Hello everyone!
Sorry it's been so long since my last message - but I have been slaving
away on my '73 MGB, and finally got it registered and on the road over
this long weekend. I guess I like it - I've already put 500+ miles on
it! Still some work to go though....
To recap the previous work ->
Rebuilt the distributor, set up timing, clean out hot melt glue
Drive everyone crazy with timing versus carb problems (running on #1 only)
Rebuilt the carbs (SU HS4s), removed the bits of gasket clogging it up
Drive everyone crazy with running on #3 only
Replaced the intake manifold with the correct one for the exhaust thickness
Set up the carb mixture properly, sacrifice several rodents, runs on 4!
Massive wiring cleanup - remove PO's duct tape & twist method...
Replace icky bumpers & grille with cool chrome ones
Rebuild the seats out of four partially good ones
Replace the rear U-joint (no bearings left, ~1/4" of slop!)
Fix the turn signals etc. - all lights operational
Rebuild the rear brakes, completely bleed brake system
Repair the emergency brake
Repair the exhaust system, seal holes between engine and passengers
Many many other little things that took a lot of time and kept me up
until 4am for several nights last week....
Damn it - I finally did get the beast on the road before the end of May!!
Was it worth it? Hell yes. Would I do it again? Duhhhh......hell maybe?
Soooooo, now that I am driving it, it has brought forth a whole new set of
problems - no wait, I meant "opportunities for improvement" ;-)
1) Engine runs, idles fine at ~1000, goes up hills nicely, but it doesn't
seem to have good "response" like you would need to pass someone properly.
Spark plugs are running a light brown, timing is set for 15 degrees BTDC
at 1500 rpm. I have 10W30 in the dampers currently on my HS4 carbs. The
engine seems fairly happy, just not very peppy. Is this the best I can
expect?
2) I get all kinds of nasty clunking from the front end when I go over bumps
or when I exceed 53mph. I know I have a couple of problems to deal with
in the front end, but how - and which will give me the best improvement?
My front shocks are dead, fried, toast, shot, etc. They leak fluid out the
seals and even have some side to side shimmy where they connect to the
top of the kingpin. They do not provide any damping action other than to
dampen the bottom of the car with shock oil. I guess I need to replace them
eh? What is the most cost effective (read cheap) way to do this? Rebuilt
shocks from Moss are ~125 each?!?! What is the best alternative without
excessively lightening my wallet?
My kingpins are not in great shape either - I don't have any experience with
them, so I don't know how bad is very bad. If I jack up the front end I can
move the wheel back and forth a little bit and observe some movement between
the kingpins and the sleeves they go through. So ok, they probably need
replacing too. Should I try the shocks first and see how things go or
do it all at once? Moss has a rebuilt swivel assembly pair for ~300 - does
anyone have any experience with this? Are they better (read cheaper)
alternatives?
3) I have some misc parts left over from all of my thrashing about with
fixing this car - is this the appropriate forum to offer them for sale
or trade for parts I do need? If not, where should I try?
Thanks,
Jon Swanson
swanson@zonker.ecs.umass.edu
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