Motor Works` MG Repairs & Restorations For Classic Car
Contents
1. 8 Stick rags in the air cleaner snorkel and the tailpipe This is to prevent mice from building nests in critical areas of the car Make a note to yourself to remove the rags before you resume driving Put the note where Why on the steering wheel of course 9 There is some controversy over putting mothballs inside the vehicle to repel rodents This could save you chewed up seats or wiring However the smell can be very difficult to eliminate once the mothballs are removed One of Motor Works technicians recently informed me he had personal experience that dryer sheets also make a good repellant without the problematic smell of mothballs have verified this on the internet and look forward to trying it 10 Lower the windows 1 2 inch and unlatch the convertible top This will lessen the pressure on the seals and prevent further permanent indentation It also helps the inside of the car breathe 11 Charge the battery Every month turn your headlights on for 3 hours to exercise the battery Then recharge it with a trickle charger Another option is to leave a maintenance charger on the battery the entire time it is in storage These special chargers are inexpensive and available through Motor Works Interstate Battery and other outlets A maintenance charger is my preferred method 12 Power back flush the cooling system to remove acids rust and sediments for long term storage Refill with 60 40 antifreeze and water preferably distilled2. would have fixed my first Zenith just because someone said it couldn t be done The bottom line properly repaired and tuned Zenith Stromberg carbs provide good drivability and good power They are not in the same league with the Weber DGV or Twin SU s but they are more than adequate for many owner s needs Other Carburetors An honorable mention goes to the Weber DCOE side draft They can be down tuned to work on a stock or even a moderately hot rodded MG but basically they are racing carburetors and overkill for most applications last installed a pair of DCOE s on a Triumph TR6 several years ago The TR6 has a problem using downdraft carbs when racing am told the fuel will puddle and cause a bog when cornering hard The DCOE s are the hi performance answer to this problem must admit they looked and worked great There is a new player on the 1975 thru 1980 MGB carburetor stage A single SU HIF44 side draft carb is now available as a bolt on replacement for the Zenith 175CD do not have any personal experience with this conversion yet but will report in after my first introduction 21 I m going to segue back to our original discussion on the Weber DGV Conversion just in time to say a few words and then proceed to a couple of pictures With discretion being the better part of valor am again going to restrain myself aren t you proud of me from writing a long dissertation on the installation of the Weber DGV Conversion
3. Step two the classic push start began with four burley technicians assembled at the front of the car They began pushing the car out of the bay for its trip down a close by hill when the driver yelled Hey something s wrong with the clutch Sure enough the clutch disc had rusted to the splines and was tight against the flywheel This calamity removed any easy form of clutch manipulation in our bid to push start the TR In addition the clutch master cylinder was near dry What little fluid remained was black and floated on a layer of mud Jeepers creepers shoot me now Knowing we couldn t put lots of expensive parts on a car who s engine might qualify as a boat anchor we did the next best thing We fixed stuff Lots of stuff Oodles and oodles of stuff We cleaned out the clutch master cylinder and bled the clutch hydraulics Black fluid turned to clear and the clutch pedal regained its proper travel and resistance We then started to rock the car back and forth with the clutch pedal depressed After 1 2 hour we re not certain who was more depressed the clutch pedal or our team The guys were beginning to wear out when suddenly POP The disk let go and started to release properly I d love to say we all went out for hot chocolate and ended the day on this up note but back to the salt mines our tired crew lumbered The locked up TR was pushed to the top of a little hill running in front of our shop On queue like Pickett s Charge at Getty
4. The DCOE would not be our first choice for a carburetor conversion Wouldn t it be the pits if we handed the wrong green MGB to the customer and he actually drove it home because he couldn t tell them apart either Smile 34 Uh oh Which transmission goes back in the B Rock paper scissors anybody Yes I am poking fun But I ll bet there isn t a line technician alive from the points and condenser era who hasn t removed an old set of points and placed them on his box Only to come back A hour later and distractedly reinstall the old points instead of the new set next to them I know I have You don t think that could happened with the transmission do you Should I put a sign on the new trans that says Install Me Smile Impeccable MGA has TD SCO 60 AC That s right Top Down Side Curtains Out 60 MPH AC Smile 35 36 The White MGB in the three pictures that follow has been visiting Motor Works since shortly after I opened in 1984 It truly appears to have been driven off the showroom floor yesterday I do not believe it has ever seen paint and certainly not salt It is not restored it s just that good 37 Many thanks to all who have taken this tour with us Classic cars are a passion at Motor Works and a passion unshared is a passion denied To all our customers readers and fellow enthusiasts who share our passion we offer our deepest appreciation Sincerely IN Ma Foy Martin Fay Owner am
5. disconnected and slowly raising the RPM while looking at the timing mark with a timing light The mark will jump around some but timing should increase and then max out at about 4500 RPM There are two quick checks for the vacuum advance system 1 With the engine idling put a vacuum pump on the advance nipple The advance must hold at least 15inHg for 10 seconds You should also hear a definite rise in engine RPM as the advance vacuum increases An engine with a failed vacuum advance will has less low and midrange acceleration than it should have It can also hesitate under heavy throttle Never having known different many owners think this is the way the car is supposed to run Until it is repaired Then the typical owner comment is had no idea the engine could be so responsive estimate 1 in 5 advance units fail this test 2 With the engine running put a vacuum gauge on the hose leading to the carb or intake The gauge should either read manifold vacuum about 17inHg or rise to about 15inHg as the throttle is slowly raised to 2500 RPM Either means the vacuum signal to the advance is working Note there are some exceptions where the signal is interrupted by the emission control system I ll leave that to another time Another note boy are these note things handy The tests outlined above for the mechanical and vacuum advance systems are rough either they work or they don t tests Both mechanical and vacuum advance systems work at pr
6. of balance We prize reliability over all things A smooth idle is a must Our engine pulls smartly from a stop then gains power in a lovely linear torquey rush from 2000 to 4500 RPM Passing traffic above 4500 RPM is a joy as the extra horsepower continues The engine is noticeably smoother than stock at all RPM ranges We will let the cat out of the bag immediately and give thanks and credit to Auto Machine in St Charles IL They are our engine builders Their reputation is known throughout northern Illinois as one of the premier automotive machine shops The precision they bring to fitting and balancing the engine is what insures its reliability and smoothness There is no substitute for cubic inches when modifying an engine Our MGB engine was bored and new pistons fitted You will pardon me for not quoting an exact displacement increase There have just been too many cars between then and now A moderate cam designed to increase midrange torque and horsepower was fitted This was complemented with a lovely set of English headers and a Weber downdraft carburetor conversion There are header pipes and carburetors available that flow more air We did not use these One of the keys to balanced torque and horsepower is air velocity at lower and midrange engine speeds The better the air velocity the better the cylinder filling exhaust extraction and mixture atomization Big pipes and carbs can yield high horsepower at high RPM but can cause an en
