Engine and Gearbox Refit into an MGB Complete Step by Step Guide

[@SteveDentonClassics]

Great video, really well detailed!! Thanks for the shout out, hopefully we'll meet up soon!! Like you I upgraded my starter motor to a hi torque one on my MGB and Dolomite, the difference its made is unbelievable. That's some really good ideas with the cold air feed for the carbs and also the overflow bottle for the radiator

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks Steve, hope you are staying safe.

[@D...M...A...]

@@davidrussellwilks Check my post... nicely done

[@aaronstramiello8235]

Being fairly new to the MG world, your videos have helped me a ton. I picked up a 1977 MGB that runs, but needs some love. Engine is in the process of coming out this week. Thanks again.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks for your kind message Aaron, delighted to hear that you have found the videos useful. Hope all goes well when you remove the engine.

[@praetorious]

At least on my triumph, I found putting it into 4th and turning the output flange by hand me get the splines lined up so I could send the transmission home. My father is a big MG guy, he likes your channel a lot.

[@davidrussellwilks]

It definitely helps having the transmission in gear, I was struggling for a few minutes with the gearbox in neutral but as soon as a gear was selected I could turn it from the rear and get the splines lined up. It's even harder with the gearbox in the car.

[@jonathanbywater2063]

Thanks so much for taking the time to film this. The video is superb and very helpful for those needing to pull the engine and gearbox. Great stuff David.

[@davidrussellwilks]

You're very welcome!

[@jimklaas]

David, you do an incredible job. I have been working on my kids 1969 MGB and your videos follow almost exactly what my son's car needs. Sometimes I wish they "didn't". Last week the clutch started giving us trouble. I was hoping it would survive until winter but it had other ideas. I was going to wait until winter to pull the engine and replace the clutch but after watching your video, I am going to give it a go. Once again, absolutely fantastic "how to videos" thank you. Car looks great, I love how clean it is. I will let you know how it goes.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks for your message Jim, sorry to hear that you are having clutch problems with your car. Removing the engine on an MGB is fairly straightforward, I think the hardest bit is often refitting the gearbox mounts. If I can help at all please don't hesitate to get in touch.

[@jimklaas]

​@@davidrussellwilks Did you ever do a video or know of one that deals with replacing the clutch. You always make the work look so easy, it is a great confidence booster. In my shop I have a projector that is hooked up to the a big screen. I follow whatever you say in real time. It's great. If you ever did one on the clutch, I would love to see it.

[@sharpedockery2541]

These are, by far, the best filmed instructional videos I've seen. Well done Sir.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks, glad you are enjoying them.

[@apcaputo]

I’ll be removing the engine on my 76 Midget from a clutch replacement and oil seal renewal. This video is excellent in providing a heads up as to issues and key tricks to make the job go easier. Thanks you have fantastic skills and excellent video.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks for your message, delighted to hear that you found the video useful

[@scottsteele4325]

I have found that reinstalling motor mounts on the MGA / MGB, it helps to keep the lift attached and take up some of the weight of the motor. It's then possible to gently rock the motor to get all of the bolts started. I also find it helpful to place a small jack under the gearbox output flange and lift a few inches to stabilize the gearbox while attaching the inner (upper) cross member bolts. Wonderful video!!! Cheers!!

[@davidrussellwilks]

Thanks Dan, I'll give that a try; sometimes the bolts can be a pain to get started.

[@philshurley8067]

Great to see you doing these major jobs single handed!

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks Phil!

[@audiophil4946]

Great video, David, very comprehensive. I will be pulling the engine and gearbox on my '72 GT soon to install an O/D box, and this was quite informative. Your B looks immaculate, especially for a race car! Cheers!

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks Phil, I hope that all went well when you removed the engine and gearbox from your car.

[@instadisassemble_reassembl5370]

Thanks David. Another super video! And just in time for my own attempt to drop in my rebuilt engine. Cheers

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks for your message, it's always very gratifying to hear that the videos are useful.

[@perrycampbell6533]

So helpful as a guide for my MGB rebuild. Thanks for providing such a great resource David.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks Perry, glad you found it useful.

[@victorg9974]

Thank you, awesome video

[@davidrussellwilks]

Glad you liked it!

[@ItsaboutMakingnotBuying]

Good looking job. Thanks for giving the torque numbers. Later

[@jamesstanden9583]

Well done, dare I say it I enjoyed watching this 😊

[@davidrussellwilks]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@neilwalker3643]

Very interesting...good work sir!

