Junior is finally off the jack stands and we both survived a few laps up and down my street! I took the photographs required by the state for transfer of an antique plate (4 to 6 weeks to clear) and he's back in the garage now to check for leaks, make adjustments, and finish the work I put off so I could get the photos taken!
Everything went smoothly EXCEPT what may prove to be a time consuming problem. When I changed the transmission oil I was dismayed to find than the only thing that drained was 1/2 quart of gear oil! I left the drain plug out for a few hours then filled it with Castrol GTX 20W-50 motor oil.
I could not get the car to shift into first or third in our short spin (a little over a mile). Not at all when we set out. After the first "run" I could get it into first but barely... it would coast down hill in gear but as soon as power was applied it would pop out. The question is doeas anyone think that this problem will clear up after a bit of driving or should I prepare for a transmission pull! (I have a spare from my 77 parts car)? Also, does anyone think the gear oil damaged the transmission? The car hasn't been driven since 1989 so the gears had lots of time to rust up! The car is certified at 63K miles!
Whatever happens at least I will have the car legal in a month or so and I can always go admire it in the garage in the interim! And the task no longer seems so insurmountable... everything from here out is a repair right?
Cheers,
Newt
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OK, I talked myself into two more... is vanity a MORTAL sin?
Newt
OK, I talked myself into two more pics! Is vanity a MORTA sin??
Newt
Very nice...I like the wire wheels with the rubber bumpers.
Congratulations - the car looks really good.
As far as the trans, you might want to bleed the clutch slave to make sure that you are getting full travel on the throwout bearing - that could make engaging gears difficult.
After that, I'd drive it a bit, then drain and refill the trans with new oil, and see if that helps, before yanking it out.
newt0229 Wrote:
Is vanity a MORTAL sin??
"
Hope not, 'cuz if it is there are a few living on borrowed time.
I might not post much Derek but I read a lot of posts and I'd have to say QUITE a few! At least I'll have lots of company right?
Newt
Did you rebuild the transmission while restoring the vehicle?
I had a issue with mine as it would not go into first and third similar to yours. After checking all the usuals i.e., clutch, oil level, etc. I took the side transmission panel out to check the forks and I noticed that I did not tighten the fork securing bolts and the forks would not slide into the gear clusters all the way.
To me a restoration is every nut and bolt! I call what I did a rehab done with the engine/transmission IN the car. It was a garage kept abandoned repair from the late 80s (cracked head). I simply rebuilt all the brakes, fixed the motor, changed all the things that I knew would cause trouble (water pump, hoses, fuel lines, etc.) and cleaned the beast up with rust repair and fresh paint. So no, the tranny wasn't out. But given the lack of oil in it I can envision the shift fork RUSTING to the shaft!
Thanks for the input!
Newt
Jim, before doing a complete rebuild of the tranny, I would try changing oil. Try using Redline MTL or MT-90. It is a little pricey but is specifically formulated for manual transmissions. I know it sounds a little hokey and I thought the same thing when it was usuggested to me, but I used it in my MGA when I had some shifting troubles on second gear and was really surprised by the difference it made. Completely eliminated hard shifting.
Check out their info on their website at this link:
http://www.redlineoil.com/products_gearlubricants.asp?categoryID=7
And no, I'm not a distributor for Redline
Take care
Jim, Nice touch on the matching color valve cover. That looks sharp in that color.
Jim, that's a sweet little car you have there. I wouldn't have picked that color but it really does the trick so what the heck do I know?
Sounds like your worst case scenario will be swapping this tranny out for the spare you already have on hand. If the other suggestions don't work out (the Red Line sounds like a good place to start) then you're only out the time to do the swap - not the $$$ for a new transmission.
Congrats on saving her. :thumbup:
Tea4Two Wrote:
Jim, before doing a complete rebuild of the tranny, I would try changing oil. Try using Redline MTL or MT-90. It is a little pricey but is specifically formulated for manual transmissions. I know it sounds a little hokey and I thought the same thing when it was usuggested to me, but I used it in my MGA when I had some shifting troubles on second gear and was really surprised by the difference it made. Completely eliminated hard shifting.
