Triumph TR6 Coooling System Upgrade

Radiator Resto
I was already taking my fuel tank in to the local radiator shop (SAPPS) for a cleaning and sealing, so why not take in the radiator at the same time?  The rad looked a little dodgy and for $80 to $90 you can get it boiled out, pressure tested, and repaired.   They sealed up a couple of problems and I also had them put in a bung in the bottom of the rad for a temp sensor.  The paint from the shop was not the nice job I wanted. Fortunately the rad just fit in my blasting cabinet so I could strip it down again to bare metal.  Here it is naked and up-side-down showing the temp sensor that I later soldered into the bottom of the rad myself (the hole from the radiator shop was too small).

I then painted the top,bottom and sides with POR-15 and POR Chassis Black. The fins were painted with a very light coat of Eastwood Radiator Paint to promote good heat transfer while still looking pretty.

Make a Cool Breeze
With the radiator back to as-new condition it was time to think about generating a nice cool breeze through those fins. TR6's don't generally have a problem with overheating but removing the stock fan increases performance and also prolongs the life of the thrust washers, so it is a worth while upgrade.

You can't simply just remove the stock mechanical fan, you need to replace it with a Fan Eliminator kit - preferably the one from Patton Machine.   Rick's instructions are easy to follow and the process is well documented on other web sites so I won't go into those details here.

I chose a 16 inch puller fan kit from Northcoast Performance (link is to their EBay store). I chose the 16" Puller fan with relay kit  and temp sensor that turns on at 180F and off at 170F.  You can also Google 16 inch Procomp and you'll find it.  Cost for the kit that includes the relay and temp sensor was $52.

The kit comes with plastic mounting ties that you can run through the radiator fins.  I chose to mount the fan to the radiator frame because I do not like the idea of the ties rubbing the 40 year-old fins.  The first step was to cut one inch aluminum flat stock and attach it to the fan's mounting points.

I then attached the aluminum to the sides of the radiator using short self-tapping screws. Some folks mount it top-and-bottom but I chose the sides because there is less chance of puncturing the radiator.

Here is the radiator and fan mounted (the front shroud yet to be reinstalled).  In the background you can see the fan relay on the front wing, mounted using one inch aluminum angle.  The second relay is for an air horn that is not yet wired in this picture.

The Coolest...

...part of the whole installation is the illuminated override switch in the cockpit.  Switch it on for the fan and the LED illuminates.  The override is great for those hot summer days.  See a red light or stopped traffic ahead? No probs - flick the switch and keep that engine nice and cool.

Show me the flow
You may be concerned about getting good airflow when this flush-mount fan is not mounted directly against the radiator fins - but don't be!  I've heard of some people installing foam strips around the gap between the fan and rad but this is not needed and in fact may present a hazard if the foam were to come loose and drop into the fan blades.

I switched on the fan with the car sitting idle in the garage and was well impressed by the strong pull of air some four inches out from the radiator. I floated a sheet of paper in front and it was quickly and strongly pulled up against the radiator.  The CFM of this fan is more than adequate.

I was all set to get the car back on the road when it appears my brake master cylinder failed.  Yet another project has presented itself...

Vintage License Plate for the TR6

Running a "year of manufacture" plate is a nice touch on an old car. Your ability to do this depends on where you live. Fortunately North Carolina provides the following statute for cars 35 years or older. Print the following section and put it in your car along with your current plate. Many local law enforcement officers are not familiar with the law.

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HB 704 Chapter 257 An act to permit drivers of Antique cars not to display the current registration plate under certain circumstances.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1. G. S. 20-63 (d) is amended by adding a new sentence at the end to read:

"Any motor vehicle of the age of 35 years or more from the date of manufacture may bear the license plates of the year of manufacture instead of the current registration plates, if the current registration plates are maintained within the vehicle and produced upon the request of any person."

Section 2. This act is effective upon ratification.

