The old boat

[Blades]

Well done so far, you have been really busy

The paint work and the front grill look good

Nick

[ignatzcatz]

Rockin on with the old boat and I'm nearly about ready to fire the motor up. But I have a slight interference problem with the oil filter or rather the oil filter fitting on the B engine which is a bit weird. It's an upside down attachment that bolts on to the block, it sticks out the side and the filter spins on top. Look there is no way I can describe it, if you're that interested, which I doubt, go and have a look under the bonnet of your nearest MGB. As this attachment is angled it turns in a strange arc and my filter only fits at about 10 degrees off the vertical and in doing so fouls the oil cooler hose AN fitting which in turn fouls on the servo which is situated on the offside engine compartment floor. I have moved the servo back as far as I can for hoped for clearance but I still need about a half inch. I think I am just going to have to remove the servo and get the required clearance via gentle re-configuration of the outer confines. Yes, I'm going to hit it with large hammer. Well I can't bugger around for much longer.
The throttle and choke cables needed a bracket to be an effective outer cable stop and guide. I have cut all the steel out for this but I have just run out of acetylene so that has come to a grinding halt whilst a go and buy a refill. But it's a neato little bracket and I'll post a pic as soon as. I used the last bit of welding gas on extending and widening the transmission cover. I wanted a sand bag to form the steel I was using to bow out the left side of the cover to clear the overdrive switch on the trans. But these bags are about 40 quid and for a one-off I thought that was a bit much, so I stuffed a big folded towel into one of those cheapie woven nylon bags, sealed the end and voila - poor boys sand bag. Anyway I got the job completed with a flange around opening where the gear lever is onto which I will screw a leather gearlever gaiter. A local market trader sells leather off-cuts so I will buy some black leather and get sewing.
It all seems to be little jobs that tend to take an awful lot of time. I took two whole days just getting the brackets for the electric cooling fan sorted, then I did'nt like one fitting and re-made it again. And of course wiring the fan up with a relay, of course, and 'hot' so I can have the fan running when the engine is switched off. Running the radiator hoses took about a week to sort out with header tanks and overflow pipework and they encroached on the horns location so I fitted a new pair on the nearside wing section and then had to extend the wiring. And the position of the rad hoses was right where the right angled rod for the bonnet opener goes so I had to make a new flexible pull cable to open the hood and that was a day too. So loads of little stuff but all important to get this conversion neat and sanitary. Still I do feel I am definitely on the final path to completion and should have myself a nice little 'B' Minor soon. 'B' Minor - new name eh?[frame][/frame]left to right, header tank, servo, oil cooler pipe, top hose extension, cooling fan and horns (behind hose) It's getting busy[frame][/frame]It will look better with the welds ground down and painted, I hope.[frame][/frame]Tricky laser cut exhaust attachment tabs[frame][/frame]Crud pic of new CD player and cable pull for bonnet opener

[jagnut66]

Hi,
I mounted my brake servo on the drivers side inner wing, at the front, just below where you reservoir is at present, would doing that free up the space you require though?
Best wishes,
Mike.

[ignatzcatz]

Hi Mike, yeah my servo is in a similar position and I had already moved it back as far as it would go but the main problem was the big oil cooler pipes that the B motor has. I had fitted braided hoses and AN fittings which are even fatter, however I think I have just about got things sorted now as I pulled the alternator off and sliced off a section of the plastic rear cover. This has given me a whole 80 thou clearance and I can now spin the filter on and off. Check out the pic I took.
I am going to drop the sump this afternoon so I can get a fitting attached which will take the capillary tube for the oil temperature gauge, do a little work on the rad, weld up the throttle cable mount - when I get some acetylene, and I'm about there. I better remember to stick some oil in the engine too . . .[frame][/frame]These B lumps have big oil filters

[jagnut66]

Things really are tight in there!

Looks really good with the front panel in place though. Offering that up and getting an idea of how it will look when finished must have given you a real boost.
Best wishes,
Mike.

