MGB Roadmaster

[BlownMGB-V8]

Currently the car is operational and I've run some errands with it. Very nice to drive. However, there are still some issues:
-The left front shock needs replaced. It will not hold oil for more than a couple days.
-Rear axle noise continues to get worse.
-I'm still waiting on Jim Watson before having the front tires replaced.

I haven't started on the A/C compressor mount yet. The lift has been tied up with other cars, but I hope to get something done next week. I also have to have another look at the speedometer cable as it still isn't working. Possibly not engaging the transmission gear.

We should consider building a replacement for the rear 3rd member. I have an almost new housing we can use. We would need a differential (Power-Lok preferred, about $300) a ring and pinion (Recommend Spicer gears, suggest a 3.08 or possibly 3.31 ratio, about another $300) and bearings, probably another $150 to $200. So we will need about $800 if I set up the 3rd member and we swap it out here. It will have to be done some time and it would be better if we take our time setting up the gears and have it ready before the car becomes undriveable. We may have a year or two but probably not much more depending on how much it is driven. We will undoubtedly have to ask for donations to cover the costs.

As VP/secretary I'm asking for comments about the front shock and the axle. It's not my place to make decisions about what we are going to do, but these strike me as maintenance issues and things that need to be resolved.

Jim

[BlownMGB-V8]

Update on the driveline. Matt and I put the car on the lift and spun it up in 5th gear to look for vibrations and the good news is that there is no indication of any issues with the u-joints. The bad news is that the problem seems to be internal to the differential, as  power delivery to the wheels was jerky and uneven. I held the driver's side wheel by hand to spin up the other wheel and could feel a sort of cogging effect, which I could also see on the other side when I allowed it to spin freely. My conclusion is that it would not be a good idea to make any long trips until this is fixed. I can think of three possibilities. A broken cross shaft, damaged spiders, or possibly the suspension was drooping far enough to bind one of the universal joints, but that still does not account for the vibration in right hand turns. I can continue to drive it locally until the problem gets worse and we can make a more positive diagnosis.

We also looked more closely at the speedo drive and concluded that the internal gear is not large enough to give adequate engagement to the driven gear. Perhaps the 2.88 gears have put us beyond the capacity of our drive gear and the tailshaft will have to come off to change it, IF a suitable set of gears are even available. They might not be. However, if we pull the tranny tailshaft to swap gears we might as well replace the 3rd gear synchro at the same time.

I have set up searches on ebay for a power lok posi and a 3.31 Spicer gear set, will advise if I find any good deals.

If Rick agrees that we should purchase a new shock I will follow up on that.

Jim

[BlownMGB-V8]

The new shock is installed and the core dropped off at UPS for return. Everything went smoothly and without a hitch. Just as fast and easy as swapping a tube shock. Performance is just as expected.

Also, I had installed the correct spring on the carb's secondary air flapper (required removing the carb) and set it to it's max recommended tension which is 1 full turn. That seems to be working excellently as well, the car will rather easily break the rear tires loose from a roll in 1st gear. Definitely getting the secondaries open.

The air filter is crushed on the sides and won't allow the air cleaner to sit straight. It is a little oversized, so at some point we should research and obtain the correct air filter, to see if that will correct the problem. Application should be '67 Riviera and GS.

It will be necessary to pull the tailshaft and change to a larger diameter speedo drive gear. That job will be coming up before too long.

Jim

[BlownMGB-V8]

A few of us decided that we were going to fit the Roadmaster with A/C. This is somewhat outside the remit of the overall will of the organization but permissible as a separately funded upgrade. So we are doing it.

Carl donated a complete dealer installed MGB A/C system:



I donated a compressor and have just completed installing it:





Expenses to-date not including the compressor or dealer kit are $200, including: compressor fitting, fan belt, radiator hose, and materials to complete the upper radiator hose connection. I put up the money for that but since neither Edith or I currently have jobs that's the best I can do.

To complete the install we will need hoses, lines, bulkhead fittings, drier, and probably a condenser. I know some have expressed an interest in contributing to the cost of installing an A/C system, and the hardest part is now complete. If you do wish to contribute please specify that it is for the A/C as otherwise it will go into the general fund.

