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Re: Trying to change a Piston with Engine and Crank in Place (TD)

To: BobMGT@aol.com
Subject: Re: Trying to change a Piston with Engine and Crank in Place (TD)
From: Bud Krueger <bkrueger@ici.net>
Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1999 15:56:03 -0800
Bob,

   Am I to understand that you've done this so far without removing the head?  I
sure do think that your life would be easier if the took it off.  Since you got
it out that way, it says that the piston w/rod can be installed around the
crankshaft.  I think that I recall a slight chamfer at the bottom of the bore
when I was inserting my pistons.  I had a very short ring compressor that I was
able to use from the bottom end.  It would be worth your while to make certain
that the pistons are aimed the right way, i.e., front toward the front, as
someone else already suggested.  I think you are correct in that the orientation
is necessary for proper oiling.  Good luck.

Bud Krueger
52TD
77MGB

BobMGT@aol.com wrote:

> As several list members advised, I was able to remove the piston and rod from
> the bottom past the crank. I found this had to be done on the camshaft side
> of the engine and it's a bit tricky. The crank rotation, piston and rod all
> had to be manipulated in order to "sneak" the assembly out. Once out I could
> not get a socket to go over the wrist pin clamp bolt because it's so close to
> the rod. Horst Schach in The Complete MG TD Restoration Manual suggest using
> an open end wrench, but my wrench couldn't get a good enough grip on the bolt
> and it started to round off the head. So next I tried grinding down the
> outside diameter of my 1/4 W socket as far as possible, but it still wouldn't
> fit. I then used the flat side of my Dremel cutting wheel to grind down the
> ridge on the rod adjacent to the bolt head. This provided just enough
> clearance for my modified socket to fit over the bolt head. This did the
> trick and I don't believe I removed enough metal to cause any balance
> problems (I hope).
>
> Now does the new piston go in from the top or the bottom? I can envision the
> piston going in from the top and pushed down just far enough to allow the rod
> and wrist pin to be attached from the bottom. Now that I can get my socket on
> the pinch bolt, I could tighten it with an extension. Or should the rod and
> piston be assembled and then installed from the bottom the same way they came
> out? If done from the bottom, can you get a ring compressor in there past the
> crank? If not, can one compress the rings with ones hands?
>
> By the way, the shop manual seems adamant about the rods being assembled with
> the pinch bolts on the right hand side of the engine. Naturally the DPO had
> them in the other way. Should I turn all the connecting rods around the right
> way or leave them alone?
>
> Thanks for all the advise. You should see how badly the old piston is beat
> up. No matter how I get the new piston in, it's got to be a big improvement.
>
> Bob Donahue (Still stuck in the '50s)
> EMAIL - BOBMGT@AOL.COM
> 52 MGTD - under DIY restoration NEMGTR #11470
> 71 MGB   - AMGBA #96-12029, NAMGBR #7-3336


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