[@davidrussellwilks]

Glad you liked it!

[@healeybob1]

I have found removing the paint underneath the ground strap is helpful.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Certainly a sensible thing to do. On my car I also added and extra ground strap, there are a component that can often cause issues.

[@dariovilla978]

Fantastic work...beautiful car. You have great skills.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks Dario, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@americanpatriot2422]

Great video and lots a excellent tips 👍

[@davidrussellwilks]

Thanks 👍

[@markwhitfield5412]

i did my mounts to the gearbox 1st then offerd up the cross member only 2 nuts to deal with then, and easy!

[@davidrussellwilks]

Did you slot the holes in the crossmember to get it to fit. This does seem like a sensible modification, but haven’t carried it out yet.

[@jarekh2564]

very much appreciated!

[@davidrussellwilks]

Glad it helped!

[@johndiaz7240]

You can work on my cars any time , very good.

[@ewang33]

Hi David, Great step-by-step update, very useful for someone mid way through a full build. I can't seem to find a link to your engine specs, noticed a few interesting mods, (rivets on the water jacket plugs). I'm rebuilding an big bore Oselli machined '74 at the moment - keen to find the full specs of your engine.

[@jlipkin]

Nice video, thanks for posting!

[@davidrussellwilks]

Thanks Jonathan, hope all goes well if you are fitting the engine and gearbox back into your car.

[@davidsmith6212]

Hi David - another great informative video. A small question - I notice a lot of the set screws and bolts you are using have a turned finish on the heads rather than usual bright zinc plated - is that something you have done for cosmetic reasons or have you purchased them specially from a particular supplier? The reason I ask is I am quite dissatisfied with the quality of general fixings from usual mg suppliers both in terms of poor thread forms and bad material quality which won’t even take specified torque settings (clutch to flywheel bolts being a recent case I had). I wondered if you use a particular supplier with higher quality. Thanks, David Smith.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Good Morning David, I had EXACTLY the same problem as you with the normal zinc plated bolts and sheared some whilst trying to torque to 25 ft/lbs on the clutch cover. When I first built the car I used brand new fixings everywhere but after two years they started to corrode and rust. Around 4 years I started swapping out the fixings for titanium ones instead; they are half the weight of steel and don't rust. The downside is they are expensive. I bought them in batches thought to spread the cost and swapped most of the body, interior, suspension and some engine fixings over. I didn't use them for engine internals (I use ARP instead) and I didn't use them for the brakes. I must say I've been delighted with them, they don't corrode and I never have any problem removing them. A good anti-seize is required if you are using them in the captive nut fixings. I think there must be a better manufacturer of the standard zinc plated bolts, but unfortunately I don't have anyone I can recommend.

[@davidsmith6212]

@@davidrussellwilks many thanks David - that sounds like a very good approach.

[@oblvnnwtnjhn]

David where did you source all the new shiny bolts and nuts? Which front valance and head lights covers are those? Love the channel content, thanks for sharing your knowledge in detail.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks Spence, most of the fittings on the car are titanium. I got really fed up with the zinc plated nuts and bolts going rusty, seizing and shearing (even with the correct torque applied) that I swapped most of them over to titanium. It was expensive but doing it in stages did make it more affordable and the great thing is that they haven't degraded at all over time, and none have seized either, makes the car so much nicer to work on and I'd certainly do it again. The valance is a custom aluminium one that I had made up, if you are UK based British Heritage are selling one I believe also in aluminium and very similar. The light covers are the Sebring style ones and should be widely available, I think Moss and most other people have them. They are a little bit tricky to fit as you will need to drill the wing to fit them and getting the front hole where the clip goes can be difficult.

[@oblvnnwtnjhn]

@@davidrussellwilks where did you source the titanium bits? I'm going for a similar look with my 71' GT, can't afford to race but building the engine and stripping weight for enjoyment on the roads here in the American South.

[@praetorious]

@@oblvnnwtnjhn Maybe McMaster Carr here in the US will have titanium fasteners.

[@davidrussellwilks]

@@oblvnnwtnjhn Whitebread Titanium www.wreproducts.com/ might be able to help. I bought many of the slightly more specialised (odd sized) suspension bolts from them, they have a great selection. I kept with steel bolts for things like the brake calipers and all of the internal engine parts.

