Hi Frank, hope you are well. Those big Phillips head screws are extremely tight. I needed a few days of penetrating fluid, then a BFH on a manual impact driver. The yoke is extremely tough so no worries about hurting it, but dang... it needs some serious wacks. You can use those in reverse to tighten with a heavy hammer blow and thats what it took to bed them well enough to fit the commutator without issue. No subtleties with these. Yes, they are right hand thread... nothing funky about them other than they are tight...

Oh, I would add that the key is to make sure that the bit is the largest size so it stays engaged into the bolt and not back out and start stripping. The heavy hammer blows does keep it nicely engaged in the screw head so I never had any issues.

@@mikeg5877 Excellent, Thank you for all the information you are documenting. Frank

Wow that is such a nice job. How did you source all the parts? I have several as well I guess I need to figure out how to check them to see if they are good!

@@pucman1 Hi JP... most of the bits you need are easily sourced. The bearing came from Amazon, just type in the bearing code ($18 for 2). The brushes came from Moss and while I got a friend to supply the bushing, that is also available from Moss. The cotton wrapping came from eBay. Search for Egyptian Field Coil Wrapping. I bought the non-egyptian 3 pack of cloth for $15ish plus shipping. Testing whether they work even a little is easy... jump the two field coil leads, put battery negative there, then positive on one of the ears (positive earth) and it should spin like a motor. If it rattles and turns erratically then take apart and replace bearings and bushings. The link in the description gives you all you need to do it step by step.

@@pcalley1 hi. Feel free to email me at mikegagne5@gmail.com

Oct 1 what year? It made me chuckle as i would have enjoyed knowing that. Ill have to look for some hylomar we do have it here.

@@mikeg5877 same, I do like finding the date codes for the little clues on the car’s (or at least part’s) history. Although maybe it is Oct 1 AD, a reeeeeallly early TR gearbox :D

yeah it was cool, I now have a much better understanding of what goes on under the hood, err. bonnet, err tunnel.

haha, even I have trouble staying up that late ;-)

Thanks 👍

Hi Roy... the current plan is to mount the engine to a spare chassis and test run it there. This will happen in the Fall. Hopefully the OD gear box will be complete by then and the whole drive train can be tested.

@@mikeg5877 .....thanks for the reply, yes a good idea to test before committing to the frame. I take it from your accent you are Canadian, a couple of guys I follow on YT post regularly, Elin 'Rusty beauties' and chef tush 'tush mahal' both are triumph enthusiasts, and from your neck of the woods, though obviously Canada is just slightly bigger than the UK so you may not be that close.

@@Welder-y5x haha thanks Roy. I RU-vid know them both though I am originally from the west… which is 3200 km distant. 🤣

ahh, good catch Tush, much obliged

@@cheftush dont let me spoil it for you then 😎

Thanks Bruce, me too ;-)

@@redfoxclassics haha yeah its been a journey have learned a ton

haha thanks Roy... and ode to my OCD symptoms.

Thanks John, it is working out very nicely on the road.

I certainly have. The down under maestro.

Thanks Matthew, the FSP can lead you astray while paper simply cannot. Of course, what do I know. ;-)

Thanks for suggestion... talked to my machine shop and he said if the shims are readily available it wouldn't hurt to do it, but he also didn't think that was enough to make much of a difference... as long as the valve lash was properly set he thought it would be fine.

Thank Tush. Minor setback all things considered m

thanks so much John, I hope you are well and driving season is in full swing wherever you are!

@@mikeg5877 WI weather got decent this week but I’m still working on the TR3. 🙄

Thanks Frank, I ended up machining a new post to fit the bushing and all worked out nicely as well. Hope you are well and in full driving season.

Thanks… as slow as watching steel rust…. Wait… not that fast

when I purchased the car (pre-covid) it came with 25 boxes of mostly trashed bits. 3 new style, 1 old style bullet, and at least 5 generators. Only the starters have been a surprise. Most of the rest have been junk parts. The car did not come with engine or transmission...

@@mikeg5877 ah right. I thought I remembered you dating the engine as 1957 and assumed the starter came with that.

