From lawrie at britcars.com Fri Jun 4 11:41:46 2010 From: lawrie at britcars.com (Lawrie Alexander) Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 10:41:46 -0700 Subject: [Mg-mmm] PA side curtains Message-ID: Hi, fellow MMMers! My PA is on the road again! The custom composition head gasket I had made in Thailand is working so much better than the solid copper one and the car seems, finally, to be driving nicely. Jim Silva has made me a beautiful new top, tonneau cover and side curtain set so all that remains to complete the car is to install the central lubrication system (scheduled to be done in the near future). A question has arisen, however, that I need advice on from other 2-seater PA owners: where does one stow the side curtains when they are not mounted on the doors? The obvious answer seems to be "on a shelf in one's garage" as there is no room for them to fit tidily behind the seats! This approach does rather negate the purpose of having side curtains if there's a likelihood of rain when driving the car, so I'd be interested to hear what other owners do with theirs. TIA, Lawrie From mgtom at zoominternet.net Sat Jun 5 01:08:55 2010 From: mgtom at zoominternet.net (Tom Metcalf) Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2010 03:08:55 -0400 Subject: [Mg-mmm] PA side curtains In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <007601cb047d$f70871e0$e51955a0$@net> Hi Lawrie, There was a large bottomless black PVC envelope tacked on the seatback. This held the sidescreens tightly against the seat. Tommm -----Original Message----- From: mg-mmm-bounces at autox.team.net [mailto:mg-mmm-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Lawrie Alexander Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 1:42 PM To: MMM Group Subject: [Mg-mmm] PA side curtains Hi, fellow MMMers! My PA is on the road again! The custom composition head gasket I had made in Thailand is working so much better than the solid copper one and the car seems, finally, to be driving nicely. Jim Silva has made me a beautiful new top, tonneau cover and side curtain set so all that remains to complete the car is to install the central lubrication system (scheduled to be done in the near future). A question has arisen, however, that I need advice on from other 2-seater PA owners: where does one stow the side curtains when they are not mounted on the doors? The obvious answer seems to be "on a shelf in one's garage" as there is no room for them to fit tidily behind the seats! This approach does rather negate the purpose of having side curtains if there's a likelihood of rain when driving the car, so I'd be interested to hear what other owners do with theirs. TIA, Lawrie _______________________________________________ Mg-mmm at autox.team.net Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html Suggested annual donation $11.47 Archive: http://www.team.net/archive Forums: http://www.team.net/forums Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/mg-mmm/mgtom at zoominternet.net No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.819 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2912 - Release Date: 06/02/10 02:25:00 From lawrie at britcars.com Sat Jun 5 13:33:14 2010 From: lawrie at britcars.com (Lawrie Alexander) Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2010 12:33:14 -0700 Subject: [Mg-mmm] Re. PA side curtains & head gaskets Message-ID: Thanks to all who replied on the subject of the side curtain stowage. Tommm Metcalf's advice that they originally stowed into a Rexine pouch tight against the seat back makes sense - although their top edges would protrude about 3" above the seat back as the drive-shaft hump prevents them sitting all the way down. At least they would be relatively neatly and securely in place. A pouch, therefore, is in my car's future ..... Many of you asked about the composition head gasket I used, and several folks wondered why. Here, then, is the rest of the story ..... When I first started the re-built (by Mike Allison) engine, there were several problems evident. One was a leak of coolant between the head and the block on the exhaust manifold side. I checked the torque of the head nuts and found my wrench didn't click till 50 foot pounds so I assumed they were adequately tight. Then, after just 130 miles, the core plug on the top of the head popped out and all the coolant mixed with the oil. Considering all the other engine problems I had had, I decided to remove and completely strip the engine. To be safe, I bought a new copper head gasket, new studs and nuts, along with various other parts to set the head up properly. Mike Dowley gave detailed instructions on how to anneal the new copper head gasket, which I followed very carefully. This, I might add, after checking the gasket on the block to make sure there was adequate clearance around the pistons as the engine is .060" overbored; I did have to remove some copper from each of the combustion spaces. Eventually, the engine was back together and back in the car. It started and ran nicely for a brief road test. Three days later, I tried to start it and found it would not turn over as number 3 cylinder was full of water! I had used the black "Heldite" jointing compound on the twice-annealed copper gasket, and the new studs and nuts had been progressively (and in the correct sequence) torqued to 41 ft. lbs., all per his instructions. I wondered, therefore, if the head might have a crack in it. Upon removal of the head, however, it was obvious from witness marks that the coolant had leaked past the gasket into the cylinder. There was also evidence of some coolant in the other three cylinders. Since the head and block had been carefully surfaced, I could only conclude that either 41 