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MG MGB Technical - Fear of making a mistake

I wanted to share my 'feelings' about working on my MGB and maybe get some advice on how best to 'tackle' what needs to be done.

Little backgroud - I would classify myself as a 'conservative dreamer'. I can look at a wrecked/junked MGB and see real beauty and opportunity. I might say "just a little work and that baby will be up in no time." Of course I am also a realist so I might walk away from the wrecked MGB and say "If I only..."

I can look at a car and appreciate it for what it is (or was) regardless of the condition.

When I take on the task of fixing something, I always shoot for 'back to factory' specs. I am not very good a 'rigging' things to get them to work (like the previous owner of my B who hot wired the fuel pump instead of replacing the ignition...).

Whats my point?...I have a 79 MGB that needs several things. Some minor and some major. For example the voltage meter shorted out and burned some wires (the previous owner did a crappy job of "rewiring" to fix it.) As a result some of the dash instruments do not work or are not at their propper 'illumination'. I fear there is a short in the harness.

Seems to me, the "right" way to do it is to replace the entire (main) harness, but I am afraid that I will not do it right or not be able to get it back together once its apart.

Another example is that the holes that hold on my side mirrors are too big (maybe bent open a little). The "right" way is to weld a plate on the inside of the door and drill new holes for the new mirrors.

Of course there are other "right ways"... as this BB attests.

I guess my question is how do you take a car apart when you fear that you may not get it all back together or that you may make things worse?

In a perfect world, I would have an MGB expert working with me on these issues (in my garage) saying "dont forget to lubricate those rings before you put them on". Bet that would cost a lot :-)

Todd

TCC Todd Canfield

Todd,
There are a limited number of things that you can do in the course of a single day. Many, many restoration tasks will require that the car be off of the road for several days, or even more. And I have to agree that some jobs are so damned intimidating that it's scary to even get started for fear of never finishing - that's why I still haven't taken the plunge and done my rocker panels. But ultimately, the only person you have to satisfy here is yourself - once you are actually restoring a car things like "value" start to take on abstract meanings. My feeling is that if you're going to bother doing a job on the car, do it in such a way that you won't have to worry about doing it again in a year's time. Also, read the repair manual carefully for any job you're thinking of doing, and absolutely admit to yourself when you're out of your league and need a pro's help.
Adam Birnbaum

I still have that with my B, and that makes me more inclined to pay someone else to do some work for me. On the other hand, I've recently started restoring a Morris Minor van under the watchful eye of the Morris Minor Owner's Club's technical advisor - and I find that I CAN do things I used to be scared of AND put them back together! I would never have dreamed of pulling the engine, changing the clutch, converting to duplex timing chains, removing the head and replacing the valve guides - yet I did all of that on Saturday with time for tea and biscuits in the afternoon! I've replaced floors and sills, fabricated panels from scratch, replaced rear springs, replaced rear axle, changed suspension bushes...big jobs (to me) that I would not have tried on my B before building the confidence working on the Minor. But once you've tried it and found out that there's no black magic I think you'd be surprised at what you can achieve! If things go wrong, come on here and ask - someone will lend a hand. Next time I need big work doing on the B, I'll certainly consider doing it myself...not quite confident enough with very visible bodywork, but we should be ready to spray the Minor in a few weeks! :) Maybe then...

Good luck,
Tim.
Tim Jenner

Todd,

In my opinion, you are missing out on the fun and purpose of owning an MGB. The saying "if you don't like working on cars, don't own an MG" applies here. The only way one improves their mechanical ability is to fix things themselves. My advice, take your time, do some research, and dig right in an tackle the problem yourself. On MGs, the only time you'll need extra help is if its something like a complete engine rebuild, or if you do not have the right tools. Most other things can be done with the help of manuals and this BB. Place extra caution on the important items like brakes and anything doing with fuel. Other than that, fix it, if you don't do it right, you'll be fixing it again, if you do do it right, you'll won't have to worry about it. Either way, the payback will be learing something new, improving your mechanical knowhow, and driving you MG with a smile on your face. My two cents.
D Gesse

You have a whole BBS of MGB expertise to advise you right Here. (I just don't happen to be one of them. I'm a question asker mostly.)

Get yourself a Haynes manual and the Bentley manual, both sell relatively inexpensively on the internet and are readily available. Haynes has wiring diagrams. The factoy specs are the target to shoot for. Once that's accomplished, then there are genuine improvements that can be done. Fixing the DPO's engineering is always a job.
One helpful hint is make up labels for each wire, and a similar label to tag the component connector. They can also be coded with a sharpie type marker. Don't pull wires without a system to tell how they go back.