Precisely John, it sprays just like a paint and with gently buffing, it forms a slightly shiny cast grey. If you mar the surface it is trivial to correct with another quick spray and buff. Of course, how it holds up to rusting in the longer term is the key question. Farmers use it to lubricate grain chutes and such... All the best to you!

I started with ultrasonic cleaner and some dish soap, then moved to a Dremel polishing kit... essentially cotton bats that I ran with polishing paste. GL with GT6 project!

Greetings John, Hope you re well. I have not yet done so. When I am done man-handling it, my plan was to wipe it down with kerosene, then spray a coat or two of clear. This is my first time doing a polish on these... think this will do the trick? Thanks Mike

Many thanks Red! Yes that is the original color of Aconite. MG had some kooky colors in the early 70s in an attempt to enhance flagging sales. Midge is exiting a 25 year restoration so it may be 95% complete for a while yet as i continue to find new things to improve. Thanks also for the kind words on the TR bodywork. I do take pride in doing it to the absolute best of my abilities. I will return to bodywork when its time to put the midget away for the season. I cant even imagine how many curse words i would have discovered if the i couldnt have just cut the liner off. It was really fused on there.

Yes Durham North Carolina. A bit less history than Durham UK, a lovely place to visit BTW, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Haha. Thanks. Ive been called a stubborn SOB by those who love me. I wouldnt give up and learned a ton from doing it.

Thanks David... started dissasembling the first set of carbs, and very rough shape so will need completely strip down... thanks for heads up on the self-centering bit.

Thanks Tush... my thoughts exactly. Besides it helps me balance my space needs a bit better with a driver now in the garage

@@mikeg5877 how’s your shoulders?

@@cheftush shoulders are improving. holding my arms out in front of me is no longer agony. pretty steady PT with inclined press, internal and external rotation resistance work has been key. MY PT guy told me no straight up lifting, ever... Told me my pitching career is over! 🤣 My son is done with his pitching career, so no more catching help needed LOL

@@mikeg5877 great! Glad you are feeling better. It’s tough having bad shoulders to be sure! I was thinking that doing the engine work would be a good break for them. Just get your buddy to torque the head bolts. 😉

@@cheftush i need an Elin 😜

Hey Mike. Good to hear from you. I would have done the exact same thing as you if the red tr3 had been better preserved.

Hi Pete, the car always had the rear bulkhead, what I'm calling the interior entrance to the trunk/boot, missing and mangled in some way. Some young punk I used to know additionally cut holes for big speakers in it. Sounded great. I have since purchased a new interior panel kit from Rimmer Bros, and that came with a closing panel for that section. It is now fitted, but as you know it is cosmetic and not at all structural. Are you implying that there is structural weak spot that should be reinforced some way? I am pretty sure I could cross brace that opening without affecting the fit of the panel, but was unaware that was important. Thanks!

Hi Mike, I’m no expert so can’t comment on whether that panel is structural. It’s many years since I owned a Midget and can’t remember if that panel was metal or if it was part of the structural bodywork. I’ve never seen a car with it removed and was surprised to see how much space it freed up although items in the trunk need to be tethered safely. You car looks a beautiful example and the colour is stunning.@@mikeg5877

Thank you for the reply. I'll be looking forward to here back from you.@@mikeg5877

You calling me short 🤣

Yeah my buddy Chris is a painting genius. He ain't quick, but he is good!

Thanks Richard, I hope you are enjoying a terrific holiday season!

Ahh yes, the royal "WE" I know that one, especially when there are a million leaves on the ground... WE need to rake leaves this weekend ;-) I am glad you are enjoying the series, I consider it a large collateral benefit of this project for dad.

Hi Twin! Chopper pilot? Turns out my dad only enjoys this with and through me. When he could travel we spent a lot of time on my MG. Good times together. Now he is house bound so this is my way of opening up his world a little bit. Hope you enjoy the channel. It is essentially a 1 way conversation with my dad 🤷🏻‍♂️

Not a chopper pilot, I have a 1953 Hudson with the “twin-h” option. It’s great that you are able to share your project with your dad this way. The rest of us get to benefit as well! Keep up the great work.

Thanks Tush. I appreciate the vote of support.