Check out their info on their website at this link:
http://www.redlineoil.com/products_gearlubricants.asp?categoryID=7
And no, I'm not a distributor for Redline
Take care
"
When I was a lad I had a 57 MGA 1500 that I LOST second and third in! Drove it like that for an entire summer! I may try the Red Line but I think first I'll put a few miles on it to see if it works loose. I hate to put something expensive in when I plan on changing the oil after a few miles anyway. If it doesn't loosen up I'll just put in the 77 tranny and fill IT with Red Line.
Thanks for the input!
Newt
Tea4Two Wrote:
Jim, before doing a complete rebuild of the tranny, I would try changing oil. Try using Redline MTL or MT-90. It is a little pricey but is specifically formulated for manual transmissions. I know it sounds a little hokey and I thought the same thing when it was usuggested to me, but I used it in my MGA when I had some shifting troubles on second gear and was really surprised by the difference it made. Completely eliminated hard shifting.
Check out their info on their website at this link:
http://www.redlineoil.com/products_gearlubricants.asp?categoryID=7
And no, I'm not a distributor for Redline
Take care
"
I removed what little gear oil was in there and refilled it wit 20W-50 before I took the car out.
Cheers,
Newt
Well done, I like the matching valve cover to body color too ......
Love the engine compartment. What are you going to use for air cleaners?
I've got a 75' with dual su's and I ended up cutting a wedge in the chrome cover on the rear K&N filter to clear the servo. Joe
its blue Wrote:
Love the engine compartment. What are you going to use for air cleaners?
I've got a 75' with dual su's and I ended up cutting a wedge in the chrome cover on the rear K&N filter to clear the servo. Joe
"
Joe, I bought a set of K&N 56-9320s cones at Amazon.com for $43 each (if I remember right). They do not clear the booster so I have cut an insulator blocks in half. This will afford an extra 1/2" clearance. I'm installing a manifold blanket over the header but I really won't know if the proximity of the carbs to the manifold is going to cause problems until the first hot day idling in traffic! I'll post the results, oh, probably in August!
Newt
On a brighter note that which killed the cat put me in the drivers seat this morning to see if I could shift into first. After all, it did move in gear for a mile and the oil has had a chance to soak into the rust and corrosion overnight. It FELT like it went in but most assuredly went further than it did yesterday! I have the car up on jack stands at the moment and would start the engine and see if it's in first or not but it's 5 AM here and wife throws a mean overhead right! If it IS getting loose, I'll drive it for longer than a mile and THEN fill it with MTL! Thanks for all the encouragement and information everyone!
Cheers,
Newt
Oh, and for those who like the matching valve cover how about matching dash pots? This is the engine bay of my TR3... I wanted to paint the valve cover to match but it was badly crinkled to begin with so I did a crinkle paint to cover it up. I wish I hadn't, it's too hard to keep the finish clean!
Cheers,
Newt
I would drive it some, and see what happens. Might loosen up.
I DO like the white letter tires!
Jim, The B is looking good. I never noticed you had a TR3. Do you happen to belong to WPTA? Great bunch of people and we do a lot of combined events with the MG club.
underdog Wrote:
Jim, The B is looking good. I never noticed you had a TR3. Do you happen to belong to WPTA? Great bunch of people and we do a lot of combined events with the MG club.
"
Jim,
I joined WPTA year before last. Gary Fredo is a member of the Spitfire/GT6 group I belonged to and he set me up there. I have only managed to make three events in that time due to health issues but I really enjoyed the ones I did make! I really wanted to make the Church Brew Works on the 15th but I had surgery the following week and didn't want to face the temptation to misbehave! LOL Hopefully I will be making a few events this summer in either the MG or the TR3... hope to see you there!
Cheers,
Newt
Newt, I know Gary well. I was prez for three years a good while back. Gary was always willing to help. I didn't make the Brew Works either since we had tickets for The Clarks that evening. Hope you get feeling better real soon. I'll keep an eye out for you this summer. Jim
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