[Mgs] Valve gear in my '53 TD

[Richard Lindsay]

Hello Friends,

Yesterday I posted links to a couple of pictures of my '53 TD's head
and valve cover.  What I didn't have at that time, was a picture of
the valve gear.

Now, here's a picture of the valve gear.

http://www.aubard.us/MGTD/20130801_105925.jpg

In that picture you can just see the new locking tabs under the bolt
heads.  What isn't visible is just how clean the valves are, how well
they lapped on their seats with minimal effort, and how smooth and
'new' fitting the valves are in their guides - including the one that
was stuck!  No lateral movement movement in the guides was observed.

Also in that picture you can see the Bakelite thumb nuts, and a pair
of washers for each post; one metal, one rubber, to function as a
seal.

When disassembling the valve gear, I discovered that two of the oil
shields were incorrect.  They were too short.  Here's another look at
them.

http://www.aubard.us/MGTD/HPIM1376.JPG

One of the two shields on the right, in this picture, was on the valve
that stuck.  Was that a source of the extra oil that flushed down the
#2 valve stem?  Possibly.  The 'glue' that stuck the valve in the
guide was gum, not carbon or burned oil.  I suspect that the short oil
shield allowed too much oil to seep between the stem and the guide -
then the car sat unused for a decade or so.  I suspect that the valve
was sticking, worse and worse, until it finally stuck closed and the
pushrod broke, probably on a start-up after setting.  That's how Bill
got the car and how I got it.

Although not visible in the picture, there are two new, proper length
oil shields installed.  A new pushrod is in hand.  The lifters are
healthy, as are their boars.  The cam lobes 'look' okay but I can only
see some of the lobe crests.  More on that when I know it.

That's it.

-rick