MGB Roadmaster

DiDueColpi · March 24, 2011, 09:25:41 PM

Hey Jim,

The lights are here.
A little different layout than the ones that I had gotten previously.
But should work just fine.
Will ship them off in the morning.

Cheers
Fred

BlownMGB-V8 · March 25, 2011, 11:32:23 AM

Thanks Fred I'll be watching for them.

If someone wants to order them, we need one exhaust manifold gasket from TAPerformance.com and one rubber valve cover gasket. The exhaust gasket is for the SE heads (round port) and is made of the gray material. We need it so we can hook up the exhaust.

The next Roadmaster Weekend will be held on the last weekend of April, which is the weekend after Easter and a couple weekends before the meet. We need to hook up the exhaust, install glass and latches, fit the lights and dashboard and in general get the car ready for wiring and to show at the meet. We also need to change the oil, filter has already been changed. That should be about enough for now but if we have more help we can go ahead and install the brake pedal assembly and hook up hydraulics so we have no open systems.

JB

HealeyRick · March 25, 2011, 07:41:16 PM

Nothing like a "sleeper"! Nice work guys, love the body color.

Rick

BlownMGB-V8 · March 30, 2011, 11:28:59 AM

Steve ordered the windshield and hatch glass rubber from the Beehive and they came in yesterday:

He said he'd see about getting the exhaust gasket and I think the valve cover gasket as well.
Fred Key really sent us a bonanza on the headlights. Did anyone have any idea that what he was sending us was a HID headlight kit? I sure didn't. This will be one of the very few MGBs with HID headlights. He also included a nice set of front marker/signal lights with chrome brackets in the package. Presumably these attach to the bumper in some fashion and are in case we are not satisfied with the lights in the headlight. But I expect they will be just fine.

Roadmaster weekend is a month away, put it on your calendars. 29th of April to the 1st of May.

JB

DiDueColpi · March 30, 2011, 11:57:14 AM

Yep, exactly right Jim.
The signals are just in case everything went sideways.
The brackets are stainless so feel free to bend them if needed.

Cheers
Fred

PS. All the delivery charges were paid up front but they couldn't guarantee anything at the border.
If there are any fees send me the bill.
Thanks

mowog1 · April 03, 2011, 10:11:25 PM

Small world.....tonight after work I had a couple of beers at BW3 in Savoy (IL) with the salesman who sold me my F150.

He grew up in Souix Falls...and knows Terry Schulte.

Citron · April 04, 2011, 03:06:29 PM

Jim,
Just ordered the gastkets. Should be to you by the end of the week.
I will be arriving on Wednesday of the work weekend.
I will need a head sount for BBQ.
Steve

BlownMGB-V8 · April 08, 2011, 08:20:18 PM

On the subject of headlights... I dug out the old headlight buckets. Unusable. Rusty and the spring clips to hold the trim are gone. Plus the new headlights will not fit inside them so we need a new idea there. Also the trim rings are dinged pretty good.

It might be possible to use the adjustment tabs on the new headlights (plastic) to hold the trim rings. It will take some very careful trimming and it is pointless to even do it with the old bent rings. So we need a new pair of trim rings. As for the buckets, I might be able to make something to attach from the inside of the fender and keep crap out of the headlights, maybe in aluminum, but that will take me most of the Roadmaster weekend to do and means other stuff will not get done. Stuff like installing the shifter, brake pedals, and, oh yes, I've decided that if we have enough man hours to get the essentials done I will donate and install an air-bag front suspension kit. But since that only takes one or two wires it isn't at the top of the priority list like the headlights, tail-lights and dashboard, and since it isn't needed to keep crap out of the car it is behind things like glass and latches. That means without more help it's probably one of the things that won't get done.

JB

mowog1 · April 08, 2011, 09:26:42 PM

I thought all MGBs used the same buckets?

If so...a new set of buckets isn't going to solve the problem if the new headlamps won't fit the old ones.

What am I missing here?

I have a pair of buckets from the 67 GT that you can have if needed. I can probably also scrounge up a pair of trim rings.