Jim

[BlownMGB-V8]

The A/C compressor install is now complete. The hood closes and there is clearance. The coil pack and edis module are relocated and wires re-routed. Upper radiator hose is re-routed. Both v-belts are the same part number, eliminating any need to carry a spare.





Jim

[MGBV8]

Sweet!

[lawnvett]

Jim will this vent supply part be useful, It's supposed to be OEM from a dealer install to a new MGB, I'll donate it and send you a check.

[lawnvett]

just a reminder of my offer some months ago, I can drive RM one way to CA.  If the A/C is fully functional that is.  It'll be toasty in the SW desert!

 I plan to drive to San Deigo leaving June 15th, 2017 to meet up with a group in Savannah, GA  Mike Cook is part of that group and I'm expecting a few more modified MGs.  Dick Lunney, Bob Lewis and I are organizing this adventure, and ya'll are most welcome to attend.

So here's an opportunity to to show RM on the west coast.  I'll cover all the driving costs (we may need  an emergency fund, just in case of a unscheduled repair)   ,  as i'm already planning to drive my V6 MGBGT to the convention.

What say you?  Anyone on the west coast want to host RM??

[BlownMGB-V8]

The car's been undergoing some maintenance. New synchros for 2nd and 3rd gear should arrive this week. I've had searches running on ebay for several months now watching for a deal on a PowerLok posi and a R&P set but so far no luck.

The speedo drive has been complicated by the rear axle ratio. No combination of available driving and driven gear for the T5 will make the MG speedo head read correctly. Closest I can come is 10% low and that is with a 9 tooth driving gear. 19T is the smallest driven gear available. (The 17T gear I found turned out to be for a different transmission, TH350 I think, and it is smaller and quickly wore out.)

Since the gears are noisy, I propose that we build another 3rd member to put in the car before sending it west, and that we use a 3.08 or 3.23 ratio so that we can make the speedo read correctly. However, we do not have the money in the treasury to do this. It will take probably about $800 and after paying for the synchros we probably only have about $700 left with no reserve.

I would not embark on a trans-continental trip with a car having the noisy gears of this one, so I think we will need to raise money first.

Jim

[lawnvett]

Understand, the need for reliability, however, there is also the question of:   Do any of our west coast RM associates want to host the car?

Let's give them a little time to speak up, but if there is no demand, I'd say the RM will likely stay put.

[BlownMGB-V8]

Road test results:
The new synchros work as expected and the transmission now works as it should. Downshifting to 3rd is no different now from any other gear. It's a good thing I tore the T5 down though because the 2nd gear sychro was just about gone, it would have soon been giving us trouble. Aside from that, the tranny looked very very good inside. No significant signs of any wear or abuse that I could see. With shipping I think we spent about $120 doing this.

The speedo now works and is accurate. For how long I can't say though, as the cable is a loose fit in the speedo head shimmed with heat shrink and the driven gear is from a TH350 and is a bit small in diameter. But for now it's good. The problem is that we have the the largest gear inside that there is (9 tooth 1.8" dia.) and the smallest driven gear for the T5 is a 19 tooth, which gives us a 10% error (reading slow). The gear in there now is 17T but has a smaller diameter and may not hold up long term.

The gear noise in the rear end is bad. I drove it for a mile on the freeway today and was glad there was an exit. I'd prefer not to put any more freeway miles on it before we fix that. That could mean local events and trailering until we have a chance to take up a collection. We need about $800 to do it right.

I recommend we install a PowerLok and 3.23 or 3.08 gears. That will ease the speedo problem as well. We should get started on this right away, as building the 3rd member will take some time.

Jim

[lawnvett]

Jim,

" We should get started on this right away,"  Do you have a suggestion?  How to raise $$ now? email campaign?

PJ

[BlownMGB-V8]

The steering committee has concluded that the best approach at this time is to do the following in order:

Fix the speedo problem by installing a 1000 rev/mile unit donated by Graham Creswick, which will allow us to use about a 23 tooth gear on the cable, making the axle ratio problem essentially a non-issue.

Forgo the use of a posi for reasons of cost and driveability.

