my god man!
James Nazarian
71 B Roadster
71 BGT
63 Buick 215
"Aerodynamics are for people who cannot build engines"
Enzo Ferrari
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> From: Barney Gaylord <barneymg@ntsource.com>
> To: mgs@autox.team.net
> Subject: brit car week with Attitude
> Date: Sunday, May 28, 2000 8:46 PM
>
> Life is interresting because it's always a challenge, this weekend being
no
> exception.
>
> Traveling from Naperville to Champaign, Illinois, and return. Went south
> on Friday. 85 miles down, the MGA dropped #2 exhaust valve. Bummer, but
> it's about the fourth time over the years, so getting to be old hat. Had
> somewhere to be, as Elliot (10 year old son) was rallymaster for the
CCSCC
> Friday night rally, so we took a chance on the funny noises and decided
to
> drive on a little. After a couple moderate paced miles the funny noises
> stopped, but it was then burpung oil out the exhaust at a significant
pace.
> Big deal, damage is done, drive on. Thought we might have holed a
piston
> and the valve head dropped into the sump, which would be good news,
because
> we could continue driving on three cylinders without further damage.
>
> 30 miles later we stopped in Rantoul to pick up a case of oil, then
> proceeded to run some of the rally route in odd directions to check on
road
> signs (mostly still there), and puttered on into Champaign just in time
for
> the 7 PM registration, having used about 3 quarts of oil in 50 miles.
> Borrowed a friends mini van to stake out the checkpoints for the rally,
and
> the rally went well (mostly), finished about 11 pm after trophies.
>
> Just a little extra cranking to get the MG started again, putzing around
> town fogging mosquitoes, went from west end of Champaign to east end of
> Urbana, checked into Motel 6, then fogged our way on over to Jumers by
> midnight to see who was still hanging out in the car park for the Brit
car
> fest. About 1 am back to Motel 6 to catch some z's.
>
> 9 am Saturday, remove #2 spark plug (smashed on the bottom), remove
broken
> tip end of valve with spring cap and keepers. Also picked up bronze
valve
> guide from top of head, having been ejected by impact on bottom with bent
> valve head. Springs were lying sideways with the valve stem caught
between
> the coils, which was why the noise stopped, how fortunate. Howeveer,
this
> left a gaping hole through to the #2 exhaust port where the guide used to
> be, so oil on the head could run directly into the exhaust port. This
time
> I figure it had used nearly 2 quarts of oil 20 miles. OOPS. Also remove
> both pushrods for #2 (both bent), closing intake valve to prevent
feedback
> into intake manifold. Left out #2 spark plug to relieve back pumping on
> exhaust port.
>
> Sent Elliot to vending machine to come back with a pack of chewing gum
> (yup, no BS). Munch, munch, munch, and stuff a wad of chewing gum into
the
> guide hole around the valve stem to stop off the oil exit port, install
the
> cup type valve seal upside down against the top of the head, stuff more
> chewing gum into the cup of the valve seal, and install heavy gauge
hairpin
> clip on the stem to hold the valve up. Reinstall valve cover, clean
> remaining 3 spark plugs, fire it up and drive back to Jumers, only
fogging
> the town a little by daylight, getting interresting looks from the Brit
> crowd in making the grand entrance on 3 cylinders. No one believes I
> pasted it together wirh hair pin and chewing gum.
>
> Split the travel party, find empty seats in a MGB and a Midget for the
> Saturday cruise and picnic. Back to Jumers later with Elliot wanting
> McDonalds, tried to start the MGA about 6 pm, but no fire, what? Fiddle,
> fiddle, fiddle, walk 3 blocks to parts store for a new spark plugs
(cheap,
> bought 8), installed new plugs (3), but still no fire (grrrrr).
> Compression checks 135-140 on remaining 3, spark on all plugs, fuel in
the
> carbs, cam and spark timing still correct, even sprayed a little starting
> fluid in the throats, but still no fire. Intermittent heavy rain, so
> finally gave up about dark, time for socializing, then took a cab to
Motel
> 6 about midnight.