BlownMGB-V8 · April 10, 2011, 05:21:01 PM

The new integrated HID headlights with turn signal and running lights are considerably larger in the rear than stock headlights so they will not fit the stock buckets. OTOH, a pair of good flanges (cut from the buckets) would make attachment of the trim rings a good bit easier. For the back I'm thinking we need a pair of appropriately sized stainless steel bowls that can be adhesively attached to the backside of the headlight opening, or something along that line. Rick, if you want to send along what you have I'll do my best to make it work. Maybe the Dollar store will have some usable sized bowls, or even better, a laboratory supply house. (Know any good ones?) As far as the wiring goes though, we can at least mount the HID modules I think.

The key right now is to get enough people working on it to get everything that uses wiring installed. The glass and latches are the first priority, but Jack can't wire what isn't there so it concerns me a little that we only have 2 guys and a 3rd maybe, myself included. I know as well as anyone that it's getting close to crunch time and we all have our own cars to get ready, heck I've still got a head to put back on my truck before it's usable for the trip, and as usual it's fighting me for every inch. But this is one of those deadlines that will cause us a considerable setback if we miss it. If there's wiring that can't be done because the car's not ready then there will be other stuff that can't get done later, until we can finish the wiring. The interior won't go in for instance. Even worse, Jack won't be able to complete the job in accordance with his own standards and I think that would be deplorable.

Of course, those of us that are here will do our best.

JB

MGBV8 · April 10, 2011, 08:22:56 PM

Can we make the stock buckets deeper by cutting & spot welding the the back half from another set of buckets?

BTW, I am working on getting up there for, at least, part of the Roadmaster Weekend.

mowog1 · April 10, 2011, 11:26:15 PM

I found a new pair of headlamp gaskets today that I'll send down if needed. Let me know.

trevorwj · April 11, 2011, 09:33:20 AM

Are the headlights already weather tight? Do they need full enclosure?

Dan B · April 11, 2011, 08:08:33 PM

Jim, I see you took a computer to the Grand Canyon with you. I am planning to come for the Roadmaster weekend.... details later. Friday evening is iffy.

Bill Young · April 12, 2011, 11:40:23 AM

Jim, sorry I can't make it this time. I know you want the project to move forward as we all do , but you and the guys can only do so much. I'd much rather see you and all my friends in Townsend than the car if it comes to that. It's the people that are making this thing happen that are most important. Sorry to get all mushy, but I just heard this morning that we in the Spridget community lost another great guy, Frank Clarici, and I'm just remembering what is really important in our hobby.

BlownMGB-V8 · April 14, 2011, 11:33:40 AM

I'm using a hotel computer but will be home tomorrow.
The headlights aren't really sealed and even so we don't want road water coming around the trim rings. OEM gaskets might help, but I don't think we can use anything from the OEM buckets except the flange. The opening just isn't big enough.

That's about all I have time for, but thanks for the good wishes. The car will be there, and as complete as we can make it in the time we have. Thank you for the offers of help.

JB

BlownMGB-V8 · April 15, 2011, 11:48:29 AM

Back home now and trying to get caught up a little but I haven't even been out to the Lab yet. Everything looks normal from here though. Bill I'm sorry to hear about Frank. Even though I didn't know him, we all hate to see one of our own pass. Your point is well taken. The cars are nothing more than a bit of glue that helps bring us together. Still, they allow us to indulge our passion which is no mean consideration.

Carl, and Dan, I hope you guys can make it. With your help we should be able to make a most presentable showing at Townsend. But anyone else sitting on the fence about coming out to help on the last weekend of this month, we still need your help too. There are many things to be done. Almost all of the components that need to be reinstalled in the car need to be cleaned up and painted or otherwise made ready first. It'd be a crime to reinstall the same ratty old heater for instance. To do the job properly the housing should come apart, be bead blasted, painted, and reassembled before being installed. The same goes for almost everything that goes back in the car. All that stuff looked OK before the new paint job, but I know you guys are going to agree (once you actually see the car) that it just wouldn't be right to simply put it back together that way. I also know that this was not our objective originally. We never set out to build a show car, and the only thing changing that at all is the very high quality of the paint. But since we do have a high quality paint job it seems clear that we should show it off to it's fullest potential if we can. I know we are limited in what we can do. Some things just won't measure up. But with enough help we can at least put in the effort in places where effort will show to good advantage. Then with everybody getting a chance to look the car over, we can decide how far we want to go down that path. Townsend is the obvious place to decide that, and I very much look forward to seeing all of you there.

