Electric radiator fan

I finally got around to installing the new fan. That was after I put in the new radiator because I punched a hole in the old one. I'll still try and get the old one fixed though.

Installing the fan was pretty easy once I got going. I installed a thermostat control so that it comes on when the radiator is hot. I also wired it to the ignition side of the fuse box so that it will go off when the engine is turned off. Finally I included a bypass switch that is mounted on the dash (in place of the dimmer which I plan to bypass as it is useless). The bypass switch allows me to turn on the fan even if the thermostat hasn't kicked in. Basically an override. I even found a switch at advance auto that has a little red LED in it that comes on when the fan is on. Cool.

Ignition relay

I installed an ignition relay last week. Its pretty easy really, basically you are using the power from the ignition switch (white wire) to turn on the relay and let power from the battery flow to the fuse box and the starter and coil. The advantage of this is that all that power no longer flows through the ignition switch.

The process is pretty straightforward. Incidentally, later model cars came with an ignition relay. My car had had it removed at some point! But adding a relay to an older car makes sense to.

Aftermarket cooling fans

I am in the process of installing an aftermarket electrical cooling fan. This basically involves wiring up the fan that will sit in front of the radiator. Once this is installed and running, I will remove the belt driven fan.

Why?

Because: the belt fan draws constant HP. It runs whether I need it or not. For example, you don't need a cooling fan at 50mph. It also runs when I don't want the engine to be cooled - for example, when I start the car in the morning and its cold. The cooling fan is also quite noisy.

The later Bs came with twin electrical fans as standard, but my car had it removed at some point, so I am basically returning it to its earlier state.

OK - the point of the post...Be very careful installing the fan - they come with plastic wires that are supposed to be threaded through the radiator. I did this and punctured the radiator - DISASTER. So now I either get a new rad, or get this one fixed. A better solution is to build a mounting bracket for the fan. I'll post more details on my solution later.

Apparently, from others on MGExp forum, this is not a unique problem - other folks have inadvertently damaged their radiators installing these fans. So you have been warned.

Book Review: MGB and MGB GT problems and how to fix them

MGB and MGB GT problems and how to fix them by Roger Williams tackles some of the more common MGB problems. It is written for the amateur mechanic and is very readable. Each chapter tackles a particular issue, for example, chapter 1 is titled "engine will not start from cold". The chapters are then nicely broken down into sub paragraphs that deal with the various aspects of the problem. Throughout there are excellent photo graphs. This is a great book. I have used it for dealing with specific problems, and also to give me some background information before I tackled some general maintenance problem. This is a great book, and a must have. I give it 9/10.

Book Review: How to power tune MGB

How to Power tune MGB 4 cylinder engines for road and track by Peter Burgess is an interesting book, but I think it is of limited use for most amateur wrenchers who are just mucking around with their daily driver. Most of the modifications involve pretty drastic work to the cylinder head or fuel system and are really the only suitable for someone with a pretty high skill level and also some experience in machine shop work.

Having said all this, the book is still very interesting and provides a lot of information about how the potential of the engine can be realized. I enjoyed reading it, but I don't think that I'll be doing much from it any time soon.

So, I give it 6/10. For a shade tree mechanic, you can probably skip this one if you are looking for books that will help you work on the car.

Book Review: MGB Electrical Systems

MGB Electrical Systems by Rick Astley is a fantastic book - a must have book for any amateur working on an MGB. The book is beautifully illustrated with lots of high quality pictures of components and very clear and well labeled circuit diagrams. The book is very well written and very readable.

The book is much more than a fix it manual. The first 7 chapters provides a lot of really useful introductory stuff. For example there are sections on tools and wire handling, electrical theory, fuses etc. The subsequent chapters each focus on a particular electrical system, for example, chapter 10 looks at the starting system. In each chapter, Astley outlines how the system works and what the major components are. He then outlines potential problems and diagnostics as well as solutions. The best way to approach any of the chapters is to read them from beginning to end before you start work and then have the book at hand as you go to work.

I give this one a 10/10.

Fixing a seat

The hinge on the back of the drivers seat broke, basically making the seat useless. Rust was the problem, although the car is pretty much rust free, so I don't know if the seat was original or not. After some searching, I found a pair of seats on ebay. The vinyl on the seats was torn, but I wanted the frame. I basically used my seat cover and foam on the squab frame (the back of the seat) of the seat I bought on ebay. The "new" seat works great, and is pretty much as good as new.

Of course now I have to get sell the extra seat that I bought!