MGB Front Suspension Rebound Distance Piece Three Bolter

While revamping the front suspension on the MGB, I found this Previous Owner Hack:

 

MGB Front Suspension Rebound Distance Piece Three Bolter wait ...what?

I *think* that's suppossed to be #17 in this compleatly hand drawn and definately not stolen from the web drawing:

Totally hand drawn

So: please leave a comment if you know why the heck the PO may have done this Three Bolt Hack. It's either to do with the lowered ride height or the installed-and-then-half-removed-before-I-got-it-tube-shock-converstion. Rumor has it this was an Autocross car before I adopted her.

 

So: please leave any clues in the comments!!!

MGB Front Lower A Arm Bushing - Isn't She Pretty In Poly?

We replaced the MGBs front lower A Arm bushings as they were looking a bit ragged with bits hanging out of them.

 

Didn't have a spring compressor, so we used the "jack up the lower spring support until the A Arm is horizontal, then remove the bolts; we only did one side of the a arm at a time so that the spring and front bits would remain somewhat located:

Using a jack to compress the MGB springs - what could possibly go wrong?

We used a 1 1/8th inch socket on one side and a 15 mm socket on the other, mixing units just to be obnoxious; bushings came out without too much cursing:

Pressing out the old lower a arm bushing using a vise and two sockets

Surprise! The old bushings revealed themselves to be the MGB V8 steel sleeved bushings instead of the two piece no-sleeve standard bushings.

MGB Front Lower A Arm Bushing - V8 Style!

We installed the poly bushings from Moss anyway. Note there were no metal sleeves for the interior or exterior of the bushings as is common on poly bushings - inner usually. I called Moss and they checked the kits and decided that was as it should be. I noted the greased bushings slid onto the pins with some difficulty, so there was no room for a sleeve anyway.

Working on a 45 year old car? What time is it? GRINDER TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Might as well grind off the surface rust and paint with Rustoleum before remounting the parts.

Grind baby grind!

Painted and ready to return

MGB Front Lower A Arm Bushing - Isn't She Pretty in Poly?

One last note on the outside pin of the lower a arm: the grease / dust seal has a VERY thin rubber lip, which is east to fold under when reinstalling (if it happens to fall off while you are flailing and floundering trying to get the bolts for the spring pan realigned, not that it would ever happen).

Race Report: 2012 The Real Hoopties of New Jersey - 24 Hours of LeMons

The MGB was all ready and rarin' to go for the 24 Hours of LeMons race The Real Hoopties of New Jersey at New Jersey Motorsports Park on April 14 & 15 2012.

Sometimes it takes 12 wheels to get a tiny 1500 lbs car to a race.

Nice open pit area, front row. So front row that the LeMons crew came over to inspect us early so we didn't have to wait in line! Classy! 

Those big gold "50" balloons later detached in the gusty wind and floated up into the next-door airports airspace... oops - sorry NORAD.

Safety Inspection found a few items, which we fixed pronto:

1. Some of the seat bolts were a bit loose which allowed them to move it a bit side to side, so we tightened them all up and added bolts to the back bottom of the seat for extra stability.
2. Bolts holding the seat back support to the seat itself needed spreader washers (the seat is aluminum and would tear easily).
3. Seat harness bolts needed tightening.

Since we had plenty of spare time, Bob & Scot replaced the Weber DGV Carburetor Accelerator Pump Diaphragm:

Blue engine bay, blue roll bar, blue engine, blue hands, blue shirt... gee, no wonder we blew the engine.

Poor Queenie the Solar powered forever waving monarch fell off the MGB 50th Anniversary Cake and had a bit of a mash up - we didn't recognize the portent for what it was until too late.

"I Shall Forever Wave No More Forever"

Having fun while it lasted:

Now that's what I'm talking about!

 My bad, turn 1, ran out of talent:

The tire mark is only halfway up the MGB fender - what's the problem?

Scot's first stint - came in and reported the drivers side front suspension "wobbles" at high speed. We told him to keep his elbow INSIDE the window, but to appease him we checked it out anyway... sure enough, the bolt that sealed the oil in the shock / dampener had vibrated a bit loose and was leaking oil. Yes, MGBs have dipsticks on the shock absorbers. We filled it back up and out she went, ready to rumble:

"Knock yourself out, buttplug!"

Scot was just happy that, since it was indeed the dampener, he could return to hanging his elbow out the window:

She wobbles at high speed, just like the Queen!

At the end of day 1, the car seemed a bit underpowered but was running good enough as far as we cared to admit, so we offered Steve - who had just come down to pit crew and see what was up with endurance racing - some seat time.

Unbeknownst to Steve, he prepares for the worst.

Remember that whole "If someone offers you something for free it's probably worth every penny" parable? Yeah, that... Engine Grenade in 3...2....1.... I think he only got 4 laps or less!!! Sorry about that.

The old MGB cylinder 3"Bearing Blender" maneuver.

Hey! You can't park there Steve!    Wait... why aren't you out on the track!?!

Manly tractor engines can cry too, you know.

The full extent of damage in the blown engine may be found in this post: Engine Done Blowed Up Real Good!

The other four drivers - notice the correlation between the still-running engine before the race and the smiles - 100%!

The MG is thinking: "Uh huh - put your asses on ME will you?!!? I'll show you bastages in about 7 hours!!

Suspension - we should get some

And now the big news. I am still waiting for the return of the broken-at-Summit-Point front anti-sway bar from Moss. 

While waiting, I took off the wheels to check brake pads (still very thick) and check out the front shock oil level, figuring it was low and maybe contributing to the demolished sway bar at Summit Point race. Below is a photo of the inside valving of the front shocks: on the left is the valve new from Moss, on the right is the valve that was in our MGB. 

Notice any difference? 

LIKE THE ACTUAL FARKING VALVE SPRING AND ALL THE FARKING VALVE O-RINGS?!?!?! 

That’s right ladies and gentlemen – you’ve been racing in a car that had ZERO FRONT SHOCK dampening (as if you need me to tell you that!). My guess: the DPO (dreadful previous owner) had completely removed the valves - probably had installed the tube shock kit and then removed it (and the sway bar) before selling the car off, and then didn’t bother to put the valves back in. I just happened to have 2 ‘competition up-rated’ valves I had ordered 6 months ago but never installed. Sweet. I installed them Monday but as it was raining I haven’t test driven yet – but results from the ‘fender bounce’ test states very much improved. Like, actually damped. Party.