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MG MGB Technical - Engine / Box alignment

Having read so many horror stories about putting the engine back in a 'B' and mating with the gearbox i was petrified when I came to this part of the job yesterday.

I got a result - others may not be so lucky - the solution is obvious but sometimes it helps to state the obvious !!

I jacked the gearbox front up until almost touching the top of the bulkhead. I put a home made leveller onto the top of the rocker bolts - simple length of studding between two brackets with a nut either side of the crane hook.

Then, I lowered the engine into place, popped the input shaft into the hole in the clutch cover and using a tape measure - to the nearest mm measured both sides were equal to the top and bottom - also equal.

At 40mm I nearly trapped the tape measure as the thing just slip on with a piston like noise. I put copper slip on the splines and in the spigot bearing.

As they say on 'Compare the Market' - SIMPLES !!

Sorry to state what everyone does anyway - but as a first timer (usually assemble both together) - this seemed a very satisfactory method.

Ancillaries on and start up tomorrow !!

Picture of load leveller - I bent it trying to remove the old engine and omitting to remove one engine mount bolt each side !! Decided not to straighten it and cause fractures, will scrap rod and remake. £4.50 in Wickes !!!


Andrew Walton

Well done for getting the engine mated with the gearbox without any stress, getting the engine at the same angle as the gearbox helps. One thing, Borg & Beck used to state not to use copper slip on the clutch splines as it tends to go stiff and this can cause the clutch to drag, making engaging reverse gear a problem. The 1st motion shaft and spigot bearing just needs a thin smear of high temperature grease.

regards John
john wright

Well done. A proper load leveller is cheap and makes it a lot easier. Challenge is to put a 5 brg engine into an MGA with a all syncro overdrive gbox!
Mike

Mike Ellsmore

I thought you'd posted the picture upside-down, then I realised you are in Australia! ;o)
Dave O'Neill 2

I never do the engine out without the gearbox attached, it's so much easier, if heavier. Also I never use the lifting eyes on the rocker cover bolts since one sheared off, the tensile strength is good enough with a straight lift, but any shear loads could end in disaster. Use the studding to supply the adjustment, but something more substantial to carry the load. If you want to lubricate the splines, use graphite.
Allan Reeling

Allan, are you saying that you would take the engine and 'box out even if you were just working on the engine, or that it's easier to take them out as one unit rather than two separate units?
Dave O'Neill 2

Much easier to remove the two, Then there is no problem aligning the first motion shaft with the splines and spigot bush. It's usually a bit of a hassle even when they are out of the car. After all it's only the gearstick and six or so bolts.
Allan Reeling

It's almost never worth the extra effort to remove the transmission with the engine. It's a royal PITA. I've got a '72 GT due in this week for a clutch replacement and I intend to remove only the engine for the job. I also use a load leveler for the procedure and reinstalling the B engine usually is a simple task if the clutch plate has been properly aligned with the pilot bushing. RAY
rjm RAY

Each to their own Ray! Have done it both ways, no competition for me!
Not sure I get the "extra effort"!
Allan Reeling

If I was doing a clutch, I would just take the engine out.

When I removed my engine and 'box, I took them out separately, but I will be putting them back in as one unit.
Dave O'Neill 2

Get the engines out downunder is easy as long as you are a good catch?
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

"not to use copper slip on the clutch splines"

The clutches I have fitted came with a sachet of red grease that I put on both splines and release arm to bearing pivots.

No competition for me either, having done it both ways engine out without gearbox every time, even if I needed to work on the gearbox! Getting the engine back on the gearbox while that is jacked right up and held firmly by the car was far easier than both halves able to move.
Paul Hunt

As I said Paul, "each to their own". Also, you hit the nail on the head;
"both halves able to move". Engine on crane, resting on floor, easy peasy!
Allan Reeling

Put my engine in last week. Wish I had a leveler. I also put the transmission up till it was nearly touching the top of the tunnel. Used a level to get a idea of the angle and then matched that to the angle on the engine. All went well, but for the last inch. Had to do a bit of wiggling to the the shaft into the pilot bushing. Not all that hard, but a bit of work.

Last time I pulled the engine and transmission and put them back as a unit. It is a lot easier, but probably took about as much time to hook up the transmission to the transmission mount.
Bruce Cunha

May I suggest a high temperature lubricant recommended for motorcycle clutch/1st motion shaft interfaces: I have used Castrol Optimol TA grease to annually lubricate the first motion shaft on my BMW airhead motorcycle. It has a zinc rich appearance and has a paste consistency. Annually, the gearbox and engine should be split a few centimeters on motorcycles to allow the interface to be lubricated with a flat stick. The frequency of this service procedure would not be necessary with our cars as the much lower temperatures would give rise to much less drying out of the lubricant.

Just checking ebay, it has a working temperature range of -40C to 1100C. The item is available from Germany; I suggest trying UK based BMW specialists Motobins.

Brian McIlvenna
Brian McIlvenna

The trouble with the bell housing and lubrication is the clutch dust. It has a tendency to make a paste out of any liquid used as a lubricant.
Allan Reeling

"Also, you hit the nail on the head; "both halves able to move"."

Exactly, both halves wriggling around like slippery children in the bath :o)

With the gearbox held firmly you only have one half to manipulate. And those gearbox mounts are surely something to be avoided if you can.
Paul Hunt

I totally agree take the engine only out for a clutch change. If you keep the backplate parallel to the bell housing the engine goes in without any problems. Also to ease matters further if you grind a 1/16@45 degree chamfer on the input shaft that helps as well. Put it another way if I had to have a heart transplant then I would prefer not to have lungs as well
Iain MacKintosh

Also make sure your gearbox is "in gear" not neutral when aligning the input shaft to the clutch plate (lock the output shaft with a pair of vice grips if the drive shaft is removed). This means that when you jiggle the crankshaft pulley the gearbox input shaft wont turn allowing the clutch splines to align.
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

"Also make sure your gearbox is "in gear" not neutral"

Either I was very lucky and the splines were exactly in line, or the gearbox shaft turned to mate up with the the friction plate, as mine went straight on.
Paul Hunt

This thread was discussed between 08/03/2015 and 12/03/2015

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