Confessions

but be very careful as grades SM and newer will potentially not contain enough Zinc to properly protect the camshaft lobes

    Care and feeding

  The engine is tuned to run 87 octane fuel, so unless you change the timing, regular unleaded should be fine. The head has hardened valve seats, so there should be no recession issues.
  Oil should be 15W-50 or 20W-50, but be very careful as grades SM and newer will potentially not contain enough Zinc to
properly protect the camshaft lobes. I’ve been using Mobil-1 15W-50, but always check the bottle and look for words like “formulated for older cars with flat-tappet cams” or “added zinc for protection of older car engines” (with the Mobil, it’s in the small print on the back of the bottle). I use a Wix 51068 or Napa Gold 1068 filter and change at every oil change. Be careful, it’s easy to cross thread the filter when installing.
  Hydraulic fluid should be Castrol LMA (now marketed as Castrol Full Synthetic DOT 4).
  Any standard antifreeze formula is fine. 50% mixture with distilled water works fine. Try to avoid minerals and change on time, as the back passages of the block can clog if neglected leading to overheating.
  I used Meguiar’s products on the interior rather than Armor-all.
  Headlights are H4 halogens. Currently, the installed bulb is the Osram H4 64205, which is a rally bulb that cannot be found locally (and is not road-legal, due to it’s higher output).
  My standard winterizing routine

      Fill the tank with ethanol-free gasoline.
      Drive home, disconnect the fuel pump and run the car until it dies to drain the carbs.
      Change the oil.
      Confirm the antifreeze provides enough low temperature protection.
      Connect the battery to a tender.
      In the spring, I remove the spark plugs, crank the engine until oil pressure registers on the gauge (running the starter 15-20
seconds at a time with pauses of 10-15 seconds between). Then I reinstall the plugs, connect the fuel pump, wait for it to fill
the carbs, and drive. This is not strictly necessary, as there should be plenty of oil to withstand the startup, but it makes me feel better.

Summary of Modifications

  Both the front and rear springs have been replaced with 1” lower specifications, restoring the car to pre-75 ride height. The bump stops were replaced with appropriate springs for the altered suspension travel. All bushings in the front suspension have been replaced with polyethylene bushings for longer life. I also installed a ⅝” front anti-sway bar with rubber bushings to limit body roll in corners.
  A previous owner altered the starter circuit to bypass the only-for-1975 sequential seatbelt system that prevented you from starting the car without the belts being on. This also disabled the neutral safety switch previously preventing you from attempting to start the car while in gear. Additionally, seatbelt circuits and seat weight sensors that were used to determine if a seatbelt was needed and in use have been removed.
  Headlights have been modified from stock, the stock circuit is a single unfused circuit. As now configured, headlights are now independently powered from a shared bus directly off the alternator primary wiring. Each filament (2 high beam, 2 low beam) is given a dedicated fused circuit which is routed to the bulb element via a relay triggered by the original factory wiring.
  Heater fan circuit now uses a relay—original power lead from switch activates the relay which draws power directly from the a dedicated 15A fuse. The fan speed did increase as a result of this change, but primarily I did it to reduce the electrical load on the switch within the dashboard.
  Original SU fuel pump has been replaced with a “cube type” aftermarket unit. Since the wiring is exposed to potential chaffing issues, the circuit is now fused by using an in-line set of fuses at the roll-over cut-off under the dash.
  The factory wiring harness did not fuse the overdrive circuit. It is now fused using an in-line fuse near the windscreen washer tank.
  The tail and license plate bulbs have been replaced with LED based bulbs.
  The dash lighting is excessively dim, so the rheostat has been disconnected to reduce voltage loss.
  Lucas alternator replaced with a Bosch alternator for a Ford Sierra. To handle the additional output amperage, multiple unfused always hot lines run between the alternator and the battery cable post at the solenoid.
  Original distributor replaced with a “euro spec” with adjusted timing that is supposed to be more appropriate for current fuels. Also replaced points and condenser with a Pertronix ignitor hall-effect electronic ignition
  Original 6V coil replaced with a Lucas Sport 12V coil. Note that a 12V coil requires battery voltage, so this coil uses a direct wire to the fuse box rather than the factory loom that includes a ballast resister.
  Radiator uses cross-flow setup rather than have the intake and exit on the same side as would be stock. Thermostat housing is for earlier cars that had factory radiators with the intake (top) to the right side of the car.
  Carbs are SU HIF-4 from a 1973 MGB, instead of the stock Zenith-Stromberg 150CD.