[@Erik-rd1tl]

Very helpful video's! I'm currently in the process of getting to know and restoring my 1974 GT. Now I'm replacing most of the gaskets (front, back, head, sump, etc) and oil rings on my engine since I don't know the condition. Do you have some advice on what to replace or inspect since the engine is out now anyway?

[@davidrussellwilks]

While the engine is out of the car it's well worth taking a look at the clutch, the oil pump and the timing chain, all are fairly cheap and not too difficult to swap. You also get the chance to tidy up the engine bay wiring and jobs like the clutch slave hose are much easier with the engine removed from the car. I didn't build the engine myself in my car; if any one else has some other things to add please feel free.

[@Erik-rd1tl]

@@davidrussellwilks Thank you!

[@thombarlow5977]

Mr. Wilks Greetings from Sunnet Florida, I'm overhauling my 1800 MGB Engine Via Moss Motors Parts, when I removed the engine and dismantled it I did a very poor job of organizing the fasteners Now that I'm assembling all the bits, I like your step by step descriptions that you do as you assemble your MGB It would be a great help to me, if you wouldn't mind describing the size fasteners and locations as well as the products you use at the time. Question, when you say "Silicone Grease" , are you talking about GE RTV Silicone ? Specific Brand names would be helpful. I don't want to sound as if I'm criticizing your fabulous videos, I just want to offer suggestions that would help me in my work here in FL.USA

[@davidrussellwilks]

Thanks for your message, a good tip for the future is to group fasteners together as you take them off the car, I usually have around 10 small pots, for example; all the manifold nuts and washers will go in one, the steering rack fixings in another. I find this usually makes assembly fairly easy, another option is to to put the fixings back on after the part is removed but this is not always that easy. The best guide for finding which part goes where is the Moss Europe catalogue, this has original exploded drawings of all the parts and I found it invaluable when I built my car. There is a link here to the engine page. www.moss-europe.co.uk/shop-by-model/mg/mgb-c-v8/engine/engines-components/external-internal-engine-5-main-bearing-18gb-18v-mgb-mgb-gt-1964-80.html. You will find exploded drawings for all the separate components on the website. Finally the silicone grease is just that, a clear silicone grease something like www.amazon.co.uk/Liqui-Moly-3312-Silicon-Grease-Clear/dp/B00295DBQE.

[@rimthompson]

Great video David, thank you for posting. What's the reason for using aluminum spanners?

[@davidrussellwilks]

Good Morning Richard, the aluminium spanners are specifically used for the JIC fittings. The JIC/AN fittings themselves are an aluminium alloy and the aluminium spanners are designed so as not to damage them. For original BSP fittings on the oil cooler a normal spanner should work fine as the fittings are steel.

[@rimthompson]

@@davidrussellwilks Thanks David.

[@praetorious]

Ah quick question, does you engine still have a harmonic damper, or are you using a solid pulley? Reason I ask is you mentioned alternators failing. I've seen this before on engines with solid alloy front pulleys. Something about the torsional vibrations messing things up.

[@davidrussellwilks]

A very good question, the engine still had the harmonic balancer, although it's a Romec one. The issue I'm having does seem to be unique to me, not other racers have said they've had the same problems; I've had the mounting ear on the alternator break, the water pump bracket break, the lower adjuster break and the alternator just fail, all at different times. I'm currently running the belt as loose as I can and it does seem to be working so far, no issues in 2019. I also have a larger pulley on the alternator to slow things down a bit. The Hella units definitely last better than the Lucas units do, but the Lucas one's are cheaper, and I guess not really made by Lucas anyway.

[@thewhitegapster336]

Hiya, I am attempting to renew the gaskets for the engine side covers, have you got any advice on doing this as its my first time ? Thanks. Its a rubber bumper 1978 MGB. I have both the thin and thick cork gaskets, which one would you use ? Thanks.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Thanks for your message, unfortunately the side plates are notoriously difficult to get an oil tight seal on. I would recommend adding some silicone RTV sealant to both the engine face and and side cover before fitting the gasket. Personally I have been using a silicone gasket rather than cork, but I think the cork do still work well. Pick the one that seems to sit the best on the face of the cover. Also renew the rubber bushes that go into the cup washers on the side plates. The final piece of I advice I could offer would be not to the bolts up too tight a gentle pinch is usually enough, too tight and you will start damaging the rubber bushes in the cup washers.

[@thewhitegapster336]

@@davidrussellwilks Hiya, Thanks for the advice !!

