After two years it had to happen. The A finally broke while on the road.
I have done a lot of maintenance and repair on her but up till now it was
all preemptive, not reactive. Oh, well. I guess after 37 years she has
earned the right to a hissy fit.
Last week I finally got around to installing a coolant recovery system on
the A. I bought a cheap kit and 7 psi cap from the local parts store. The
tank sits in front of the heater while the hose to the radiator runs along
the off side fenderwell, down under the radiator, and then follows the
front crossmember (the one with the starter crank tab attached) across to
mate with the original overflow hose. I did it this way so that I would
not have to modify the radiator. Then I ran a second hose down under the
car from the top side of the recovery tank just in case of overflow and
also to provide a breather to the system. The coup de grace was a rubber
spacer provided by Barney Gaylord to allow the use of a standard reach
radiator cap with the deeper MGA radiator neck.
Things were going pretty well for a few days although at first I didn't
think that the cap was sealing on top of the radiator neck and, as such,
was sucking some air back in along with the coolant. I added a second
layer of rubber gasket to the top of the cap and purged the system of air.
I put a dot on the recovery tank to mark the cold coolant level and let her
go to see if it all was working. For the next couple of days everything
seemed OK as the level in the recovery tank stayed constant when cool.
Saturday afternoon the sister in law took the A for a spin. When she got
back I saw coolant dripping from the front of the car. I figured that the
cheap PVC tubing had split and it was allowing the coolant recovery tank to
drain. How wrong I was. Wetness down one side of the radiator told the
tale of woe. The top tank solder joint had developed a leak.
Apparently the combination of the rubber spacer with the new 7 psi cap
pushed the pressure beyond the limit of her poor old radiator. At least it
happened at home and not out in the middle of nowhere. Upon disassembly I
thought that the rubber gasket was a little thicker than when I put it in.
Could this have expanded by soaking up antifreeze? In any case I am
sidelined until I get the radiator fixed.
I am thinking about putting a B neck in the radiator since it has to be
worked on anyway. Which year radiator neck would work? I has to have the L
shaped neck out the back and take the shorter cap. Anyone got a trashed
radiator that they could sweat the neck out of for a fallen comrade?
I have been through the A from font to back and have inspected, serviced,
and/or replaced just about every mechanical component on the car except the
radiator. I guess it was feeling neglected.
Regards,
Bill Eastman
61 MGA who must have felt she needed a rest.
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