7. process on our first classic car a 1965 Mercedes 230 SL with Bosch Mechanical Fuel Injection The customer told us he did not remember that last time the car ran this well This shows real promise for many of our British Classics Strong ignition Can you ever really have too much of a good thing Even top technicians have been fooled into thinking they had carburetion problems when the ignition was actually at fault To be certain your ignition is up to the task check spark first It should be blue in color and jump at least 1 4 inch from a screwdriver placed in the spark plug boot to the block On general principles we always recommend installing a Petronix electronic ignition and Flame Thrower Coil The reasons are obvious Lucas electronic ignitions can fail without notice With point style ignitions points wear can float at higher RPM and dwell can change dramatically when the vacuum advance operates against worn distributor shaft bushings Even with a Petronix ignition installed base timing and timing advance must be checked There is nothing new in checking base timing Just make sure the RPM is down around 600 so the mechanical advance is not starting and disconnect the vacuum advance hose Some vacuum advances use straight manifold vacuum some use ported vacuum To be certain there is no vacuum advance disconnect the line at the advance and plug it Mechanical timing can be checked for operation by leaving the vacuum advance hose
8. Pure antifreeze will freeze in the bottle at 10 degrees Fahrenheit so do not add more than the required 60 40 ratio Do not store antifreeze containers in unheated buildings 13 Flush the brake and if it has it clutch fluid to remove moisture contamination Brake fluid is hydroscopic absorbs moisture A can of brake fluid left open overnight will absorb enough moisture from the atmosphere that it must be discarded 14 DO NOT APPLY THE HANDBRAKE while the car is in storage It can rust in the applied position Handbrakes are a use it or lose it proposition You must either exercise the cables constantly or do not use them at all That about does it Our customers who follow this program start their cars in the spring and after correcting tire pressures and pulling rags just drive into the new season They don t even have to visit us but we hope they will at least honk and wave as they cruise by Note some of the general storage principles listed above are loosely based on an old article in the now out of circulation Miata Magazine was so impressed with the article called the magazine and got permission to reproduce it in its entirety for our customers This version bears little resemblance to the original article as we have added a great deal to it Still credit is due to Miata Magazine for the original thesis Thank you Miata Magazine
9. Twin Pack Keeps Tops Looking New eritem Are Guaranteed Whea Keep Owr ort a Hite fi f r 7 PEFS FEE TITEI LE bala ee ape ihe bp erie Hi Hit inii Hi ay E IA N PETRE j Ba ae J i gt tlt i ta 56 a J Ms i j ff R i Ure iy nity BSL aah ot Healt ei J EREN j TR i fi eat if fi 3 Nah th Sa ed e yy ft 3 He inl 9 z Mi ait ib a y f jin j p i Neel tt cen PrE ANA ee P hy thy t ett sutji A naia A if ited J ae WN A Fha gs mes a AROM Sette hie ih 5 i il SY W j i ni Ri i an y 2 J Tools of the top trade right angle drill microfiber towel brakerotornon that that that i RaggTopp Convertible Cleaner and Protectant Kit and Mothers Plastic Polish Missing from the picture are tons of newspapers and masking tape Our Near Perfect MGA with its top still folded away not used in over 25 years And yes that is a Fiat Spider with a fresh head gasket and fuel injection work Maybe I should have cropped that one out Naw Fiats need love too If it doesn t fit fabricate Kind of catchy isn t it The bracket for the hand screw on this side curtain was an inch off proper alignment We removed the larger bracket cut off the hand screw portion rewelded it in the correct position and dressed the weld End product fits like a glove 1960 MGA with top deployed after at least 25 years of stowage With the canvas faded and the rear
10. alves is yours truly Modest Marty Fay Smile BG Products Induction Cleaning Tool used here does a great job Excellent results using the BG Induction Cleaning Process on a 1965 Mercedes 230SL makes us look forward to trying it on our British Classics Note we did not clean the injectors only the intake and valves Petronix ignition and Flame Thrower Coil shown here are for installation in an Oldsmobile 442 Sorry I don t have a picture of an MG set up but this gives the general idea 17 18 Humor The Incident Not one of my better moments remember this incident as though it was yesterday and it wasn t one of my better moments Thoroughly worn out on a 92 degree summer s day the shop clock was approaching 4 30 was starting to think about home and some air conditioned relief Cars and customers had been boiling over since 10 00 that morning Days like this are an auto shop owner s dream The cars come rolling in with cooling system battery and AC problems You know you can finally pay some bills at day s end but the rub is cars belong to people whose internal versions of cooling systems batteries and air conditioning are maxed out Inevitably hot customers become grumpy customers Isn t it funny then not ha ha funny but strange funny you wish for hot days because it s hard on cars and good for business However by 4 30 you wish it had never been hot in the first place What s the old saying be careful wh
11. at you wish for you may get it At 4 35 that afternoon a fella comes into the shop whom had never met before Extending my hand offer a warm Hi ya how are you Fine he said tentatively Then notice he had something intriguing under his right arm He put it down to shake my hand and was transfixed It was the most beautiful cast replica of an MG TD I had ever seen Clearly visible were doors that opened rubber tires and a real folding top Noticing my interest he moved the steering wheel and the tires turned He then flicked a tiny switch on the dash and the head and taillights came on The car instantly transported me back to my fondest childhood playtime memories just had to have that car TIl give you 25 dollars for your car told him A quiet no was all he said Ok then how about 50 dollars This time the No was a little more emphatic Getting desperate started to wail ook I ve just gotta have that car I ll give you a hundred dollars for it N N N OOOO he stammered by now getting quite alarmed saw my last chance disappearing so grabbed for the car He noticing my obvious obsession was already reaching to take it back We both latched onto the car at the same time and a tussle ensued outweighed him by a hundred pounds and had muscle on my side but he was so quick he easily countered every turn and twist made The tussle started to degenerate into a street fight biting kicking scratchi
12. ayer This fine sediment pushes its way into and past the filter lodging in the fuel bowl and main jet Now tank internals are accessed often by pulling the sender and a close inspection for this hard packed sediment is performed New gas tanks or cleaning and resealing are becoming common A quick check of fuel pump pressure and volume is also advisable A 1979 MGB fuel pump should produce a minimum of 2 4 pints per minute at a maximum of 2 7 psi The flow rate is more important than the pressure Pressures higher than 3 4 psi can cause carburetor problems Proper engine mechanical condition Whaa ya mean a thermostat is important ain t had no thermostat in 20 years A valve adjust and compression test are a must Less obvious is the thermostat temperature An engine coolant temperature of a least 180 degrees F is essential to good air fuel atomization Engines do not burn liquid gasoline They burn a fine air fuel mist Remember how water condenses on the outside of an ice filled glass on a hot humid day Fuel does the same thing inside the intake manifold Coolant temperatures above 180 greatly reduce this fuel condensation and the bogs and sags that go with it New thinking 1 we often perform chemical intake manifold and valve cleaning on today s modern engines These engines tend to carbon up every 30 000 miles or so making them stall hesitate and reducing gas mileage 11 Last year we had excellent results performing the same
