Jim,
Two rust-busting penetrants with which I have had success come in
pressure cans, Free-All and PB Blaster. Both have worked better for me
than Liquid Wrench, and the pressure cans make application in these
difficult areas a bit easier.
When you get the engine&gearbox assy out in the light, also check the
holes in the clutch forks where the clevis fits. The holes can wear oval,
adding to the slack of the one-piston-crankshaft clevis pin. TDs have
a lever&bar clutch operating assembly, unlike the hydraulic system of MGA
and MGB. The TD system has one clutch pedal pivot, pedal clevis, rod
clevis, crank hole, crank pivot, crank clevis, another rod, hole, clevis,
then clutch lever with its hole and clevis. Since all these bits are
exposed to oil and road dirt, the accumulated wear can be impressive and
make for a lot of slack.
I wonder if today's rear engine mounts are more oil-resistant than the
OEM units. Those I changed in my '72 GT were soft enough to compress with
my fingers, more like dried rubber cement than the new engine mounts.
Bob
On Mon, 5 Apr 2004 21:57:39 -0700 (PDT) James Harwood
<james.harwood@sbcglobal.net> writes:
> Thanks Bob, and Larry, for the useful tip. I scribed a
> line across all three pieces, then decided to have
> another go at those damned flange nuts. Took out my
> trusty bottle of Liquid Wrench - only to find that it
> couldn't be inverted enough in the confined space.
> After turning over the whole house, finally found a
> small paint brush to apply the magic potion.
>
> After a lot of pushing and shoving with the ring end
> of the wrench (I was trying to use the open end
> before), the propshaft is now disconnected - at both
> ends. Its virginity should now remain intact. The
> engine really will be out tomorrow morning.
>
> There were a couple of quite funny moments yesterday
> during the strip down. The clutch clevis pin had me
> foxed for a while until I realised what had happended.
> The pin resembles a single-cylinder crankshaft-it had
> become so stepped.
>
> The other one was the removable cross member
> supporting the gearbox (supposedly). Supported the
> gearbox, unbolted the cross member, lowered the
> gearbox, went for a cup of tea since I knew the next
> part would be a swine. Came back and wiggled the cross
> member, it just crashed to the ground!!
>
> It was chock full of dirt, rocks and gravel and the
> rubber gearbox mounts had completely disintegrated.
> Since I have a new cross member that came with the
> rebuilt tranny, I was thinking of growing a few nice
> flowers in the old one - just as a conversation piece.
>
> Hopefully tomorrow I can take a few photos of the
> bottom end with the oil pan removed and post them on
> my website.
>
> Thanks again,
> James
> One very sick 74 MGB.
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