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Parts required for braking system
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Brake pedals
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Removed from donor.
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Clean and paint, adjust pedal spacing, fit new pedal rubbers.
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Pedal Box
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Included with secondhand body kit.
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Rub down and paint, fit new bushes.
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Brake light switch
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Buy new
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May require fabrication of a mounting bracket. |
Master cylinder
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Bought new.
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Dual circuit system required for SVA. Cylinder has three outlets, one for rear brakes, one for N/S front brakes and
one for O/S front brakes.
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Brake pipe kit
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Bought new.
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Pipework and fittings to make up pipe runs. Flaring tool to prepare pies. clips to secure pipework.
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Flexible front brake hoses
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Included with Spax dampers.
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Need to check whether the threads are metric or imperial.
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Front disk calipers
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Removed from donor.
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Overhaul with repair kit, clean and paint.
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Front disks
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Included with second hand body kit (unused).
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Front disk pads
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Included with second hand body kit (unused).
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Rear axle flexible brake hose
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Buy new.
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Need to check length required and what type of couplings.
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3 way union
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Removed from Donor.
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Clean up and reuse with fixing bracket.
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Rear brake shoes
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Buy new.
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Rear drums
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Removed from donor.
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Clean, paint and reuse.
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Rear wheel cyclinders
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Buy new.
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Downrated wheel cylinders are used to prevent the rear brakes locking before the front brakes.
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Handbrake linkages
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Removed from donor.
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Clean and reuse.
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Handbrake Cable
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Buy new.
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Handbrake warning light switch
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Buy new.
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May need to make a bracket for fixing it.
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Detail for brake system build up
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The braking system is mainly the same as the original MGB system, but with the following changes. The master cylinder has to be a
dual circuit system for SVA compliance. The rear wheel cylinders are downgraded to prevent the rear wheels locking before the
front, and the brake light switch is mechanical rather than hydraulic.
The system will be built in two stages.
Stage 1 - The wheel cylinders are fitted and the pipework is run around the chassis. Where the pipes pass through the chassis or
are tied to the rear axle, a sheath made from a short length of fuel hose is used to prevent abrasion. Also at this stage the
handbrake cable is run around the chassis and fixed in position.
Stage 2 - This can't be done until the body tub is fitted. The pedals, pedal box and master cylinder are fitted, as is the handbrake
lever and the switches for the handrake warning, low fluid warning and the rear brake lights.
The system is connected up and filled with hydraulic fluid. Bleeding is performed to expel all the air from the system.
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Handrake lever
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I had a choice of two handbrake levers, one from the donor car and one which came with the secondhand body kit.
I chose the one which was in the best condition, although they were both gummed up with years of grease and inactivity and
were therefore both seized up solid,
I started by cleaning off the worst of the grease with a bath of white spirit. With the
grease removed and copious amounts of WD40 I was able to free up the ratchet mechanism and get most of it working. I removed the
button from the end which unscrews but was very stiff, and managed to break the whole thing down to its costituent components. The
problem that I experienced when I reassembled it was that the button would not press into the handbrake handle. On closer
inspection I found that this was because the handle tube was slightly crushed and was very slightly oval. I tried rounding it with a
tapered drift, but to no avail. In the end I shaved down the diameter of the button slightly on a lathe. That fixed it !!
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The clutch and brake pedals fit onto a long bolt which passes through the pedal box. The pedals are bushed and as on every build
I've studied, the bushes were worn. I took the assembly round to Dad's and he 'knocked up' some new steel bushes for me on his lathe.
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Parts required for fuel system
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Fuel Tank
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Included with second hand body kit (unused).
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Clean and paint, fit into chassis. fit rubber on top to give good fit to body shell.
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Tank Straps
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Included with secondhand body kit.
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Rub down and paint, line with rubber. Can't be fitted until body is on.
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Fuel sender unit
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Buy new
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Use early version as the tank has a separate fuel outlet pipe, and the later models have the
fuel outlet incorporated into the sender unit. |
Fuel pump
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Removed from donor.
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overhaul and clean. |
Flexible fuel hose
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Bought new.
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Fits between tank and pump, pump and fuel line, and between fuel line and carburetters. Will also need clips.
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Fuel line kit
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Buy new.
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Pipework and fittings to make up pipe run. Flaring tool already purchased for brake lines. Clips to secure pipework.
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Fuel filter
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Buy new.
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Insert into felxible fuel pipe between front end of fuel line and carburetters.
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Heat shield
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Removed from donor.
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Needs to be modified. the spacers will be reduced because of limited space under the bonnet, so the heat shield has to be
modified to allow the linkages for the throttle and choke to move correctly.
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Carburetter spacers
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bought with carburetters (secondhand).
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Due to restricted space under the bonnet, the spacer have to be reduced in thickness. Also shorter studs are required to fix the carbs.
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Carburetters
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Bought secondhand.
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Clean and overhaul fit new needles if possible. Replace bodies with stainless steel.
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Air filters
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Buy new.
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Stainless steel pancake filters will be fitted.
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Detail for fuel system build up
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The Fuel system consists of a tank, electric pump, filter and carbureters. Due to space restrictions a number of modifications are
required to the components. Also the fuel system needs to be installed in two stages:
Stage 1 - The pump is fitted and the fuel lines are installed from the pump at the rear of the car to the front.
Stage 2 - The remaining components can be fitted once the body tub is on.
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Fuel Pump
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I had a choice of two fuel pumps, one which came with the original donor car and one which was included with the secondhand body kit I bought.
First I tested both and found that neither worked at all. When I connected a 12v supply to the wires there was no sound at all from either pump.
I decided to look at the original donor pump first.