[@christopherpatterson8191]

David, Is your transmission cross member specialized for racing or did you modify them? If you bought them can you share the supplier and if you modified them can you share the specifics? No concerns about loss of strength or integrity?

[@davidrussellwilks]

Thanks for your message, I modified the cross member myself to make it a little lighter. The holes are approx 5cm across, I'll try a take a photo next time I am under the car. The crossmember itself does seem fairly stout, I've not noticed any deformation and it's been on the car for 10 years now. I also made the modification demonstrated here, www.mgexp.com/article/modifying-the-mgb-crossmember.179 I'd have to say though fitting the crossmember back to the gearbox whilst it is hanging down slightly is just about as quick.

[@myhockeyplayers]

great video's..... try a cotton non button down shirt you may be a touch more comfortable. My wife would kill me if I ruin a button down working on my car...other than that well done!

[@davidrussellwilks]

Ha! Thanks for your message, the cotton shirts are my old work shirts and fairly worn out. I wear one pretty much everyday so don't mind the fit.

[@markwhitfield5412]

screws holding core plugs in, never seen that before, never seen one pop out, seen a few rotton ones.

[@32crusey]

Hi David, is there any reason why you’re not using a 7.25” clutch and aluminum flywheel?

[@davidrussellwilks]

Some racers in the series tried the smaller clutches but they seemed to have lots of issues, mainly with trying to centre the release bearing. I have never tried one personally but the all steel flywheel with an 8.5" paddle clutch seems to work very well for me. I get a full season easily with around 20 race starts, and it's still fine to use on the road.

[@pinkwontons]

at 31:10 it is sometimes helpful to raise the back of the car

[@arminpetschelt8127]

Great video! I'm having trouble refitting the gearbox cross member. With all bolts in lace the right support bracket is right up against the right side of the transmission tunnel. Is that how it should be? Seems to me like that part of the wall would suffer wear and tear over the years... Edit: seems like that's the case with yours at 39:57

[@davidrussellwilks]

I don't think the gearbox bracket should be tight against the tunnel, by all means send me a picture so I can take a look? I think the scuffs to the paint that you are seeing will be from the gearbox when it is removed or refitted in the car. Fitting the gearbox crossmember is very often a real pain, my best advice would be to only put the bolts in a small way and leave them loose until all 4 are in.

[@brendanploughe4803]

Hey David, when fitting the engine side covers at an hour and ten minutes, I noticed your front cover has a breather pipe similar to my own engine. Is this a necessary feature or could it be swapped for a plate similar to the rear one?

[@davidrussellwilks]

I believe the front breather is required and cannot be blanked off. Not allowing the engine to breath would pressurise the crankcase causing oil leaks and most likely cause a loss of power

[@brendanploughe4803]

@@davidrussellwilks Thank you! Still learning, all the way from America. Your videos have helped quite a lot!

[@neilshovlin9888]

David, A general question about engine mounts... On my '73 roadster I've got "upgrade" or "competition" mounts. My question: Are these mounts going to give me less dampening and therefore more vibration in the chassis? My club members (MGs of Baltimore) are telling me there's too much vibration and it's because of the previous owner's use of these "upgrade" or "completion" mounts... Any thoughts? I know you race, I don't, and am looking for a daily driver kind of ride on my '73... Your thoughts please. Thx.

[@davidrussellwilks]

A good question Neil, is the vibration you are experiencing at tickover only? I have the competition mounts fitted, they are a stiffer rubber pad but the engine does not vibrate a great deal at tickover. There is a video of my engine running here, kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipTSYoOIm6aFgJI at 01:00 in the video you will see it ticking over.

[@neilshovlin9888]

Thx. I'll look at that... Info on good replacement parts is hard to find (OEM is a pipe dream I suppose, although I may be wrong about that); acquired some parts from the UK; my friends in Baltimore are of the "run it like it was built" type... Although I'm a fan of competition and new tech, i.e., F1, Indianapolis, Le Mans...

[@scottsteele4325]

One time I had a terrible time lining up the motor mount bolts and it turned out that a supplier 20 years ago had the bolt pattern off by 1mm!!

[@davidrussellwilks]

They can be hard enough at the best of times, that sounds almost impossible to fit!

[@markwhitfield5412]

When i done mine (full Engine and box) i found it best to have the front wheels on the ground and the back high on stands..

