MGF 75th Anniversary ....... the next project

gitano · April 03, 2015, 04:48:59 PM

Still watching with interest.

Paul

sakorick · April 04, 2015, 03:32:15 AM

Quote from: Brithunter;137609Gitano,

I will be selling the Blue MGF. Have to get her prepared for sale to maximise the return. It seems that the RFD whom sold my Muscat Martini forgot to tell me it had sold and forgot to send me the money.

How convenient. Nobody forgets to send money except me.:o

Brithunter · April 04, 2015, 08:23:58 PM

Ahhh well Easter is upon us and so everything slows to a halt. My parts are held up due to the "Holidays" main things held up are the new front brakes.

Anyway we have been trying to puzzle out just how to fit this later alloy manifold to her. So removed the injectors and fuel rail with injector loom from the damaged plastic manifold and swapped them onto the alloy lower manifold but retained the fuel return pipe as for some reason the spacing of the mounting tabs are different between the plastic and alloy ones :huh: nope makes no sense to me either!

Reason for the swapping over is that the car runs a different ECU system to the later model that the alloy manifold came off and the wiring is non compatible:-

Have also discovered that the early Mems 1.9 system this 75th model runs uses a Green Inlet temperature sensor and the TF that the alloy one came from does not. It uses a Manifold Pressure sensor. So will have to have the pressure sensor fitted to block the hole it mounts into in the Plenum unless we can fabricate a blanking plate ....................... hmmm must give that some thought!

Now the lower half of the alloy manifold has a boss cast on it in the correct spot to mount the Inlet temp sensor so it can be drilled and tapped without much ado but ......................................... there is always a BUT! It seems that it will need to be drilled and tapped much larger than the sensor needs and an insulation bush made to avoid heat soak from the alloy to stop erronous data being given to the engine management system.

So whilst pondering this and waiting for some replies to questions raised on the MGF forums the starter motor was removed, sounds simple enough but boy it really did not want to come out of it's little niche

, but with the aid of a tyre lever it's out. It needed to come out so the Flywheel locking tool could be put into place to lock the engine for the crankshaft bolt to be undone so the pully could be removed and the lower cam belt cover could be finally taken off to inspect the water pump...

Hmmm am not so pleased with the look of that rust and am wondering if this is leakage or from being sat for the best part of two years outside and not being used???

Am thinking for peace of mind and safety of the engine perhaps I should replace it along with the cam belt and tensioner as after all we are almost half way there to doing the job with the engine stripped like it is. This raises another little problem ................................... it seems king kong did up the the two bolts on the engine mount which must be split to remove the cam belt

.

So whilst we also ponder how to get around that little hiccup it's onto the stripping and checking the rear brakes and suspension. As there is a rear subframe standing on the side of the drive out of the donor VVC I have removed the two radius arms and am de-rusting them ready for painting and refurbishing with new bushes.

Like these that I did last year for "Elsies" rear suspension. Have not ordered the bushes yet as will do that once we know exactly which and how many we need to replace. Plus have yet to see if I can actually get the eye bolts for the tie bars undone as they are a real swine to get at without dropping the rear subframe from the bodyshell.

We know that the hand brake works as such so will remove the calipers clean, inspect, and if found servicable then paint them before refitting with new S/S PVC coveed braided brake hoses which I already have.

Brithunter · May 06, 2015, 12:35:02 PM

About time for an update:-

This weekend has been sorting coolant hoses and pipes. Have fitted a new thermostat, for now will use the std one but later am going to convert to PRT, refitted the engine coolant rail. Fitted a replacement engine outlet hose and return hose although neither are connected to the under floor coolant rails.

The alloy lower manifold has been drilled and tapped to accept the "Green" Inlet Temp sensor and the coils has been refitted:-

The rear calipers have been cleaned and painted ready for refitting:-

Halfords Red to compliment the new AP Racing 2 posts on the front:-

New 5mm thick alloy spacers of the correct PCD.

The calipers came from MG Mania along with some upgraded mounting bolts. The discs are APEC which have been painted to keep them looking nice and the rust at bay. The rear caliper carriers have also been cleaned and painted:-

We will be getting new mounting bolts, sliders, and bleed nipples as well as new banjo bolts for them.

