More Stuff Removed

Spent about 45 minutes on the car tonight. I removed the starter solenoid, brake line 4-way connector and brake light switch and fusebox. So the 'ignition' side of the engine is pretty much done. Just have to get the coil holder off. Next up will be the throttle cable and gas pedal assembly. Then I can start to think about pulling the engine and transmission.

Wiring Harness Out

Made some good progress today. I removed the main wiring harness (sheesh, couldn't they make that hole in the dash about an inch larger??) and the other lines going through the dash (oil gauge line and a wire I didn't label...!). Also removed the electronic ignition module, and some items from the engine (distributor, heater valve). Pulled out the clutch and brake lines from the master cylinders and some other miscellaneous items. The car is looking pretty stripped right now....! No digital camera today so I'll take come pics tomorrow.

I also attended the Moss Fallfest up in Dover this morning. Saw a couple of folks from The MGB Experience (Carl Cederholm, Peter Fydell, David Deutsch, Kim DeBourbon). Good show, not a lot of cars when I left but a nice variety.

Some Pictures of the Wiring

Just posting some detailed pictures that I took of the wiring in the car.

Wiring Harness Work

Spent about 2 hours working on the B today. Finished taking detailed pictures of all of the various wiring sections on the body (haven't done underneath yet though). Got the very front of the harness disconnected - the headlights and horns. Also took out some various sections behind the dash. There are a million connections on the harness, man! I thought I could pull it out easily, but I see it's going to take a couple sessions to get this task done....

Also removed the fuel pump, looks like it's an aftermarket one, as it says AC on it. But it looks like the SU style, versus the solid-state box-type. I noticed that the battery boxes are in excellent shape. But I think there is some pretty good rust behind the driver's side front fender... When I removed the foot-operated light dimmer switch, the bolts seemed very rusty....

Interlude: Interesting Day with the '76 B

In addition to my '65 MGB, I have a '76 MGB that my wife and I have owned for 18 years... It's been a very reliable car overall, although it's not a daily driver. Well, today it let me down.....

I went to the local gas station fill up. After putting in the gas, I went to start the car - no start! And the battery wasn't turning over the car very well either.... Of course, the gas station was empty when I pulled in and there was not a line of cars with left-hand fuel fillers behind me! So, I jumped out and pushed the car about 30 feet over to a parking spot. It was about 83 degrees this afternoon.

Pop the bonnet, look around, and see that the lower nut that holds the throttle cable in place on the bracket has slid down the cable and caused the cable to jump out of the groove on the throttle lever. Okay, easy fix.... Except that the underhood temps are about 120, and everything is HOT. So I decide to wait a few minutes. In the meantime, a guy comes over and asks if I need help - turns out he owns a '79 B! MG folks are great that way. He looks and sees the same thing as me.

Well, after fooling around for a few minutes, I get the throttle shaft nut off, so I can remove the lever and get the nut back into place. Easier said than done, everything still real hot, my sweat sizzling on the exhaust manifold. Can't really get it done, and figure since I probably need to jump it anyways, maybe I will walk the mile home and get the Audi, jumper cables and some tools. So I start home and get about 500 yards away when I realize that I left my keys in the car - can't get into the house and get my Audi keys without 'em! So back I go....

Get home a total sweat-ball. Chill out inside for 20 minutes and gather my tools, head back down in the Audi. Ok, the un derhood temps are down to about 90 now, so it's all good.... Got the lower nut back on the throttle cable, put the lever back on properly, and just for the heck of it, jump in and turn the key - startes right up!! Cool, no jump start needed. So I drive the B home, then walk back down to collect the Audi. Elapsed time, about an hour and fifteen minutes.

Oh well, it was close to home, a beautiful day and I got some exercise.....!

Engine Compartment Wiring Pics

In preparation for removing the wiring harness, I am trying to take detailed pictures of all of the wiring in the car. Here are some pics of the engine compartment wiring -