OK! I have talked to Brian Erickson and now have the definative
story on the stuck starter situation. The guy in the old days
always caried pipes just to hit the starter motor itself. The reason
they looked so bad is not just the wear and tear from hitting the
motor, but that they were used for other purposes and were banged up
to begin with. Nobody went out and BOUGHT these things. They used a
pipe becouse it was easier to reach the starter motor without
wriecking anything else than with a hammer. The old-style starters
with the outboard Bendix would stick very often. Brian thinks their
use was suspended in the mix sixties. They were identifiable by the
very large bulge required in the bellhousing. Now I supose we can
discuss more important MGB characteristics like the crack in the door
caused by idiots who pulled the door closed by the wing window and
thereafter agravated by the wind force on the door mirror. I rode in
a rubber-bumper B the other day that looked perfect except for a
monster crack in the right door. The mirror was unuseable due to
vibration on the highway. I told the owner that if he didn't get it
fixed, it would go all the way down the door with the mirror working
on it like that. Moral for B owners: NEVER alow anyone to pull the
door closed by the wing window frame. I see people do thai all the
time on various cars and I don't understand why. I have always thought
it was easier to just grab the door itself, if not the door pull which
is intended for this purpose.
--
phile@pwcs.stpaul.gov In real life: Phil Ethier
Phone: 298-5324
|