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MG MGA - Funny what you can find on the garage floor

I recently backed the MGA1600 out of the garage to wash it. I found a broken cylinder head stud laying on the garage floor. It turned out to be #11 (the one closest to the heater shelf). I removed the head (no evidence of any leakage around the head gasket) and found just a nub of the stud protruding from the block. Unfortunately, it was not enough to be able to unscrew the remainder of the stud. The remaining portion of the stud was so hard that it dulled several center punhes and withstood all attempts at drill and ezi-out. I was fotunate to have access to a welder that works for a local race team. He built up the stud with weld material and had it out in less than 5 minutes. (Dodged a big one!)

The cylinder head studs were replaced during an engine rebuild in the early 90s. I suspect that I got some of those poor quality Chinese manufactured studs that have gotten a lot of attention on the board over the years. Needless to say, I have ordered a new set from APT (recommended on this board) to replace the old set.

It is sure nice to just be waiting on parts. With that in mind, any recommendations on a head gasket? The Fel-Pro set is about 3X the money of the Moss set. Is the difference worth the cost?

Thanks,
Don

Don Carlberg

Don,
I don't know with regard to the MGA specifically, but I always use Fel-Pro head gaskets, and feel that they are worth the money. I haven't done an MG head gasket.
Mike
Mike Parker

Don,

That's an amazing story! The most I ever find when I back the A out is a new oil stain.

Did you experience any problems driving the car while missing that stud?

- Ken
Ken Doris

My stories are more usually what you don't find on the garage floor. Today I dropped a small screw driver just above the distributor. It never reached the floor and I cannot find it anywhere around the engine bay!

Steve
Steve Gyles

Ken, in answer to your question - there was no indication that anything was wrong in terms of the way the engine ran. Luckily the oil and coolant remained separated and the head gasket held as well. I have no idea how long it was broken before it fell up and then out. Looking on the bright side - I will get the head cleaned up with a quick valve job. Going to have the shop shave .040 off and hope to see a slight increase in HP. I also got the distributer drive gear properly aligned. My friend Al Joniec (won the Pomona Winternationals in 1968 in a factory Ford Mustang Cobrajet) is helping me through this minor rebuild (kind of like having Bill Gates over to set up your computer.)

Don
Don Carlberg

Another trick to remove a stud is cut a slot in it with an abrasive cut-off wheel in a hand grinder, then remove stud with big screwdriver.

Steve, -- Likely find the small screwdriver wedged between the starter motor and engine block.
Barney Gaylord

Thanks Barney will have a look.
Steve Gyles

My previous MGA, a MkII Coupe was off the road for a "few years" waiting for me to finish the bodywork. Actually, from 1979 until 2007 to my shame.
(I got the Kart Racing bug and it kind of took over my life for 20 years or so)

When I traded it for my present car I jacked the car up to free off the brakes and I found a ring spanner I had lost years ago still fixed to the caliper bleed nipple, a open ended spanner still on one of the exhaust hangers and a wooden handled screwdriver jammed down next to the starter motor and block!

Well at least I hadnt lost the tools!

But I think that maybe its a good thing that I never had any ambition to become a Surgeon!!!

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Could be worse. A 737 belonging to a Seattle based airline with "Alaska" in its name was on descent, and a passenger spotted a yellow Dewalt cordless drill sitting lodged in the wing when the spoilers raised. Another time, one of the mechanics for an all cargo airline here in Anchorage left his entire tool bag inside the main landing gear well on a 747. When the gear doors opened up on takeoff, the bag dropped to the runway and tools went everywhere. IIRC, they had to shut that runway down while somebody went out and picked them all up.
Del Rawlins

We had an A7 pilot who laid his kneeboard in the engine inlet while doing his pre-flight. He forgot it. When the engine fired up the kneeboard got sucked up against the stator vanes at the inlet to the compressor stage. He took off. While performing aerobatic maneuvers the engine surged, the keeboard relased but was sucked into compressor after the surge cleared. It fodded the engine and he had to bail out. We discovered all of this in the post crash investigation!
Cheers,
GTF
G T Foster

I like it GTF. Not quite so disastrous, but amusing, one of my fellow students was airsick. The only thing he had at hand was his glove which he then appropriately filled. After landing, his instructor wound back the hood and ordered the stude to hold the offending item outside, which he dutifully did. The offending glove was then sucked down the intake. The groundcrew were not impressed with the smell of roasted puke in the jet pipe!

My other story was of a BAC Lightning (vertical twin jet) tailplane hydraulic motor. The engineers serviced it, dropping a blanking cap that they could not find. They got a new one from stores, fitted it and declared the aircraft fit for flight. I was allocated the aircraft. I was just starting my take-off roll when the tailplane ran away fully nose down and jammed. I aborted take-off. The blanking cap had in fact fallen within the hydraulic motor and jammed open the nose-down valve. I almost died in that one, but for the grace of god.

Steve

Steve
Steve Gyles

Try this one (and pay attention when you do stuff!)

http://www.epi-eng.com/propeller_technology/propeller_damage_issues.htm

I was looking into propeller design re the "boat distributor" thread.
Seems engine/prop rotation is another "us'n them" thing, and applies to planes or boats
.
http://www.epi-eng.com/propeller_reduction_technology/prop_rotation_direction_issues.htm

FRM
FR Millmore

Don
Don't know if you can get it in the states, but Wellseal is the stuff to use with head gaskets. It works very well everywhere else too. I may have had the head off a few times but I've had no HGF in 13 years on the "A".
Pete
Pete Tipping

This thread was discussed between 20/09/2010 and 24/09/2010

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