Major component rebuilds or replacements:

  January 2016: Complete rebuild of front suspension (except lever shocks). All bushings replaced with poly bushings, new kingpin assemblies, new  A-arm swivel axels, wheel bearings replaced. Tear-down and re-assemble steering column. Ignition lock replaced.
  September 2014: replace fuel tank, pump, and hoses
  April 2014: Replace all bearings in rear differential. Work performed by Scott Sherman (Tri Cities)
  June 2010: SU carbs rebuilt by Brooklands British Car (Tacoma, WA)
  May 2010: Engine swap. Donor engine rebuilt in early 90s, 20k-30k miles on it since then. Rebuild included new early 18V “big valve” head as equipped on 71-72 MGB.
  May 2010: Replace all hub bearings front and back, replace wheel studs and nuts. Work performed by me (front bearings) or Imported Car Services for the back
  September 2009: Full re-installation of parts removed as part of body/paint work: new carpet, reinstall seats, reinstall lights, reinstall brightwork
  May 2008: Body shell + engine sent off to painter. Replaced doglegs, cleaned and re-filled apparent accident damaged panels, primed and painted using Valspar paint. Removed and stored: seats, spare wheel, console, lights, heater. Rebuilt heater with new core and fan.
  April 2007: replaced sealed beam headlights with brighter H4 bulb + lamp based design (Daniel Stern Lighting)
  April 2006: replaced rear shocks (World Wide Auto Parts)
  March 2006: replaced clutch master cylinder
  July 2005: Replaced overdrive solenoid and pump
  April 2005: Replaced rear wiring harness.
  July 2003: Replaced clutch
  September 2002: Replaced from shocks (World Wide Auto Parts)
  July 2002: Replaced radiator core (Wholesale Radiator, Lewiston ID).
  March 2001: Replaced seat belts.
  January 2001: Replaced Z-S carb with SU carbs.

Things to watch and consider correcting soon:

  The light bulbs were installed in April 2007 and have not yet burned out.
  Consider anti-rust treatments inside the body, especially at the dog-legs. Waxoyl is the standard choice for british cars.
  Tires were last replaced in 2006. Tread wear is good, but that’s a long time.
  Battery was last replaced in 2004. Has not yet given me problems, but I keep it on a tender all winter.
  The thermostat is either sticking open or too cold. I’ve verified that the temperature gauge is accurate and car is running cool.
  Wiper blades are very old. 9” blades cannot be purchased locally, see below for parts websites.

Things that are broken that I have never fixed:

  Marker lamps. The ’75 is supposed to have parking lights on the side of the car. This one has broken lights and a previous owner cut the wires such that it is hard to repair.
  Trunk light. The switch tends to bend and fail in an “always on” failure mode. This is discoverable when you find a flat battery. After two broke, I stopped replacing them.
  Dashboard cover has cracked.
  The roof has shrunk, such that it is difficult to put up or down when the ambient temperature is below 65°
  The engine leaks oil. I believe it is the oil pan, which will likely require a replacement pan. They warp easily. Replacing the gasket alone didn’t help. The leak is bad enough to leave droppings behind, but not enough to make a difference in oil levels over the life of an oil change. Just the same, check the oil often.

Things that a previous owner did that I corrected and just have to mention because wow crazy

  Within a week of purchase, the car would not reliably start. I discovered that the start wire from the key did not go to the original factory starter relay. It went to a second relay, which then fed power to the original relay, which triggered the solenoid to start the car. Removed unnecessary relay.
  Previous owner had replaced original 6V coil with a Mallory 12V coil. However, they plugged the 12V coil into a ballast resister, which was then plugged into the factory coil wiring. End result: 3V to the coil, which wanted 12. Removed unnecessary resister and installed a bypass wire to feed 12V to coil.
  Previous owner cut out accessory wire from wiring harness then ran a bypass wire over the original factory plugs without a disconnect. Restored original configuration when I replaced the ignition key.
  Reverse lamps and license plate illumination lamps were missing. Wires cut at wiring harness. Replaced wiring harness to restore wiring and restored lights when car was repainted.
  Restored and reconnected vacuum assisted brakes.

Maintenance items that are not in the service schedule:

  Differential thrust washers. Replace every 20K-30K.
  Electrical connections: while the wires tend to be fine, the connections will corrode, so periodic inspections are a good idea.
  Replace the flex line for the oil pressure every few years, because it will fail without warning and ruin your day.

Additional items that come along with the car:

  Books: Official service manual reprint and Haynes Carb Manual
  Full-Length tonneau cover, re-zippered by Dido Upholstery. Note that the snaps that this tonneau attach to are worn, which is why I don’t use it.
  Original engine that needs to be rebuilt (known problems: bad cam, bad piston connecting rods, cylinder walls likely need re-grind, and the rocker arm assembly shows significant wear. Note that the engine is already 0.030 oversize, so it may require new cylinder wall sleeves).
  Miscellaneous parts originally installed on the car or on the ’78 that provided the engine (Lucas alternator, original carb, etc)
  Miscellaneous new parts that have not been installed on the car because they aren’t yet needed (seat foam, various gaskets, head rest covers, etc)
  4 very old snow tires mounted on the original 14” steel wheels. I don’t recommend using them, because driving an MG in winter is hard on the car.

Resources

Parts

  British Parts Northwest (www.bpnorthwest.com)
  Moss Motors (www.mossmotors.com)
  The Roadster Factory (www.the-roadster-factory.com)

Community

  MG Mailing List (subscribe @ http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/mgs )
  MG Experience (mgexp.com)

Service

  Brooklands British (Tacoma), http://www.brooklandsbritish.com / 253-584-2033 (Matt also will sell parts)