ft. lbs. was inadequate to clamp the copper gasket - or there had to be a better material for the gasket. I contacted a friend and asked whether he knew of anyone making custom composition gaskets as the only company I was aware of made copper head gaskets in various thicknesses. He suggested I try "Gaskets-to-Go" in Thailand (www.gasketstogo.com). An e-mail to them, describing my problem, received a very positive response, suggesting three different types of composition gasket. (The company owner is obviously Anglo as the e-mail was written in perfect English!) I made a tracing of my copper gasket and mailed it to him, then quickly received the response that they could make my gasket with no problems. He replied as follows: "I would suggest a gasket made out of a high-quality metal reinforced composite with all the water passages bushed in copper, and steel fire rings. To do that in a quantity of 1 to 5 gaskets would cost $39.95 each, with shipping for one gasket by registered airmail $8.95. Lead time from receipt of a sample or good drawing would be 10 days. Shipping by registered airmail would take from 10-14 days depending on location." Subsequently, I ordered two gaskets for the grand total of $92 including shipping and sent the old copper gasket to them to use as a pattern. My new ones arrived about three weeks later. On my original tracing I had failed to note that the front left and right rear stud holes are slightly larger than the other stud holes (for the locating sleeves) and they did not pick up this detail from the copper sample. Other than that, the gaskets fit perfectly. (I was able to enlarge those two holes quite easily. I installed one of the gaskets, using spray Copper-coat sealer per his suggestion and torquing the nuts to 45 ft. lbs. So far, I have had absolutely no further problems with the head gasket and the engine seems to be running as well as I would have hoped after the original English rebuild. So, I can heartily recommend this company for head gaskets for any car - and they do now have the pattern for a 60 thou. overbored PA engine. Cheers, Lawrie From DB35PA at aol.com Sat Jun 5 20:06:34 2010 From: DB35PA at aol.com (DB35PA at aol.com) Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2010 22:06:34 EDT Subject: [Mg-mmm] PA side curtains Message-ID: Lawrie, GOOD question... I've been dealing with the same issue. I had locals who made my top and side curtains, also make me a fitted padded/divided big bag to prevent damage and keep plexi from becoming scratched.... like the T-tops bag for my long lost ZX 300 Turbo. However, at 6'4", I have the seat as far back as I can get it for leg room, leaving NO space for curtains. As you know, resting them on the package shelf, they stick up like a drag chute and my car does not need that! Padded bag makes a nice addition to garage decor however. Don B. In a message dated 6/5/2010 02:39:22 Central Daylight Time, mgtom at zoominternet.net writes: Hi Lawrie, There was a large bottomless black PVC envelope tacked on the seatback. This held the sidescreens tightly against the seat. Tommm -----Original Message----- From: mg-mmm-bounces at autox.team.net [mailto:mg-mmm-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Lawrie Alexander Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 1:42 PM To: MMM Group Subject: [Mg-mmm] PA side curtains Hi, fellow MMMers! My PA is on the road again! The custom composition head gasket I had made in Thailand is working so much better than the solid copper one and the car seems, finally, to be driving nicely. Jim Silva has made me a beautiful new top, tonneau cover and side curtain set so all that remains to complete the car is to install the central lubrication system (scheduled to be done in the near future). A question has arisen, however, that I need advice on from other 2-seater PA owners: where does one stow the side curtains when they are not mounted on the doors? The obvious answer seems to be "on a shelf in one's garage" as there is no room for them to fit tidily behind the seats! This approach does rather negate the purpose of having side curtains if there's a likelihood of rain when driving the car, so I'd be interested to hear what other owners do with theirs. TIA, Lawrie _______________________________________________ Mg-mmm at autox.team.net Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html Suggested annual donation $11.47 Archive: http://www.team.net/archive Forums: http://www.team.net/forums Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/mg-mmm/mgtom at zoominternet.net No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.819 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2912 - Release Date: 06/02/10 02:25:00 _______________________________________________ Mg-mmm at autox.team.net Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html Suggested annual donation $11.47 Archive: http://www.team.net/archive Forums: http://www.team.net/forums Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/mg-mmm/db35pa at aol.com From Mogfrog1 at aol.com Sun Jun 20 05:22:26 2010 From: Mogfrog1 at aol.com (Mogfrog1 at aol.com) Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 07:22:26 EDT Subject: [Mg-mmm] Drive shaft woes Message-ID: Good morning All. I have discovered that the drive shaft u-joints in my recently acquired N-type are quite loose. Of course these are the pre-needle bearing type as luck would have it. I have searched around for some information on how to best deal with this without much success. Can anyone tell me what the best course of action is. Are these "obsolete" 6-bolt prop shaft u-joints available anywhere? Is the only option other than a new D/S, a conversion kit to update to needle bearing joints and 4 bolt flanges? Many thanks. John