The side mirrors don't necessarily have to be welded. If you're trying to preserve your paint, use the drilled plate without welding. The mirror base and plate will clamp together on the door skin. If you're worried about it moving use some epoxy or JB weld at the oversize holes.

Familiarize yourself with the workings of the car, then hop right in. If you can visualize the finished product it certainly makes things easier, 'cause it's going to get a lot worse before you see improvement.

Break the problems down into easily handled "chunks"
Remember how the ox swallowed the logging chain...
one link at a time.
TDHoward

A few tips:

Only ever undo one side at a time.

Never take anything off without doing a drawing of where it goes / how it fits / what wires go to it.

Always compare old and new bits to make sure you have the right one!

RTFM (Read The ******** Manual)

If it takes force to take it apart or put it back together, you MAY be doing it wrong....

Note that some parts were put on MGs by people with very small, strong, double jointed hands!
Chris at Octarine Services

What they said plus having a digital camera can save your....yeah, that. Detailed pictures before something comes apart does wonders for one's memory. I have done way more than I thought I could with the help of the BBS here and at MGBExperience.com. Different manuals help including Lindsay Porter's Restoration one, Bentley's and Haynes. NEVER start a repair that will have to be done by a certain day or time in order to drive it unless you give yourself 5 times the anticipated time needed. This will keep you from hurrying or taking short-cuts. Now go for it.


J.T. Bamford

Todd;

Everything said by the previous posters is true (and I have to absolutely agree with Chris about the guy with double jointed hands). The reason I am a pretty competent shade tree mechanic is that my first car was a 1967 MGB. Like yourself, I was a bit hesitant at first to jump in and perform repairs, but with guidance and help from friends I was able to move up to bigger and bigger tasks. I am now at the point where I completed a ground up restoration with all work by myself other than the bodywork (some things one does have to realize that it takes a true expert to perform).

It's just sheet metal, wires and parts; all of which can be fixed or replaced if you do something horrendously wrong.
Ron Kluwe

I always think in terms of drive ability and safety. Then there are the lists of things that need to be repaired or changed. I start with a list of everything I think needs to be done. The list is arranged in order of safety items first, then everything else next. I have never finished the list and some items have been on there for over a year. However, I always try to keep the car safe and drive able. As for repairs, try to do them right, short cuts or temporary fixes tend to make things worst in the long run. As for wiring, I made a copy of the wiring diagram out of a repair manual for my car and specific year, I then took the copy to Kinko’s and enlarged it on a blueprint copier and had it laminated. Now when I need to address an electrical problem I can look at the large diagram on the wall and mark the circuit with a colored grease pen. Start where the PO had spliced in the wires and note the color of the original harness wires, then you can trace the problem and straighten out the problem. If not post here for help. Good luck.
Jim Lema

Two years ago I bought my '79 after a 40 year hiatus from MG ownership. Like you I was hesitant to do much of my own work. I started out replacing and repairing simple things: hoses, bulbs, trim, etc. Then I started visiting BBS's and reading the Haynes manual and started to get the confidence to take on more challenging jobs: Fuel pump, radiator, water pump, alternator. As my confidence grew more, I took on more; most recently I replaced the gas tank and then the steering rack boots. The key was planning, planning, and more planning. I read the books and asked a lot of questions on the BBS, and never started the project without a clear plan. So far it has worked quite well and I have enjoyed the accomplishments.
Tim

Nothing builds confidence like actually accomplishing something....Start small, do a few minor repairs, makes some mistakes, go back and rectify them. That's the learning process. Nobody was born a mechanical, electrical or body and fender wizard. These are just learned skills, like operating this computer. Know , too that most people have strengths, that they exploit, and weak areas, where an e4xpert may be preferable. I dislike, and therefore am not skilled at body work. I can cut and weld with the best of them, but when it comes to getting that perfect finish, I know where to turn. Start with what you know you can do and work from there. Big jobs, like a wiring harness are actually no more than a whole bunch of small tasks, strung together. Get some manuals and decent tools (you'd never believe what a difference quality tools make), and start with a small step. Good luck
R. L Carleen

Adam You sound like the ideal canidate for an MG club, its unblieveable how much help can be gained from a large group of MG fanatics RIC
R E L Lloyd

"the voltage meter shorted out and burned some wires"

A classic (ho ho) example of why anything electrical you add should be fused or connect to an already fused supply, and why original items like the fuel pump and overdrive should have fuses added by Present Owners if they weren't already by Previous Owners.
Paul Hunt

This thread was discussed between 19/02/2004 and 20/02/2004

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