13. ble top They only drove the car open air on suitable days when there was no chance of rain Our job would be threefold 1 Deploy the top and recondition it 2 Install side curtains 3 Teach the owners how to work all the hardware and help them remember how next year 1 Deploy the top and recondition it As expected the top had shrunk and required considerable finesse read muscle to get all the closures to work We were actually afraid the top might rip during the process Also expected the top had faded badly and the rear window clouded almost opaque We actually considered ourselves fortunate there were no tears or animal damage to the top Tops are often stored incorrectly This allows the rails to poke holes in the canvas or tear the sidelights Reconditioning is not the black art it looks to be although stunning before and after results could induce such thoughts We employ a three step process Each step is determined by the products used As of this writing our current favorites are Mother s Plastic Polish for all plastic windows and RaggTopp s Convertible Top Care Kit for Fabric Tops This kit contains both a cleaner and a protectant Important Note in the photo below the Protectant bottle is for vinyl tops The kit we use is for fabric tops See the card in the center of the photo It is correct Without going into excruciating detail we start by washing the top and windows with a mild dishwashing detergent rinse and then
14. can send the car to me at Motor Works 316 E Taylor St DeKalb IL 60115 Yes for you sharpies out there stole that joke from Car Talk It s what my Pappy used to tell me Son some jokes are funny once Some jokes are funny every time This is a funny once joke Unfortunately think Dad was talking about my birthday Smile OK for real now found the coolant heated Weber kits at Redline Fuel Management www redlineweber com Twin SU Side Drafts Pros Let s start by saying if dual SU s are good enough for a 1958 Bentley S1 more later they are good enough for an MG Also before the widespread use of fuel injection on motorcycles constant velocity side draft carbs powered most of the world s fastest bikes Our own experience brings us down solidly on the side of the Twin SU s as having a power edge over the other two carbs under discussion In addition being romantics we are personally drawn to the traditional look of the SU s If money were no object Twin SU s would be the preferred choice for our personal MG s 20 Cons Unfortunately there are a few Twin SU s require careful setup which includes jet centering throttle synchronization at idle and midrange RPM mixture adjustment and balancing fast idle adjustment and damper piston oil replenishment These adjustments seem to creep over time and should be checked every other season or as performance reductions dictate Cleaning of the vacuum chamber piston and carb
15. chamois dry We use a right angle drill for controlled power A buffing pad is made from a microfiber fiber towel wrapped around a brake rotor non directional finish ball hone Wow brake rotor non directional finish ball hone I ll bet you can t say that ten times fast Wait maybe you can that that that that Uh oh think am beginning to digress diverge deviate and altogether divest myself of my original thesis If may paraphrase Seinfeld No More Fun For You Back to business The pain in the posterior part is having to mask off the inside and outside of all the windows covering the canvas Otherwise the polish is going to sling onto the faded top and stain it Once the windows are done we reverse mask and cover them to expose the canvas The cleaner and protectant are applied and drying times are observed It s a lot of work but the results can be spectacular 2 Install the side curtains We removed the side curtains from their boxes and read the instructions Our conclusion was hey these are nice looking units and installation should be a breeze Well an hour later we sat baffled befuddled and bewildered No amount of manipulation could get both the mounting post and the hand screw bracket to line up with their counterparts on the door They were at least an inch off Checking the forums on the internet showed many frustrated owners with the same problem What to do Do what we do best Fabricate One of Mot
16. e Proverb Ok let s play the same three answer game we played on page ten Question one what s the worst calamity that can befall a 1958 Bentley owner Answer 1 bird droppings on the paint Nooooooo Answer 2 it could burn to the ground Closer but not what was looking for Answer 3 it could have brass and aluminum shavings in the oil filter Aw crap that s really tough nuts This must be one of those jokes that s not even funny once Question two why are we talking about a Bentley in an MG mini book Answer 1 because can Answer 2 it s English and we re all brothers here Answer 3 it belongs to the same friend who bought my MGB subject of the Torque Monster article Answer 4 it s a damn good read We ve been servicing my friend s 1958 Bentley S1 for over twenty five years In that time many a mechanical obstacle has been overcome These include brake problems electrical glitches brake problems transmission woes brake problems faulty ignition brake problems driveline failures brake problems and more brake problems Oh did mention brake problems Smile Long association has placed Motor Works in an almost parental role of responsibility for the health of this unique car So it was with worry on his face that my friend came to me one day and explained aluminum shavings had been found in the oil filter during a routine service He had been told Don t even start the motor went over to
17. ecise specifications of timing vs RPM or vacuum delivery It is time consuming but additional detailed testing and related adjustments recurving the distributor can yield further progress when super tuning an engine Last and probably least are three items 1 Check the distributor bushings especially on points style distributors The bushings tend to wear opposite the ignition point rubbing block If you have any doubt rebush or replace the distributor 2 Some distributors have ground straps from the body to the breaker plate If one end is broken fix it 3 Many distributors have a felt wick in the center of the distributor shaft under the rotor Put a few drops of light engine oil on the wick every 6 months This will help keep the mechanical advance system free And if not free at least darn cheap Smile Well now let s see have a decision to make could write yet another detailed article on British carburetor overhaul and setup But seeing as there are so many good articles already in print maybe will stop writing for a bit and let the pictures and captions tell the story Ouch Did hear cheering when I said would stop writing for a bit Better be careful out there Remember could start writing again just out of spite Smile 12 P S Sorry but I do have one more thing I ve got to add New thinking 2 We have some great tools for synchronizing throttles on multi carb British engines including an old Marquet
18. ed before it began One example is the camshaft timing gear The part is long obsolete There are no aftermarket sources When offered new the camshaft and crankshaft timing gears came as a matched set and cost several thousand dollars The crankshaft gear is steel and seldom wears The camshaft gear being aluminum is the weak link Tony had two used camshaft gears in excellent condition Ralph said if Tony encountered trouble finding a good gear he would build one WOW We have more trouble getting a Grand Caravan serpentine from NAPA than we do exotic obsolete parts for a 1958 Bentley Article wind down The reassembled engine ran smoother and quieter than at any time in our past recollection Home now with its new owner it was transported back to Massachusetts We haven t heard one way or the other on any further particles in the oil but we are quietly confident Honorable Mention Major kudos go to Mark Huff our Head Technician As slow down now 57 Mark has taken over much of the heavy lifting on our classic cars The Bentley was Mark s impeccable craftsmanship from beginning to end S way to go Mark Brass and aluminum in the Bentley s oil filter element Aluminum i i 4 Is the engine in this grand old car headed for a 40 000 overhaul With a little luck loads of skill and top notch technical support the answer is not yet The culprit a badly worn aluminum camshaft timing gear The brass thrust washer is h
