Thread: 51 MG restoration.

Well, wonders never cease on this ole car.

T’was the intake, not exhaust Vv that was unseated, and get this, they are threaded inserts.


And I caught the issue before the seat completely unthreaded and fell into the process flow.
So I’ve cleaned everything up and it does thread back in and bottom out. Face of Vv and seat unscored, and Vv is not bent or in any way defaced.
Must have knocked it loose during rehoning the faces maybe?
So, thinking some red loctite, a new head gasket and back in business.

Funny how when you notice something you wonder how you didn’t before, but I was wondering why the ring backed out, how I was going to prevent it, use loctite etc but it’s hotter in a combustion chamber than loctite is recommended so… then i stared at the valve area more and noticed dimples all around the seats.

So there ya go, they staked the threads with a punch back then so I’ve used loctite red, and a punch.

Should hold now, and if the loctite fails, the staking should keep stuff true.
Tomorrow, finish cleaning the mating surfaces while I await the new head gasket. Road test pt 3 on the weekend God willing.
Such a waste of engineering, and machine time, by todays standards to thread, not press the inserts in, but sure do get a kick out of the fact that they did spend the time in England back then, to machine things to a level of fit and finish we dont even consider these days.
I’d like to think the bloaks that put in the machine time 70+ years ago would get a thrill of the fact that an old dude in the 21st century is still getting a thrill out of there work.

Yeah, I had a Jeep with a 3.7. Bought it cheep with a dropped valve seat. That's what the machine shop did to all of them after machining and pressing in oversized ones. .

Never saw screw-in seats.....OR lift-out cylinders either!

Check em all. Stake them anyway......

Yessir Tom, Dare say it’d be a mis-stake not too.

All cleaned up now and waiting for my new gasket. Had a Napa guy rush me one in so ‘should’ be here tomorrow..

If this happens again, well, gonna call it and send it out but all things equal, I should be good to go after this..

How do you tighten the things? Some expanding tool? perhaps tilt the punch and hit it? I also think you will be fine. Might lap that one again a bit?

I used my dead blow with replacement heads. It’s dia fit tight in the seat so I just wound her to her stopping point and gave her a little more oomph. Was afraid it’d chip or crack if I hit it with a chisel on the inside edge, but did think on it.
The other 7 I just dimpled again, didn’t pull all the spring sets off and retighten. They all look deep and undisturbed at their seams still.
Relapping a bit, good call there. Will rekiss it with the fine paste again tomorrow..

and regarding the machining they did, look close at the overlap of the two Vv’s in the above pic. They had to install the exhaust seats first, then machine and cut the intakes in a second step. The intake is cut into the exhaust slightly at their junction point.
I think that’s just crazy stuff from a machining perspective.

I am thinking top cyl lube might get on the diet. I like Lucas for that..Sometimes, just lapping worn valves causes them to stick. This stuff only happens to ME, Mike!

Dodged another bullet, eh?

I, too was looking. They say leave em alone.
The guy who did them is ill........

Look at this pic.

Seems at aboot 47 minute mark on intake shows a mark. I was thinking to do the seat instead of beating on the head,
Very outside of the valve seat. Tighten and stake at once. The points where the valves just touch would seem to be a good spot.

Good thing is a visual will show you which are moving..

Now we find Tom out on the patio listening to his 70's Dayton generator after continuous repairs.
Slugging the cheapest Canadian whisky still made in Canada.......
A veritable symphony of genners out tonite as power is gone and we need our buzz.
Mine is old and 5500 watts. I have run a mid size window A/C. fridge, lamp, computer with it as-needed forever.
Female spade connectors fry on the left capacitor after replacing connectors broken by vibration. Imagine that!!


After a few attempts I snagged a couple of pigtails which went to a conventional house condenser fan. Stiff stuff. Added a bit of length also to negate vibration as much as can be had.
Back up with all basics going. Did have to go out and lay in the grass to tweak the high speed needle. Humming now!

I told the wife the next one would be disposable as My brain has no more wrinkle room...
She should get us a nice Honda you cannot hear run. Looking at popular gensets all reviews begin as... Loud!

Lost in the 70's...FZ 600 Yammy stock muffler with a 1 inch drilled freeze plug at the end.
Exhaust is not loud.....It's the whangy-Bangy Briggs 10HP flathead

That the hurricane knocked out your power Tom?
Stay safe buddy. We are expecting what’s left of it sometime late tonight I think.
I have a 5500w champion geny for the just in case.
Hope we don’t need it.
Cheers gents.