I enjoy working on classic cars, and occasionally am asked to help fix later model vehicles. Each week, I try to post something about the two cars I personally own. A 1979 VW beetle convertible (white on white), and a 1977 MGB resto-mod (chrome bumper conversion). from time to time I also post on home improvement and other craft projects. I am not a professional mechanic, but when I work through a problem I share the solution. so be sure to subscribe
Thanks this helped me fit my new Aldon 101by1 dizzy with ignitor 1 with no issues. Wired the red wire to the fuse box and my RVI tacho is working fine with this electronic ignition system.
I always put mine in the boot with hoses going down where your pump is. In the boot you can fix, replace in 10 mins. Under the car you have to be trailored home
I understand your perspective... But, I initially tried Stainless, and it turned out the heat transfer was not "radiant" but transferred through the head back into the intake manifold. Also, I have thermal barrier on the back of that Aluminum sheet. The idea of that was to increase the surface area to allow the heat that was being transferred to be dissipated prior to being transferred to the carb. here is the video of the stainless attempt ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BihaJZrMMZA.html
The point I'm trying to make is you've boxed in the engine bay so you've removed a massive amount of air flow from the engine compartment. As you stated your car isn't in a high state of tune and therefore not creating additional heat it seems rather odd you're having to completely reinvent something that has worked fine for years for just about everyone else.
@malcolmlane-ley2044 well, this setup is far from stock. It was a barn find that had a blown head gasket and had suffered from overheating. It had a burned exhaust valve, and a oil ring had rolled. So it had this issue a long time ago. I am just trying to resolve it so I don't burn up the engine as it had done before. Your point is well taken. But since this 1977, 18v type has a 1974 head with the large intake valves, and a Kent fast road cam installed. Not to mention the Weber dcoe 45 carb. (A larger than usual carb) The heat issues are not because of air flow in the compartment, but rather other heat sources.
@malcolmlane-ley2044 I re-read your comment a few times. And I believe I have figured out your perspective. You may be referring to the diamond plate mud plate below the radiator. If your model is an older you may have a fan mounted on the front of your water pump. On the '77 it has electric fans mounted in front of the radiator. In the place where I put the diamond plate, there was a cardboard and tar mud plate. Mine had deteriorated so I replaced it with the aluminum. I have a video on that. Sorry for any confusion
Excellent video. I know exactly what to do now. Question. On my 73 MGB, I’m blowing the 3rd fuse down on the main block every now and then. Just finished a complete strip and paint and most essential electrical works. What happens is that I’ll drive it 3-4 times, 30-40 minutes each time, running errands etc and all of a sudden that 3rd fuse down blows. It’s 35 amp. I replaced the fuse, drive it 3-4 times and bam…. It happens again. I’ve tried to recreate the event by starting the car and moving wires, checking connections but to not avail. It’s runs fine and all lights works.
@m3man680 third fuse down from top is the Green circuit. Basically anything that runs when ignition is on. Also, there are documented issues with the diodes (also on the green circuit) they are easy to check under the dash. Right next to the signal flashers. If bad using the hand brake can do odd things.(circuit moving backwards)
@alex_n7916 not sure I understand your question. I just posted this video because I thought it was odd it had two. Don't know what the designer had in mind, but also don't know why you would want to remove one. I suppose you could cut away the valve and spring and just install the flange ???
I’d like to have seen this operate with the “1200lb” engine on it, I’d bet it still will rotate on its own quickly when it’s centre of gravity is off, but now the crank will break a few bones.
Surprisingly, the mechanical advantage only goes one way. Might seem counter-intuitive, but the engine weight cannot move the worm gear it has too much resistance. I have a video I did a year later where I push it to its limits...
I bolted it on while hoisted. I have mounted a winch in my garage ceiling. But, I suppose you could also use an engine hoist(cherry picker) I have since mounted my vice on the engine stand. Very handy having a metal working station on wheels
Thanks Alex, Probably what I needed to do - I had mine replaced with a ball valve after the 1 year old one leaked, right on the distributor of course, and I blew the head gasket It was obviously a cheap junk replacement
Not very often that I comment, but you just have tell what your going to do, DO IT, then summarize. It was painful listening to you to the point of stopping just before 5 minutes into the vid.
