>1. How do you disconnect the end of the speedometer cable attached to the
>speedometer on a '68 MGBGT????????? If I try real hard {laying on my head,
>jammed against the peddles, flashlight carfully braced under my chin} I can
>bearly touch the cable with one finger. I thought it would be cool to have a
>functional speedometer.
< other questions deleted as I don't know as much about them >
>TeriAnn
Well I have done this operation many times on a '74 MGBGT so it can't
be much different. I think the easiest way to take the cable off is to
take the little (stress little) knurled nuts off the back of the posts
that mount the speedo to the dash. These mounts extend back further than
the knurled nut on the cable. After taking the nuts off the posts, there
are 2 posts diametricaly opposed, you will have to remove these little gizmos
from each post. The gizmos look(feel) like long flat bars, slightly cupped,
which slip over the posts through a tube at the end of the gizmo. My theory
is that they are used to transmit the force from the nut on the post to the
back of the dash. But once you have the gizmos removed the speedo should
come out with mabye a little resistance. Oh, now would be a good time to look
around the floor for those little nuts, the ones that you dropped while trying
to get your hand out from behind the dash :-). Hmmm... just remembered
something, if your speedo has a right-angle adapteron it you may have to do
a bit of creative turning to get the speedo out of the dash. This adapter
will send the cable across the back of the speedo instead of straight out of
the back of the speedo.
Now you should be able to take the cable off the speedo while sitting
up-right. If your problem is a broken cable then you will want to try to
replace just the inner portion if possible. You should be able to loosen the
cable fitting at the transmission and pull the core right out. Replacement
is just slipping the new core into the covering. If you have to replace
the entire cable then the following information is only for a '74, I don't
know if it applys to a '68. If you follow the cable to the firewall you will
find a big hole with an equally big grommet in it. You will have to get the
cable through this hole, usually involving a heavy pulling action on the
cable. Save the grommet if it is in good condition so it can be put on the new
cable. Disconnect the old cable from the transmission and connect the new
cable to the transmission. Snake the cable up over the transmission. Here I
get a little fuzzy, you may want to put the grommet on the cable before you
put it through the firewall but I'm not sure anymore. But after you get the
cable through the firewall put the end of the cable up through the dash
following the path of the old cable. Attach the cable to the speedo and
reinstall the speedo. After the speedo is attached and you have moved the
cable around so it has the least number of sharp bends, put the grommet in
the hole in the firewall.
I hope this helps. To address Andy Haber's comment about taking off the
entire dash, don't do it unless you really have to! There is a row of small
nuts up where the padded portion of the dash meets the flat non-padded
portion which holds the defroster vents. I can't remember the exact number
but there is about ten of them. These nuts go on captive bolts, the bolts
are held captive by the padded protion of the dash. To get at these bolts
you will have to remove your glove box, any air vent hoses you might have,
all the large instuments in the dash, the heater controls (unless your arms
bend in places mine don't), and the defroster hoses. Some of these nuts can
be accessed with a ratchet wrench but for others you have to use an open end
wrench until you can turn tham with your fingers. Once you have the nuts off
there are some fastners that keep the bottom of the dash attached to a cross
member. These will have to come off but are easily gotten to. Major
problems will be the wiring harness which will insist on getting in the way
and does not want to bend out of the way. Plan on spending an afternoon, a
box of band-aids, and every bit of colorful language you know.
Now about a problem of my own, does anybody know of a fuel pump diaphram
that is not affected by alcohol? I replaced the replacement fuel pump on
my MGBGT with a WalBro brand pump and now after about 1 year it is waiting
for a $6.00 part to be shipped in from the factory. It seems that the
alcohol in the gas caused the bellows to deteiorate to the failure point.
I would like some way of keeping this from happening again. The easy
solution is unavailable, the gas around here has alcohol in it. Current
idea is to buy about 10 of these little bellows and keep them in the car with
a wrench and screwdriver so I can just replace the bellows when the car dies
from the lack of gas. However I would consider replacing the fuel pump with
a brand that is not affected by alcohol.
Tim Smith
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