19. es smiled and breathed a huge sigh of relief We might win this one 25 And win we did The starter now spun the engine We blew out the cylinders changed the oil primed the new filter ethered the carbs hit the key and she started Hesitantly at first and then with more authority the engine idled The carbs were way off and there is no idle mix adjustment available on these Zeniths so we added shims to one of the needles to compensate Now we could rev the motor Smoke as expected poured from the exhaust so outside the car went Knowing that major internal damaged may have occurred due to stuck rings and scored or rusted cylinders we performed a compression test before starting the engine Compression with the cylinders cold and oiled 1 130 psi 2 90 psi 3 90 psi 4 90 psi 5 80 psi 6 125 psi Once the engine was fully warmed but before any driving we performed a dry and wet compression test Dry Wet 1 100 psi 150 psi 2 85psi 125 psi 3 90psi 145 psi 4 90psi 135 psi 5 90psi 125 psi 6 105psi 135 psi Not unexpectedly the rings were making poor contact with the cylinders Fearing the worst the fluids were serviced so we could safely drive the TR On the road the engine was significantly underpowered and smoked like a son of a gun during deceleration With nothing to lose we tried an experiment The motor was put through a classic new engine break in routine accelerate from 20 MPH to 60 MPH at wide open thro
20. gin During several cold to warm cycles each six hours apart repeatedly adjusted the cold enrichment choke coil spring tension and fast idle Each adjustment cycle brought the cold start closer to our goal After six or seven adjustment cycles the engine now started well cold fast idled properly did not lean out and stall nor did it run overly rich Critical parts of the tuning process included checking and making required corrections to the ignition timing the air cleaner preheater and the carb base preheater Also thermostat condition and rating is critical to making the water heated cold enrichment system choke come off in a timely manner By the time we were done the car started and ran great through its complete cold to fully warmed cycle The odd part is this nobody ever told me Zenith carbs are junk They can t be adjusted They never run right They come that way right from the factory Actually they do come that way from the factory In trying to meet emission standards the carbs are adjusted so lean that starting and drivability is severely compromised Under no preconceived notions just figured it s another carburetor that needs work so fixed it And none the wiser have continued to fix Zeniths with generally excellent results to this day wish someone had told me Zeniths were junk back in 1984 Darn drat and crud Think of all the time could have saved if only had been informed Smile Actually truth be told
21. gine to bog and sag at low to midrange RPM We rounded out the engine build with a Petronix ignition and Flame Thrower Coil The base timing was advanced a few degrees over stock Note for next time send distributor out to Jeff at A 1 Distributor Jeff will recurve the distributor to meet the exact needs of the engine at all soeeds and loads We estimate this is good for an additional 5 horsepower and 5 ft lbs of torque across much of the RPM range And OMG does it pull It is the strongest street MGB we have ever driven and delightfully the smoothest The owner s nephew drove the car on a 2000 mile trip with stone axe reliability Interestingly the nephew did experience a problem at the end of his tour The car started to lose power and jerk on his return trip just a few miles out of town He brought the car straight to us and it died in our drive We checked it out on the spot and determined the fuel pump had failed Wow After 2000 miles the car delivers its owner back into safe hands and politely dies at our doorstep All we could do is laugh shake our collective heads and stare in awe at an MGB with such heart We were more than a little proud Marty s 1980 MGB now lovingly owned by a good friend and customer of the shop We show it here with all the Torque Monster mods performed Sleepy looking isn t it Engine freshly removed from our future Empty engine bay awaits its new playmate This is a good Torque Monster here being
22. his house found the Bentley up on stands and inspected the oil filter Sure enough there were definite signs of aluminum flakes throughout the element Give me a week to study this asked him Take all the time you need He replied So parted with the filter and began my inquiries No technician works in a vacuum especially on a car like this Our investigation would start with the factory service manual and quickly expand with calls to Tony and Ralph Curzon In 1974 the two brothers started Hyphen Repairs in Orton Ontario Catering exclusively to the service repair and restoration of Rolls Royce and Bentley Automobiles Hyphen Repairs has the largest stock of parts in Canada Tony Curzon continues to run Hyphen Repairs which now concentrates solely on parts Raloh Curzon Master Rolls Royce and Bentley Technician is now based at Hunter Classics in Bridgeton Missouri They have both been a great help to us since the Bentley first came through our door Now they would be again Separate discussions with Tony and Ralph lead to the same conclusion The consensus was that there isn t much aluminum in a Bentley motor The only source they could think of was the camshaft gear Tony mentioned further he knew this to be a common situation We had to know more How long was it taking the particles to show up in the oil Was this a years worth of accumulation or weeks With the owner s informed help we embarked on a dangerous experiment The o
23. idden behind it 30 The tear down has begun Our Bentley here is minus its bumper grille and radiator WOW is there a lot of motor under that hood We spoke of a little luck in an earlier picture This is it The bearings and crankshaft have survived their ordeal with flying colors We can now continue with our responsibility Our patient has survived his her surgery and is all cleaned up The Bentley is ready to go to its new home We will miss it No other car collected more stares comments and admirers during its stay at the Motor Works Classic Car Hotel Dense pack 4 9 liter straight six engine seems to go on forever WOW is there a lot of motor under that hood Wait I just said that three pictures ago Well so much for originality It s still true though Hey is this one of those jokes that s funny every time Smile 31 The Bentley SI chassis was offered for sale to various coachbuilders who then built a custom body and interior to their customer s exact specifications This is a lovely example Yes that s a Jaguar XJS V 12 in the background Normally a leader in the class department today the big Jag sits quietly in awe of its neighbor 33 Photo Gallery Stories Yet To Be Told Naess O Care TOR Mks futi ir It s Best catt 81547562882 A lovely trio Odd note the White Midget has a Weber DCOE side draft racing carburetor on it At first glance the carb looks bigger than the engine
24. il and filter were changed He then drove the car on a lovely 300 mile fall tour This after being told Don t even start the motor collectively put our hearts in our throats Had we sent him out in an irreplaceable hand grenade Thankfully no Other than a few minor glitches the car had run very well With considerable trepidation we drained the oil into a clean bucket and cut open the oil filter RATS The aluminum flakes were back although in much smaller quantities Never having had the luxury of studying the drain oil before we did so now DOUBLE RATS There was a fine smoky trail in the bottom of the bucket Under a bright light it was instantly identifiable as brass filings 28 Another call to the Curzon team determined the brass was probably the camshaft gear thrust washer So now we knew There was no waiting The engine would have to be cracked immediately or the car parked Parking the car was not an option My friend was giving it to his brother as a gift and the car needed to drive to its new home in Massachusetts We knew this was going to be a huge job on ultra high value machinery There was considerable risk of an unfavorable outcome Maybe we should say no this time But we just couldn t We were responsible And so the project begins As you may have guessed from the previous sentence we are just getting started with our Bentley story True justice to the tale would require many more pages perhaps even a mini book of its ow
