The reason for the big sell-off

[markbt73]

So as it turns out, the knocking noise was a bent fan blade hitting the radiator. (Coincidentally, this was also the cause of the leak. Go figure...) The further I drove, the more it bent, the louder it got, and the more it gouged up the backside of the radiator.

I took the fan off and started it for a minute; sounds fine. No bottom end noise at all, just a little clack from the valves. But they probably haven't been adjusted since the Reagan years...

New radiator, fan, and some soft parts on their way from Moss Motors. I need to get it mobile so I can go title and register it, and then I can start looking at other stuff, and brakes are on that list. They feel safe, and stop straight, but it takes a lot of effort.

[Wooders28]

Glad it's not terminal,plus a new modern rad will help cooling.

Early 70's cars weren't famed for their good brakes, a clean up, grease and new pads will work wonders though! 

Happy motoring.

[Snappy1]

Great looking car, well done

[Kingfisher]

On 8/1/2016 at 2:11 PM, markbt73 said:

and brakes are on that list.

Great looking car! Considering the age of the car, as well as the lack of mileage, have you checked to see what condition the tires are in? Can you find a date code on the sidewalls? Just tryin' to help prevent another ride in a tow truck. 

[markbt73]

4 hours ago, Kingfisher said:

Great looking car! Considering the age of the car, as well as the lack of mileage, have you checked to see what condition the tires are in? Can you find a date code on the sidewalls? Just tryin' to help prevent another ride in a tow truck. 

Front tires are brand new but the wrong size, rears need replacing. Will probably buy 4 and keep one of the new ones as a spare; the spare is a mass of dry-rot and exposed steel belts.

[speedy_w_beans]

Very cool purchase.  I had a '72 Fiat 124 Sport Spider 20 years ago, and it needed a lot of help back then too.  It spent about three months in the garage as I went through most of the drivetrain and all the wiring.  So much was wrong with the car, it's no wonder I got it for $1000.  Put another $1000 in repairs into it, drove it until my wife was pregnant, and then sold it for $2000.  Broke even.

Enjoy maintaining and driving your car!

[Saito2]

My father and I restored a '66 MGB. Great cars. The beauty of them is everything is available for them. Ours was an old autocrosser which meant it had Spax shocks, lowering springs, a bigger cam, bigger carbs, a header, alloy wheels and a rollbar. They handle great even in stock form,

[markbt73]

A little update...

We took the car to the All-British Field Meet here in Portland last weekend. Around 800 cars there, including 50 or so other MGBs. Tons of other MGs, Triumphs, Minis, Jags for miles, Land Rovers all over the place (they were the featured marque this year) and a small army of Healeys, as well as some that we rarely see here like TVR and Sunbeam. Beautiful late-summer day.

Photo album link:

https://goo.gl/photos/5WdMf6zz7PTQBSGg9

The GT (or "Maggie" as we've taken to calling her) did well, racked up about 100 miles over the weekend, but the tappet noise just isn't going away, and now there is a faint bottom-end noise. Carbs started leaking fuel as well. So right now it's in the garage while I assess just how much of it is going to have to be rebuilt.

[Nobbi1977]

8 hours ago, markbt73 said:

A little update...

We took the car to the All-British Field Meet here in Portland last weekend. Around 800 cars there, including 50 or so other MGBs. Tons of other MGs, Triumphs, Minis, Jags for miles, Land Rovers all over the place (they were the featured marque this year) and a small army of Healeys, as well as some that we rarely see here like TVR and Sunbeam. Beautiful late-summer day.

Photo album link:

https://goo.gl/photos/5WdMf6zz7PTQBSGg9

The GT (or "Maggie" as we've taken to calling her) did well, racked up about 100 miles over the weekend, but the tappet noise just isn't going away, and now there is a faint bottom-end noise. Carbs started leaking fuel as well. So right now it's in the garage while I assess just how much of it is going to have to be rebuilt.

Just remember these were never quite engines when new, all BL stuff sounded tappity and the pressed tin rocker cover just made it sound worse

[markbt73]

Yeah, I know what "normal" solid tappet noise sounds like. Kind of a sewing machine "chicka-chicka-chicka." This isn't that. Much louder and sharper, and gets louder as it warms up. I was willing to dismiss it, then I heard all the other B-series engines at the show. Only a couple were as loud as mine.

[Saito2]

Noises can be tricky. You can check the valve clearance (cold). For bottom end noises, carefully with the engine running (using thick gloves or insulated pliers) pull one plug wire at a time. If the noise goes away in the bottom end, it might be a rod knock. At the very least , this identifies the cylinder with the problem. You can pull the oil pan on a B without pulling the engine, so if you need to plastigauge (check clearances) or replace bearings, you can. One time I had a B that would quiet down upon pulling two adjacent plug wires. Two rod knocks at the same time seemed unlikely so I did a compression test. It turned out the head gasket was leaking between the two cylinders, which, oddly enough, sounded like a rod knock.

[markbt73]

Update: The noise is the camshaft. It's toast. At least two lobes almost flat, 4 of the 8 tappets are all pitted and chipped. Working on disassembly now; supposedly you can get the cam out with the engine in place. Dealing with a rusted-in-place distributor mount right now...

[graemevw]

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