She also has a new water pump, cam belt and tensioner fitted and now has her belt covers refitted and aslo her alternator belt which has been tensioned:-

So we are coming along if slowly.

Have to undo the radius are sub frame bolts and check the inner sub frame ends of the Track Control Arms then we can order the bushes and get new bolts and compliance washers. Am going to order from Durflex ......................... yes I know not as hard as Polybush but I don't want a harsh ride just a true one.

Still to get are:-

Radiator fan
Rear shocks
Rear discs and pads (the O/S/R is badly pitted and slightly warped)
Fuel Filter
Hydolastic fluid

Hope to have her running again in a few days and brakes all working by next Friday and hopefully with working suspension by Tuesday 21st.

Brithunter · May 06, 2015, 12:40:25 PM

First thing was to route the S/S braided front brake hoses so they are safe and secure:-

I believe this is the neatest solution that I have found to date so will copy it and do the same to "Elsie" . Then it was onto wire brushing the loose paint and rust on the rear subframe then treat so it can be painted tomorrow weather permitting.

Tomorrow actually came!

Well in a lull in the wind and rain when the sun was actually showing it's face it was coat on and out to undercoat the treated hubs and sub frame. As the aim was to get it done as quickly as possible no photos were taken. Retreating indoors for a cuppa to allow the undercoat to dry then after a while in another break it was out to spray some top coat on. Yellow for the hubs ................................ of course. I was even thinking of buying another tin of Hammerite Smooth in Yellow but that can wait until much later ........................... time is the enemy right now.

So an aerosol can was used. The subframe needs to be ALL yellow if that is the colour and as we don't have the time, access, or the paint right now the subframe was done in Satin Black:-

The rust was only surface but stopping it going further is always a good move :) . The hubs especially will need another coat before an application of lacquer and the sub frame will get another coat. I did breifly consider underseal.

My intention is to get the rear sub frame from the Donor VVC stripped then blasted so it can be properly painted then rebuilt and then swapped into one of the F's and then that sub frame can be treated the same. Likewise the front sub frame from the 75 will be stripped and painted then rebuilt and swapped into "Elsie"....................................... all part of the ongoing restoration.

Well the bushes eventually arrived, was promised them for last Saturday so they turn up the Wednesday after :tapfoot: , and am sorry to say that I am not impressed. Firstly my order was for Yellow bushes with Stainless ferrules, tubes, spacers, it seems these were the problem. Don't know why people seem afraid of machining stainless but they are :-? looking at the tube ends it appears that the tooling was blunt the finish is like a ploughed field and rough as a badgers backside. The finish in the bores is also not good and in the days of carbide U drills it seems these were done with a good old twist drill which wandered. I had to skim the ends on one tie rod eye bush to get it into the bracket on the subframe so chucked in the the small lathe and the hole is not concentric with the tubes outside ................................. Hmmmmm

A tie rod eye bush ................................................. remember these are YELLOW!!!!! the chap at Durflex assures me that these are Yellow despite their own web site showing they are Orange as the Yellow IS yellow on their web page.

Not the poor finish to the tubes end

..................................................... Now these are the complaince bushes:-

Hmmm they don't look like any other complaince bush that I have seen on an F ???????????????? For compaision these are Polybush ones:-

that I fitted to "Elsie" for her MOT last September.

The tubes are one piece that passes through both bushes unlike the Duraflex which have short tubes through each bush. I am wondering if they have trrouble drilling through a length of Stainless the required length????? :-? if so this calls the skill of their machinist and their choice of tooling into question. Simple tube spacers like this would be 2nd year apperentice work and can be achieved on a centre lathe. Using a capstan would make the job even easier and with modern CNC machines a doddle and yes I have many years experience running and setting such machines. Now these are the Duraflex bushes fitted:-

I was worried that the tie bar nut would not have enough thread to grip on but it seems one has to wind the nut on and squish the Duraflexs Complaince Bushes :slapme: :omg: I am also wondering about the lower arm to hub bush as on the standard one the steelof the arm is against the hub but the Duraflex bush is squashed between arm and hub ????? now I simply so not have enough knowledge about polymers and polyurathene to make an informed judgement here so it's a "suck it and see" scenerio :-? .