[ignatzcatz]

I am extremely pleased to report that my A to B conversion is finally complete and I fired up the 1800 MGB engine yesterday and everything was running like clockwork. It has taken about 6 months to do the complete conversion, I did think it would be a fairly straightforward swap especially as the engine mounts looked to be in identical positions. But nothing in fact was straightforward and the job entailed much modification which briefly included: modified engine mounts, new gearbox crossmember, addition to gearbox crossmember for hydraulic clutch, fabricated hard line for clutch and mount bracket for slave cylinder flexy pipe, cut access holes in bellhousing for a) starter and b) clearance for steering rack, fit and fabricate mounts for peugeot radiator and oil cooler, position and wire cooling fan, cut floor for clearance for gearbox and overdrive, fabricate extension to and make clearance for overdrive on interior transmission cover, run all new coolant pipework, fabricate complete exhaust system including manifold, make up new cable for bonnet release, fabricate bracket for throttle and choke cables, fit new horns, fit coolant header tank and pipework, modify water pump for clearance to rad, remove and drill sump for oil temp capillary line and I've still got to get a new speedo cable.
There is more that I had to do but I have just been taking the written entries from my 'to do tomorrow' exercise book. All this stuff is very labour intensive. I recall that I had the engine and box in and out of the car over six separate times just to get the cut section of the bellhousing right where it was fouling the steering rack. The exhaust system took over a week to finish.
I am not the speediest of mechanics (I not even a mechanic!) but I do like to do stuff right which may mean I'll do things a couple of times until I'm happy with the out come. So now it's unbolt everything and pull out the engine and box one more time for painting and detailing. I have a couple of bits I will chrome and some more bits I have to paint plus a general engine compartment tidy up, then finish off the interior and get the Old Boat ready for Wheels Day 2013. I'm only a year late.[frame][/frame]The lump is running in this pic ...rump rump rump[frame][/frame]Better get those dashpots polished up[frame][/frame]All systems go ...fab Scott

[Jefftav]

Well done Igna, great to see a plan coming together and I'm sure you will have many happy hours in your Morris next year. It's been great to watch your build

[indian301]

Looking good Graham. You fabricate parts the way I do; until you get them right, I just finished sanding every last nook and cranny on my MM. It should be wearing epoxy primer by the end of the weekend.


Dave

[ignatzcatz]

Dave, good to hear from you, for a time I got to thinking them scorpions in yer back yard might have got ya, that or them pesky skoolkidz. So the MM is goin to git all perdyd up. I'm thinking metalflake, I'm thinking flames, I'm thinkin scollops and frosting fades. It's a good thing I'm the only one thinking it cos I bet you'll paint it beige. No hang on, it's just got to be suede, oh yeah make with the flatting agent, suede blue, just like my shoes, gotta be.
Well I'll be over in La La land come Jan for the AMBR show in swinging Pomona. The theme for the show is 'Aloha' and you know what that means. Oh yes siree - Woodies, luv 'em so I just gotta be there. There will be four of us flying over, the other guys want to buy cars and stuff so we are going to hit the Long Beach swap meet on the Sunday with mucho dinero. I am not allowed any more toys at the moment (I have a little something brewing at home!!) so I shall be standing around drawing breath through clenched teeth and pursed lips and pointing out everything that is wrong about my amigos purchases. I'm Mr. putdown.
And yes the Old Boat is really getting along now as I hope you have read. I do have to pull the motor out mainly cos it hasn't got a clutch in it, but it needs a bit of tarting up, the block needs a good scrub and some glossy engine enamel, actually I use tractor paint, recommended by a farmer pal and the stuff is the nuts. There is a bit of interior work to be completed and it should be ready in time for all the ice and snow we always get around January/February. Oops sorry, you better google 'ice and snow' as I realise these are alien terms to you. (Hate you) Ah yes it's a balmy 2 degrees C. here but I expect you are still roaming around in shorts and T shirt (Hate you again). Still at least we can look forward to a white Christmas, unfortunately it hasn't snowed at Christmas for nearly forty years, it's usually just cold and raining, but hey we're all off work and that's v. good. Post up some pics of the MM if you can find the key for your camera.
Cheers from the Limey

[indian301]

Graham,

Actually I am going for the old school primer look, battleship gray with purple flames for the wife. It will never rust with the epoxy primer and this way I don't have to worry about scratches. Assembly still required. Pictures coming soon. As for the weather here in sunny Arizona; yes I am still wearing shorts and t- shirts. It has been in the low 70's . Give me the dates for the La show and we will try to meet up with you.

