[Stefan]

No clue what to do there. I was also not a fan of the old radio, so I took it out. I bought the MG blank plate on eBay, but it is too small to cover the hole as the upper and lower margins of the hole are too wide.

I am thinking about creating a glove box for the space, but I am not sure how I would approach it. I am not the best with wood working. In fact, I know next to nothing about it. I am more than willing to give it a shot, but he job has to be easily doable on a budget and able to be completed from the parking lot of my college apartment.

I am not against putting a radio back in, I am just not sure what to do. I am not trying to make the car look like a TD on the inside, I just want it to look somewhat period correct, so matching any aesthetics from the 30s-40s-50s.

If you have any ideas in general, ( radio suggestions, how to make a glove box, how to make the plate cover the gap, other ideas on what to the gap cover with, what ignition switch to use, etc) I would love to hear your input 🙂

Thanks and Gig’ em,

-S

[Stefan]

[Stefan]

Not sure if this helps at all. There are some options here, but they don’t look exactly the same to my eyes. As for measurements, they usually reply pretty quickly via email.

https://www.mgmagicclassicmotorparts.com/running-board-mg-replica-2pc-tapered-chrome-tips-pair/

-S

[Stefan]

To answer the question here if anyone comes across this in the future:

The variable resistor lets you know the range of resistance between the two.

WHAT TO BUY: if this a problem for anyone, there is a device called the “Dolphin” and another called “MeterMatch,” both of which can be bought on eBay for 30 and 60 dollars respectively. They both operate as a mediator between the gauge and sender for your fuel system. Essentially, the device will regulate the resistance between the two automatically.

I bought the Dolphin. It took 15 minutes to set up, and it came with decent instructions. Completely solved my issue, and now my gauge properly reads the level of fuel I have. So far, 10/10 purchase

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 6 days ago by Stefan.

[Stefan]

Thanks for the link to your site. I will be a frequent visitor, it seems like I can learn a lot from your experiences that you detailed. I enjoyed reading your story with your fuel sender, getting mine to read now is active battle I have been fighting. The unevenly spaced mounting holes seems so illogical to me, but I am glad I wasn’t the only one that was frustrated by it.

[Stefan]

So you are suggesting that I use sandpaper, and sand down the plate. Then, polish it up again?

Would that get rid of the scratch marks and discoloration? Would it not damage the plate?

If I were to do this, should I hand sand it? What grit would you suggest starting and finishing with?

Sorry for all the questions , I am unfamiliar with this.

[Stefan]

No gas smell in oil, tire pressure was embarrassingly low (20 psi low on all 4 tires), and valve lash was correct.

I have not had time to check the plugs.

I went for a drive after my oil change and filling up my tires, experiencing significantly better gas mileage. I drove for about an hour around College Station, with  somewhat frequent stops and medium speeds. I did not need to fill up halfway through as I would have before, and still have a fair amount of gas remaining. I am not sure if I am getting the 20-ish MPG that I should be getting, but a significant improvement.

I will check the plugs and compression next. Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
-S

[Stefan]

I will check compression as well and tire pressure. Hopefully compression is all good, I do not have enough cash around to rectify it if that is the issue

[Stefan]

I knew that something wasn’t right, I read online that bugs could get up to 30 MPG, and I knew there was something probably wrong. There is no oil smell coming from a leaking tank in the driving space, nor does it seem to be leaking oil on the exterior.

I have nothing special with the fuel system. It is a few gallon tank -> metal fuel line + German Hose (3 in-line filters) -> fuel pump -> H30/31 Carb.

I have pertronix, only 5-6 months old. Spark plug wires same age.

I will do my 6 month service in the next few days, or maybe even today. I will check out how my oil smells, my plugs, and my valve lash and update the forum.

[Stefan]

I know that I am getting less than 10 without a doubt, maybe around 5-6 MPG. I was curious to know if I am alone with this issue. I now know that I need to evaluate this deeper sometime in the future.

-S

[Stefan]

Want to reply to myself in case it helps anyone in the future.

The seal needs to be the right size: 36x60x9.5 worked much easier than the other larger types I tried.

Anything large enough to encompass the seals diameter will work to hammer on. I used a spool of soldering wire, but even a specific seal drivers can be bought at Harbor Freight for around 30 dollars.

[Stefan]

Wires running from the ignition switch to other parts?

[Stefan]

I went with the 4 tip that you suggested, I am very happy with it. I think it delivers a good sound for a pretty cheap price. I showed the old man and he really likes it.

Getting those heater boxes out was tough with the way that the engine and the extra framing sits in my car, I decided to go with the unsafe and risky method of using a sawzaw to cut them out. Ironic for someone who works in health and safety between semesters…

[Stefan]

Have you thought about getting a hard start relay? They are really easy to install and they are like 15 bucks.

[Stefan]

I may be able to help with your VW carb. What Carb are you running?

For your horn:

Does it work aleady?

If your isolated horn already works, it may be as simple as changing the routing of your wires to go up the steering shaft. If you take off your steering wheel, you should see exactly how the wires go from the shaft up through the steering adapter and to the horn button.

I had just completed this last weekend, and thats all I had done. Just reroute the wires. If its more complicated than that for your car, there a few yt videos about VW horn wiring and troubleshooting 🙂

-S

[Stefan]

Howdy!

Thanks for the suggestion, will look into it.

-S

[Stefan]

Thank you for your suggestion! I found a video and think that it sounds good + its affordable for a college guy.

How was the sound?  Could you describe it as you remember? I had a hard time finding a lot of videos on yt of this specific exhaust

Was it really loud, too loud to enjoy the ride?

Thanks,
-S

[Stefan]

Read your article that you linked. It was a good read. I think that I will do the same

[Stefan]

Just so happened to come across this post. I knew i recognized this specific car and then I remembered that it is for sale near where I live. I was looking into trying to purchase it before I found a better deal. Anyways, here is the link https://www.facebook.com/share/xvrzWM6oc5Nd7qAk/?mibextid=79PoIi

[Stefan]

Was showed this site by someone else on the form, they have a bunch of replacement parts:

https://mgmagicclassicmotorparts.com/interior/?page=7

I am not sure if they have a speedometer for the mg replica specifically, but it may be worth a check to see if the ones they have are the right size.

 

-S

[Stefan]

thanks, was able to figure out I have a 66 and not a 73 as I was told by the seller. Glad I found out before I bought a new carb, going to be buying the EMPI 30PICT-1 Carburetor 

[Stefan]

I have heard of Volkzbitz frequently on forums, but he is too pricey for me right now.  I will certainly check out CIP 1 before I buy, thanks 🙂

[Stefan]

Thanks! Once I figure out what year beetle I have, then I will make sure to buy it.

[Stefan]

I think that I am probably leaning towards buying a new carb and installing it. The ultrasonic cleaner is about $90 at harbor freight, plus the cost of the cleaning solution and compressed air. Although, I am curious at the frequency that I would have to clean the new one. I am assuming that I would end up buying all that stuff eventually to do that anyways. Regardless, I think that it may be better to get a nice new one that I know how its been maintained. Any recommendations on brands for the carb (preferably the best bang for the buck kind of deal, I am a college student on a budget)?

[Author]

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