A tie rod with standard MG-Rover bush:-

That one was painted over a year ago and has lain out on the old steel saw bench since then.

The standard bush is a right Mare to remove and I found the only way with no proper press as to tear the rubber out by shearing it under pressure in the 6" bench vice, used a large deep socket and a smaller one to shear the rubber bush through, then cutting the steel ring with a hack saw before punching the split ring out with a cold chisel the Duraflex bush being in two halves was easy to fit the tube is one piece but of course is fairly short:-

Once the old bush was out the tie rod was cleaned off and primed:-

then painted Yellow to match the rest.

Of all the Duraflex bushes that I have these are the ones I would buy again as they do stiffen up the the tie rod and stop it twisting which I am hoping is a good thing! I also don't know of others offering a replacement bush for this!!!!

The lower radius arm inner bush is again very thick and it proved very difficult to get the shims in place:-

The O/S went in a bit easier and further. Anyway apart from rear shocks the rear suspension is back together. The dampers on her were no good due to poor condition so have to get replacements as NONE of the ones here are in good enough condition to use :bang: and the money has run out. The new TRW rear discs did arrive though:-

so got cleaned and titivated ................................. they are only fitted for the photo as the edge/rim is not painted and have not bought the new bolts for the caliper carrier mounting to the hub as yet along with the new bleed nipples.

Another job completed on her was the swapping of the ingition switch so she now has the full lock set from the Donor VVC fitted so she has two keys just have to sort out a second key fob as we still only have the one of those. The Donors boot lock has this cover:-

so that was swapped over too !

Brithunter · May 06, 2015, 12:47:59 PM

Last Friday was spent wrestling with the interior to get at the gear change mechanism. Whilst removing the centre tunnel it was found to have a broken top passenger side tab. This explains why it did not sit level with the dash ..................................... so the one that came out of "Blue" was cleaned and fitted it being the same colour. We soon discovered why the change was so sloppy the spigots on the bronze bushes had been broken off so were no longer locating the parts on the holes.

So the one from "Elsie" was dragged from it's hiding place and one good working unit built from the two. Sounds easy but it was a nightmare job due to some idiots use of thread locker :rant: so whilst it was apart the 97 vintage gear stick which has a bronze bush rather than plastic was shortened. Then drilled 3/4" deep and the hole tapped 6mm. A S/S 10mm cap headed bolt was turned down and threaded 6mm to a shoulder and this was then fitted to the stick to accept the gear knob.

This has tightened up the shift no end but the cables need adjusting as selecting reverse is difficult. Adjusting the cables seems to have helped next we need to check the oil leve in the box as the seal around the change shaft is leaking.

This is how she sits now the suspension was pumped with one of those converted oil guns off ebay.

Well the 75th now has an Air Filter even if it was not the intended one. I had acquired a TF 160 filter set up including bracket however we soon discovered that with the resonator still in place even with the intake elbow removed the TF bracket won't fit. So the TF160 assembly has found it's way into "Elsie" the 97 VVC and her K7N 57i is now on the 75th. Also adjusted the cables gearbox end and fitted one new gaiter.

Have refitted the cam belt cover and today at last the new TRW rear brake pads arrived and are not fitted just need to re-bleed the brakes now and fit the belly pan. She is supposed to be moving to the garage for the sill repair tomorrow "Wednesday" but am not sure she will be ready due to other chores and the weather not playing ball.

Well it's Wednesday evening and the brakes are now re-bled ................... just got that done and the heavens opened. The rain just fell in buckets. It eventually stopped butti was now time to cook our dinner so I didn't get back out and under the car until quite late but managed to refit the belly pan and only round of the 22 bolt holses needed tapping out. Refitted her wheels and lowered her down off the jacks and stands. Fitted the engine cover, it has to come back off again before her MOT test as I need to refit an air filter bracket that holds the fuel filter secure. The bracket is being painted after being cleaned and rust treated. Once she comes back for havign her sill repaired I cna refit the door card fit the filter bracket and then get her booked in for a 4 wheel alignment then out fo the tyre depot around the cornerto teh test station. Need to get those booked though to cover legal bases.

gitano · May 06, 2015, 09:16:37 PM

Looking very good, BH!