Robert B Jordan III President of the Senate Liston B. Ramsey Speaker of the House of Representative

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Plate Quest
I picked up this plate locally on EBay for the tidy sum of $6.30. I could have purchased one in good condition for $15 but then I would not have had the fun (??) of restoring it.
Colour Quest
Finding the appropriate colours was more difficult than I had anticipated. Sure I could have cleaned up the plate and had the colours scanned and custom mixed, but its a $6 plate! Besides, how many people will actually notice the difference? The white was easy to find at a local auto parts store. There are not many green cars these days - at least not in the colour used on the 1971 plate.
Paints used:
Etch Primer : Duplicolor Self Etching primer (Auto Zone)
Green : Forest Green 2774N (Northern Tool)
White : Wimbledon White BFM0041 (AutoZone)
Clear Coat : Dupicolor, (Autozone)

Other Materials:
Sandpaper - Wet/dry 800 and 1000 grit

And the secret weapon: a cutoff pencil used as a sanding block. I cut the sandpaper in narrow 1.5 cm strips and wrapped them around the pencil for wet sanding.

"Let me see you stripped down to the bone...."

(No Depeche Mode fans in the house? Oh well.)The first step is to strip the plate down to bare metal. You can do this with chemical strippers, wire brush or media blasting. I used glass bead in my media blasting cabinet followed by etch primer.
Paint the letter colour next: 4 coats of green followed by four good coats of clear. The clear coat forms a barrier between the letter and background colours to protect the letters while sanding off the background.
Spray the white background after the clear coats are dry. The background should be shot onto the plate in as few coats as possible that give a solid finish. Two coats were enough.
When the background is dry start sanding with 800 grit then finish with 1000 grit. In this picture the "2" is being sanded with 800 grit while the "SP" has been finished with 1000. "SP" indicates this was a "State Park" tag. I wonder if law enforcement will notice that...
Finish with another four clear coats.All done -baby got back!
Now go for a drive...
"Hey man, what year is your car?"
"Its on the plate, yo!" :)

Building a media blasting cabinet

"To all the fellas out there with ladies to impress

Its easy to do just follow these steps"

1. Make a box

Media blasting is a great way to remove corrosion, rust and paint from old parts. You can farm this work out to a local company (many that do powder coating will also provide blasting services). Cabinets are available from several suppliers and some provide kits to build your own. So why not go DIY on the project?

I chose a DIY kit from TP Tools & Equipment. The kit contains many (but far from all) of the components you need. While you can buy the just the instructions and then scrounge, build & purchase everything separately, the kits can save a lot of time. I spent around $600 on the kit including the vacuum. If you build this yourself you basically get the vacuum for free (as long you don't count your time) compared to buying an assembled cabinet. At least that is what I am telling myself. I upgraded to a larger window and a carbide tip for the gun. A foot pedal controller is a nice addition but at $100 it put me over my pretend budget for the project.
Items not included in the kit:
Exterior

1. Two sheets of 3/4 inch plywood - as warp-free and dry as possible.

2. Door latch with adjustable cam - can be purchased from TP or pick up something different from your local hardware store. Latches with adjustable cams are rare so I used latches for windows. They work just fine.

3. Hinge for main door - got lucky and picked up a piano hinge for $2 at an overstock store. These typically run $10 and up at the local hardware store.

4. Hinge for trap door - could have used piano hinge but I went with something stronger.

5. Lumber or angle iron for cabinet legs - used old 2x4" and 2x6" left over from a demolition project. $0

6. Grommet or fittings for the air supply. Instead of running the gun hose through the cabinet I instead installed a brass pipe with quick-connects on the interior and exterior. I did not like the idea of a grommet because I wanted a very good seal and the ability to move the cabinet without its hose hanging out.

7. Pipe for the vacuum exhaust - can be purchased from TP but I found a piece of large diameter shop-vac tubing worked perfectly.

8. Nails, screw nails, wood glue

9. Paint - I painted the interior white for visibility, the outside a blue-grey I found on sale as a return $5 for a gallon at Home Depot.

10. 2 tubes of latex caulk - without caulk in your box the project is not finished. It must be sealed up tight.

11. Wood filler - for filling large gouges, etc. Depends how fussy you want to be about the whole thing.

Interior

1. Support for grate - can be built from wood. I used metal pilasters left over from railing project in the house. Cut to fit and welded together (See black iron grate in the picture)

2. Flood light bulb

3. Grating/mesh - I used an old fireplace screen that I found. $0

4. Retainer/release mechanism for trap door. I used a coat hanger, bolts, nuts and washers already on hand.

Initial Assembly 2. "Cut a hole in a box!"