[@davidrussellwilks]

Thanks for your message, I used that method for the timelapse video that I made kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6GnYYGdfL-GkKM. But as I wanted to show the underside of the car clearly for this video I got the whole car on axle stands to start with

[@christopherpatterson8191]

David, did you purposefully remove the engine restraint that connects the transmission to the transmission mount cross brace? I’m setting up an early B chassis with late model 4 synchro transmission and installing the restraint will require fabricating a bracket, so I’m trying to determine if it’s necessary. Thank you.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks for your message Christopher, the gearbox crossmember I had did not come with the provision for the tie bar. Like you I did consider fitting one; the 1967 through to 1974 cars did not have one though so it didn't seem necessary. I don't have a definite answer though whether it's worth retro-fitting one or not.

[@christopherpatterson8191]

David, Thank you for your reply and for your videos, both the technical and driving, they are truly helpful. I started racing 4 years ago with a stock '70 B and have "graduated" to a '64 which is better set up for racing. Cheers.

[@seans_shed]

How do you remove the engine mounts without removing the engine? I know you have to remove the steering rack but then how do you get to the bolts on the back of the mounts? Can you do a video on that process? Thanks.

[@davidrussellwilks]

You won't be able to remove the mounts with the engine in place. At the very least you will need to remove the alternator and possibly the exhaust to get access to the mounts. Once the bolts are out of the mounts you may be able to raise it enough with an engine hoist to change them. It's not something I have ever tried before though; I'm not sure if it could be done or not. I believe it's even harder to do on the rubber bumper cars but again it's not something I have tried, you may find it's easier just to remove the engine and do it that way.

[@seans_shed]

@@davidrussellwilks thanks for getting back to me. I’m considering dropping the subframe to see if I can get better access to the bolts. I can raise the body up on stands, then drop the subframe a bit then raise up the engine with a trolley jack. It might work as I don’t have an engine hoist to lift it???

[@davidrussellwilks]

Be very careful raising the engine up with a trolley jack, you have a good chance of damaging the sump. I think it's the sort of job that may be easier in the long run just removing the engine. Are you able to hire an engine hoist?

[@seans_shed]

@@davidrussellwilks it might be the safest option, I think you’re right

[@user-bt6ch1xe1m]

Why can't the clutch be changed with the engine in place on Bs

[@davidrussellwilks]

I've never tried it myself

[@D...M...A...]

Nicely done and dusted , Englander ... * note : no extension with a torque wrench , lowers the actual torgue ... The clutch @ 30 is probably @ 25...

[@davidrussellwilks]

Thanks for your message, also in response to your other message, the video here shows how using a straight extension DOES NOT affect the torque. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoO1aml_gayCiLc

[@D...M...A...]

@@davidrussellwilks Nicely played... Class "A" mechanic here ... My name is also David , in the states , I've got a 71 b , all fiberglass , fully worked... I was taught that extension rule and I do believe everyone was taught that rule and now you have blown my mind...That rule is sooo firmly true and planted in my DNA that the proof is wildly amusing and shocking at the same time...My god David , what other myths am I holding on to... The earth is round , right , please don't have that link...

[@davidrussellwilks]

Sorry for not responding to you earlier, for some reason this message did not show up. I can understand why people may think using an extension is wrong; if you are not directly in line with the head of the wrench and the fitting the torque will be incorrect. Hope all is good with your car.

[@wallisparnell4464]

Ever pulled engine, leaving gearbox in place?

[@davidrussellwilks]

Yes, I used to separate the gearbox and leave it in the car. Of the two methods I do prefer removing both components together though. I think there is little time saved by leaving the gearbox in place and more often than not both components need to come out anyway for servicing.

[@wallisparnell4464]

David Russell-Wilks thank you for your opinion. Just have noisy flywheel to deal with, don’t have overdrive. My old MGA was pretty easy, both, as only one large bolt at gearbox end, 2 motor mounts.. understand the B gearbox real hassle at the rear, for a single person pull. Why considered just engine.

[@simontemplar4093]

Many stainless steel screws … 🧐🤗

[@davidrussellwilks]

Thanks Simon, most of the fittings are titanium.

[@simontemplar4093]

@@davidrussellwilks Perfect 👍🏻

[@Cell1000bc]

Your hardware is amazingly new.

[@davidrussellwilks]

Many thanks Dave, I was fed up with the poor quality of the zinc plated bolts and swapped most of it out for titanium. It last far better and is lighter too.