[Mgs] Broken motor mount bracket

[Peter Schauss]

I drove my MGB to work Friday.  While coming back from my lunch break, I
noticed that the gear shift pattern seemed to have moved to the right.
Then, as I was driving home it, became progressively more and more difficult
to shift into third and fourth gears.  Finally, as I got off of the parkway,
about a mile from home, it would not go into third or fourth at all.

When I put the car up on the lift, I discovered that bracket which holds the
right hand motor mount to the engine had broken into three pieces.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75758245@N00/7016009235/in/photostream

I am guessing that this was metal fatigue, but what would have caused this?

Is it a common problem with MGs of this vintage?

FWIW, my MG is a 1980 'B with about 113k miles on it.  I bought it 20+ years
ago when it had 38k miles on it.  The engine has been out three times, once
for a new clutch, once for to replace the gearbox with a used o/d gearbox,
and once to replace the used o/d gearbox with a rebuilt one.  I replaced all
of the rubber engine and gearbox mounts, but not the brackets, in 1999 when
I did the first gearbox swap.

Any thoughts would be welcome.

Peter Schauss
1980 MGB