Assembly continues. Holes cut for window, gloves, side door.

3. "Put your junk in that box!"

Ready to put my MG junk in the box for media blasting.

Don't forget your safety equipment including an NIOSH approved dust mask of at least N95 or P100. Even though you are using a cabinet you will get nasty dust when opening the door.

"And that's the way you do it."

Here is the cover from the rear differential "pumpkin" from my 1973 MGB GT before and after. Now ready for paint.

* lyrics from a song about a box by Justin Timberlake.

Badge Bar Bling

Some folks on the MG Experience forum were looking for pics of fog and driving lights on the rubber bumper MGB. Here is my setup on the 80 MGB LE. Fog light on the driver's side, driving light on the passenger.
Both are independently switched with their own relays. The switches are light up led switches from Pep Boys. I know it sounds trashy/ricey but they look very good in-dash and the light up LED is a good reminder the light is on.

The badge bar is the bar from Moss Motors for rubber bumper cars. Both lights are reproduction Lucas lamps also from Moss. And yes, I know I am "over-badged" - bling makes her go faster! Just ask anyone with a NOx sticker on their car.

I use these lights mostly when coming up to an intersection, in a parking lot, or when I am lead or only vehicle on the road and see traffic about to enter. Its a nice little "Hey! See me here!" reminder for folks who too often don't see the little black car zipping along.

I have some vintage Raydyot lamps but those I am saving for the GT. I hope to get back to that car soon. I have big plans..like a V6 engine swap. (Oh no! I've already said too much! )

Rear Differential

Rear Differential Rebuild (new thrust washers)

The process is documented well at the Chicagoland MG club website "MGB Differential Clunk Removal" so I will not repeat it here.

Symptoms in my car were:

• Loud clunking at highway speed for about 30 seconds that went away.
• Chirping rear tire when turning hard right from a stop
• Play in the rear axle with the parking brake on.

Parts

Rear Axle Parts Diagram for Late Tubed Axle at Moss Motors
At a minimum you will need:

• Two Oil seals for rear axle : #120-700 (#90 diagram)

• One gasket for the "rear pumpkin" or make your own: #296-210 (#61 diag.)
• Two thrust washers for the differential pinion #267-130 (#67 in diag.) - Copper washers
  
• Two thrust washers for the differential pinion #267-140 (#65 in diag.) - Phenol washers
  
• One Pinion Pin Peg 267-125 (#70 in diag). Say that 3 times fast! Its a good idea to replace this pin.
• Hylomar for the bearing cap
• SilGlide for the axle seals
  

Not mentioned in the article

• Pulling one axle may be difficult. I had to place the hub back on with the nut and hit sharply from the back (from middle of car toward exterior) to dislodge bearing cap and pull the axle.
• Placing the pinion gears back in is an art. Once you get it, you "get it" in how to do it.
  

1. I placed the first pinion gear the bottom and geared it in with the differential gears on the axle, then rotated the "pinion cage" so that gear was at the top.
2. Rotate a wheel so the gear goes toward the front of the car and is almost out of meshing with the differential gears.
3. Feed in the bottom pinion gear at about a 45 degree angle so it starts to mesh with the diff gears.
   
4. Now rotate the wheel so the bottom gear goes in toward the pinion pin whole (back of car to front) and the other pinion gear comes from the front of the car toward the back.
   
5. Check for alignment with the pinion hole. Back out, adjust the starting point (Step 2) and repeat until everything lines up.

When you do this, it will make sense. Trust me!

MGB GT Front End Damage Assessment

Introduction

I obtained this car from an impound lot back in Virginia approximately three years ago. The car was involved in a hit-and-run incident and sustained impact damage on the front wing and front suspension. I am currently ripping out the sills for rust replacement so its also time to assess the collision damage. I am posting these pics and descriptions for an evaluation by the good folks on the MG-Experience forum and my local car club, the NCMGCC.

I have never driven this car other than to take it to end of the driveway and back. I have no experience with the suspension or steering other than "it works at low speed."

The obvious

This picture shows the original damage to the driver's wing. I have since removed the wing and have a heritage replacement waiting installation after the sill work. The picture gives you an idea as to the force involved. Not shown is a badly damaged Rostyle wheel that I discarded. The rim was severely bent and the tire had blown on impact.