Paul

Brithunter · May 11, 2015, 01:36:24 AM

Next was refit the repainted air filter bracket to support the fuel filter:-

It's not needed for the filter as she has "Elsie's" K7N 57i fitted........ yes that is a nice shiney new fuel filter too.

Then it was start removing the obvious signs of years of neglect ................ the under bonnet and under the scuttle was filthy and every nook and cranny filled with debris and muck. I had hosed it out once but this old stuff was firmly stuck in place. No other way but to get in with cloths and brushes and get as much as we can out.

Filthy as you can see.............................. and this is AFTER a pressure hose down the other week. There is a lot to do the get it decent again but we made a start:-

Yes for some reason the rivet for the VIN plate has been sheared off. This will be drilled out and replaced to secure the plate once again.

I know many never see this but once clean it really does not take much to keep it decent and it allows one to spot any rust starting. The engine bay top was also given a wipe down before the engine access cover was replaced:-

It was while doing this that I noticed that someone in the past has cut off the little hooks from the soft top frame ???????????? WHY?

Whilst checking lights etc for the MOT discovered this:-

Cracked rear bumper ........................................ more expense :roll: which proably was done when this happened:-

and no I don't know how or whom did it but it was like this when I veiwed it.

Anyway yesterday the cleaning up of the under bonnet continued:-

The battery earth cable was caked in black grease so was removed and cleaned and a new bolt found and used after a application of vaseline to protect it and provide a good contact:-

Also pulled the radiator fan relay and cleaned the contacts and smeared them with vaseline to stop corrosion. Still to do is clean the black plastics and protect them and it seems lower the N/S as it's raised a bit more and is not at over 360mm in height. Am aiming for 355-358mm in heights to allow for the warmer weather for it to rise some. Will see if it settles some more when she is moved to the garage for the sill repair on Thursday. The chap will also cut off the seized solid battery clamp bolt the battery has not been fixed in place for ages as it's sliding about has removed quite a bit of the battery trays paint I discovered. Once the bolt is cut off I can drill the remained out and paint the tray with stone chip for protection. Meanwhile have cleaned and painted the battery clamp off the donor ready to be used.

Brithunter · May 23, 2015, 01:30:05 AM

Well this has taken me by surprise but the repair is done. It required the whole rear part of the sill to be cut out and replaced :o it required 27" of repair any way it's looking sound not just need stone chipe then paint to cover it and make it unnoticable. It would also seem that she has been in an accident in the past as it looks like the O/S/R quarter has been repaired or replaced. Now we know that the O/S/F wing is a replacement as it's green inside so the history of her seems to be getting interesting in a not so good way.

Having her ready to pick up now has sort of throw things into confusion as I had arranged for collection Monday or Tuesday.............................. so now it's arrange the wheel alignment then MOT right after.

It seems the DVLA MOT history is rather sparce however it would appear that the front Monroe shocks were fitting in June 2010 at 60,042 miles. The hardly worn brakes that I had to replace due to being very badly fitted were done for the MOT in March 2013 and the rusting on the front sub frame was mentioned as an advisory but what is most interesting is that she may have been clocked :o as the test in 2013 is nearly 500 miles less than the one in 2014 so something is amiss. Either we have a error, the speedo unit has been changed, or something funny is going on. It would also appear that it was between 1st March and 20th April 2013 that the drivers wing was replaced as she failed the test again on that headlight aim being too low so it would appear that the bump happened in that period which required the head light and wing to be replaced. And this was all less that 2000 miles ago................................... if the odeometer is correct that is.

