

Saturday morning began with a spot of green laning in the disco - road tyres were truly rubbish in the really slippy bits, still I got through and suitably decorated the road afterwards


That was a side activity of a trip to see grizz first thing sat morning (thanks again for the tea and toast sir!) to collect a cart chassis, with the best way of collection being down a muddy farm track. Chassis fitted in the back of the disco nicely though


Much to SWMBO's relief, the trip wasn't for another project of mine but instead for my nephew who has been wanting to build a cart with my bro-in-law for ages. Duly delivered on Sunday morning to one very happy chap


Rest of sat was spent building a 'fort' in the wind and rain with a friend, hence the bags of cement in the back of the car. No pics of the finished article as it was a) dark by the time we finished, b)I was somewhat wet and c) curry and beer was calling! But think along the same lines as this


I was quite jealous

Did manage some time on the car bits on Sunday after aforementioned delivery, with the very good intention of vacating the dining room table at long last (honest m'lud). The plan was to fit hubs, discs and then the calipers to the rest of the assembled subframe so it could be lifted off and then stored


however that didn't go quite to plan as all was not quite right with the brake shields. After starting to fit the calipers it became clear that they were catching, meaning that the shields would need to be trimmed a little


So all marked up and dismantled for a date with the cutting disc


In the meantime, I decided that as it was a sunny day I'd get a few other jobs done before heading to the workshop, so garden shed was emptied of surplus car parts - anyone want an original MGB interior?


and the '7 and TF were washed, waxed and prepped ready for their pyjamas to go on over winter.

Then it was over to the workshop mid-afternoon for a spot of trimming



Alas when test fitting the shields and calipers that eve it appears I didn't quite take enough off one end so I'll have to run a file over those bits, shouldn't take much. Next weekend is a couple of family birthdays and the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run so busy weekend, am hopeful that I can get this all finished during the week however.

Last job at the workshop was to delve a little deeper into that wooden crate...

The fun and games continue... had a bit of free time so thought I'd attempt to get the hubs and disc fitted up once more, albeit with a bit of filing of the shields to help ease fitment... first side went together remarkably easily and was soon done. 

errr not quite... on closer inspection once I'd gone to put the eared spinner on I'd managed to get the splined hubs the wrong way round, meaning the spinners were going to be the wrong way round and liable to undo themselves when turning... b*gger. 

Nothing for it but to do it all right, so another bit of dismantling, swapping and reinstalling soon followed. Still we got there in the end.


Much better!

I put the other 'correct' hub onto the other disc ready to fit it all together and it wouldn't go on the hub... in fact it then wouldn't come off either... after much swearing I managed to somehow prize it all free... and promptly left the bearing behind


annoyingly in the process of getting it all off I'd also caught and mangled the retaining spring for the oil seal


after a bit of careful levering I also got the bearing off and could then see the sticking point.


So new bits all on order and we'll then try again, perhaps with a slight use of emery cloth on the hub. Why is it always the simple jobs that go so wrong?! 

^^^ well that got a certain tune stuck in my head for quite some time 🤣🤣

Parts duly arrived yesterday and so I could get stuck in to the subframe once more last night.

New bearings


Stub axle got a little tickle with a file and some sand paper


Remnants of the old oil seal were removed and replaced with a new seal


So although I had now sorted the larger bearing, I'd neglected to notice that the smaller diameter part of the stb axle also needed attention as the smaller outer bearing wouldn't fit on that either . After a few more failed attempts, being conscious not to take off too much metal each time, some eventual success.


Castle nut positioned exactly as it should be with everything lined up ready for the split pin (or cotter pin if you are so inclined) to be fitted


Which meant after a little while longer, I finally had everything together


Just in time too... especially as her ladyship has invited all her family round for dinner on Sunday and informed me last night that I need to 'clear up that little lot'... now if only she could've waited a week...

👍 Every day is a school day.

Hope hols are proving enjoyable. Been fishing yet? 😎

We, from Zimbabwe, call them the same as the Americans. What do Brits call bicycle crank cotter pins?

Perhaps calling split pins cotter pins is a strange Kentish thing ? Never heard them being called cotter pins before ?
All stitches together as the shortened versions but still feels wrong!
Cotter pins were the bane of my life in earlier cycling years !
James