Steering

Note how the steering column rubs against the frame. When turning the steering wheel you feel the column rubbing, though the wheel turns easily.

View from the front

It may not be immediately evident from the picture, but visually you can see the wheels are no longer aligned in parallel. When the passenger wheel is turned noticeably to the right, the driver's wheel is pointing straight ahead. Arrows added to show the misalignment.
Damage to front shock

This is an interesting observation. Notice how the rear shock arm is protruding much more than the front. 3.2 mm gap in front (A) , 6.2 mm in the rear (B). Not evident from the picture but the metal tab that comes up around from the beneath the car is slightly "popped" at its apex (blue arrow.)

Now the questions...

Before seeing all this damage I had already decided to drop the suspension and rebuild it with poly bushings. Is that a waste of time? Should I instead try to locate a rebuildable suspension and chuck this one? Or just find a new shock for the driver's side? Replace all driver's side components?

What other evaluation is needed to help me make a decision?

Thanks for looking!

Tim

Hot Toddy Recipe

Where have I been? 

A lot has happened since my last post in April. During that interval I decided to spend more time working on the cars and less time blogging about working on the cars. Now I come back to post something entirely unrelated to cars! But first a recap: The 1980 MGB was back on the road for most of the summer after re-installing a rebuilt cylinder head, new radiator, tie rods, alignment...and some other stuff. Right now its parked awaiting replacement of a leaking fuel sender unit. The '73 GT is now up on stands in the garage being stripped to bare metal and the outer sills are being cut away. Now for the real reason for today's post: I can never find this recipe when I really need it:

 

The Classic Atlantic Canadian 'Hot Toddy'

A Toddy is a hot drink consisting of liquor (often rum), water, sugar, and spices. This a Maritime Canadian variation of the drink used for medicinal purposes. It is particularly effective in the early stages of a cold brought on from excessive hours out in cold Bay of Fundy. This recipe comes from Dr. Burt, a parasitologist at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, NB, Canada. He was one of my favorite professors - I almost majored in parasitology as a result! My parasitology training has served me well as a Systems Administrator and Application Manager ;-) Ingredients Makes one "dose"

• 2 large, fresh lemons
• Liquor (Rum, Gin, Whiskey, Brandy, Vodka - I prefer Rum or Gin)
• Honey
• Warmed mug
• Ibuprofen or Tylenol (for the next day)

Squeeze the two lemons into a pot, including as much of the pulp as you can. Some folks throw in the rinds and all, but that would require straining the hot liquid - not recommended after more than two dosings! Lemons are your source of Vitamin C. Add at least 2-3 tablespoons of honey. Dr. B's theory is that is facilitates Vitamin C transfer into your cells. My theory : it makes the lemon juice bearable,  adds antihistamine, and gives the toddy its juju. Heat the lemon juice on the stove and dissolve lots of honey into the mixture. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly (to prevent evaporation of the alcohol). Something truly magic happens when you heat this stuff. Add a couple of shots of liquor and serve in a warmed mug. Prepare to sweat a lot and feel very warm and fuzzy all over. The treatment is best right before bed. Repeat dosing as long as you are able to serve yourself. Take Ibuprofen or Tylenol in the morning to counteract any effects of overdosing - it also helps with any lingering fever.

Off with my Head. Part 3.

Good news

The machine shop called - the cylinder head passed the pressure test!

Bad news

The machine shop called again - the cylinder head failed the pressure test!

The real news

While the head passed, the valves were not holding pressure. Not a big deal since a valve job would tighten this up. On to the valve job!

The really bad news

When polishing the head for the valve job the shop found cracks in the exhaust ports for cylinders 2 and 3. At least one of the cracks extends outside of the valve seat area into the head.
You can't really see the cracks in this pictures so I marked the locations on the head with a marker.So why didn't this show up in the pressure test? The cracks may open up when the head is hot, or the leak may have been solely from a failed gasket. Regardless, I need to find a replacement cylinder head. I'm working a couple of leads but this may take a while. The late heads have a greater tendency to crack.

