The starter on my '73 MGBGT was jamming occasionally, due to the
teeth of the flywheel ring gear being badly worn. Since I had to replace
clutch anyway, I pulled the flywheel and examined the ring gear more closely.
Since the wear seemed to be more to the front of the teeth, rather than on
the faces, I just turned the gear around on the flywheel, saving myself
sixty bucks. The shop manual says to heat the gear up to 700 degrees, but
I found that the oven in my kitchen was more than adequate. Even at 550
degrees, the gear just dropped into place, with no tapping needed.
Since I am short, I have the seat moved all the way to the front
position. I found that by turning the shifter around, it was in a more
suitable position for me, since the bend then went to the front, instead
of the rear.
One really strange thing that I'm trying is installing a set of carbs
from a (ahem) Yamaha snowmobile. They are 1.5 inches I.D. and mounted up
in less time than reinstalling the oem SU's. I have my doubts as to how
well it will run, but it was so easy to fab up, I can't resist trying. If
it works, I'll have carbs that are even easier to maintain than the SU's,
although I'll probably get lynched by the purists.
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