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Whilst our carpets feature sound deadening backing on some panels, the original material used was a bitumen type stuck to the floor. Our sound deadening kit is die cut to the correct shape with [...]

Joseph – our 1963 MGB This car has been with MG Car Club in Auckland since the early 70’s and has been owned by us since 1978.   It was given its name by previous owner Den Williams after he gave [...]

Privacy Policy With the passing of the privacy legislation (including subsequent updates), the government introduced legislation to protect personal information about individuals.  The [...]

In principle there are three types of electronic ignition:   Points replacement module:  this substitutes an electronic switch for the mechanical points.  It has two big advantages over the [...]

Note:  Midgets and late rubber bumper B’s used rods rather than cables in places.  In this note, please read handbrake cable to be handbrake rod where relevant. If the handbrake lever is [...]

Midget front wheel bearings are of the angular contact type.  They are non-adjustable and are assembled with a solid spacer between the inner and outer bearings so that both are locked on to the [...]

With modern cars having engine computers to do all the tricky stuff, the operation of the choke is something that many new owners of classics are not familiar with.  Under use of the choke will [...]

Get the best from your classic with a PWM tune-up!   We understand twin carburettors! (and triples too of course). In particular we know that it is futile trying to fiddle with carburettors [...]

Joseph’s rear disc brake conversion     When driving on gravel you don’t get the weight transfer you get when braking on seal, and when rallying you also want a bit of rear bias to [...]

Matt’s 1961 Midget Project 1800 K turbo with 5 link rear suspension   Joseph – Paul and Bronwyn’s 1963 MGB A very multipurpose MGB   Joseph’s rear disc brake conversion   [...]

If a tyre of a different size or aspect ratio is fitted, this will affect the speedo. To check the effect of the tyres on the speedo, measure the rolling radius of the front tyre and rear tyre. [...]

Paul’s tips on how to go about it! (Part 1) NOTE: While the following is written mainly around the MGB, it also applies equally to the MGA and Midget other than remembering that Midgets are a [...]

Fixing them sooner rather than later saves you a lot of money! The hydragas units consist of a sealed rubber bag of nitrogen gas, which provides the springing, and an adjacent chamber filled with [...]

… or has a mind of its own in other ways.  This is well explained on Rob Bell’s website at http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/common_problems/epas_reset/index.htm

While the main (front) cambelt is quite easy to time in the normal manner, the timing position on the rear cambelt and gears has the inlet camshaft at a position where the valve spring action is [...]

This job is within the capabilities of any reasonably proficient DIY owner.   This note is not intended to substitute for a workshop manual but is a reference to draw attention to key aspects of [...]

There is a lot of urban myth about gasket failures on the K engine which is perpetuated at large on the various internet forums. The gasket itself is not really the problem. In a nutshell, here [...]

Overheating in the MGF engine has the same range of causes as any other engine. It is often read as being a failed head gasket, but the most common cause of overheating is the coolant ceasing to [...]

Introduction The K Series engine is maligned for head gasket failure, yet this is almost invariably the effect rather than the cause of a problem – gasket failure is usually the result of [...]

When the bolts securing the cam gear to the camshaft come loose, the camshaft stops turning and things get nasty and expensive. The standard bolts are more than adequate. There is a problem with [...]

It is a mystery to new owners, but in fact quite simple.   For major servicing, the engine is accessed via the shelf behind the seats.  The rear of the hood folds up to enable this.  Here’s what [...]

Explanation The security system on the MGF centres around an alarm computer (aka alarm ECU) which protects the car in two principal ways: It generates the usual suite of blaring horns & [...]

VVC or 1.8i? The difference in the way the two drive is in the upper half of the rev range, above 3500- sounds a lot, but the engine revs so effortlessly that it’s very usable.  The non-VVC goes [...]

I had a chance to try out the superchip with the accelerometer today, on our VVC engined Midget. The engine is standard MGF apart from a 55mm throttle body & larger exhaust.   The superchip [...]

