Bits and Pieces

Broken Fan Belt Pulley Derry Dickson has e-mailed with details of a recent ‘happening’ as he was motoring along a dual carriageway at 65 mph in his TC. A fairly loud sharp clank was heard and Derry thought that he had run over something, but as all seemed to be working, he kept on motoring – as one does! It was only after he had embarked on his winter servicing schedule that he noticed that the fan belt was slack – the reason was as per the photos below. A classic example of metal fatigue.

Derry cautions against over-stretching the fan belt, suggesting tensioning the belt to allow for a 1/2 inch “give” between the water pump pulley and the dynamo. Rebuilding a Windscreen Wiper Motor – a note of caution Russell Dade has recently rebuilt a windscreen wiper motor and used Jonathan Goddard’s article as guide, which he found most useful and excellent. As he had two decrepit motors he made up one good one with the addition of an armature from Paul Beck. However one detail cropped up that Russell thinks would be useful for any wiper motor repairer and that is that the brush holders are not necessarily interchangeable. It would appear that the legs on the brass type are ½” deep and on the steel type 5/8” deep, as the following photos demonstrate.

If the incorrect brush holder is fitted then the brushes will not align with the commutator of the armature and could damage the windings, a costly mistake if one has just purchased an armature from Paul Beck.

On the question of brushes for the CW1/CWX wiper motors, Russell has recently purchased some from www.solenttools.co.uk They are slightly oversize but easy to correct.

Their stock No: 2297-214 correct carbon content for 12volt dc motors.

Another company mentioned by Jonathan Welch is Anglo Carbon http://www.anglocarbon.com/acatalog/automotive.htm

Anglo Carbon stock the correct bushes but according to Jonathan they weren’t much longer than his worn ones. However the company said that they could make them longer if required.

Recommended Suppliers

Nick Abbott has come up with a couple of suppliers who have given him good service so I have added them to the suppliers’ list on the website. Details are as follows:

For chrome plating SH METAL FINISHING at No. 2, Albert Street Works, Albert Street, Droylsden, MANCHESTER M43 7BA. The proprietor is Mr Len Hughes Tel: 0161 371 1876 or mobile 07944 085203 or e-mail: leonardhughes123(at)btinternet.com {substitute @ for (at)}.

Nick speaks highly of his work, particularly for radiator surrounds, and he is quicker than most.

For powder coating ASHTON POWDER COATING LTD at First Floor Oxford Mill, Oxford Street East, ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE OL7 0NE www.ashtonpowdercoating.co.uk

Nick says that this company is particularly good at wire wheels and very good on price. Tel: 0161 344 5186 or mobile 07786 980 904. E-mail addresses are given on their website.

XPAG Engine for sale

Ron Ward is building the following specification XPAG engine for outright sale. 1380 cc (i.e. +140). New three ring solid skirt pistons, Allen caphead pinch bolts, crank no. 168557 (see TCs Forever page 129) at .020/020 (crack tested), new shells, lightened flywheel, 8” clutch, all balanced. Lip seals front and rear (using Speedi Sleeve) new billet steel fast road camshaft, vernier timing sprocket set at 109 degrees, new bearings, oil grooved cam followers, combined horizontal oil pump/filter. Cylinder head stage II, unleaded, large vaklve, Metro stem seals, bronze guides ported by (Edney/XPAG Eng.) Engine can be supplied with either TC or TD/F/Y type front engine mounting plate. Contact Ron at 01422 823649 (or for e-mail address, please contact the Editor via the TTT 2 contact form).

Woolies (Trim, Upholstery and Fittings for Vintage and Classic Cars)

Woolies, founded by Ian and Caroline Woolstenholmes 39 years ago, stock a useful range of items, as you will see from their website. www.woolies-trim.co.uk I recently ordered some upholstery screws from them and probably due to my own fault (wife says I mumble) I only received one packet of one of the items, when I thought I had ordered two. Phoned them straight away and was amazed by their ‘no quibble’ response and they wouldn’t even think of taking up my offer to pay the excess postage. That’s what I call service!

Repair of Clocks

The services of David Ward were mentioned in Issue 24 (June 2014). David’s offer was as follows: “If any of your members are interested I would be willing to see if I can repair their clocks. A very small fee would cover my expenses”. David can be contacted by e-mail at: warddavidc(at)virginmedia.com Please substitute @ for (at).

David has contacted me recently to say that he can do nothing with some of the clocks he receives for repair due to unavailability of spare parts. He suggests that in these cases (with the owner’s permission) he removes the innards, as some parts may still be useful, and returns the clock minus the innards. This would enable him to build up a stock of parts, which should result in more clocks being capable of being repaired. A sort of “borrowing from Peter to pay Paul” if you like!

The following has been received from Dick Knudson of The New England T Register:

The Cecil Kimber Society

The Board of Directors of The New England MG T Register approved the formation of The Cecil Kimber Society at its January 25th meeting in Hartford, Connecticut. The Society’s purpose is to foster networking amongst those enthusiasts genuinely interested in M.G. history. Fellows in the Society will share their research interests in order to receive and exchange information freely.

Still in the planning stages, suggestions for further action ranged from forming an internet website, forum, and a regular page in The Sacred Octagon, the journal of The New England MG T Register. Further discussion and planning will be the focus of one of the sessions at the annual Kimber Festival organised by the Register. This year the Kimber Festival is being held at the Northeast Classic Car Museum in Norwich, New York from April 10-12.

The Sacred Octagon will publish completed research papers. These papers may also be approved for Kimber Festival presentations as well as for seminars at future Gatherings of the Faithful, the Register’s two regular annual meetings.

There are no dues. The requirements for becoming a Fellow of the Society are three-fold: an active interest in M.G. history, a willingness to share one’s knowledge, and to assist others in their research. A first step would be to email Dick Knudson at FC7900(at)gmail.com {substitute @ for (at)} with your name and your specific research interests.

Murphy’s Law

The few paragraphs on ‘Murphy’s Law’ in the previous issue raised a few chuckles. Comment was also received from Jeffrey Jennings who suggested that Murphy was an optimist and he prefers to use ‘Paddy’s Law’!