76 MGB Stewardship

One of the first projects I did with the MG was to replace the driver's (left) side front shock absorber. You can read about it  here : After driving the MG for a few months I decided I would replace the shocks all around. This was a relatively easy process with right tools, a little muscle, and a fair amount of cussing. Removing the rear shocks basically means putting the car on jack stands, removing the wheels and detaching the shock absorbers from the mounts. Most of this is easy to do. However, the link between shock and the leaf spring bracket was pretty corroded and required some heat and cutting to remove.  Once the old stuff was removed it was time to install the new. The process for installation will likely be detailed when you receive the new parts. That said, you can just reverse the steps used for removal and viola! new rear shocks for this gem of a roadster. Here are some photos...  After install both side I did a test drive and ...

Remember when you were a kid and you got a new pair of tennis shoes and you knew you could run waaaay faster than with the old one? Well, I believe it's same with new wheels on a car! One of things I love about my MGB are chrome wheel trims on the Rostyle wheels. Gives it a nice, classy look. Since I like the classic look of the Rostyle wheels and there is nothing mechanically wrong with them I decided to freshen them up by painting them. The wheels were a bit rough, as you can see from the photo, and a little plain. After some thought I made the difficult choice to simply paint the rims all black. This eliminated a lot of template creation, taping, painting with two colors. I figured with the all black rim, the shiny wheel trims, center cap and lugs these would turn out nice. I ordered VHT Wheel Paint from Amazon.com. This product provides a chip resistant coating and received good reviews. Once I received the paint and built my wheel mount... ...off to wor...

One of the things I noticed early on in my efforts to maintain the '76 B was the Temperature Gauge never moved. After driving the car the engine would most definitely get hotter. My first thought was that the gauge must be faulty. I decided to remove it for closer inspection. This is not as easy as one would hope but after twisting and turning my right hand and arm in ways a Carnival side show act would applaud the gauge popped out. Looking over the gauge it appeared to be in good condition, but how does one know? I found that by connecting the gauge's sending wire to ground the needle would move. This is a good sign that the gauge itself is fine. Some pics... Sensor Sending Wire Ground connection So, this would lead me to the sensor (thermistor) inserted into the engine block. I ordered one from Moss Motors, with a few other items of course, and when it arrived I swapped out the old for the new. I fired up the B and went for a drive. After a...