MGB GT Restoration

[500e]

The Belgians I think did a body mod with headlights fared into the front wings & de seamed, can't remember if the rear was modded saw it Abingdon in 1964 it looked superb. It like a miniature Ferrari

 

[Nick67GT]

Fitting a new set of wheel bearings onto the new stub axle.
Important thing with mgbs is to get the shimms correct between the rear and front bearing.
Something that the previous owner of this car never bothered to do. In fact they didn't even put a rear oil seal collar on.
This job takes a bit of patience as you have to assemble them disassemble the hub several times to get to the 0.3mm backlash. Dial test indicator is a useful tool.
Looking forwards to the other side next

This getting near to my ‘next-on-the-list’ of jobs still to do.

Did you find that you needed a lot of shims before you got near to achieving the correct amount of free play?

I’ve got no feeling on the best approach for this job.....

Also, how difficult was it to insert the new inner (rear) bearing - that’s the one which is an interference fit in the housing if I remember correctly - any tips you can pass on?

 

[Nick67GT]

The Belgians I think did a body mod with headlights fared into the front wings & de seamed, can't remember if the rear was modded saw it Abingdon in 1964 it looked superb. It like a miniature Ferrari

Yep, a Belgian by the name of Jacques Coune produced a small number of this nice little number:

 

[Springerdinger]

I'll have you know sir the rear wing are NOT ugly , that's (spelling ... I can never spell it ) Piannia Ferina ...

Styling roof and rear wing when they hard topped the soft top ....

Aside from that , I agree the rear seam and also scuttle to wings is a rust trap and mine will be going ...

Nice going on the rest

Sorry for crossed wires. I love the design of the wing. However my wing is ugly from previous restorations where it has deep cuts and poor repairs. I'm a huge mg styling fan

 

[Springerdinger]

This getting near to my ‘next-on-the-list’ of jobs still to do.

Did you find that you needed a lot of shims before you got near to achieving the correct amount of free play?

I’ve got no feeling on the best approach for this job.....

Also, how difficult was it to insert the new inner (rear) bearing - that’s the one which is an interference fit in the housing if I remember correctly - any tips you can pass on?

It's important to change the bearing races as when I test fitted by leaving the original ones I just didn't have enough shims.
There are indents in the hub for you to knock the old races out.
Make sure when you knock or press the new ones in they seat properly. If they are not all the way down you will struggle with the shims.
Also make sure you have the rear oil seal collars. Some mechanics over the years left them off and it means you need a lot of shims and the wheel feels tight to spin and yet has too much play.
With the rear oil seal collar fitted and the bearing races new and seated properly you need fewer shims and it is pretty easy to set up.
I bought a pack of 12 mixed shims for each side and I have some left. From the first pack from the first side.
When I tried to use the old bearing races and no rear oil seal collar 20 shims was not enough.
Make sure the shims are pushed all the way back onto the spacer before you slide the front bearing on. The bearing can pinch the shims and then not seat properly. So then you add more shims by mistake.
The actual bearing fitting is not too bad. It's setting it up with shims that needs patience
Hope that makes sense. It was a learning curve for me.

 

[Springerdinger]

How do you plan on mounting the rear quarter light bottom trim .... or are you not ....

The actual rear light surround trim fits nicely at the moment.
Haven't decided about other bits yet. I may look at it after primer. I will be looking at ways to stop water sitting behind trim. This was one reason I glued the roof on so it is fully sealed up.

 

[500e]

Tthe 1963 roadster I had new was like a cullender the only bit that did not leak in the rain was the soft top, loved it though

 

[Springerdinger]

Did the wheel bearing on the other side today.
Here's a step by step.
First picture is an exploded view of the parts laid out in order
From right to left
Oil seal collar, oil seal, rear bearing, bearing race, spacer, shims, front bearing, tab washer, Castle nut

 

[Springerdinger]

Fitting the rear bearing
When you look down inside the hub you will see two concave recesses. These are for knocking out the old tapered races. There are also two recesses for removing the front races

 

[Springerdinger]

When fitting the new races clean out the hub first. Any grit or dirt will make it more difficult to keep it lined up as you drive it down.
The race is hard an a soft punch won't damage it. But watch the sides of the hub.
Tap it all the way down to its seat keep it even

 

[Springerdinger]

Next drop in the cone shaped spacer. Make sure its the correct way around.
Don't forget it.
Next you can test fit the bearing. Then add the grease around the rollers. Some say pack it full. Others say just grease it but don't overdo it. I just put plenty on.
Also grease up the black oil seal
This gets evenly tapped into the top of the hub.
Then the oil seal collar is fitted.
I used new oil seal collars. Yours might be seated on the hub still.

 

[Springerdinger]

Some pictures of the front bearing race.

 

[Springerdinger]

Now the fun bit
Put the hub onto the stub axle
Then slide several shims over the stub axle threads onto the shaft. Make sure they are past the threads or they will get pinched when you slide the bearing on
The last picture shows how far back the shims need to go

 

[Springerdinger]

Next slide the tapered roller bearing over the threads. Narrow diameter pointing in.
If it gets stuck at the shaft put the nut on and tighten the nut to help press the bearing on evenly.
Then once the bearing is on the shaft wind the nut off. Fit the tab washer the tab is at the top.
then put the nut on again. Tighten it up

 

[Springerdinger]

Torque up the nut.
Spin the hub. If it's stuck or tight moving. Add more shims.
If there is more than 0.3mm of back lash you will need to remove shims.
I noticed when there are too many shims the hub has a tenancy to wobble a little. That occurs when I had just two shims too many.
You will feel that when driving and think your tyres need balancing.

 

[Springerdinger]

Once it's shimmed and the castle nut is torqued up fit the split pin
Then fill the grease cap and hammer it on

 

[Springerdinger]

Did a test fit of the steering rack.
I'm waiting for a couple of gaitors so can't fully fit it yet

 

[Springerdinger]

The engine bay of the car is pretty much done but the cool air intake has been nagging away at me.
It looked rusty in a corner but it had been coated in thick underseal.
The front face of the bulkhead looked good but I decided to remove some of the underseal in the air intake.
It's trick to get at and the amount of underseal I managed to remove revealed some rust.
So I haven't come this far to not find out how it looks.
Out came the plasma cutter. For a better look

 

[Springerdinger]

The drain was blocked and the base was badly rusted. There is also pitting in the corners which open up when I wire brushed it. So happy I looked
I was wary of cutting out the bulkhead panel however I'm confident I can put that back neatly
Plenty to do tommorow rebuilding the bottom of the air intake box

 

[HopefullySoon]

I've head a lot about the drain ( also called Tom's Knob) being blocked and allowing water into the foot wells ect .

Where is it located and how do you get to it without cutting the bulkhead to clear it ?

Cheers