Dave

[ignatzcatz]

Said suede and flames didn't I, grey primer and flames, very old skool I like it and I know will be good. Now the roadster show is being held over the last weekend in January which is 25th Friday thru 27th Sunday. Us motly mob will be into LAX on the Tuesday and we'll be shackin' up at the Embassy suites on Dyer Road in Santa Ana. As there will be four of us we will have two rooms and if you don't know the Embassy suites they have an additional double bed in the lounge section of the suite which can be used for guests (just in case any of us gets lucky heh heh) Anyway we have accomodation if you are coming by. We also like the Embassy cos it's happy hour between 5 and 7 and it's very very happy because the booze is absolutlely free. Come by and see how we get wasted in two hours flat!
I'm still waiting to pull out the motor, trouble is I've told a few mates that I have finally finished the installation and they all want to come over and check it out but Monday it is definitely coming out. I have been collating all the bicycle, motor-cycle and car bits and bobs I want chroming plus with the Minor stuff this lot I will UPS up to a pal in Wisbech (East Anglia) who gets a lot of chroming done commercially so my junk goes in at a good price. Then as I mentioned earlier it's all just paint and detailing.
Did someone mention flames . . .[frame][/frame]My 2nd flame job on a very old Bell 500[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]My very 1st flame job on my Buell

[ignatzcatz]

I'm very nearly finished on this restoration/modification of one old traveler which really should have gone to the crusher. It was the wood that saved it and I guess I'm glad it did, although the work has taken a lot longer that I originally estimated but isn't that always the way?
Not much more to do now, all the fabrication and modifications are complete and I have recently pulled the motor and trans out for the last time in order to paint the block and ancillaries and give everything a good clean and spiv up. I have all the parts I need but the only item I am waiting for is the cylinder head. The compression check resulted in 150's on all pots so I reckoned there was little wrong with the engine but when I pulled the head although all the valves looked good, one exhaust valve looked slightly sunken in the combustion chamber. So the head went off to a friendly expert for rectification. My buddy is going to do whatever might be required plus give the head a mild porting and a three angle valve job and skim it a few thou for good measure. My B engine has plus 30 thou pistons and when I dug through all the paperwork that came with the donor MGB car I discovered the engine had been fully rebuilt at 65thou miles and the car had had a replacement gearbox with a reconditioned overdrive unit at 85thou miles. The odometer of the car was showing 107thou miles when I broke it so hopefully this engine and box will give good service for quite a few miles.
So with the block and parts all painted up I have bolted it all back in the trav together with the prop, clutch components, speedo cable and I shall fix the front panel on tomorrow and then bolt up the wings and any other associated bits and pieces. I have already had the engine running prior to it's latest removal so I know once I get the head back and fitted I'll be ready to rock.[frame][/frame]Back in for the last time[frame][/frame]That gearbox goes on forever[frame][/frame]Almost there[frame][/frame]All bolted down, at last

[alexandermclaren]

yup all bolted down hope you dont ask me to help you with all those wires haha
looking real good so fer and am sure she will be awesome when your finished

[ignatzcatz]

