Synchronicity

Steve & Butch assess an MG TD rolling chassis

Steve & Butch assess John's handiwork. Click to check out the interesting rear tires

We’re not completely sure when we’re going to receive the summons from Jason Marechaux at East Coast Collision and Restoration to furnish him with the rolling chassis for the ‘TD On-de-Lawn’ (see October 15 posting), but as of last Friday it’s definitely a roller.  John has done a pretty good job of getting it to this stage, he’s overhauled the front and rear suspension, replaced the clutch pedal shaft & bushings and also rebuilt the steering rack & pinion assembly.  Still to come are the brake pipes and hoses, and the original brake master cylinder, now resleeved in brass.

The owner is contemplating a 4.55 rear axle ratio in place of the standard 5.125 trials gearing, which would make this MG much more highway friendly, with a useable 65 mph at 4,000 rpm, although this would come at the expense of low speed tractability on very narrow, very steep and very muddy dirt roads and cow paths.

We do this from time to time on special tooling which we commissioned for this purpose.

Steve attends to a TR3 while John does brakes on a Sprite

Steve attends to a TR3 while John does rear brakes on a roll up window Sprite

Steve has been engaged in the thoroughly miserable task of installing the rear fender stoneguards on this recently painted Triumph TR3.  It’s a job best undertaken before the paint goes on, which makes this an exercise in patience and self-restraint, because thrown tools will bounce on a wood floor.  As we like to say, the currently available replacement parts aren’t within a row of: “(pick your own very vulgar term)”.

This week John has drawn a much more straightforward job, which is a complete hydraulic overhaul of this pretty nice little  roll-up window Austin Healey Sprite, which has been off the road for several years.

Rob & Patrick tear down a Jaguar 4 synchro TX

Rob & Patrick tear down a Jaguar 4 synchro TX

Lately it seems like we’ve been doubling down on gear-trains.  By an incredible stroke of luck or serendipity, or both Rob, who’s on the left, acquired a series one OTS and a series two FHC when they were still just used cars.  He’s holding an old synchronizer baulk ring up against the new one in Patrick’s hands.  Because the engine was already out, it was a good time to renew the synchro rings, the countershaft, the input & output ball bearings, as well as approximately 390 needle roller bearings located throughout the cluster gear and the 1st, 2nd & 3rd speed gears.  We’d call this a preemptive rebuild.

The advent of better weather also means we’ve been able to start running some road miles on this modified late BJ8.  We can definitely handle that assignment.

A big Healey in profile

STRAIGHT AHEAD: We've been putting this Healey thru its paces this week

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