[Edward Turner]

I ended up copying the larger spacer and installing one on each side. It made a very solid feeling mounting, I sure wanted to drive the car further to see how it felt.oldroadie2013-03-20 09:18:20

[Edward Turner]

I hate to leave business unfinished. This week I completed the carrier bearing/drive shaft replacement. That included installing the new transmission mount plate, leveling the tranny in the process. Then I fibreglassed the interior parts back into place, reinstalled the interior and handed the now well running, good shifting car off to Joel, the new owner. Done.

[Edward Turner]

Yes, we had a decent discussion about the current state of the car. My touring schedule has me on the road for the entire month of Feb. so I’m going to keep it until mid March when I can finish the driveshaft replacement and glass the hump section into a nice removable cap. Then it’s his.

Yes, it has Schweppes Special badges on each side. It’s really a lovely piece of work, I just hate to see it sit

The day I bought the car from Larry and Cathy we stopped the hauler at a roadside BBQ just outside Canton or Cummings, GA (I don’t remember which) and this fellow stopped by the hauler and asked if the car was for sale. After I told him we’d just bought it he took my number and told me he’d call. He’s called four or five times, always when I was on tour. This time I was home and his persistence has paid off.
oldroadie2013-02-03 21:46:08

[Edward Turner]

Sold. Thanks for having me even if I never got the project off the ground.

[Edward Turner]

newkitman wrote:

There is one member in your neck of the woods over in Ft. Payne, AL.

That would be me 🙂 If there’s anything I can help with just let me know. My TD is Chevette based, though, so I don’t know how much help I can offer but I’m willing to try. Welcome!

Ed

[Edward Turner]

I do love the checkerboard dash. The sawdust and glue is a nice trick, I’ve used that before on some guitar repairs. I can’t wait to see how yours takes a finish. Tung oil or something denser?

[Edward Turner]

I had not found Smoothline in my searches, that’s a great lead. I did manage to obtain a rebuilt drive shaft from Rick Drake out in Washington state but I’m having a little difficulty getting it to sit in the frame the way it looks like it should. So, I need some advice and a couple of days labor to get her on the road. I’m so close….

[Edward Turner]

I’ve been unsuccessful in my hunt for BCW documents and without them i’m pretty much clueless. My car has been on hold for such a long time now I’m really starting to get discouraged and have been thinking of selling. A source for any info about BCW Chevette assembly would be so very welcome, can you give me a starting point?

Thanks,
Ed

[Edward Turner]

I’m right in the throes of changing out the driveshaft carrier on my Chevette based BCW. That carrier bearing tears away and the driveshaft carrier hits the transmission tunnel under load. You’ll have to get the car up in the air so you can look above the frame cross member and see if the carrier surround is toast.

I’m away from home tending to an ongoing family emergency, otherwise I could upload copious amounts of pictures to document this particular failure. Right where the drive shaft carrier attaches to the cross member of the frame. Take a look and please tell me I’m wrong. oldroadie2012-07-01 07:11:22

[Edward Turner]

I wasn’t clear, the stripped Allen is in the body side attachment and not the door itself. Thanks for the door diagrams and advice on the latch but my problem is the very bottom bolt in the body side of the hinge. Looks like its going to be easy out territory and panel removal day, that’s okay because it’s drippy and it’s a fair weather car.

[Edward Turner]

The best I know mine is circa 1983 or 1984 from British Coach Works. So a Duchess uses a wood block backing with a T nut? That might encourage me to gamble. I really need that lower bolt replaced so I can true the door, then I can address the slightly sprung lock.oldroadie2012-04-03 13:07:04

[Edward Turner]

Yep, she’s fine and that’s the main thing. It’ll be interesting to see what the

adjuster says about the car; I’ve never seen one with that much bent in the

‘B’ pillar ever track straight again.

Mrs. T even helped me install spring rubbers in the rear this morning after

we fetched the police report and voila! no more bottoming out. Shocks seem

to be doing fine duty and if the rubber insert keeps the bottoming out at bay

on the road it’s even better 🙂

[Edward Turner]

Thanks fellows. I had misunderstood about the tunnel issue and thought

it just hampered removal of the entire trans. I see now it’s a bigger chunk

of work to just replace the tans mount. Not impossible, just more to do.

The link to PinkMGs pix is very valuable, I had not found that thread

before. I might just ponder cutting the mount away and re-engineering it

rather than pulling the entire engine and trans and cutting the fibreglass

floor.   

Whatever happens next I’ll be certain to document it for the next BCW

rebuilder that comes along.