By the way, our new T-shirts for this year are going to be something special. Not to steal Steve's thunder and the details are not yet finalized, but not only will the breast logo include an actual photo of the car, the same logo will be enlarged on the back, also with the actual photo. Final color selection will be decided in accordance with recommendations from the shirt maker but we discussed tan. We also talked about putting the year in the logo. Shirt sales have declined the last year or two, and last year we just broke even. However, we were able to make use of a number of the extra shirts for promotional purposes, which turned out to be a good tactic. I bought a bunch of them myself, which helped pay for any number of miscellaneous costs. We still have a few of those left if anyone wants one, I think they run to the large sizes. It's a good color and makes a very handy shirt to just grab and go. We will have the new shirts at Townsend but neither Steve nor I especially wants to be stuck with selling shirts all weekend. That might have had a little to do with the declining sales. We can sell them during the B.A.D.A.S.S. annual meeting and the tech session but other than that unless someone else wants to help out you'll probably have to ask for them.

Finally, I'm grateful for the vacation. It gave me a chance to get a little better perspective on things and to slow back down to a more reasonable pace. I think we all need that from time to time.

JB

MGBV8 · April 15, 2011, 03:04:46 PM

Jim,

If the shipping isn't too much, I have a blast cabinet. I can blast some parts, then spray bomb 'em (don't have a real spray setup), & bring 'em with me.

BlownMGB-V8 · April 15, 2011, 03:45:05 PM

Thanks Carl, I'll see what I can send your way.
I measured the headlights and we need a pair of bowls around 7-3/4" ID (to also enclose the adjustment screws) or could possibly use 6-5/16" to only enclose the back of the headlight itself. Stainless would probably be the best.

JB

mowog1 · April 15, 2011, 07:48:26 PM

Do you want me to ship the MGB headlamp buckets and gaskets to Carl or to you?

BlownMGB-V8 · April 16, 2011, 10:57:14 AM

Better send them to me since we'll have to modify them regardless.
I hope to have a spare bay cleared out and the lift available by the time we start work so I'm going to be pretty busy with that since to do it I have to finish repairing the truck and also finish re-fabricating the steering rack mounts on my roadster, but if I get the chance I'll do some preliminary fitting and try to get out and look for bowls. I have some old stainless bowls that came from my great uncle who was a dentist and I'm pretty sure he got them from a medical supply house somewhere. They aren't the right size and I don't have two of any one size either but they have a good shape. If we knew of a suitable supply house we might find just the right thing. If any of you could find time to look for those it'd be a big help. 7-3/4" inner diameter. I have some welding to do today and bench space to clear and straighten up, but I'll try to go through some of the things to send to Carl if I have time.

JB

Dan B · April 16, 2011, 01:38:16 PM

What about plastic? Those metal bowls from Uncle Dorsey are probably 50-60 years old, and surely hard to find anything similar, but plastic stuff should be easy to find and cheap.

BlownMGB-V8 · April 18, 2011, 10:41:30 PM

I thought about that but stainless would be more durable, about the same weight, and easier to work with I think. One more thing for me to research I guess.

How do you guys like the new t-shirt design? Any suggestions?

t-shirt 2011.jpg

JB

Bill Young · April 19, 2011, 10:43:51 AM

Love the shirts, can't wait to get mine. I'm glad that this year the meet is early so that I will have the shirts to wear to all the local shows this summer. Can we get the "Project Roadmaster" area on the small version for the front of the shirt filled with color the same as for the larger version on the back?

DiDueColpi · April 19, 2011, 02:00:28 PM

Have you thought about vaccum forming.
It's easy and cheap. My two favorite things.
And you can make pretty much any shape needed.
I've been using it to reskin doorpanels and dashes lately.
But have also made headlight covers, consoles, stereo bezels etc.
Works like a charm.

By the way, that Tshirt will be "Badass".
You need a small disclaimer on it like the printer has.
Something like "Due to build differences your car may not be able to keep up"

Cheers
Fred