Inspect the spare Jag IRS I have here to see if the gears are in good nick, and if so, install that center section to address the gear whine issue. (It is unlikely I will want to use a 2.88 gear set in the future, but if I do it is the most common Jag ratio) I have no immediate plans for that unit.

That will hopefully get us out of the current pickle at a minimum of cost.

Also, PJ and others have suggested annual dues of $20 to help offset yearly costs. I support the idea and have suggested he propose a motion to that effect.

Jim

[BlownMGB-V8]

Speedo is working again. Reads 1-2 mph slow at 70. Good enough. Has a slight wobble. We might be able to fix that if someone has a GM 90° drive adapter to fit the T5 which they want to donate. Otherwise, good as-is.

Jim

[BlownMGB-V8]

We have the IRS out on the bench. Should get the hogshead swapped out this afternoon.

Jim

[BlownMGB-V8]

Job done.
The car is back together and the test drive reveals that all is well. The howl from the rear end is gone and the handling is essentially neutral, brakes work well.

If you listen very carefully at speeds below 45mph you can just barely detect a very slight whine on coast but it is dead quiet when on the gas. We did absolutely nothing to the diff other than opening it, inspecting, and refilling with synthetic gear oil. Dan says there is an additive that Ford recommended for their Explorers which had issues with gear noise. If someone can get that we will add it.

Curtis, please contact me Re: driving RM to 2017BritishV8 and your schedule.

Jim

[BlownMGB-V8]

Unfortunate news, it looks like work will prevent Curtis from making the annual BritishV8 meet this year.

For us this means we do not have a driver to bring the Roadmaster to the meet. I would do it, but it looks very much like my car will be back on the road in time for the meet. Hard to believe but apparently it's been down for 9 years, and I guess that makes it 10 years since I've had it at a meet. If there is any chance of driving it to Lewisburg, you know what my first choice is going to be. The driveshaft should be back Tuesday and then there is insurance, testing and tuning.

Dan suggested Carl could drive it but that would be a huge detour from what is now a pretty short trip.

I offered it to Matthew and he countered by saying that maybe he could trailer it behind his Jag. He has no experience with trailers and I'm not really comfortable with that option. I'll probably exercise my veto power on that one.

So I just wanted to let you all know that is where we stand. Maybe someone else will have an idea or two. If there was more time I could shuttle it to Milton at least, but it's too late for that now. Luckily almost everyone has seen the car recently, and while only a few have driven it in its latest condition, I can assure you that a drive in the Roadmaster is best described as, "Effortless". Were we to finish the airconditioning install and add a cruise control I firmly believe it would become the very definition of a true GT sports car. It is now so very close.

But personally, I prefer a roadster. If for some reason I can't get there with mine (there is still a question about clutch travel) I can drive it, but I'm really, really hoping that doesn't happen. More news in a couple of days anyway.

Jim

[BlownMGB-V8]

Well, unless someone else particularly wants to drive the Roadmaster I'll be bringing it to Lewisburg. Sorry for all the confusion but that's just the way things have shaken out. There have been a  cascade of issues with putting a T5 in my car and the schedule is now too tight to allow for any shakedown before the trip. When I was younger I would have disregarded the problem, but today, not so much. See you all in Lewisburg.

Jim

[lawnvett]

I'm glad it will be there.

I'd like an opportunity to drive it on one of the outings.

I will be arriving in a civilian car, as my V6 is still on jack stands and I do not have time to get it road worthy in time for our event.

See you guys soon.

[BlownMGB-V8]

We'll have to make sure that happens PJ.

Jim

[BlownMGB-V8]

There was a thread somewhere that Charles mentioned a condensed that he has. I can't seem to find it so I'm posting here. The dimensions of the condenser that we have is: 14 x 15 x 1-1/4" and it is a double pass.

There is room for up to a 26 x 16" condenser.

Jim

[MGBV8]

Here?

http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?8,56578,57021

[BlownMGB-V8]

Nope. He posted a photo of it and I replied that I'd get sizes.

Jim

[MGBV8]

Paste this into Google Images & see if you recognize the pic.

condenser site:forum.britishv8.org

[BlownMGB-V8]

Nope, didn't see it.