Blimey, there are just so many little jobs that need attending to before you can say 'Yep car is done'. I'm onto the interior at the mo. And of course none of the carpets are fitting right because I have different seat belts and handbrake position due to the Marina rear axle and the gear lever is miles away from original position. As much as I would like a custom interior and give the whole job to an automotive trimmer, the old boat really doesn't warrant it and having just returned from the USA where I spent way too much, I'm just going to make the best of it.
The last 'big-ish' job to do is to fit the doors. I have previously sprayed them and rebuilt the window frames with all new rubbers and made sure all the window mechs were greased up and worked fine. However, I didn't pay much attention to the hinges. It was naive of me to think that after 50 years of opening and closing that the hinges would be serviceable. Of course they were not and the doors sagged horribly and came nowhere near to closing effectively. A quick order to those good blokes at ESM and I had a set of new hinge pins. With these duly installed I tried again and although things were massively improved there was still a tiny amount of movement in the hinges and I think I am going to have to drill them out and fit oversized pins. So that is where I am at for the moment. The engine and gearbox are all done and running sweet and they are absolutely oil tight. Deep joy, especially after my previous oily episodes.
Continuing with those little jobs, tomorrow I'm bolting in the front seats, I'm going to lash the valves because they are little bit rattly since the head went back on then I shall torque down the head. And as the old thing is up on axle stands again because I had to raise the suspension last week (without people inside the sump was 3 inches off the deck and the antiroll bar links are even lower) I will be touching up underneath with the chassis black so I don't have a bunch of rusty bolts and stuff.[frame][/frame]The pins don't look bad, but they are! and most of those screws needed drilling out, it was a day's job.[frame][/frame]Just needs doors then it's MOT time. (do I really need doors for the mot?)[frame][/frame]Fills things up nicely[frame][/frame]A 'B' Minor

[indian301]

Graham,

Your Old boat is looking good. Sorry we could not meet you in California when you here, we had a death in the family. I have been driving my MM around. It is running great; puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.
Dave

[ignatzcatz]

Hiya Dave,
Sorry I missed you in LA and condolences regarding your bereavement. My dear old Auntie passed away just after Christmas and the comment went round that all the family used to see each other at weddings, now they see each other at funerals, such is the passing of time.
We had our own little drama in Santa Ana when returning from the show after a good meal and quite a few beverages we found half the Santa Ana police force at our hotel and a fair old melee happening inside. It appeared that a female guest in her late twenties had gotten herself all drugged up then decided to jump off the eighth floor onto the stone patio below. She didn't survive; my God what a waste, very hard to comprehend.
Anyway the show was great and the winner this year was a very subtle little track roadster nosed rod, a lot of rods were way over the top but I guess that is why they are show cars. And all the woodies were awesome with some terrific beach style displays as well.
One of our motly crew, Mark (who owns and runs Flatland engineering) had ordered a beach buggy body (to be built up into an off road buggy for a customer in the Canary Islands)from Bruce Meyers down in Escondido. As we had to get it back to LA to be shipped home, we decided that rather pay a trucking company $400 or so we would buy an old pick up that we would ship home then sell off to some unsuspecting rodder. We were at the Long Beach swap meet on Sunday having been in attendance at the show on the Friday and Saturday and although we couldn't find any pick ups we did find a scabby old El Camino which three of us clubbed together and bought. It was only 4K but we had to pay cash. So we had the perfect carrier but after a few miles driving it we did discover that apart from the engine and trans, it had a good 350/350 replacing the 305, the rest of the old dog was pretty much shot; front suspension - all history, but anyway it did the job for us with a few good laughs along the way.
Whilst in LA we got around to visiting at last, the shop Autobooks-Aerobooks which as it says on the tin is just packed out with every auto, plane and train book imaginable. I'm a book worm and I did have to be restrained. Oh and I got my pair of Moon breathers for the old boat too and they are already fitted.
So how about some pics of your MM, here are a few of our trip . . .[frame][/frame]We parked up at a Lowes and got busy[frame][/frame]The decision was made to dump the Elky's bed cover so the body would be lower in the bed[frame][/frame]On PCH on the way back to the hotel a patrol car pulled up alongside, the two officers just shook their heads then drove off. Phew!

[indian301]

Graham,

I am glad you had a good time in LA. So which one out of the four motley crew are you? I love early Early El Caminos. I have had a few in the past. I will try to post some pictures of my MM this weekend.

