Monza Red MG 1600 R series

[Doctordiesel77]

I thought it was about time I fixed the rotten oil cooler on this, so that I could at least drive it around the yard. Seemed like an easy job, remove standard cooler, replace coolant hoses with non oil cooler ones, fit thermostatic adaptor using nipple from an L series, which also has 13/16" unf oil filter threads. Then I spotted a crack in the block so had to take manifold, radiator and alternator off to get at it. Snapped bolt in alternator, another in manifold and discovered that the radiator was rotted through on one end..it turned into a long day! Welding on block is a bit messy, but the vertical runs should make it resistant to cracking again. I used Lincoln rods which haven't let me down yet....

[Doctordiesel77]

and the crack replaced with a messy pile of weld.

[Jeff Turbo]

Blimey that's not a good find. I've seen spaples used on cracked blocks then welded. Great job there if it hasn't affected any bores

[Doctordiesel77]

Blimey that's not a good find. I've seen spaples used on cracked blocks then welded. Great job there if it hasn't affected any bores

Wasn't the best day of the week ha ha ha! I wondered about staples, but the top seemed to be bulging a bit, so not sure that they'd have worked. Now that I've got manifolds off (had to take inlet off to change gasket) I might just take head off and double check that there is no other damage. The engine was running (just for short periods as there was no coolant in) and sounded ok so I think it should bé alright, but no harm in having alook anyway..

[Doctordiesel77]

Things went a bit better today, took head off, bores look undamaged and unworn, cam looks like new. Timing chain seems a bit worn, so ordered a new one, luckily it is the same as a Maxi. Head is very slightly bowed, if I had to pay someone to plane it, I'd not have bothered, but I don't, so may as well go for zero bow, rather than 'within tolerance'.

[Doctordiesel77]

Some of the various studs and bolts were quite resistant to being removed, looked as though studs on exhaust might have had metric nuts forced on at some point, ordered some of the correct 5/16" unf studs, nuts and bolts, might be better with copper grease on when it goes back together too!

[Jeff Turbo]

Did you manage to get all nuts, bolts etc out without snapping any? Always a trial of luck and judgment with a metal head

[Doctordiesel77]

Did you manage to get all nuts, bolts etc out without snapping any? Always a trial of luck and judgment with a metal head

There were one or two that snapped and some were already snapped in a previous life! Got them all out now , some I got by welding nuts onto the stumps, a couple were to drill out. Any that seem dodgy I'll be helicoiling, just in case. As you say, a delicate balance between destructive force and 'just enough' force. Goodness knows how much worse it would have been if I hadn't been giving everything a spray in superslaks at intervals over the last few months. I think it had made a difference, as some of the bolts came out quite easily, the three inch long ones through aluminium were never going to surrender easily...

[Doctordiesel77]

Bit more done today, timing chain tensioner was very worn, so glad I ordered a new one with the new chain. Very easy job compared to some more modern ones (and some older ones too!). The crank sprocket looks abit worn too, luckily XJ Rover on ebay had one listed. The cam sprocket looked ok, but if I ever find a new one it is easy to replace at a later date. Boot is gone on steering rack, I might just replace the rack as it is very easy to get at when the head is off.

[Doctordiesel77]

While waiting for parts I took a weird looking switch off the inner wing, it wasn't connected to anything, but looks like a thermal switch of some sort. Also lagged the manifold, having first filed the mating surfaces flat, they weren't too bad, but better now. Also put some bonda primer on some of the bits that were afflicted with surface rust.

[Jeff Turbo]

Coming on a treat john

[Doctordiesel77]

Coming on a treat john

I'm hoping to get it running before I run out of holidays ha ha, then there is a bit of welding to do on the floor. Probably won't get it painted, as I'm trying to get the Efi shell painted inbetween doing the mechanical bits on this. Machining the head is a catch 22 job, if it is sunny the solar panels run the miller, but milling is a nice indoor job for a wet day... It seems as though two people have worked on it before, quite a lot of new parts, some fitted with nice greased up bolts, some with dry bolts. Now got new rack fitted, with grease nipples added to the track rod ends and ball joints. The springs were strange though, the paint marks were badly faded, but looked to have been white, which is 1300 spring, 1600 should be yellow. I measured the free length, one was exactly 385mm, which is correct for 1600, the other was 380mm, so 12mm longer than 1300, but a bit shorter than it should be. I put this down to 94,000 miles with an overweight driver, so put in on the passenger side, the current overweight driver should sort the difference out Luckily I had some 264mm shock absorbers & new bump stops as the original ones were trashed.

[Doctordiesel77]

Floor mounted spring compressor definately worth the extra over the 'normal' ones. It looked as though some naughty person had fitted a single shock absorber at some point in the past, they were both equally useless now though..

[Doctordiesel77]

Shiny new strut should last a few years, I put plenty of waxoyl on the spring pans as it won't rot the rubber insulators like grease would, I've seen a couple rust off inside the lower pan, which is something that is hard to see coming & makes the steering very interesting.. The discs and pads look new, just some surface rust. The dust shields cleaned up ok, then I moved back to the timing chain. The old one was to split, but the new one has a joining link. Unfortunately the chains were a bit slippery after soaking the new one in oil for a hour & I managed to drop the old one down the timing case rather than pulling the new one in with it..the 1/8" allen key that you need to release the tensioner came in handy for joining the new and old chains at the crankshaft. It was a bit fiddly though, next time I'll put some wire through them so they cant drop!

[Jeff Turbo]

Your lucky the dusts shields are still there, front strut removal looks not easy job from your pics. When I did the red digidash both front struts were that rusted on I had to also remove the driveshafts and hubs etc as one