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MG MGA - progress on frame and engine

Just wanted to tell someone what's been going on...finally getting some garage time to spend on the never-ending MGA project. With a wife and two young daughters, you guys are the only ones that I have to listen and appreciate the things I accomplished this weekend.

I repaired the holey frame members and installed the new Moss frame rails (which were fine with a little trimming and adjusting). To repair the rotten rear side of the crossmember on the passengers side, I made a template and cut out a piece that I folded over the edges of and sistered in place, welding along the top and bottom. I then used the rusty old floorboard rails as donors for the missing captive nuts elsewhere - I just cut them into approx 1.25" X 1.25" squares with the captive nut in the middle and then welded the square over the hole where the old missing captive nut would have been - voila! Neat trick.

With a little luck, I will have it back on axles and tires soon, transmission installed, transmission tunnel and new floor boards installed. I need to make it a roller before the snow flies so my wife can have her parking place back in the garage (which she has been complaining about since I built it, so "back" is not really correct in the previous sentence).

Larry M. from Maine came down and borrowed my engine hoist - we're at slightly different stages of the same project - same cars - he is a bit ahead of me and I'm trying to catch up this fall. While he was here, we mounted my engine on the engine stand that has been sitting there for two years waiting for me to get around to using the hoist for that purpose. With the lift gone, my garage looks bigger! The good news is that the engine turns over fine, and under all the dust and grime, it's really in great shape. The clutch is new. I got excited about that and went out and purchased an alternator, and spent Friday night modifying it a big (carving up the casting with drill bit and file) to make it fit the engine so the pulleys lined up, and it looks great. I am kinda getting ahead of myself there - but as soon as I buy some tires, the engine is going back in. Anyone need an original, rebuilt generator?

Tonight I am going to order the seat belt mounting points so I can modify the rear transmission tunnel before installing it. I also need to order a box of 100 1/4-28 screws for the floorboards. I already ordered the rubber rebuild kit for the kingposts on the front suspension - the Moss ones had degraded while sitting in the garage, so I ordered them from Scarborough Faire - who said they do not get them from Moss. I will report on that purchase soon. I am also worried that the Moss engine mounting rubber blocks that I have don't really line up - suggestions?

Thanks for listening! It's so rare anymore that I am allowed to spend a whole weekend day in the garage so I am a little excited about my newfound progress!

JIM in NH
'55 MGA




AJ Mail

Jim
Congratulations on your progress.
I don't have any kids, but the wife keeps me pretty busy, and I am hoping to get started again on one of my cars this winter. Keep at it.
Mike
Mike Parker

I just ordered the seat belt mounts from Todd Clarke Spares. Also the floor board screws. Will use JC Whitney for the seat belts per the archives.

JIM in NH
AJ Mail

Jim, Love to here all the excitement. How about some photos of your progress.

I just got my frame on wheels and tucked away for the winter. I am still working on beating out dents in the fenders (lotsa fun) so my garage is still mine for a few more weeks.

You may want to consider using the polyurethane bushings instead of rubber. I've sure not heard to many good thing about the rubber ones. Anything from not fitting to needing to be replaced after 6 months. Any way just a thought.

Cheers
Bruce


B Suelzle

I bought the Prothane bushings for the rear suspension and the front A arms already - I am sold. Very cool stuff.

The rubber I am referring to here is the set of seals for the front suspension - referred to here as part number 18 (set of four):

http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=29224

I did not buy the prothane pads for silencing the rear leaf springs...thinking I might do that while I am at it.

JIM
AJ Mail

Jim,
More or less I am in the same stage of the process that you are, I alredy removed floorboards, rear suspension, front suspension, engine.
Regarding the part # 18 (Moss) is listed for the trunnions to be used horizontal and vertical, SF lists two different part numbers.
I got the front suspension rebuilt kit from Moss, hope the seals dont be degraded as yours.
Can you describe what is the problem with the mounting blocks misalignment, bīcause the base of the blocks are very solid, It is possible a bent frame or mounting plate?
R Garcia

Yes, I was initially worried that this meant a bent frame, but the frame is OK by the diagonals. The mounting plates are a bit bent upon close inspection, and I am assuming that they should have nice 90 degree bends in them whereas mine are something like 10 to 15 degrees off of square. The rubber in the blocks seems solid, however. It will be interesting when I go to install the engine to see what happens. Fortunately, I do have an engine hoist with a leveler.

I got a call from Todd Clarke this morning - he got my email and is sending the parts out today - great guy, highly recommend doing business with him.

Question - (dumb question) - I can't remember if the transmission tunnel goes over or under the wooden floor board - I thought under, but now can't really remember. Anyone?

I'll send some pics tonight after I find my camera.

JIM
AJ Mail

Jim, the floorboards go over the tunnel flanges.
Art Pearse

Jim, you have lots of company! I'm also installing new floorboards right now, and finishing up a few details on my engine rebuild. The garage is taken up by the (almost complete) chassis, a coupe body on a wooden dolly, the engine on an engine stand, my engine hoist, 2 transmissions, a spare engine, etc. My wife told me last week as I was forming and installing new brake lines that she wasn't going to ride in the car with me, and she repeated that when she saw the floorboards. How's that for support?! So now it's time to re-organize the garage for winter, like you're doing. My wife doesn't like to scrape ice off her windshield in the morning, and today was the first time for that already!

Cheers, and keep up the good work, you're not alone!
George
G Goeppner

Wow, I figure I've got another three or four weeks at the outside. Halloween in NH is a crapshoot - equal chances of being snowy, hot, rainy or freezing cold.

I got the front suspension dust boots/seals from Scarborough Faire today - MUCH better looking than the Moss parts! Should work great. I am not feeling well today - flu? - but should have enough energy tonight to put them on.

My local tire guy - Bob's Tire in Nashua (yes, there really is a Bob) is about 70, and he agreed to mount and balance the tires for me on the Dayton wire wheels - everyone else said no. Hooray! I'll drop them off tomorrow and have wheels by the weekend!

JIM in NH
AJ Mail

This thread was discussed on 05/10/2009

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