July 10, 2009

My Wifey made me go camping this weekend…so many things to take away from my manly MG restoration efforts…but I got tent loving so it’s okay!!!

I finally decided on a configuration for the switches on the radio console. I am replacing the factory switches wherever possible with the racing toggle switches that have the flip-up cover over them to prevent them from being switched on accidentally.

The center console will have two cigar lighter/power outlets on either side and the heated seats controls under them. There will be six toggle switches across the center to control the fog lights, driving lights, two interior light switches and one switch to kill the daytime running lights. The DLR-kill witch will be mounted upside down so that turning it to the “on” position will actually turn off the daytime running lights. The sixth switch will turn the heater fan on and off.

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That switch is in the center consol because I have rewired the hazard lights switch and indicator lamp and moved them to the dash. I pulled off the old dash light dimmer rheostat and jumped the two leads together and then pulled the fan switch out of the dashboard, I them added jumpers to the wires on the hazard switch harness and ran them up to the dash with the indicator light where the old rheostat used to be.

So now the hazard light switch and indicator are where the fan switch and dash light dimmer were and the fan switch is now on the center consol where the hazard switch used to be.
I will be having an aluminum panel made to place over the old, beat up center consol face which will hold the switches. It will be more sturdy for holding the switches and it should look pretty good too.

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I finally broke out the mig welder for my first attempt at welding. After about 30 minutes of screwing around with it to get the wire feed to work right and keep it from just spattering little dots of molten metal all over the place, I finally got it working properly. I started laying down some nice, long beads on 16-gauge steel. They looked good with a nice, smooth bead and good penetration. Then I tried some plug welding…not even close to acceptable. Holes that weren’t distorted were burned through and a total mess. I need some more practice on my welding but I guess it’s an okay start.

I ordered the LED and cold cathode tube lights for the interior as well as the 80-amp relay for the new interior cockpit fuse panel. The headlight relay kit has arrived and my shock absorbers should be her in another day or two so I’ve got some work to do.

New fuse panel installed

The new 8-fuse panel is installed and the headlights/horn relay kit is on the way. I still have a lot of cleaning up and redoing of the wiring left but it is all getting closer to finished. When the healight relay kit gets here I'll install that along witht he new headlight harnesses I bought.

















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I've also started work on the new 6-fuse accessory fuse panel that will mount on the cockpit fire wall behind the glove box area.

The relay sitting at the top center of the panel will actually be replaced with an 80-amp relay which will provide power to the entire fuse panel and be triggered by a line from an igintion-on circuit.
The relay to the left will turn on the audio amplifier and the two relays to the right will turn on power to the seat heaters.

Perhaps too modern for some but this car will be a daily driver and I'm a lot less of am LBC purist when it is 4-degrees outside and my butt is frozen to a hard vinyl seat cover :)

Airdamns and fuses and carpet...OH MY!

6-30-2009
I’ve done most of my work inside lately and primarily on the electrical system. I’ve completed wiring up the new 8-fuse panel to replace the factory fuse panel with 4 glass fuses. It sends the wires going into and coming out of the factory fuse panel between the 4 original glass tube fuses and splits them between 6 modern blade-type fuses. The remaining two fuses will be used for the fog and driving lights which will also be connected to relays. I’ve run a new 10-gauge power line up from the starter to power the two additional fuses.

I’ve ordered the new relay kit for the headlights and horn from one of the members on the MG Experience forum and I got a new 6-fuse panel that will mount under the dash on the starboard firewall for the new accessories such as the heated seats, stereo, amplifier, video system and new interior LED lighting. I’ve also run an additional 10-gauge wire from the starter to power the accessories inside the cockpit.

I’ve found out that redoing an MGB electrical system involves buying a shitload of new wire and connectors…and I do mean a shitload.

Instead of buying the premade carpet set for the car I purchased two 4’ x 8’ rolls of low-cut-pile carpet on sale at the Home Depot for about $36.00. IT is the right color, cheap as hell and all I need is a pair of scissors and some contact adhesive to install it. I made my first carpet set for the MG back in 1989 out of a roll of carpet and I can do it again…and save about $200.00+ in the process!

I pulled the gear shift lever off, ground off about 1.5” and cut new threads for the shift knob.. It was a bitch and the die I used to cut the new threads was a crappy Harbor Freight die so it did a shitty job. Not to mention that the grinding down I did on the shaft looks really sloppy…but it worked and you won’t see any of it since it will be under the gear shift boot. Of course, after I spent two hours shortening the shift lever I found that the guy on the MG Experience forum that I’m buying my front shocks from also makes shortened shift levers that look like they come straight from the factory…oh well, oh hell.

I finished cleaning up and priming the Factory Tuning air dam and I test fit it on the car. It fits like a glove…OJ Simpson’s glove. The car was hit hard on the front starboard nacelle (which the previous owner never bothered to mention to me) and the whole front end is a bit screwy now. The air dam looks to be hanging low on the starboard side but I won’t really be sure until I have the car back on all fours and the front fenders reattached. I think I’ll have to do a fair amount of fudging to make everything line up properly.

Not going to do much this week since I’m going up to my boyhood home of Youngstown Ohio with my son for the 4th of July holiday to see old fiends and maybe take in a Pittsburgh Pirates game.

When I get back the serious work starts. I’m going to get al the electrical, suspension and other mechanical work done plus the rebuilt carbs go back on and I’m going to get here running properly. Then, of course, back to the body and a ton of cutting and welding…now that’s what I call fun.

I found four, 14” Mini-lite replica wheels for $200 for the set plus a friend of mine runs a tire shop and offered me tires for his actual cost…the problem is that they are Firestone tires and there is not one hunk of crap Firestone tire I’d ever put on a car…even if they were free. Life can be such a crapfest…why couldn’t he run a Pirelli or Kumho dealership.