How old are my rubbers?

[GavinL]

Having stripped my front suspension I noted that the bushes on the torsion bar fulcrum pin had MOWOG moulded in them. Assuming they haven't been fitted as ' new old stock' I wondered how old they could be - I assume none of those supplied currently would be branded MOWOG?

[les]

They won't be as old as the car, that's for sure!

[ManyMinors]

All the original rubbers had the MOWOG lettering of course and so did replacements sold by BMC/ British Leyland dealers. These are still available here & there and often spotted on ebay and at autojumbles etc. It is possible that yours are original to the car if it has covered a very low mileage but they could have been replaced at any time. I don't think they have actually been MADE with the MOWOG lettering for many years but the quality of rubber is very good and they seem to last a LONG time without deteriorating. I still have a few new ones put away for when I need them.

[philthehill]

The MOWOG lower suspension inner pin rubber (sic) bushes (Pt No: ACA5242) were not of an adequate strength/composition to cope with the forces generated by the torsion bar even when made originally by BMC or their suppliers and were a regular item to be changed when Minors came in for servicing. A little extra life could be gained by smearing the bush and pin in red rubber grease upon replacement.
The same bush was used in the rear spring shackles where they had a slightly longer life.
I personally would not entertain using them now especially as poly bushes are widely available. You do not have to fit bright red/yellow ones as they do come in a variety of colours so they can be fitted and no one would be any the wiser.
Before the advent of poly bushes all you could get were the MOWOG rubber bushes - why settle for 2nd best if and when fitting the MOWOG bushes.
If fitting poly bushes smear the bush and pin in red or white grease for an easier ride.

As an aside - the word MOWOG stands for MO(RRIS) - WO(LSELEY) & (M)G though the M of MG was dropped.

[GavinL]

I feel a hare starting here - having looked on tinternet there appears to be a number of competing views as to what MOWOG actually stands for, however the definition I like most is:

Mowog was an 800lb gorilla employed by BL to tighten up the flywheel bolts using a large wrench and a length of scaffold pole.

So I was wondering when MOWOG ceased to be used on rubber bits - 1986?

[palacebear]

Presumably the gorilla spent his leisure time clinging to the tower of Nuffield College, Oxford, swatting at military aircraft on their way in and out of RAF Brize Norton, and grabbing the occasional blonde under-graduate...?

[firedrake1942]

I understood it was for Morris (Oxford) Works Group ???

[philthehill]

The MOWOG question has been around since:-

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=163
(perhaps someone can enlighten me why the dates/times in the above link posts are all the same )

MOWOG appears on some MG TA parts circa 1936/37.