25. ke manifold This chamber supplies heat to the manifold where the air fuel mixture hits the manifold floor and makes an immediate 90 degree turn towards the head Why is this important Because when the air fuel mixture rushes through the intake manifold it causes a major temperature drop in the runners Some manifolds will actually be cool to the touch on a fully warmed engine Cool runners condense the fuel in the atomized air fuel mixture back into liquid gas on the runner walls This will cause a lean condition resulting in hesitation and or power loss On damp 40 degree days this cooling effect can produce carb icing causing an engine to literally stop running Carb icing is a life and death situation in the aviation field This condensing effect also causes exhaust emissions to rise MGB s with Zenith carbs not only duct warm air into the air cleaner from the exhaust heat stove they also have an electric heater grid in the carb to manifold spacer plate Both intake preheat systems aid air fuel atomization This allows the carb to be jetted leaner to meet emissions standards Back to our epiphany This coolant warmed hot spot is obviously a great idea but we could never find this manifold design on the market We checked Victoria British Moss Pierce Manifolds and many others All to no avail In researching this article finally found it BUT won t tell you where unless you write me a check for 1 00 on the bonnet of a 67 MGB GT You
26. kit We covered balanced components in the Torque Monster article on page 4 This is important because the Weber Conversion requires the use of headers in place of the exhaust manifold It is common to end up replacing the entire exhaust during this conversion Also if you are not already running a Petronix ignition now is the time to install one It is a great compliment to the Weber Conversion Installed Weber Conversion Notice the pressure regulator peeking out from the left fender Webers and SU s are sensitive to excessive fuel pressure The proper limit is 2 5 to 3 0 psi Did we install a Petronix ignition Well if you ll write me a check for 1 00 on the bonnet of an MGB GT 22 Dangerous Game Hunting at Motor Works A true story A most unpleasant experience occurred when beginning the installation of a Petronix ignition on the car just mentioned reached for the distributor cap and noticed something bulbous attached to the bottom of the distributor Indistinct at first as stared it quickly came into focus JESUS muttered and jumped back It was a spider and a big one Now just between you me and the wall don t like spiders Especially big ones have this unreasoned fear they might jump from hiding and bite my face off Repositioning my light for a better look in an instant my temperature dropped 20 degrees The spider was hanging upside down and there was a red hourglass on its belly It was a Black Wido
27. lotor Works MG Repairs amp Restoratioi 1984 to 2013 A Small Sample of Our Work or Classic Car Enthusiasts Everywher 316 East Taylor St e DeKalb IL 60115 E mail motorw dnacom com Phone 815 756 2882 Dear Classic Car Enthusiast Greetings I m Marty Fay the owner of Motor Works in DeKalb IL Welcome to our Motor Works MG Repairs amp Restorations eBook The staff and would like to share with you a few of the hundreds of classic car projects we have worked on These projects cover many makes and models but timeless British cars and MG s in particular constitute the largest proportion Motor Works is proud to be a member of the Chicagoland MG Club We are also listed in the Club s Workshops and Repair Database In light of this listing wanted this eBook to provide some additional background on who we are and what we do While it would be our fondest hope that some of our readers might find their repair and restoration needs fulfilled here at Motor Works this is not an advertisement It is instead a work of passion You see here a chronicle that has been years in preparation and many months in execution Why so much effort BECAUSE WE LOVE WHAT WE DO There is a unique pride that comes from making cranky old machinery sing Repairs and restorations of classic cars allow us to practice the highest of our mechanical arts including welding fabrication engine building tuning archaic ignition and carburetion systems and
28. lso Motor Work s Website was one of the winners in Autolnc Magazine s National Top Ten Website Competition in 2012 Click on the Top Ten Autolnc 2012 link at the lower right of the Homepage to see our article There is a lot to see on our site including some great humor If you can find a few minutes grab a cup o Joe and take a look around If you re having a tough day go right to Washing Machine Self Destructs in our Comedy section If you re having a really tough day watch it twice Motor Works MG Repairs amp Restorations For Classic Car Enthusiasts Everywhere 1984 to 2013 A Small Sample of Our Work Table of Contents 3 18 19 22 23 24 27 33 38 British Roundup Not a Car Show 3 Delorean YIKES and YIKES AGAIN 4 1980 Green MGB Torque Monster 6 Second Green MGB Hey does this mean we have stereo 6 Near Perfect White MGA Open err 10 Green MGB GT Blue Jaguar XKE Orange Jensen Healey amp Green MGB Side draft mania Humor The Incident Not one of my better moments Weber DGV Downdraft Conversion A classic upgrade for a classy car Dangerous Game Hunting at Motor Works A true story Exquisite 1973 MGB Hardtop Sleeping Beauty has a cardiac arrest false alarm 1974 Triumph TR6 A I stuck up and nowhere to go 1958 Bentley S1 He who saves a life is responsible for it Ancient Chinese Proverb Photo Gallery Stories yet to be told Winter Storage Procedure Cop
29. n However I m not sure that would be justice for our readers at this point and they are more important think I ll end the text with a mention of some of the huge impediments we overcame to bring this job to a successful completion The brevity of the remaining story removes most of the high automotive drama that would accompany a more thorough telling If get requests for the full story will happily add to this narrative Bearing damage With metal floating around in the oil for who knows how many years bearing damage is a real possibility maybe even a deal breaker We pulled the oil pan and every main and rod cap we could access The Gods were smiling The bearings looked good Cam gear oiling The timing gears have their own external oil feed This is a small metal tube that is easily crushed when tightening belts We started the motor and studied the flow No hay problema mi amigo Crankshaft damper operation This engine has a huge complex crankshaft damper filled with clutches springs and gears The unit actively counterbalances the crankshaft changing its internal compensation as needed Our damper had failed We have some suspicion the increased vibration may have contributed to the demise of the camshaft gear Off it went to Ralph Curzon for a complete rebuild and setup Parts availability In any other circumstances parts for this car would have been an impossible obstacle Without Tony and Ralph s help the job would have end
30. ng gouging out eyes The insults flew You re ugly and stupid Gimme back my car he yelled Well knew he was right about one of them but didn t have time to figure out which one so just yelled back Am not You got green teeth Don t either You re ugly and stupid and fat He shouted Now that one really hurt It was as though I had been hit with a flaming arrow wasn t going to take anymore so wound up for the biggest insult could think of YOUR MOTHER He quickly cut me off DON T SAY IT He screamed YOUR MOTHER WEABG DON T YOU SAY IT He screamed again knew was over the edge but in the heat of battle just had to say it YOUR MOTHER WEARS ARMY BOOTS AHHHH He roared and launched himself at me like a guided missile with both arms stretched out and both fists curled into murderous weapons When finally came to found him standing quietly with compassion on his face holding the car out to me Mister he said I d like you to have this car You put up a real good fight and I didn t much like it anyway Thanks Was all could blurt out His father having watched the whole thing from a few feet away put his hand on the kid s shoulder and said m proud of you son They both turned and walked out And that ends the story of the toughest 5 year old ever fought 19 Weber DGV Downdraft Conversion A classic upgrade for a classy car Motor Works has been tuning MGB carburetors
31. nt I made on page 11 Can you ever really have too much of a good thing I m thinking about taking it back here This could be a mite too many carbs at once Carburetors off being overhauled from left to right Jaguar XKE Second Green MGB MGB GT and the Jensen Healey a z j r al a Bi F First carb and suction chambers off Jag XKE Second Green MGB with carb just removed We will clean it up momentarily MGB GT awaits its carb s return British carb adjust paraphernalia that s two phernalia right pair of phernalia smile This reminds me of the great cosmic dilemma is a single pear a contradiction in terms don t smile it s pretty stupid Old love Marquette air flow meter middle left New love Carb Tune synchronizer at top 15 New Thinking 2 Carb Tune in action on a heavily modified 1835CC dune buggy motor We installed the gorgeous Dual Weber IDF carbs The Carb Tune allows instantaneous monitoring of all carbs at any engine speed We sync the carbs at idle and 2500 RPM Old Snap On Cylinder Shorting Expanded Scale Tach Dwell Meter is the finest tool of its type ever made in my opinion The ability to read in 10 RPM increments and to short cylinders with the press of a button is still impressive even by today s standards As discussed earlier it is easy to drill most carburetor bases and add manifold vacuum ports 16 New Thinking 1 The handsome devil cleaning the injectors intake manifold and v
