By David Stuursma “All the good mechanics are disappearing. So I’ve raised my own.” Dick Luening said pointing to his sons. “Glen’s a hardcore mechanic, and Todd, my younger son, is an metal artist. Todd can weld a car together. I don’t have to look for rust-free MGBs. It’s unfortunate, but the true mechanics are…
Driving Light Relay When I installed a driving light on my MC TC, I powered it through a relay. This allowed me to apply full battery voltage to the light without subjecting my driving light switch to the full lamp current. It also allowed me to tie the driving light into my high beam…
By Ken Gillanders The old vintage Triumph seems to have its share of front end vibration, shimmy and shaking, some of which is the original design and some of which appears to be lack of knowledge as to its cause. Those of us who have owned a shaker seem to go through the usual process…
IN THE BAG I really enjoy working on my 1973 MGB—and it’s a good thing I do, because it gives me ample opportunity to exercise my limited mechanical skills. The car is, after all, over 20 years old and it is fun to try and get every little thing back into working order. My latest…
Overheating Overheating may be caused by improper point gap, incorrect timing, a bad radiator cap, sludge in the cooling system, dragging brakes, loose fan belt, defective thermostat (or no thermostat) or no water in the system. Check these first if you have an overheating problem. Oil Filter Over tightening the filter center fixing bolt can…
Stoplights Yes, those things at the back of our cars that we rely on to warn other motorists behind us that we are applying our brakes. Without these lights, there would be many more rear-end collisions. Since we have little or no protection at the back of our little cars, and the T-series cars have…
Speedometer and Tachometer Quick Check When picking through the instrument box at a swapmeet or looking at a British used car parts store, bring along a battery-powered portable drill. Set it to the highest speed setting and install a large Robinson screwdriver (or similar) bit in the chuck. Insert the bit into the cable input…
By Kelvin Dodd MG Caliper Rebuilding The Lucas Service Bulletin calls for replacing the bolts when “halving” calipers in order to replace the O-ring. The bolts, however, have never been available. Rebuilding calipers without replacing the inner O-ring doesn’t seem safe. Am I stuck replacing my calipers just because they need O-rings? —Ben Severson The…
By Kelvin Dodd SU Fuel Pump Retrofit I want to re-install the original SU electric fuel pump in my car, but the original steel lines have been cut. Is there any easy way of doing this? —John Campbell The original SU fuel pump is a very reliable unit, so refitting it is a good idea….
By Kelvin Dodd Supercharger Stress I have a question about the MGB supercharger kit in the Summer 2003 issue: How does the use of a supercharger affect the stress experienced by the engine, piston connecting rods, etc.? —Tim Harrington The supercharger does a much better job of evenly filling the cylinders, so normal driving stress…
