Thanks Allen (and Dave, just got your message). You are right, I really
don't want to remove the engine...at least yet. I was thinking about
something like Gunk, but I was not sure how safe it was. Good to know it
works.
Yes I am new to the list and a first time LBC owner. I'm a "real"
Californian, born and raised in Los Angeles, I now live in the better half
of the state, near Sacramento. British cars have been in the family blood
for years. My father originally owned a 3-wheel Morgan (not sure of the
year and unfortunately he sold it before I had the sense to talk him out of
it), and my brother owns a 48' TC ( at least that's what it would be if you
put all the parts back together!), not to mention a couple of Jaguars over
the years. My sister had bought the 80' MGB LE new, her first car, and my
father took it off her hands a few years later when pregnancy prevented her
from getting in and out of the car. He had it until last summer, when
after a few years of gathering dust in the garage, I took it off his hands.
As far as problems go, well, it runs ok. I've replaced the rack seals, a
broken engine mount, and heater control valve ( great design to put that
right on top on the distributor!). It has at least one or two oil leaks,
I'm not sure where its coming from, hence why I'd like to clean it up a
bit. They are minor, and it does not appear to burn any oil. The rear
shocks are in pretty bad shape, on one side the link arm is totally broken,
and the other side appears to be leaking. I've been reading about the tube
shock conversion on the MGB Experience site, is this recommended?, I was
going to put in the Gabriel Pro Ryders. A bunch of other little items in
the interior, a few bad switches, misc. worn out rubber components, needs
carpet, a new top, and has a big dent on the front passenger fender. I
wanted to be sure I had no really BIG problems before I invested in any
major exterior repair and paint. I recently ordered some visor brackets
and rivets from Moss, but I was surprised to find the rivets a bit
different from the standard ones that fit in my gun. Where do I get the
appropriate tool for these?
Looking forward to learning more!
Steve Uniack
In a message dated 2/18/02 5:10:03 PM Eastern Standard Time,
uniack@us.ibm.com writes:
> I recently acquired a 80' MGB LE from my father. It had torn rack seals
> (which I've fixed) as well as some undetermined oil leaks. Over the
years
> there has been quite a build up of dirt, grease, oil etc on the underside
> (and the engine compartment) of the car. I'm a bit new to the car
> restoration work, is there a good way to go about cleaning off all the
> grime?
- - - - - - - - -
The best cleaning job entails removing the engine, which I gather you'd
like
to avoid. (Don't blame you.)
There are some spray on cleaners available in auto supply stores. The best
is probably Gunk. Try this method. Get a coupla cans of Gunk. Spray (or
brush, if you get the pourable can) Gunk all over the engine, taking care
to
stay away from carburetor and distributor. Now, drive the car to a nearby
coin-op car wash, and hose down the engine. Again, stay away from carb and
dizzy. You might put a plastic bag over those to keep them dryish. Driving
the car a short distance warms up the engine and helps the Gunk to work on
the gunk.
That will get the majority of gunk off the engine. You can detail it from
there.
Alternate spray degreasers are Simple Green or Castrol Super Clean. Watch
the Castrol stuff. It is VERY strong and may remove paint.
BTW, coin-op car washes have drains that are supposed to handle the greasy
stuff. Don't hose it down in your driveway.
If you are new to the list, let us know all your details. Where are you
from? Any other problems with the car? Izzit your first LBC?
Allen Hefner
SCCA Philly Region Rally Steward
'77 Midget
'75 Midget "The Project"
'92 Mitsubishi Expo LRV Sport
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