@DanMedina-gm1fz thanks for the constructive criticism. I have been adjusting my format since this video. I typically now just speed up the video or summarize as you suggested. In this video I believe I was more trying to show my wife helping in the garage. But thanks for taking the time to help out. It does help me get better. Hope you can find newer videos on the channel that help your projects
I was also wondering if it could be a carburetor problem. I tried to save money and bought a Weber knock off carburetor. It runs really rough, runs extremely rich. 5 minutes running puts alot of carbon build up on the plugs. Also, it only runs when it is choked. When I turn off the choke, it dies instantly. What do you think.
@bobharter3492 that sounds like a gasket leak at the head. Sometimes the exhaust manifold is a different thickness than the intake. You need to shim it it that is the case. Also, the idle jet needs to be selected for the displacement
@@AlexPlatacis I think I found my whole problem. I rebuilt my old carburetor. When I was taking off the other one, I was looking at the studs on the manifold that holds the carburetor. I noticed that the threads weren't long enough and the nuts were bottoming out before it secured the carburetor to the manifold. Would that have caused it? It was just snug enough to where I couldn't tell if it was tight or not. I ran the threads down further and I am reinstalling the the carburetor. I'll let you know how it goes.
Hello again Alex. I hope you are having a great 4th of July holiday. i have been having a problem with my MGB. I installed a Pertronics flame thrower coil with a Pertronics Ignitor conversion. I am not happy with the way it runs, so I am going back to the points and condensor setup. My problem is, my distributor only has 1 wire coming from it. What wire do I connect to it. Also, do I need to use a 1.5 ohm coil? Or can I use the 3.0 ohm coil? Plus, do I need to put the resistor back in. I can't figure out the wiring of the resistor. I have 1 long green wire at the part of the harness that goes to the alternator. Is that the wire that I connect to the distributor? Any assistance you can give would be wonderful. Thanks.
@bobharter3492 gonna need some more info... What year vehicle? What model of igniter? Also curios about the distributor. The pickup coil can be sensitive to variations in the gap. So if your existing distributor shaft, or bearings have too much play, it may affect performance.
Also, you might want to test the play in your timing chain. If you were prompted to make the change because of floppy timing, it might be the timing chain
I have a 77 MGB, timing chain and tensioner is solid. I have a 45D4 distributor. It has 1 green wire coming out if it. I took the long green wire from alternator part of harness and connected it to the distributor. Key off, 0 volts. Key on 12 volts to the distributor. I assume that that is correct. I can't figure out how to wire the ballast resistor.
I must have thrown away the box for the ignitor. The pickup on it has LU-143A. The distributor is brand new. I may need to bite the big one and buy the Pertronics Distributor from Moss. Just to make sure that I have the correct set up. I have a 3.0 ohm flame thrower coil. Do I need to put a 1.5 ohm coil on going back to points and condensor set up?
I actually have a few videos of my rebuild where I used it. And a year later, I did a follow up video where I bolted an 8 foot 2×6 on it and tried to break it. Held up nicely. I will post some links for your viewing pleasure
After a while I decided to make it into a portable metal working station. By mounting my vice on it ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rdJaCmPIBkI.htmlsi=Xd4wzx8PNRhotXLX
I would be glad to share that, but it has changed quite a bit since this video. In later iterations, I had to add phenolic spacer and that changed the shape of the cover. The current one also is two part, and comes together with overlapping tabs. The reduced space made it difficult to install as one piece Here is a link to the video showing the install of that spacer ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mmRPKHIqtcg.htmlsi=u4Il6bzzXsUpnmhs
You handbrake handle is pretty loosey goosey on its pivot. It shouldn't have so much side play, so maybe there is a bushing in the handle and ratchet/pawl assembly you can renew. Also, I've seen on the forums that guys move the cable anchor bolt about an inch back by drilling a second hole in the tunnel. Although to be honest I looked and haven't been able to find this cable bolt on mine yet... On my handbrake I can get about 3 clicks and then it locks the wheels on the 4th or 5th.
