1965 MGB Roadster Restoration

I recently did some more work on the 1965 'pull handle' MGB roadster undergoing restoration in the workshop. Both floor pans were rather patched and horrible, so I started by removing the left hand one. This was no easy task, as it has been patched in places, and where someone had once fitted new sills , it was brazed along the entire outer edge. Rather than half an hour drilling out spot welds, it became hours of grinding back ancient blobs of brass until the edges were back to good clean steel, ready for the new floor.


Once the new pan was trimmed, adjusted to fit, and welded in place, half of the centre cross member was cut out and replaced. The cross member didn't look too bad externally, but with the old floor pan removed, it wasn't a pretty sight inside, so I decided the best idea was to cut it out and replace it. Rather than chop the whole thing out in one go, which could leave the car a bit flexible, I decided to do it one half at a time to minimize shell movement. I will replace the other half when I replace the right hand floor pan - an internal stiffener will be welded inside the centre join of the new cross member to compensate.
To finish off it was just a case of welding the jacking point back on (which id carefully cut from the old cross member) and a quick coat of primer to stop the welds rusting.

Now I just have to do the same the other side, only it looks like that sides had even more brazing....

Austin A40 engine rebuild

In the workshop recently:

The owner of this Austin A40 Somerset has become a regular customer.

Before I started looking after the car, it suffered from regular head gasket failure - a problem the Somerset and Devon 1200cc engines are prone to. When the gasket failed recently, the decision was taken to properly rectify the problem.

The engine was pulled and stripped, and the head and block were skimmed showing both faces to be uneven. A few mods were made to the way the studs located the head, the core plugs removed and the cooling system thoroughly cleaned (there was ½ an inch of rust/sludge in places!).

The engine was checked while it was apart and found to be in very good condition. The valves were lapped in and new valve springs, chain tensioner and water pump were fitted. Everything was cleaned to remove many years worth of grime before re-assembly with new gaskets and core plugs. All the head fixings were carefully checked and cleaned, and the head very carefully torqued in gradual stages. To finish things off, the engine was given a coat of Austin engine green.

Today the engine went back into the car and everything was fitted up and re-connected. Tomorrow should see it running and finished, lets hope the problem is sorted once and for all!