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MG TD TF 1500 - Whitworth question

I have the engine out of the car and ready to mount it on the engine stand. Are the the bell housing to engine block bolts Whitworth? If so where can I but longer ones (2 1/2"). Are all of the nuts and bolts on the engine Whitworth? Thanks, JL
James Lea

James: none of the engine bolts are Whitworth. They are a metric thread with Whitworth sized heads. Some of the peripheral parts like the generator and carbs have some Whitworth threads in them.
You can purchase the metric bolts in pretty well any length. The size you need for your engine to engine stand mount is 8 X 1, that is 8mm dia with a pitch of 1mm.
Best Regards, Hugh
Hugh Pite

James,
Hugh is exactly right, but I would add (in case you haven't thought of this) is that four 8x1 bolts of reasonable strength is plenty to hold the engine on stand, even though they seem tiny. I used the compressive feature of my stand's mounting tubes to make me feel better. Also, I mounted my engine stand to the engine only, so I could easily remove the oil sump. Sometimes the obvious isn't obvious, and I hope I didn't just insult you!

Here are some pics:

http://www.funpilot15.photosite.com/MGTDRebuild/hoistengine/stand_configuration.html

http://www.funpilot15.photosite.com/MGTDRebuild/engine/block_RHS.html

good luck,
dave
Dave Braun

Get a copy of the NEMGTR's T-series handbook. There is an excellent, lengthy article about T-series threads. Also, check the archives- I think there is a list of all of the fasteners with toqure values, etc. George
George Butz

James, some shots of mine are at http://www.ttalk.info/xpag_on_stand.htm. I just used long 8x1 bolts.
Bud Krueger

James - There is exactly one Whitworth bolt in the entire car, that is the bolt that holds the adjusting link to the generator. Even then, if your car is like 99% of the rest, that has been long since replaced with a American UNC bolt, which has the same TPI as the Whitworth bolts (just a slightly different thread form). The only non metric threads used in the engines are the odd British Standard Pipe fittings (banjo bolts for the oil line from the block to the head, and various plugs. I am sending you a list of all the fasteners used in the XPAG/XPEG engines. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Dave. Am I correct then that many of the bolts are metric threads with Whitworth heads? This whole thread thing is very confusing but the charts you kindly sent me are a big help. Thanks, JL
James Lea

James - Just think, "Nuffield Mad Metric". It seems that the Morris Car Company (William Morris/Loard Nuffield) bought the Hogkis munitions factory, which had numerous screw machines set up to cut an obsolete French standard metric thread. Not wanting to waste perfectly good machinery, Morris had the machines used to cut the metric threads with Whitworth heads on the bolts and the nuts being Whitworth sizes across the flats. Thus was born, what is perhaps the most confusing set of fasteners know to man. Add to that, the assortment of British Standard Pipe banjo bolts and plugs, all of which normally came with Whitworth sized heads and you have a real "unique" system of fasteners. Interestingly, the banjo bolts that are used on the AUF 300/AZX 1300 series of SU fuel pumps that are still manufactured today, use BSP banjo bolts with Whitworth heads for the inlet and outlet fittings. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

This thread was discussed between 18/09/2005 and 19/09/2005

MG TD TF 1500 index

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