I know... Pretty floppy. When I dragged the car from the barn, both rear brakes were frozen, and the hand brake was rusted tight By the time I had freed up the lever, the shaft was not even round. I ended up reforming it with epoxy filler. It works, but still a bit floppy
Hi Alex, This latest video "Q and A" got me to thinking about a subject that may make an interesting video. I have a 1977 MGB and am curious if reversing the front rubber bumper (turning it upside down and remounting it) is a viable and low cost alternative to chrome bumper conversion and or a Sebring front valence. Thank you for your videos and sharing your "let's try this" approach. Jim Morales, Mesa AZ
Hmm... Never heard of doing that. I no longer have my old rubber bumper. But if you want to record some videos of your experiment, I would be glad to include it in a segment on the channel
Essentially I did the same thing on my 1977 B to get some response out of my handbrake. The issue I have now is that my trip odometer has falied. I am not sure if I should get it repaired or if it may be less expensive to get a speedo that works off GPS. I think Speed Hut makes one that nearly matches the original from 1977. This will be something for the fall
Speedhut also has a VSS converter that lets you use your existing speedometer cable instead of going the GPS route. It takes the turning of the speedometer cable and converts it into the VSS signal that drives their VSS type speedometer.
Alex I see the link is for aftermarket parts and significantly less expensive than the OEM parts. Did you experience any issues with the fit or finish?
Printed mine last night and it came out perfect. I used PTEG with a bed temp of 80C and extruder temp of 240C. It was an almost 11 hour job with my Anycubic Kobra Max printer and the supports snapped off very cleanly. A large Chick-Fil-A cup fits like it was designed for it, as does my wife's Yeti tumbler. One of those flat folding foam drink koozies works great to make a16.9 oz Diet Coke bottle. fit more snugly. Instead of using double sided tape to help hold in in place I used some Harbor Freight tool box liner - the black rubber(ish) stuff - just because I had it. I used spray adhesive on one side, fit in into the groove, let it dry while in place on the console (with a bit of weight on it to hold it down firmly), then cut off the excess. It holds the cup holder very solidly to the console but lets it slip right off when you want to remove it, and should also prevent any rattles if the holder is empty. Thanks Alex!!
I had that hot start issue with my DCOE equipped '78 MGB. I did install it with the soft mount mentioned by @westcoastdodge. It didn't seem to alleviate the hot start issue at all - not too surprising since it wasn't designed for that purpose. It's designed to reduce fuel aeration caused by vibration (same issue that plagued the early MGA Twin Cam). I also installed the small heat shield that fastens to the bottom of the carb, and covered the bottom of that shield with stick-on DEI Heat Shield. That seemed to help some, but didn't cure the issue completely. Then someone on the MGExp forum (I don't recall who) postulated that the issue wasn't fuel boiling off, but heat causing fuel in the float bowl to expand. That extra fuel has to go somewhere, likely ending up in the intake manifold. With that extra fuel in the manifold, it was essentially flooded. In the old days starting a flooded car was done by keeping the accelerator floored while cranking - allowing extra air into the intake. That's how I start mine now when hot and it seems to work quite well...fires after just a few revolutions...then blipping the throttle a couple of times helps clear it up. Your modifications would certainly help avoid that fuel expansion - if that really is the actual issue.
This car was a barn find. And Tom's knob was clogged, and a hole in the top so the pattern of accumulation looks like top down, not bottom up Also the whole underside had intact undercoat. Looking back I had underestimated the damage. Initially thought I could just do a few quick patches. Probably should have replaced the whole pan on drivers side
Hey Alex! Your videos been super helpful walking me thru replacing the alternator in my 76 roadster! I just have a question on the connection point from the wire harness to the alternator. Does the brown wire with yellow stripe connect the the square terminal on the alternator, or the angled one?
The pegs that hold it in are more likely to break than not. So, in your case, it is likely glued in place, or the paint is dried to it or something. If you are replacing it, probably just need to break it so you can remove it in pieces
I used onshape.com to model the valence covers. I can print a few for you and ship them out for $20 superthanks. Send me a private message on mgbexp.com My member ID is Texas77mgb