I removed the remaining studs from the block. If you break one off you have to pull the lump and take the engine to a machine shop. Removing 4 stuck studs took 2 hours of gentle heat, persuasion and patience.

The quest for a replacement head begins...

Off with my Head! Part 2

What lurks beneath

With the head off its time to examine the cylinders, block and pistons. Lets start from the back and work forward. Cylinder four has a carbon buildup but looks okay.

Cylinders 2,3 are similar to 4.And now for something rather different! Cylinder 1 has carbon but has a light grey appearance. This may indicate a gasket failure resutling in coolant "steam cleaning" the top of the piston.
The location indicated by the green arrow was full of "grit" that reminded me of a hard water scale or buildup. More evidence of a failed gasket.

Here are the valves. These look okay but only a pressure test will tell definitively.
Now its off to the machine shop for pressure testing, magnafluxing and a valve job, assuming all goes well and no cracks are found in the head. Could it be that easy?

More info
This site has some excellent information about MGB head identification, etc:
http://flowspeed.com/cylinder-ident.htm

Off with my Head! Part 1

It started out innocently enough...
Doesn't it always? When I took the car off the road in November 2006 the cylinder head had developed a slow weep between cylinders 2 and 3, just above the engine block number plate. In this picture you can see the greenish coolant where the head meets the block. Trust me, its there - just above the engine number plate, below spark plug number 2. You see it. I know you do.

No problem - whip off the head, change the gasket and we're good to go, right? Not so fast. Late model heads are prone to cracking in this region. Max Fulton at Flying Circus English Cars also told me that late model blocks can sag in this area, or the block can pull up around the studs. So what could it be? Its an old British car - how could it be anything but a simple gasket failure?

I drained the cooling system, unhooked the hoses and took off the valve cover and rockers. Here we are after backing off the head nuts in a spiral pattern as described in the shop manual. Check out the stud with the nut still on. It unscrewed easily directly from the block. Interesting....

When pulling the pushrods angle them to the side so the tappets will stay aligned. Its important to remember the order so I pushed them through a box and labeled each. Wow - look at how professional I am.

With the pushrods out I unhooked the manifold and pulled it back away from the head.

At this point you can lift the head away from the block. That is what the manual says. Reality was more complicated. The head was stuck to the block at the stud indicated by the green arrow. I could rock it up and down on each end but it is stuck in the middle! Blue arrow shows the location of the weepage and red arrow the stud the screwed easily out of the block.

I repeated applications of my new favourite penetrating oil (hmm, that sounds dirty) Kroil www.kanolabs.com over a period of a few days to the top of the stud and where the head meets the block. I also applied some light heat from a propane torch and some gentle tapping with a hammer on the top of the stud. After a few days it came loose! What suprises will be found underneath?

New Struts for the GT

With major house renovations underway I dont have much time for the MG's. Tonight was a brief respite from drywall and flooring. I spent a few minutes swapping out the original mechanical hatch lifts with gas struts from Rick Ingram of Pieces of Eight. This is a quick and easy upgrade that anyone can do in a few minutes. Rick provides good instructions (though the pictures could be a bit bigger). Below are a few supplemental pictures for the process.

The old lifts were a mess. One had a bolt missing that allowed the lever to slip out and have the hatch come crashing down on my head. This was not even comical the first time it happened. It was time to bring the lift system into the next century.This is the connection at the hatch where I had to drill out the bolt that faced inward. It was crimped and there was no good way to get any purchase on it. The bolt was removed from the connection to the car body and the two washers reused with the new ball connector.
When fastening the ball to the attachment point on the body, move the ball as far forward toward the front of the car as possible.
With the ball in place for the body you can use the strut to guage distance, but more importantly use Rick's instructions that state the new attachment point should be 12 inches from the original point (measuring down toward the bottom of the hatch). See two pics down for the measure point. Use the new bracket to mark the attachment point and drill two 3mm holes (yes I know I mixing metric and imperial here...). Attach with the screws provided. Repeat for the other side.

Ta-da! Now enjoy the gas-strut action as you raise and lower the hatch. Place your head under the raised hatch and notice how it no longer falls onto your cranium unexpectedly! Right nice.

Now unfortunately its back to drywall, painting, and laying a hardwood floor over the next few weeks. Hopefully I'll be back to the MG's soon...