32. or Works great strengths is our ability to build our way out of a jamb This can mean constructing tools modifying parts welding milling and even soldering damaged circuit boards and switch internals Fortunately the side curtains hand screw bracket was steel pop riveted to an aluminum frame After removing the bracket we cut off the hand screw tab relocated it and welded it in position Once the weld was dressed everything looked good and fit like a glove 3 Teach the owners how to work all the hardware and help them remember how next year A large percentage of our British sports car owners do not know how to deploy or stow their convertible tops properly If the car has side curtains an already arcane procedure becomes doubly hard One of our missions is to help them master this skill This demonstration is a big kick for us Very little beats the huge smile on the customer s face as he or she completes the process for the first time am forgetful to a fault Why do you think have a name badge on my uniform shirt It s not for the customer Smile Our customers tell me their convertible top skills tend to suffer from the same problem In light of this direct them to the internet for excellent articles on top folding MGA http mgaguru com mgtech top top104 htm MGB http www mgexperience net article folding top html Important j lt _ KE be FoR 31 tors C ouventittea lop Cane Kit Cleaner and Protectant
33. owhere to go How come we re talking about a Triumph in an MG mini book Because what happened to this Triumph can befall the owner of any classic car This grand old TR6 came to us after sitting for umpteen years in someone s barn Sound familiar The engine was locked tight and it had already been to three other shops The owner asked if we thought we could free the seized engine Happy to try but obviously no guarantees we said And so the saga begins There are a few advantages to age although as I get older they seem to be diminishing rapidly Smile One of them is accumulated knowledge The other is the ability to use this knowledge productively hesitate to use the word wisdom but there said it and so far have not been struck by lightning from on high My tenure as a UPS line mechanic hammered home basic engine transmission and differential repair as few things could Some of those trucks literally had a million miles on them Field repairing overheated seized engines was a required skill so we could limp the trucks back to the depot Those techniques have helped me for a lifetime We started by administering a healthy dose of penetrating oil into each cylinder After 24 hours with a new battery clean cables fresh gas and the spark plugs out we turned the key to the crank position A dull thud met our ears as the starter drive met the immovable flywheel Dozens of attempts later we had to admit step one was a failure
34. p President The Motor Works of DeKalb Inc March 2013 OTOR ORKS W 316 East Taylor DeKalb IL 60115 Telephone 815 756 2882 motorw dnacom com Motor Works Winter Storage Procedure Hey Henry that your car in that block of ice Yup You worried about it Nope How come Cause I had Motor Works perform their winter storage procedure last fall Come springtime that baby will purr like a kitten and off I ll go on the first warm day Uh Henry Yeah I m not worried about your car either How s that Cause I m stuck in this same block of ice and I m getting cold Hey me too We better call Motor Works they can do anything Welcome to Motor Works Winter Storage Procedure With some effort cars can be put into long term storage and ride out the rigors of varnished gas stuck clutches destroyed paint and frozen pistons The list of possibilities is of course much longer but you can defend against almost all of them It will take some time and cost some money but not having to repair a seized piston is the automotive version of money in the bank Time to get started 1 Wash wax and vacuum your car Cover it with a high quality breathable car cover or a simple white bed sheet Good breathable covers can cost 300 but are worth the protection Bed sheets help prevent against dust and they breathe well but provide no protection against b
35. prepared for time for cleanup new mounts etc old Polaroid its trip to Auto Machine old Polaroid 6 Second Green MGB at right Hey does this mean we have stereo A brief mention is due the green MGB on the far right This very pretty B comes to us needing front end and steering work The suspension bushings are worn and the kingpins wheel bearings and tie rods are loose During its stay at the Motor Works MG Hotel it will also receive a carburetor overhaul fresh brakes and have an oil leak fixed If all this sounds commonplace well it is And that s just the point This type of job is our bread and butter We tend to write about the unusual cars or special problems that make for interesting reading However the bulk of our work covers everyday concerns There is no job too small that we don t appreciate it coming thru our front door Near Perfect White MGA Open err Now on to the near perfect white MGA This car customer has been coming to us for over 25 years We have serviced it religiously for all that time During its tenure we have attended to all the normal ailments one would expect carb overhauls tune ups valve adjusts belts hoses batteries choke work etc The car is also carefully prepped each fall for winter storage Please see our article Motor Work s Winter Storage Procedure What makes our story unique is that despite all the years this car has been visiting us the owners have never raised the converti
36. r put immediately onto customer s cars in the service center or boxed for sale in the parts store My experience extends to multi carb setups aftermarket upgrades small engines and motorcycles One of my more challenging overhauls was a 1949 Cadillac The brass float had cracked and leaked Being unobtainable drilled the float boiled out the gas and then soldered all the cracks and holes also had to build many of the gaskets the top gasket being complicated and delicate required extreme care Well enough already Now that my bona fides are in place back to the fun stuff Carburetors are often the first thing to go wrong on a classic car and need to be the last thing you fix Good carburetion is totally dependent on clean fuel delivery proper engine mechanical condition and strong ignition A perfectly overhauled and adjusted carburetor will never perform right until the basics are solid underneath it Clean fuel The fooler In the last two years we have been burned several times by fuel contamination problems Yeah some people learn harder than others Traditionally prior to overhauling a carburetor we drain and flush the fuel tank flush the lines replace the filter and give the tank a fresh fill Recent experience has taught us this is not enough We have been encountering hard packed sediment on the bottom of fuel tanks that does not flush out Two or three hundred miles down the road the hard pack sheds some of Its top l
37. s and is diagnosed with a special gauge setup Our Delorean gets new fuel injectors and a warm up regulator Once installed we carefully tune the pressures and adjust the mixture with a gas analyzer Note Motor Works has extensive experience with many forms of European fuel injection These include Bosch Mechanical MPC D Jetronic CIS K Jetronic AFC L Jetronic many forms of MAF Sequential FI and recently Direct Injection 4 Deloreans are also susceptible to a number of common ailments including failing radiator cooling fans and related electronics shift linkage problems power window problems breakage of the rear plastic deck lid and coolant leaks We have faced them all and more 1980 Green MGB Torque Monster I m going to jump ahead to the green 1980 MGB in the center of the picture This car was once mine The chassis engine interior and paint were all rock solid but basically stock sold it to a friend who is also a good customer of the shop He had a vision My friend wanted a fast MGB Now fast is a loaded word In the world of engines it is easy to build a cammy hi revving hi horsepower engine that pulls like a rocket sled above 4000 RPM Just bolt up big carbs big pipes and big cams These engines usually idle poorly The acceleration above 4000 RPM is novel and fun at first but reaching for that power band ends up being tiresome in the long run Reliability is commonly an afterthought Our concept is one