And, there’s another complication. My wife got herself t-boned in town

yesterday in the rain and her car might be totaled as the ‘B’ pillar was

bent all the way into the driver’s seat. It did it’s best impact absorption

crumple and it kept her from getting hurt but now we’re out a car. Looks

like the MG might take a back seat for some time…I’m hoping I don’t have

to sell it to get her back on the road.oldroadie40793.6745601852

[Edward Turner]

Okay, so she’s up on jack stands in the rear, front wheels chocked and I’ve

got the nut and big washer off. You can plainly see the mount is torn when

the floor jack starts to lift the trans. I can’t seem to get the tans up high

enough to clear the trans bolt. Still no Chevette manual so I’m just going on

past limited experience…does this mean I don’t have enough tunnel

clearance to change the simple mount? Or, maybe this is a stud and I can

remove it by double nut method?

[Edward Turner]

ray10 wrote:

To my understanding there should be some play side to side

and up and down ,but none front to back.

Thank you, that gives me something to check once i get this baby up in the

air.

[Edward Turner]

Thanks, ray10. Yep, got me a replacement right off the shelf at my favorite

parts store. He’s had 2 in stock since the 80s, the box looked antique.

Hopefully the rubber is still sound, seems fine on the surface.

I’ve been in touch with Rick because with that much play I suspect the carrier

bearing (he called it an axle extension) is probably beat, too. He’s pretty

quick with answers and parts quotes. Still, I’d rather pop that “new” mount in

first and just see where that leads me. I could get luckyoldroadie40790.3672800926

[Edward Turner]

I read his post earlier, some useful stuff in there but without any manual

to flesh it out I’m unsure where to begin…mostly because I think what I

can see under the car is likely the tranny mount and not the bearing. On

the other hand, if the mount has been collapsed for some time the

bearing is probably stressed to the point of replacement.

Must be the diff between Safari and other browsers, no blue arrow at the

top left but I did cruise PinkMGs photos and 7 of them are missing and

that’s probably what I need to see.

Most likely I’ll just jack the little car up high enough to crawl under and go

have me a good look-see. I can post some pictures in the hopes some of

you can tell me what I’m looking at.

Not my first car, or my first project, so I know the mechanics of how

things work I just need some guidance on these seemingly common

failure points so I don’t chase my tail needlessly. I’ve already sourced the

Carrier Bearing assembly but I’m going to have a go at the tranny mount

first before boosting $300+ to the west coast.

Golly, I’m just dying to take this through the N. AL and N. GA mountains

but I really need the transmission and suspension sorted first.

[Edward Turner]

Larry Murphy wrote:

? Ed, Glad you got it home safely. Now the fun

begins for real.!!

?Check in the photo gallery at the top right. Look in Pink MG’s gallery for

pics of a BCW trans mount with the engine and trans out of the car.

?Look at Chevette trans under Chevy/Ford kits section for a detailed

explanation of how to remove the trans and rework the mount.

Couldn’t find either one of those and I really wanted to look, too. Maybe I

don’t know how to search this forum correctly.

[Edward Turner]

Of course in this summer of drought with no rain forecast it rained a

deluge on the way over and more rain on the way back. Serves me right

for thinking I could buy a rag top 🙂 I learned the top and side curtain

PDQ when it came time to roll off the carrier (best $60 investment ever).

Rained all the way home, everything is drying in my woodshop now.

British Coach Works car #222. Registered as an 1985 but surely with that

number it is an earlier build. Zero build/life documentation from the PO

so it’ll be all fluids replaced immediately and sometime on a lift to inspect

the undercarriage although I believe (or would like to) that an 18,000 mile

chassis won’t need much other than routine maintenance.

Brakes better than my original impression, rear springs/shocks are

terrible, I bottomed out all the way home. If the carrier bearing is the

rubber isolated fastener at the end of the tranny I need one, this one is

shot and bolt head is over an inch proud of the frame. Probably what all

that clunking is when downshifting.

I’ll be searching the forum for tips and threads about things I don’t know

so any advice is welcome 🙂

Pictures when it stops raining!

[Edward Turner]

I’m taking the easy way out with a friend, his truck and a Uhaul car hauler.

Just don’t want to tempt brake failure on those 6~8% grades on the first date

[Edward Turner]

She’ll be coming to Fort Payne, AL in the north east mountains of Alabama

from Cumming, GA. I think she also needs that drive shaft carrier that

centers the shaft replaced, looked pretty worn out to me when I was crawling

around. Not to many miles on the odometer, seems like under 18K or so if I

remember, but light use implies a lot of dry rot…shocks were sketchy, too,

but after 26 years the gas could just be exhausted. Could be an exciting 125

miles 🙂

[Author]

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