Dave

[ignatzcatz]

Hi Dave,
As El Caminos go this one was a real P.O.S. but it did the job for us. It's on the high seas right now and with any luck the boat will meet up with the storm of the century and end in a watery grave and so we won't have to bother with it. Now with due regard to that style of motor car,I really really like '63/'64 Falcon rancheros. This is one sweet machine. I have a 460 Ford and C6 residing at Tony's farm (he's the one with the long hair) right now and I'm just sitting on this motor waiting for something to come along that would do it justice. These things used to be slugs but Edelbrock do aluminium heads for them now plus you can get nasty cams and a 540 cu in rebuild package is only 1300 bucks or so. Ooo, I could pull up oak trees with that.
Anyway re the pics, I'm the one in the pinstripe three piece suit with the bowler hat behind the camera giving instruction to my colleagues who, I must say, look quite like Mexican labourers, in fact whilst working in Lowes forecourt somebody came along and offered them a days work. Of course as one is a farmer and the other is a used car salesman that word 'work' wasn't listed in their vocabulary. Actually it's not listed in mine either I'm pleased to say.
I'm still struggling with my old boat. With it finally off the axle stands it became apparent that it was way too low. I think the MGB motor goes about close on 400lbs whereas the A series is just 250lbs so that is a lot of extra weight. I tried to do a quickie with the torsion bar arms but it was not enough so I just had to strip out the front suspension to put some stress onto the torsion bars. What I did do was to swap the bars from side to side, then severely angle the lower arms so I had to forcefully jack them up to relocate them. The old boat is still up on axle stands so I don't know if this has worked yet. It's up in the air still because when I drove it out of my garage it didn't have much clutch. I suspected the master cylinder as I had used the old MGB unit, albeit with a rebuild kit, but this old piece was 37 year old now plus the B had stood unused for at least 6 months before I got my sweaty palms on it. So I bought a new item and stuck it on. As it happened it was an absolute cowson to bleed. I first used my Craftsman vac pump with minimal joy then I hooked it up to 20 psi and then got some pedal but it isn't really great. I might have to re-bop the linkage.
I still have the doors to go on. I fitted out the hinges with new hinge pins but there was still some movement in the hinges which of course is magnified once the doors are in situ. So I had to order a set of oversized hinge pins, 21/64ths to be precise and drilled out the hinges, pressed in the pins and the result was zero movement, so it's doors on tomorrow and that should be about it.
Then it will be put through a government roadworthy test, called the M.O.T. then put the bloody thing on Ebay and good riddance. There are a few classic car meets coming up so I'll put a walmart for sale card in the window and hopefully it will be gone by the time the Goodwood Festival of Speed comes along. Now if there is ever a reason for coming to the UK the Gdwd F.O.S. must be it. Google it, it is one great show.
Hey, where's them pics?

[ignatzcatz]

Did I mention Falcons?[frame][/frame]110%[frame][/frame]mild custom - very nice[frame][/frame]So sweet on those Cragars[frame][/frame]Slight camera shake here!

[ignatzcatz]

The restoration tale nears it's end. It has taken a year longer than I had envisaged but I would say that I have made some rather drastic alterations to the old boat along the way. The major one being swapping in a different engine and box after the problems with the old A series rather got to me. Anyway all is fine now, the car goes very well indeed in fact it is a little too low geared so one of the first updates I shall undertake will be to swap the MGB rear axle for the existing Marina unit as soon as I get the diff rebuilt. There was an advisory on the paperwork I received with the old MGB I scrapped for the engine and box which mentioned a whine from the rear axle so this will be fully investigated before I start to wield spanners again. I shall run the old dog for a while but I will put it up for sale this Summer as I have to re-start the restoration of my Porsche 356 which has been resting on the other side of the garage for rather too long. Although I shouldn't grumble because just sitting there it's value has increased by 5K or so, and that is nice to know.
Well thanks for the interest on my little project and here are some 'on the road' pics. . . cheers all . . .[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]