38. sburg we thrust our Triumph down the hill Ah Pickett s Charge was actually uphill but you get the idea Smile With the highest of expectations we yelled to the driver to release the clutch with the car in second gear and And AND The rear tires nearly burned off leaving streaks of rubber down the road The engine didn t turn one bit not even a fraction Back up the hill we pushed to try five more times each with the same result nil nada nothing naught zero zilch goose egg Step two was a resounding failure HAMSTER PISS Enough of this crap was going to beat this engine if it killed me I m sure killing me first is what the motor had in mind Out came the coolant radiator hoses belt pulleys crankshaft extension etc In short out came everything required to put the biggest pry bar could fit on the front of that crankshaft With all my strength started forcing that bar one way then the other This went on for five minutes ten minutes then fifteen minutes had to rest sweat poured down my back Back to it went Five minutes ten minutes breathing hard had to rest again Again on the pry bar five minutes and then something Was that a little bit of movement Or is something starting to break off pushed and pulled again this time feeling a definite budge Carefully trying not to get greedy applied controlled power And all of a sudden the bar swung 90 degrees nearly breaking my knuckl
39. since we opened in 1984 Those years have provided us with considerable familiarity with the Weber DGV Conversion the OEM Twin SU Side Drafts and the single Zenith Stromberg Our conclusions are as follows The Weber DGV Conversion Pros It s a strong clean system that starts well in the cold idles well when warm and supplies solid power throughout the rev range Weber DGV s come in hand water and electric choke models We prefer the electric choke for its simplicity The carbs are near bulletproof They run year after year with minor linkage cleaning and adjustment Common adjustments like idle mixture idle speed fast idle speed and choke spring tension are all easy No synchronization or mixture balancing is required They flow well on stock engines and fully met the needs of the Torque Monster MGB motor discussed earlier The accelerator pump gives a spirited off the line punch The price for a Weber Conversion is substantially less than that for a Twin SU Conversion or replacement Cons Not too many Some folks may argue about the esthetics of the Weber vs Twin SU s But more importantly we feel the Twin SU s have a slight power edge in the midrange and upper end That being said the Weber Conversion is still a great product Important Note We never stop learning Occasionally an MGB with a slightly different Weber Conversion crosses our door The difference being a coolant heated chamber is added to the bottom of the inta
40. so much more It s all so neat we just have to tell somebody Somebody who understands Our Motor Works MG Repairs amp Restorations eBook the book you are reading includes articles on more than MG s because some of our most creative work is performed on other British Classics This will give the audience a sense of the kind of expertise and creative engineering we can apply to MG s We think you ll find the articles are great reads full of humor unique perspectives technical knowledge and some awesome photographs The Motor Works Triumph GT6 Restoration eBook our other eBook is a must read It s the story of our full boat gonzo one of a kind scary fast Triumph GT6 with a TR6 engine and 5 speed transmission conversion This is the chronicle of a frame up restoration turning three GT6 s into one Countless obstructions are overcome as we fit a groundbreaking driveline complete new British interior unique Suspension modifications and dozens of other upgrades Similar conversions including the 5 speed transmission are available for MG s hope you enjoy the articles Both eBooks are available as free downloads in the Classic Car Section of our website Go to www motorw com and click on the Classic Car Tab Sincerely Martin Fay Owner The Motor Works of DeKalb Inc March 2013 P S Speaking of our website in the Classic Car Section you will see twenty of the more interesting projects have managed to write about so far A
41. t carb overhaul if the engine had no oil pressure Prior to starting the engine we installed a manual oil pressure gauge We needed a fast read on whether the engine had truly lost oil pressure or we merely had an electrical gauge problem This time the engine started and stayed running the precious few seconds we needed Y PEEE We had manual oil pressure And darn good oil pressure at that Fully warmed the engine produced 21 psi at idle Specification calls for 10 to 25 psi Sleeping Beauty could safely awaken Further repairs to the brakes suspension electrical system and cooling system were now viable A major tune with valve adjust fresh ignition components and a thorough carb overhaul would make this cat purr The speedometer didn t register but replacing the cable would bring it back to 90 functionality We still had a slight needle wobble This is a problem in the soeedometer head itself and usually gets worse with time and miles When it becomes intolerable we will send it off to our rebuilder We close the Exquisite 1973 MGB Hardtop story here relieved that our patient s symptoms were only a false alarm and excited to reunite car and owner The owner is a member of the Chicagoland MG Club He is so pleased he lists Motor Works in the Club s Workshops and Repairs Database Exquisite 1973 MGB Hardtop Sleeping Beauty can safely awake now that we are past the no oil pressure scare 24 1974 Triumph TR6 All stuck up and n
42. te dual scale air volume meter However from my motorcycle work have come to prefer my Morgan Carbtune four column synchronizer above all others This tool provides simultaneous synchronization readings for each carburetor at any engine speed It measures manifold vacuum Many carburetors do not have individual vacuum ports but we have found it easy to drill and insert permanent vacuum nipples in almost any carb base Synchronizing multi carb engines with the Carb Tune works best when each cylinder has a single carburetor throttle valve This allows each cylinder to have an isolated vacuum signal We recently installed Dual Weber IDF s on a hi performance dune buggy with an 1835CC heavily built engine We drilled the bases for vacuum ports and performed both idle and midrange synchronizing with the Carb Tune The end result amazing The engine was loud smooth and the customer could chirp the one foot wide rear rubber We have not yet tried this on our British Classics but are excitedly looking forward to it The one possible drawback is the intake manifold balance tube Neither carburetor is isolated from the other Whether this will render our tool ineffective partially effective or fully effective is yet to be seen Now on to the promised pic s They start on the next page 13 Two years worth of carburetor overhaul literature from a so far 41 year career Man do I suddenly feel old Smile What was that cavalier stateme
43. throat are also advisable The carb throat is easily cleaned on the car with the chamber and slide removed In addition age wear sticky linkages and weak springs cause the jet not to return to its seated position when the choke is pushed off This should be inspected yearly WOW Did the fella writing this article say he liked SU carbs Look at that list above Let s not get him started on something he doesn t like or we ll be here forever Maybe if we write him a check for 1 00 on the bonnet of an MGB GT and send it to Smile The Zenith Stromberg Let me open this with an odd true story Once upon a time many years ago a fella brought in an MGB with terrible carburetor problems It would barely start cold died at idle for the first 5 minutes idled roughly when warmed and never accelerated well It had a Zenith Stromberg carburetor Just like any other carburetor that is new to me took it apart studied its air and fuel circuits its cold enrichment system its fast idle system its mixture adjust system etc After cleaning and replacing a torn diaphragm back on the car it went In performing the idle mixture adjustment ended up maxing out both the course and fine adjustments and still the idle mix was too lean cheated by raising the needle in the piston just enough to give me a smooth lean best idle Curb idle was also raised about 150 RPM over spec Once the carburetor ran well warm the cold start adjustments could be
