Project MGB
Fitting new kingpins and front lever arm dampers to our new acquisition.
F itting a pair of new front dampers along with reconditioned kingpin assemblies to our MGB GT at Steve McKie’s Sports Cars (01246 454527) has massively improved how our ‘B handles. The steering wheel no longer shakes and shimmies in my hands as 70mph approaches and a recent early morning dash up the motorway into deepest South Yorkshire could even be described as enjoyable, despite the never-ending road works on the M1.
While in the Doncaster area, I decided to call in at Bawtry-based classic tyre specialists Longstone Tyres (01302 714072) to catch up on the latest tyre news with proprietor Dougal Cawley. During my brief visit, Dougal spotted our MG parked outside the depot and mentioned how much better it would drive on a set of 165 by 14-inch Pirelli Cinturatos rather than the modern rubber it was currently sitting on.
Since we’d just had the MG’s tracking adjusted, it seemed an ideal opportunity to fit a set of correct profile boots and so far I’m impressed at how the Cinturatos have transformed the way the car handles. Despite the improvement, there was still a major problem to sort out on the ‘B, as when the dampers were being fitted last month, technician James pointed out how one of the pistons in the right-hand side caliper was sticking slightly. This would account for our GT’s tendency to pull to the left a little when braking hard and sorting out the brakes was the next job to do.
A ‘phone call to David Woakes at David Manners (0121 544 4040), the Birminghambased parts supplier kindly sponsoring this project, produced a heavy package containing new discs, calipers and pads as well as two sets of wheel bearings. With the MG back in the workshop at Steve McKie’s workshop in Chesterfield, the front of the car was jacked up and a pair of axle stands placed under each spring pan before removing the road wheels. After the old calipers and discs had been consigned to the scrap bin, Steve got stuck into fitting new wheel bearings to the MG’s freshly degreased hubs and that was when our problems started.
One hub was so badly worn the race for the inner bearing could be pushed in by hand rather than using a press. This could have been caused by a partly seized bearing, so a second-hand hub was sourced to cure the problem. However, more issues were looming as when the shiny new calipers were bolted up, it quickly became evident that all was not well. The left-hand caliper appeared to run closer to the disc on one side and the inner pad wouldn’t go in, even with the piston pushed right back. The dodgy caliper was swapped with an identical one taken from Steve’s stock and this was found to have a near identical problem. After trying three new left-hand calipers, we eventually found one that fitted, which is a bit worrying, as all the part numbers were correct for our MG’s build year and model.
Our problems weren’t over yet, as looking at the other side Steve noticed the top of the right hand caliper was fouling against the disc. Assuming the fixings on the new caliper had been machined correctly, which they were, the only reason for this was that the stub axle assembly was out of true. Further investigation showed this was indeed the case and fitting another kingpin assembly from Steve’s stock of parts thankfully cured the problem. Although overhauling our MG’s front brakes had turned out to be a bit of a marathon, I can at last start to enjoy the handling benefits provided by the impressive classic Italian rubber now the MG’s brakes don’t pull to the left.
As you may already have guessed, it’s been a month of mixed emotions on Project MGB and here’s what was involved: