Concerning the ignition light staying on. I had a problem like this on
both my B and my Spitfire. As someone else stated, the problem was a bad
solder joint on the rectifier / diode pack. Why can't the English solder?
I can't explain what happens without drawing it out but you get one phase
cancelling the output of another phase and it confuses the ignition light.
The alternator is still putting out about 1/3 output so the battery
shouldn't go dead too fast. Pull the plastic back off the alternator and
resolder the connections that you can see. I would recommend heat sinking
the rectifiers since I have heard that the diodes are heat sensitive.
Concerning anti-sieze vs Loctite, I dislike dealing with stuck fasteners as
much as the next person. However, I still believe that Loctite is the
answer for fasteners. On my MGB, the alternator fell off on the DPO and
caused the car to overheat, destroying the engine. The driveshaft flange
and various suspension bits came loose while I owned it. On my last three
toys (Corvette, Harley Sportster, BSA Victor 500 single) most of my wrench
time was spent finding and tightening loose screws. I have alredy found
and tightened a few loose bits on the MGA. I hate rattles so maybe I am
more sensitive to this than most.
If you are worried about the bolts sticking, Loctite does seal the thread
area and, as such, will reduce corrosion welding of the mating components.
I do use anti-sieze on exhaust components. The high temparatures cause the
bolts to rust rapidly. I also use brass nuts on the exhaust wherever
possible since they won't sieze to the stud.
The use of anti-sieze on wire wheels makes a lot of sense to me. If I
still had wires, I would use it.
I have used a lot of stainless steel hardware over the years. There is a
grade called 18-8 stainless that I believe is around 150,000 psi tensile
strength. This compares favorably with grade 5 hardware (120,000) but is
below the 180,000 psi tensile for grade 8. In the seventies, we used a lot
of "Unbrako" socket head cap screws that were black phosphate coated and
boasted a tensile strength in excess of 190,000 psi. You couldn't cut a
1/4 inch bolt with bolt cutters. Another advantage of the tougher bolts is
that they do not rust as easily as lower quality hardware.
If you are looking for a good supplier of little stuff like fasteners,
tools, etc. I would recommend one of the following:
Small Parts, Inc. (800)-220-4242 A neat little company that sells
fasteners, materials, and tools. Plus the owner is into old boats and toy
steam engines and sells some cool stuff for these.
McMaster Carr. (708)833-0300 The 800 pond gorilla of hardware and tool
sales. Every type of bolt, screw, spring, pulley, tool, hinge, cable, etc.
that you could possibly want. No Whitworth, though.
Also, most larger cities have fastener houses where you can buy in bulk.
You can buy 100 screws from one of these for what you would pay for 10 at a
hardware store.
Regards
Bill Eastman
61 MGA
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