She is booked in for her wheel alignment adjustment then the MOT is a place in Boston for Friday morning at 10 am. So better pop out with a can an get some tetrol for her as there is very little in her. This is the sill repair:-

Am not too keen on the line of the weld but will ask Stuart if he can do something about masking it. Perhaps when the lower part is painted black with stone chip it won't be as noticable?

But somehow think it will need Stuarts delicate touch to make it really decent the rust in the intake needs sorting which means ideally the rear quarter need a repaint but that will have to wait a while as yet.

Brithunter · May 23, 2015, 01:30:47 AM

Actually started yesterday but finished today first washed the 75th then clayed it and boy was the paint rough and dirty then used some paint renovator and finally waxed her:-

That was yesterday evening:-

late this afternoon.

Then this morning in the post a further upgrade bit of "Bling" if you like arrived in the form of a leather covered arm rest/cubby lid:-

OK it's Grey but it will be dyed just not sure as to if it should be Black of Grenadine red??? The reason for the leather covered one is that the original plastic one just feels cheap and flimsy unlike the more robust leatehr covered item. This one came off ebay for £10.99 delivered. It was rather dirty but a few minutes washing and scrubbing and it's come up rather well.

Then fixed and fitted the front air dam:-

To the front sub frame. After which it was check all her lights then wipers and washers .................... Hmmm drivers side washer worked the other day but not now so swapped the jet for one off the spare bonnet. Then had to muck about getting the jets hitting correctly so hopefully we are OK for the MOT in the morning.

Brithunter · May 23, 2015, 01:32:50 AM

Well she passed the MOT with NO advisorys 8-) Whoopee

.

Have parked her up at home until the beginning of June when we will tax her.

After getting her taxed we have to get the alignment done properly as their gauges on the floor, no they didn't tell me that's what they use , have left it quite a way out. Got her checked on a Hunter machine so will getting it reset once she is legally on the road with RFL. will see if we can get some better tyres at least for the front before then.

gitano · May 23, 2015, 08:20:33 AM

Very nice looking job, BH!

You should be proud to drive that car around.

Paul

Brithunter · May 23, 2015, 02:55:04 PM

Thank You Gitano .............................. I am. In fact I am proud to drive them all .............................. all three of them. The MGF's that is as after all I have done a fair bit of work on all three and saved them all from probably beign scraped for parts!!!!! but it's ture that this 75th Anniversary Edition certainly needed to most work and she is not finished really ........................ not yet.

To get her really right will take a lot of money yet:-

New tyres
Exhaust................ possibly a new CAT................ if so just these will swallow another £300- £1000 depending on tyre choice and exhaust choice.
Body work ................... remove rust blisters, treat, and respray. If we also go for dent removal anda quality respray then that's into the thousands

.

The drivers side has been sprayed before and not particularly well

it would appear she has been in a scrape at some point. However let's get the tyres and exhaust sorted then worry about improving her looks

branxhunter · May 25, 2015, 01:06:54 PM

Looks fantastic BH!

Marcus

Brithunter · May 27, 2015, 11:15:24 PM

Thank you

.

Now due to a mishap in my Green one "Elsie" she will be off the road for some weeks now whilst I fix her up. We spun on something and she slammed into the N/S curb smashing a chunk out of an alloy rim and it seems also wrecking the inner CV joint. Not sure if the drive shaft is bent or not as yet but to access the inner joint more easily the exhaust will be removed.

This was all new last September and I used stainless fastenings so it will come off nice and easy. As "Elsie" will not be needing it up on stands I will fit this exhaust to the 75th and see about a more sporty one for "Elsie" later.

June 20th & 21st is the MG-Live event at Silverstone racing circuit and this year is the 20th anniversary of the launch of the MGF model and I am now attending then event for teh weekend. Will be camping which I have not done for decades. On the Sunday there will be a Circuit Parade/Tour of the different varients of the MGF offered over the years and the 75th is now entered into that parade so we have to attend now :D so she needs a decent looking exhaust and not one with a tail pipe broken off.

So have started undoing the 16 year old nuts and bolts. Got the 4 manifold/down pipe joint ones undone but it looks like will have to cut/grind the others off....................... or cut through the pipe itself. Which due to the location of the upper nuts is the most likely option.