If using the original Rover engine computer (MEMS) in a conversion, it may be necessary to address the computer’s immobilser.  The MEMS security system searches for a coded signal from the [...]

Check that the immobiliser (if fitted) is responding to your key fob transmitter by checking that the alarm indicator light on the dash has stopped flashing. If not, most commonly the fob may be [...]

Paul Walbran Motors:   Wiring notes, K series engine & ECU intalled into MG Midget (This was done for a VVC, but is generally applicable to non-VVC which is the same except for the [...]

Soft tops stretch in use, so hood manufacturers and fitters set them up to be tight initially – if they didn’t the hood would turn into an ugly floppy bag of a thing once it had been [...]

Windscreen glazing seals can sometimes appear to be too short or too long. This happens because the seal gets slightly compressed or stretched during the fitting process. If this happens, start [...]

Fitting a convertible windscreen is a difficult job, but if you are reasonably handy you should be able to do it. All it requires is a bit of care, a lot of patience, and an average level of DIY [...]

If your window regulator problem is the usual stripped drive problem, you can fit the regulator drive head from any contemporary BMC saloon as they all used the same basic unit with different [...]

Indicator won’t work at all Check the fuses The simple way to this in pre-1980 MG’s is see if the wipers, tacho and fuel gauge are still working, as they all run off the same fuse. Hazard Switch [...]

When driving on gravel you don’t get the weight transfer you get when braking on seal, and when rallying you also want a bit of rear bias to help kick the car sideways going into corners.  [...]

Midget: The Midget is relatively simpler than the B.  At the front end, the chassis outrigger brackets which form the inner mounting for the wishbones need to be changed.  Alternatively, the [...]

A number of factors, including tyre pressure, wear and wheel alignment, can affect the steering.  In addition to these, for those used to driving saloon cars and not familiar with MG’s, the [...]

The main thing to check for if contemplating repairing leaf springs is around the end of each leaf. Have a good look at the leaf above to see if it has been worn by the end of the leaf below it. [...]

To get the right position of the bottom mount hole, measure the clearance between the bump stop and where it hits the body at full bounce. Add 1/2″ to allow for bump stop compression. (Some [...]

When full power is applied to the driving wheels, the axle experiences a reaction torque which tries to rotate it in the opposite direction from the wheels.   A tramp bar is a device which [...]

Rubber bushes which incorporate steel sleeves in the inner hole (crush tubes) are frequently seized between the crush tube and their supporting pin, making removal difficult. Examples are the [...]

Midgets with the square wheel arch at the rear (all of them apart from 73-74 models) are very tight for clearance on wheels and tyres, so when fitting alloys it is important that you make the [...]

Books have been written on this, so I’ll try to be brief: A car should track around a corner along an arc with its centre at the meeting point of the rear wheel and front wheel axes. The more the [...]

Sometimes wire wheels can be a problem to get balanced. Here are a few tips to try and solve it: Check how the balancing machine locates the wheels. It should locate on the taper on the inside of [...]

What it contains: 1 pr Bilstein shocks Upper mounting bracket Upper inner fulcrum block and bushes Upper wishbone arms and fulcrum shaft Modified upper spring locating cup Modified bottom spring [...]

When do you need to upgrade your brakes? For normal – even exuberant – road use, the standard brakes are fine, especially if fitted with uprated pads and linings. My key reference [...]

Safety warning The MGB and Midget rear wheel cylinders are part of a range identical in design apart from the bore size, which ranges from 5/8 to 7/8 (I think I have seen 15/16 too) in 1/16 [...]

In New Zealand as we don’t have a salt-induced corrosion problem from the outside as they do in the UK, so a stainless system hasn’t quite the same imperative here. However, stainless [...]

The workings of an extractor are frequently misunderstood and misrepresented, so herewith a bit of explanation. For reading material, one of the best books I’ve found on the topic remains [...]

The USA spec fuel cap fitted to many MGB’s & Midgets was unvented and as a result sometimes there is a big suck of air when you undo the fuel cap. – to such an extent that the [...]