After having a bit of a clean up I cut the tape and slid the rubber sleeve around the body down out of the way. The plastic cap where
the feed connection is located can be removed by carefully undoing the nut that holds the terminal on. While removing this I noticed an
ominous noise as if something was loose inside the casing. With the cap removed I found what was making the noise and why
it didn't work, which were one and the same problem. The electrical connection operates a solenoid which in turn pulls a diaphram sucking in
a measure of fuel. When the solenoid operates, it also disconnects the feed by breaking a pair of contacts and as the diaphram returns to its original
position, it forces fuel out of the outlet. The noise was lots of bits of loose rust that were floating around inside the contact area, in fact it was
what was left of the contacts - they were non existent as they had rusted away. No contacts = no circuit = no pump !
I turned my attention to the second pump.
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When I removed the cap from the second pump I found that the contacts were there, but on closer inspection I found that they were badly pitted.
I removed the contacts and gave them a good clean with some emery paper. I refitted the contacts, and before refitting the cover I
connected the 12v supply. This time, a loud tapping noise was heard as the solenoid operated and released repeatedly. With the pump running I checked that
there was a sucking action on the inlet and a blowing action on the outlet, which there was.
I refitted the cap and terminal, then removed the fuel connector pipes from the other end of the pump. I had a good clean up there as well.
Finally I re-taped the cover to keep the dirt and water out, and the pump is ready to install.
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Carburettors
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The MGB has twin HS4 carburretors, In my quest for donor parts I have acquired two pairs so I picked one set to refurbish.
I bought an ovehaul kit from MGB hive and set about refurbishing them.
While stripping down the second carb, I foolishly held the float chamber in my left hand while trying to undo the three body screws,
despite a voice in my head telling me not to. The screwdriver slipped and I gouged my finger resulting in a trip to casualty and
four stitches.
BE CAREFUL!
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The carb overhaul kit includes a number of gaskets, a pair of jets and a pair of float chamber valves. The picture here shows why it makes good
sense to do one unit at a time. There are a lot of pieces, so its good to have a completed unit as a reference, just remember that the
left and right carbs are mirror images of each other.
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Parts required for engine electrical system
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Starter motor
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Removed from donor.
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Clean, paint and fit.
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Alternator
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Removed from donor.
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clean and fit, also fit a new fan belt.
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Coil
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Included with second hand body kit.
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Clean and fit. |
Distributor
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Included with second hand body kit.
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Clean and overhaul with new points and condenser before fitting.
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HT leads
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Buy new.
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Spark Plugs
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Buy new.
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Set and fit.
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Detail for engine electrical system build up
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There are a number of specific electrical circuits required for the engine. These are starting, charging and ignition.
All parts will be cleaned and painted before being reused.
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Distributer
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The original donor car had no distributor, but luckily one was included with the bdy kit I bought. First job was to look at what I'd
got and see if it was serviceable. It was very grimy and the vernier adjustment on it was seized, although the shaft turned easily.
I removed the points and condenser which brought up the first problem, some of the internal wiring was broken and some looked as if
it was about to break. In addition the casing was damaged at the bottom where the adjuster clamp fits which was also missing.
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You'd think that I would just get a new one, but as this is an easily replaceable component further down the line and I like a challenge, I set about 'fixing it up'.
First the unit was dis-assembled and cleaned up. The internal wiring was replaced and the vernier freed.
There's nothing I can do about the casing, but I think that the clamp will still hold it. I'll take a look for the clamp, and get a
new one if I can't find it. A new set of points and condenser were fitted.
After rebuilding the distributor, I grubbed about in my old bits box and found the lower half of another old 25D distributor, it had
a good vernier knob, a good casing and a clamp, so I rebuilt the distributor again using the best parts.
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Starter
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The pre-engaged starter motor is fitted to the bell housing from the engine side. I had a choice of two starters, so I
tested them both, and chose the newest looking unit.
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Parts required for cooling system
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Radiator
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Bought new.
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Not the specified radiator, I bought an aluminium cored raditor for a Peugeot 305. This radiator is a little taller but the same width.
Brackets and fixings may need to be modified.
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Electric cooling fan
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Buy second hand.
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Clean up and create mounting bracket to suit.
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Thermostat for electric fan
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Buy new
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Hoses
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Buy new.
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Four are required - radiator top and bottom, heater flow and return.
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Engine thermostat
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Buy new.
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Heater unit
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Removed from donor vehicle.
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The standard heater unit is used, but has to be modified to sit lower through the bulkhead.
This is due to limited space under the bonnet.
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Detail for cooling system build up
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I'm planning to build the cooling system from non standard parts. This will require quite a lot of searching for
suitable components and the adaptation/design of most of the fixings.
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Parts required for steering
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Steering column
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Removed from donor.
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Overhaul and paint, fix into body using supplied brackets. Fit steering lock.
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Steering column extension
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Included with secondhand body kit.
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Will need to be cut to length
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Additional steering universal joint
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Included with seconf hand body kit.
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May require refurbishment. |
Support bearing
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Buy new.
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Will require careful positioning on the O/S brace.
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Steering wheel and boss
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Buy new or used.
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Detail for steering build up
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The steering system needs to be carefully planned to conform to SVA.
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Parts required for exhaust system
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Manifold and down pipe
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Included with secondhand body kit
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Clean and reuse.
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Center section with silencer
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Included with secondhand body kit.
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clean and reuse
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Tail sectionwith rear silencer
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Included with secondhand body kit.
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Clean and reuse. |
Couplings
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Buy new.
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May be required to mate the various parts.
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Fixing brackets and rubbers
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Buy new
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To suit
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Chrome tail pipe
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Buy new
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Neatens the appearance and helps with SVA
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Detail for exhaust system build up
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The exhaust system will be assessed and designed when needed.
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