Wright N 498 From felperg at earthlink.net Sun Jun 20 14:00:01 2010 From: felperg at earthlink.net (Jerry Felper) Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:00:01 -0700 Subject: [Mg-mmm] Rotex armature Message-ID: <4BBEA24D-0672-4B44-B3AA-B7799B89C38E@earthlink.net> MMM Does anybody have parts for Rotex generators, For Sale. I need an amature. Jerry British Auto electric jerry at britishautoelectric.com From lawrie at britcars.com Thu Jun 24 14:14:36 2010 From: lawrie at britcars.com (Lawrie Alexander) Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:14:36 -0700 Subject: [Mg-mmm] Bob Grunau Message-ID: If I remember correctly, Bob now supplies tapered rear axles for TCs and pre-war cars, along the lines of the conversions that Phil Marino used to do. I also believe Bob subscribes to one or both of these lists. If either or both of my recollections are correct, I'd appreciate Bob getting in touch with me (or someone giving me contact information) as I have a need for a set of axles for a TC. Thanks! Lawrie Alexander From grunau.garage at sympatico.ca Thu Jun 24 15:19:23 2010 From: grunau.garage at sympatico.ca (BOB GRUNAU) Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:19:23 -0400 Subject: [Mg-mmm] [Mg-t] Bob Grunau In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hi Lawrie, I'm alive and well and can supply tapered outer ends rear axles and new tapered rear hubs for TA/TB/TC and some MMM cars. Axles are in stock. Also have a list of other parts I supply. I'll send a list of my parts, with prices, to anyone who emails me off list. Good MG weather, hope to see some of you at GOF Central, Sandusky Ohio next weekend. Can even deliver some parts there I know in advance. Bob Bob Grunau 150 Pinewood Trail Mississauga, Ontario Canada, L5G-2L1 905-274-4136 grunau.garage at sympatico.ca -----Original Message----- From: mg-t-bounces at autox.team.net [mailto:mg-t-bounces at autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Lawrie Alexander Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 4:15 PM To: mg-t at autox.team.net; MMM Group Subject: [Mg-t] Bob Grunau If I remember correctly, Bob now supplies tapered rear axles for TCs and pre-war cars, along the lines of the conversions that Phil Marino used to do. I also believe Bob subscribes to one or both of these lists. If either or both of my recollections are correct, I'd appreciate Bob getting in touch with me (or someone giving me contact information) as I have a need for a set of axles for a TC. Thanks! Lawrie Alexander ______________________________________________ Mg-t at autox.team.net Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html Suggested annual donation $11.47 Archive: http://www.team.net/archive Forums: http://www.team.net/forums Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/mg-t/grunau.garage at sympatico.ca No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.829 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2958 - Release Date: 06/24/10 02:35:00 From mgtom at zoominternet.net Thu Jun 24 16:15:48 2010 From: mgtom at zoominternet.net (Tom Metcalf) Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:15:48 -0400 Subject: [Mg-mmm] Bibulous Gallimaufry In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4C23D914.5050709@zoominternet.net> Speaking of GOF Central, our annual Bib Gal is Friday at 6:00 in the Sawmill Creek Settler's Landing area. Cost is $90 per couple for a knockout Country & Western BBQ - with FREE BASS ALE on draught. Drink hardy lads & lassies. The auction starts at 8:00. See you there! tommm From lawrie at britcars.com Thu Jun 24 19:57:25 2010 From: lawrie at britcars.com (Lawrie Alexander) Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:57:25 -0700 Subject: [Mg-mmm] Bob Grunau Message-ID: <1318D09904CD4022BA56CC8412E44BEE@shop> Thanks to all who responded, including Bob. I have forwarded the contact info to my friend who was seeking information (and I have made the appropriate entries in my own file!) Cheers, Lawrie From DB35PA at aol.com Wed Jun 30 06:34:13 2010 From: DB35PA at aol.com (DB35PA at aol.com) Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:34:13 EDT Subject: [Mg-mmm] PA oil filter convert. Message-ID: <68cdf.5f736a25.395c93c5@aol.com> Fellows, I have some old notes about converting from the traditional paper oil filter, to the metal Canton/mecca tall 8 micron filter. Are there modifications I need to make to the oil filter unit itself, in order to convert? Thanks Don B. PA 1823 From m.g.erhard at gmx.de Wed Jun 30 07:11:54 2010 From: m.g.erhard at gmx.de (Gerhard Maier) Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:11:54 +0200 Subject: [Mg-mmm] PA oil filter convert. References: <68cdf.5f736a25.395c93c5@aol.com> Message-ID: <404125F0E7B24AD885AD249984E35925@mg> Hi Don, if you have access to the MMM-forum website, you find a download about your question by entering : Home - Document Downloads -Technical Documents - Submit - P, K, L & N oil filter conversion If you can't get it, let me know, and I will send it to you. Gerhard Maier ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 2:34 PM Subject: [Mg-mmm] PA oil filter convert. > Fellows, I have some old notes about converting from the traditional paper > oil filter, to the metal Canton/mecca tall 8 micron filter. Are there > modifications I need to make to the oil filter unit itself, in order to convert? > Thanks > Don B. PA 1823 > _______________________________________________ > > Mg-mmm at autox.team.net > Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html > Suggested annual donation $11.47 > Archive: http://www.team.net/archive > Forums: http://www.team.net/forums > Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/mg-mmm/m.g.erhard at gmx.de