>
> Sunday 9am cab ride back to Jumers, check and clean the (new) plugs, pull
> full choke, give it a crank, one good pop and then still no go, cranking
> battery going south by this time, look for a jump to recharge. One hour
at
> car show, 20 minutes for pizza, back to the MGA, another short crank,
still
> no start, friend going for jumpers, time to check out the MGB in the next
> slot that won't start. Sure, I can fix someone else's car, it's just
mine
> that was bewitched.
>
> Guy with MGB had spent 2 hours fiddling with it and had it towed the
night
> before. Crank, pop, putz, sputter and almost running at idle with
backfire
> when you touch the loud pedal, having some symptoms of fuel starvation,
so
> advice from "friends" guessing slow fuel feed. Pull line from (Weber)
> carb, get a gusher. Pull top from carb, still get a gusher from the
float
> valve, and normal fuel level in the carb. Remove main jet to check for
> clog, but clean as a whistle, but it all back together. Crank engine and
> trickle fuel down the throats, but still same symptoms, so gotta be
> ignition. Guy shows up without jumpers, quick trip to parts store to buy
> jumpers, back the MGA for a while, cranks over nice with fuel, spark and
> pressure, but narry a pop. Guy with car with nice alternator has to
leave
> for a while, so back to the MGB.
>
> MGB has pressure, spark and pressure, so check the dizzy, find timing
> retarded about 30 dergees (yuk). Pull dizzy, rotate mounting plate 180
to
> get clamp bolt on top where it belongs, reinstall clamp plate and dizzy,
> crank timing up to the appropriate ballpark, give it a whiz, and it
starts
> right up. Two seconds later loud clinking noises and the dizzy is back
to
> 30 degrees retarded again, sputter and die. Pull dizzy, give it a spin,
> something deep inside hitting the housing. Remove breaker plate and top
> rotor shaft with cam and advance springs. Put bob weights back where
then
> belong, reassemble and reinstall dizzy, MGB starts and runs fine. That
> wasn't so tough, but MGA is still bewitched.
>
> Borrow dizzy from MGB momentarily, swap it into MGA give it another try,
> but still no fire. Nothing wrong with my Mallory unit, so put everything
> back and get the B running again. Getting really PO'd by this time, but
> another friend goes to get truck with a tow rope. Hitch the MGA behind
the
> truck and tow slowly around the car park in 2nd gear while fiddling then
> ignition, throttle and choke, finally get it to fire up, belching out
> clouds enough to smother everyone in the car park. After half a minute
the
> smoke stops, MGA runs pretty well on 3 lungs, send for Elliot so we can
hit
> the road. Five minutes for Elliot to show, and by that time the car is
> smoking heavily again, so I figure it has melted the chewing gum on the
hot
> cylinder head. Duh.
>
> Guy with tow rope comes to the rescue again with a small package of epoxy
> plumbers putty (one more thing to put in the tool box). Pull valve
cover,
> spray head with carb cleaner to get it clean and dry, repeat Saturday
> morning procedure of caulking the valve stem and guide hole and
installing
> rubber seal and hair pin, give it 10 minutes for the epoxy to set up on
the
> warm head, reinstall the valve cover, top off the oil, fire it up and
drive
> off in a small cloud of smoke. Trip home not too much problem, only used
4
> quarts of oil in 130 miles and had to change #1 spark plug twice when it
> got fouled up. 25 miles up I-55 just before home was run at 70 mph on
> three lungs whole traveling with newly found MGC and TR6. As usual, MGA
> with Attitude is back home under its own power and patiently waiting for
> repairs. Just another typical weekend, huh? More picutes soon for the
> Grapes of Wrath Repairs section of my web site. For the final day of
brit
> car week I guess we'll be spending some quality time together in the
garage
> on Monday.
>
> Barney Gaylord
> 1958 MGA with an attitude
> http://www.ntsource.com/~barnrymg
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