The original SU pump is very reliable for about 12 – 15 years. Once it starts to falter, overhaul it and it will be good for another 12 – 15 years. The SU pump only ever had one [...]

Questions are often asked about how well the Midget rear axle can cope with additional power.  The answer is that it depends on which part of the rear axle you are referring to! Our testing [...]

Halfshafts require good ultimate strength – which will depend on the both type of steel used and the design. The material strength is a similar issue to bolts: Mild steel bolts are like [...]

Care needed! When replacing the pinion oil seal you need to be aware that you could disturb the settings on the diff of some models. The reason for this is that the pinion bearings are set up [...]

Clutch drag is when the car will not engage gear properly without grinding the gears, especially in reverse. Generally, this occurs because the pressure plate is not retracting enough to clear [...]

It is not necessary to remove the brake backplate and seal housing from the axle assembly – simply withdraw the inner cone (on which the hub mounts and the seal runs) over the halfshaft. Do [...]

What does a Limited Slip Differential do? An LSD is installed to maximise wheel traction. These benefits are seen most readily in competition, particularly where the car is attempting to [...]

Sometimes doubt arises as to the diff ratio currently fitted to a car, as a significant number of them have had their diff ratios changed over the years.  Reasons include Deliberate modification [...]

Note: In addition to the changes below, cars with 3 bearing engines have a much smaller crankshaft spigot bush (5/8″ against 7/8″). As far as I’m aware, the only way around this [...]

Currently, the needles in the AAU3052 bearings are .004” undersized, which will result in incorrect meshing of the gears.  An alternative is to use needle roller 8G2404 in this application.  [...]

Introduction An overdrive is a two speed, electrically activated, supplementary gearbox which is attached to the rear of the main gearbox.  It was a popular period option which easily converted [...]

The page on valve clearances in the tuning section refers BMC cams. My comments above also assumed normal roadwork, not competition. Other profiles have the ramps in different positions at [...]

To ascertain what type of camshaft you are running  (or at least get a feel for it) Camshafts can be identified by the opening and closing points of the valves, in conjunction with the amount of [...]

If the engine has been modified, its requirements for ignition timing will probably be different from standard. Also, the distributor itself may have been modified. What I describe below is a [...]

Run-on is a term used to describe what happens when the key is turned off and the engine continues to run somewhat erratically for a second or two, or even quite some time.  Run-on causes high [...]

(Applies to any engine, but the B series is particularly prone to it). Combustion problems caused by erratic burning and/or detonation of fuel rather than controlled and even burning shorten [...]

Forget the old myth that they are hard to keep tuned.  Twin carburettors have an unjustified reputation for being hard to keep in tune. It’s origins lie in the bad practice of fiddling with [...]

The vacuum unit works to advance the spark on part throttle in order to improve efficiency and fuel economy when cruising/at steady speed. At full throttle the manifold vacuum disappears and so [...]

Maintaining the correct valve clearance is important to prevent premature valve train wear.  Too tight and there is a risk that the valves won’t seat properly and burn out, too loose and [...]

The most common cause of combustion problems such as pinking in MG engines is not fuel as usually assumed (provided the engine is running on minimum 95 octane), but distributors not performing to [...]

The following notes are intended to supplement the information on how to set ignition timing (by either method) which is found in most good workshop manuals, with particular reference to how to [...]

All pre-electronic MG engines are easy to tune and hold no great mysteries, so are easy for owners who want to do their own maintenance to tackle if they go about it methodically and in the right [...]

If you have a problem with carburettors touching/denting the bonnet,or engine mounts breaking under competition use then read on … On our Midgets we have put a restraint on the engine mount [...]

If your engine won’t start easily when hot, and has good fuel delivery and good spark, it may be because heat soak is making the fuel expand and rise enough to dribble out the jet and flood [...]

If your engine has been running fine and suddenly dies and will not fire at all while cranking on the starter, check: Fuel – assuming you have some in the tank! Remove a fuel line from one [...]