Tech Tips: Winter 1990

Winter Storage Cradle
William Bremer
Cape Elizabeth, ME

As a resident of New England, I must store my 1951 MGTD for the winter. Last winter (my first with a TD), I wanted to “fit” the TD as a third car in my heated two car garage so that I could work on it from time to time. As an ex-sailboater, I thought of building a “winter cradle” for the TD that would (1) keep the tires off the ground, (2) support the car on its suspension (not its frame), and (3) allow me to easily move the TD against a garage wall (still leaving room for the other two cars) without having to actually maneuver the car with its own steering.

The biggest problem was finding swivel casters of sufficient load capacity to support the car. According to my research, the TO weighs approximately 2100 lbs, with a 49%/51% front/rear split.

Therefore, I needed castors of well over 500 lb weight capacity. My local hardware store was able to obtain four Faultless 1400-6 swivel casters, each with a 650 lb capacity, which I bolted to a wood frame made from two 2″ x 4″ x 8′ and one 2″ x 8″x 8″, and assembled as shown in the drawing, using (16) 2 1/2″ bolts with washers and nuts to mount the casters and (8) 3 1/2″ bolts to mount the 2 x 4s. As with any construction project, it is necessary to think through the process especially if a reader might want to modify dimensions, etc. to fit another car. I suggest that measurements be done relative to the centerline of the cradle.

I used the cradle successfully last winter, but it is important to note that I jacked the car up on one side in order to slide the cradle underneath and clear the exhaust system. The rear suspension u-bolts rest on the rear wood “cross-member” of the cradle, and I placed small wood wedges under the front coil spring pan (taking care to clear the grease fitting) to ensure space between the front tires and the ground. The positioning of the two 2″ x 4″ x 8′ boards allows a hydraulic jack to be placed under the frame rails on either side to jack the car up. as you can’t use the MG’s own jack. (Smaller diameter casters would have allowed the cradle to slide cleanly under the car however, I was unable to find smaller casters of adequate weight capacity.)

A More Comfortable Seat
David Lomasney
Union City, CA

Seats on MGBs are too flat. If the front is raised slightly they are more comfortable and the back is positioned better.

Remove each seat in turn and discard the wooden runner (1/4″ thick) and substitute a wedge-shaped piece of hardwood, approximately 21″ long by 1 1/4″ (to 1 1/2″) wide, and tapering from 1/4″ to 3/4″. Drill holes to match runner about 1/2″ in diameter. Press short pieces of 1/2″ tubing, aluminium or steel, and bolt seats back as before. The front bolt will need to be longer, 1/4″ x 28 bolt and 1 1/2″ should do.

SU Carb Rebuild Kit Installation
Robert Koval
Westmont. N.I

After installing a re-build kit in an SU carburetor (especially an H-series) it is sometimes impossible to achieve a sufficiently lean mixture by manipulation of the mixture adjusting nut alone. Before resorting to the quick and make-shift solution of lowering the needle in the piston, examine these sketches carefully and compare the actual carburetor to them.

The proper solution may be effected through careful installation and assembly technique. The cork seal, located between the carburetor body and the cupped aluminum washer, fig. 1 and fig. 2, must be spongy and pliable so that it “cold flows” into the cup of the washer as the securing nut is tightened. When properly assembled, only a thin line of cork (0.5 mm) will be visible between the carburetor body and the top edge of the aluminum cupped washer as shown in fig. 3.

Assembly in accordance with fig. 3 will insure that the mixture adjusting nut will provide enough jet travel to set the fuel/air mixture as lean as required while keeping the needle at its specified position in the piston.

Since the metal of the carburetor body is soft, do not, in your enthusiasm to squish the cork seal to its proper dimension, over tighten the securing nut! Soak the cork seal in light oil (a day or two if possible) prior to assembly. The oil soak will make the cork seal pliable for easy assembly.