Gasoline containing ethanol has become the new standard for fuel, and it presents a new set of challenges and work for classic car owners. You’ve got to be vigilant now to ensure a good running engine and prevent damage to your cherished car. What’s the problem, you ask? Ethanol, made from corn or grain, is…
The driving season is coming. Car clubs across the country are sending out invitations and registration forms to their members, and events long in the planning stage are popping up on calendars from Bangor to San Diego. I just received my second email about California Healey Week, (May 19-23, Temecula, CA). A looming event date…
John Twist insists he is not a car guy—he’s a MG guy. He doesn’t care about any other makes or models, not even other British cars. It’s all about MG, and has been for over 40 years. MG owners around the world have benefited from this exclusive affair. Twist was just 16 years old when…
1. Purchase grease that is specifically labeled as wheel bearing grease. 2. Check the bearings you are going to pack. If it is a: Tapered bearing – you will want the wider side facing down. This exposes the biggest opening in which to force the grease. Roller Bearing – you will want the side with…
How do you determine what gear ratio you have? Sages will tell you to look for numbers on the case, which is great if: a. you can find them, and b. the gear set hasn’t been changed by a nefarious past owner. The easiest way to determine the gear ratio is to jack up the…
Attention to detail yields proper kits for the big Healeys We don’t always wind up where we intended to go. A couple of years back, we received a complaint about our heat shield kit for the Austin-Healey 100 (BN1 and BN2). The complaint came to me because I own a BJ8. I don’t know nearly…
You can replace a ring gear if want to give it a try, you probably have everything it takes to do the job. To get the old ring gear off, take a hack saw, torch or cut off wheel and start to cut through it, don’t cut all the way through, and for sure don’t…
Insert your clutch alignment tool through your new clutch disc, push the tool into the pilot bushing in the crankshaft, then press the disc up flat against the flywheel. Locate the new pressure plate on the dowel pins, install the bolts just a couple of turns each. Now, by exerting appropriate sideways pressure on the…
To avoid acid residue build-up on battery terminal posts and cable clamps, place a copper penny on top of the battery between the battery posts. (The copper penny will usually stay in place without falling off.) The copper in the penny will absorb the acid residue from the posts and keep the terminal posts and…
This is not uncommon- every time you put in a new fuse, it blows before you have a chance to figure out where the problem is… Next time, replace the fuse with an old turn signal flasher (one that works). Attach the two leads of the turn signal flasher to the contacts where the fuse…
