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Re: Seeking pointers for painting/reinstalling MGB engine

To: Jeff Haferman <haferman@icaen.uiowa.edu>, british-cars@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Seeking pointers for painting/reinstalling MGB engine
From: "Roger Garnett" <@cornell.edu>
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 1994 12:20:00 EST
> July 4 1993, on my way to Chicago in my 1974 MGB, I threw a rod.
> Turns out that I also cracked my crankshaft...
> local machine shop ... welded
> the crankshaft back together, and then machined it. 

Wha-hoo! I don't think I've ever heard of someone trying to repair and use a
cracked or broken crank! The crank is a highly stressed, critical item. One
might consider this on a rare, vintage machine, which gets low use & loads,
and would be quite expensive to find or make a replacement crank for. For an
MGB, new and used cranks are quite readily available. It's not worth the
potential damage (shredding the whole engine), should the crank come apart.

If anyone has experience otherwise, I'd like to hear about it! About the only 
damage repairs I'm aware of for cranks (outside of regrinding, undersize) is 
surface welding on scored bearing journals to build them back up, and then 
re-grinding.


> 2) I would like to paint the engine and transmission - I'm planning on 
>    painting the engine block and transmission red, and the valve cover,
>    water pump, and pulleys black.  Should I also paint the manifold
>    and oil pan, or just leave them alone?

If you want to be original-
-MGB engines were maroon until 68 or so, after that they're all black.
-the head, block, oil pan, and valve cover are all the same colour.
-the tranny's were never painted, but did get some overspray, as they were 
 bolted to the engine during painting.
-mainifolds were unpainted.
-Early fans were yellow (International Harvester Cub Cadet yellow is 
 perfect), later fans are plastic.

If you just want to do whatever-
-paint it however you want.
-If you want to paint your *exhaust* manifold, sand blast first, and use a 
high-temp manifold coating.

> 5) What parts do I need to order now so that I have everything on
>    hand when I'm putting everything back together? 

Whatever was bad, missing, or damaged when you took it apart. :-) THis is why 
it's good to take you time in dissassembly, and make a list of needed or 
questionable parts.

Plus- all clutch parts (Disk, pressure plate, throw-out bearing, check the 
pilot bushing). Rebuild the clutch hydraulics, and check the hose condition. 
Rubber tranny/engine mounts. Hardware. Exhaust gaskets. Complete tuneup 
stuff.

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