MGB New Project

[CTX-SLPR]

And you were just talking about needing more rear end for more the power adder...

This is escalating nicely!
[Fun fact, the term escalator apparently predates the term escalating and is the root]

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

Of course you could get a quick change rear for it. I have a spare one, but it's already been accounted for. Besides it's an open tube quick change and has no differential. Wouldn't be much fun unless all you want to do with the car is drag racing or dirt tracking...

[Dan Barlow]

pretty sure he's fixing it to put oil in his driveway.

Hahaha

[DanStokes]

Get ready for plenty of bad rear end humor......


Here my rear end is in a sling. It's a tad too heavy to pick up unless you're FGI.




So I made a way to roll my rear end around the shop. It's a little lower than I'd like but I had the lumber around the shop. No new trees were harmed on make this.




I've been wondering who made my rear end and found this tramp stamp on the cover. The best explanation I've found is that when Morris and Wolseley joined they took MO and WO and added the G, perhaps for Garages. So basically a British differential made by the MG parent company. It looks sorta like a little Ford 8.8 and is quite heavy for its size.




Here's the right side brake drum and wire wheel hub pulled. This lets me clean and paint the backing plate, etc. and cjhange the wheel bearing seal which is retained by the backing plate. Different but perfectly OK, I guess. I'll pull the axle shaft and spin the bearings just to see how they're doing (and, of course, replace as needed).




And a peek inside the diff itself. It turns out that there are brass washers that act as bushings for the spider gears and they're prone to wear after many years. One can check for movement of the gears on the shaft to see if they need attention. These ones do with about 1/16 to 1/8" movement. If not fixed the rear will clunk so this is the time to do it. This is common enough that they even make thicker washers if needed but I think I'll start with the OEM ones. Happily the oil came out w/o and shiny bits so I'm reasonably content. While I'm in there I'll check the gear ratio.

[1946Austin]

Is that a C clip type rear setup?

[DanStokes]

Is that a C clip type rear setup?

No. The axle shafts (they call them half shafts in British) are held in at the outer ends with a bearing retainer though different from a 9 inch as I recall that setup. If you look behind the backing plates you can see the welded-on castings that form the "cup" and immediately behind the backing plate and held on with the backing plate bolts is a retaining plate. This wouldn't be a bad rear end for a moderate HP build (say, less that 250 or so HP) that needs a narrow axle. I expect it'll do OK with my 173 HP. It's the same rear that was used successfully in the factory V8 MGBs with the Rover (Buick) aluminum V8.

[silver_bullet]

we visited RK Machine in Ripley OK during power tour several years ago and Rick Kirk had a flathead Ford with a MG serial number on it... stated that it was offered in the earlier MGs... Here is the picture:



Just a bit of worthless trivia...

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

MOWOG is all over Mini parts as well. Never bothered to find out what it stood for. Figured the m was for Morris. The rest???

[2020 mustang]

Love this project. I also hope when I get to retirement age I still have the energy Dan has. more photo's. love it.

[Teddyzee]

Great cart, and I like the use of the rod to hold it in position.

With a battery powered circular saw and a pneumatic nailer, I make things like this more often these days.
I have an 8.8 to narrow soon, I'll borrow your isea.

[DanStokes]

Great cart, and I like the use of the rod to hold it in position.

With a battery powered circular saw and a pneumatic nailer, I make things like this more often these days.
I have an 8.8 to narrow soon, I'll borrow your isea.

That's a short length of 1/2" black iron plumbing pipe left over from some project or the other. Just a way to keep the diff horizontal. So far it's working well with the only downside being that this housing has all sorts of attachments welded to it (exhaust hanger, brake line attachments, etc) and they sometimes get in the way of positioning it where I want it. The 8.8 probably has cleaner tubes.

I screw everything together but nails would probably work, too. I predrill for the screws (I used 4" deck screws on this because I had them) and zip them in with my drill/driver. BTW, the uprights are screwed up from the bottom of the HF dolly and with the angle braces everything is super stout. I don't DO flimsy!

[DanStokes]

Love this project. I also hope when I get to retirement age I still have the energy Dan has. more photo's. love it.

I figure if I have a project in the works I can't die because I it would be cruel to leave ME with a shop full of half-dead cars. So at 76 I just keep on chuggin'.

[silver_bullet]

[SuperBuickGuy]

we visited RK Machine in Ripley OK during power tour several years ago and Rick Kirk had a flathead Ford with a MG serial number on it... stated that it was offered in the earlier MGs... Here is the picture:



Just a bit of worthless trivia...

how to make a MG slower?

[DanStokes]

how to make a MG slower?

Not sure. The 1800 MGB engines were 95ish HP before Abdington had to deal with emissions laws (they ultimately dropped to 65ish). Not sure what the HP would have been that particular flattie. And no doubt heavier. Never heard any of the MG guys speak of this but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.