44. time In my more distant past have hunted both wild boar in Tennessee and bear in Arizona have given respectful distance to many a warning rattlesnake in Montana At no time do remember experiencing anything like fear during those expeditions This spider was different My hands were six inches away from this lethal menace and would surely have touched it had continued with the installation All my firearms have been mothballed for 20 years now Little did expect intake system cleaner would enter my arsenal at this late a date can only hope it is the last shot ever fire in anger 23 Exquisite 1973 MGB Hardtop Sleeping Beauty has a cardiac arrest false alarm This head turner came to Motor Works not having run in over two years The customer told us when it had last run no oil pressure showed on the gauge YIKES This is the automotive equivalent of a heart attack Father time and mother entropy had certainly cast their evil dust on this Sleeping Beauty Getting the car started went according to plan drain and flush the gas tank and lines install a new fuel filter replace the battery clean the cables change the oil prime the oil filter ether the carbs and hit the key Keeping the car running proved to be another matter entirely Gasoline poured out the overflow tubes on the SU s We pulled the carbs performed a quick cleanout and roughed in the adjustments back on the engine There was no sense performing a full boa
45. ttle then coast back to 20 MPH Cruise another mile at a steady 60 MPH to cool and stabilize the engine then accelerate to 60 MPH again We performed this process for a total of ten repetitions Shortly after our first set of ten reps something magical started to occur The engine power went way up and the smoke on deceleration decreased by 75 The engine began to idle better After letting the engine cool for a few hours we performed a second break in routine Once completed we put another 20 miles on the car and were amazed The smoke on decel quit almost entirely and the engine power could be considered in the normal range for a car devoid of tuning for all those years While not exactly a glowing bill of health considering our patient had been dead on the table a day a day earlier this was amazing news When the owner drove the car he couldn t believe the engine power and smooth idle This resurrection would be a tale around the water cooler for years to come Our 1974 TR6 was no longer stuck up and had many places to go Pictures on next page Tenacity tenacity tenacity Sometimes blind unwavering tenacity will overcome the biggest obstacles This one was touch and go until the end but win we did What a shame it would have been to lose this lovely TR6 to a locked up motor Fortunately it is no longer all stuck up and now has many places to go 27 1958 Bentley S1 He who saves a life is responsible for it Ancient Chines
46. umps and scratches 2 Change the oil and filter Be sure to warm the engine first 3 Put the proper amount of Stabile in the gas tank and fill it Then drive 10 miles to circulate the stabile through the fuel system 4 Bring tire pressures to 40 psi to help prevent flat spots If possible block the car so the wheels are off the ground no weight If this is not possible roll the car two feet forward every month Make a note to yourself to lower the tire pressures before resuming driving Put the note on the steering wheel Coat tire sidewalls with Armor All or silicon to reduce dry rot Do not coat the tread 5 Apply silicon to all weather seals to keep them supple Don t forget the trunk and engine bay 6 Block the clutch pedal in the released position with a 2x4 Careful you don t deform the seat if you lever against it Blocking the clutch will help prevent it from rusting in the applied position 39 OTOR ORKS BP Auto Repair 316 East Taylor DeKalb IL 60115 Telephone 815 756 2882 motorw dnacom com 7 At the storage site pull all soark plugs and pump 5 squirts of engine oil into each cylinder Putting a two foot length of vacuum hose on the end of the oil can nozzle will make this easier Crank the engine for 30 seconds with the plugs out Reinstall the spark plugs Make a note to yourself there will be considerable smoke from the tailpipe for the first 10 miles of diving Put the note on the steering wheel
47. w Remaining motionless and looking a little dusty the spider appeared dead and cooked onto the distributor by engine heat From a relatively safe distance gently blew air at the spider AND IT MOVED AND SO DID I Backing away at the speed of light and almost tripping over a battery charger in the process finally felt safe enough to think at 10 paces distant Having a similar dislike for wasps and hornets have learned carb cleaner and better yet intake system cleaner will kill these stinging pests on contact Off hurried to locate my weapon of choice more than a little concerned the spider might not be there when got back Wouldn t that just be the pits going on a spider hunt for a Black Widow knowing could never concentrate on car until the spider was dead This was a little too close to the old cliche Kill or be killed Luckily the spider was still there when got back Taking aim sprayed that deadly critter for ten full seconds He was probably dead in two and wasn t taking any chances but why didn t he drop off thought Oh man don t tell me he s still alive Sprinting across the shop grabbed a long screwdriver off my box poked the spider once nothing but he didn t fall poked him again no movement but still he didn t fall The third time literally scraped that spider off the distributor He hit the floor and thankfully stayed there swept him out and crushed the body to a pulp shivering the whole
48. window nearly opaque it is still in better condition than we had expected The top is reconditioned the plastic windows polished and the side curtains are installed WOW What a difference Interesting note the car with the long hood in the background is a 1958 Bentley S1 A fascinating story will follow later 10 Green MGB GT Blue Jaguar XKE Orange Jensen Healey amp Green MGB Side draft mania Question what do these four cars have in common Answer 1 they re all the same color Nooooooo Answer 2 they re all British Closer but not what was looking for Answer 3 they all need carburetor work Correct o mundo Give that man a sea turtle n A little background Please forgive my apparent lack of humility in the following discussion am not boasting l m just trying to be accurate have been repairing and overhauling carburetors since 1972 And don t mean a few carburetors mean many hundreds if not thousands For about 2 years organized all the literature that came in each carb kit into a three ring binder So what you see below is only a fraction of my output Most models of Rochester Motorcraft Holley Carter Keihin Mikuni Solex Zenith Weber and SU carbs have spent time on my overhaul bench As some of these models became computerized often took evening classes to stay current ran a home side business overhauling carburetors for a parts sales service center These carbs were eithe
49. yright 2013 Martin Fay No the picture above is not a car show At least we did not plan it as one It is a single rather unusual week at Motor Works Under repair at the same time are left to right a Delorean MGB GT Jaguar XKE MGB MGA Jensen Healy and another MGB We call it our British Roundup British Roundup Delorean YIKES and YIKES AGAIN Deloreans are always a challenge The parts are hard to find They also require special tooling special knowledge and you always run the risk of damaging an irreplaceable body panel if something goes wrong This Delorean gets its sagging doors adjusted YIKES the CIS fuel injection system repaired YIKES AGAIN and many other repairs retrofits The doors are heavy and counterbalanced by adjustable torsion bars in the roof Adjusting the torsion bars takes huge long breaker bars and enormous pressure Working by the rear window if anything slips or the torsion bar breaks glass body and personal damage are all a near certainty not to mention worst of all an angry customer YIKES to the max Bosch CIS fuel injection was used for many years in Porsche Mercedes Audi VW Saab Volvo and other European makes This includes the PRV Peugeot Renault Volvo 2 8L V 6 engine used in the Delorean On the plus side CIS injection has the ability to deliver major horsepower On the minus side it is very sensitive to gas quality dirt and moisture The system is based on hydraulic pressure
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