MG TA 2962 Race Car Breaks a Supercharger Drive Shaft

[@russellnixon9981]

Your MG is drop dead gorges and is a credit to your engineering skills.

[@michaelbalch9693]

I’ve been following your videos on your lovely TA for several years. Very informative!

[@ccootsona]

Glad you like them!

[@chrisroach9459]

Craig, absolutely wonderful explanations on all these issues. You definitely have the best guy on the job!

[@johnball4826]

Hello Craig, John here from England. I have a 1934 MG KN 6 cylinder supercharged special. I am very interested in your story about the broken coupling. I have the same type of supercharger and I believe similar coupling. You mentioned a catalogue and where to buy various shafts. What is the name of the company and how did you know exactly what size to buy ? Please can you also describe again how the coupling works internally in the canister. I believe you said a spring ??!! Thanks very and kind regards John

[@ccootsona]

Hello John, sound slike you have a great car! There are a few suppliers of those shafts. I think Robert Furneaux, Steve Baker, Andy King, and Vintage MG Parts carry these and related parts. Vintage MG Parts has a good photo of the coupler pieces here: www.vintagemgparts.com/drive_couplings.html They have 4 ball bearings around the outside of and a 4 point star shaped piece that engages the splined shaft in the center. The ball bearings allow it to move withing the housing while transmitting force, and act as a universal joint as the ball bearings can move axially in the slots. The internal spring helps keep everything centered and allow for some extra space so the shaft can't bottom out in the housing. Your car should have one on the engine end of the shaft and on the blower end, so it can accommodate misalignment where things are parallel but not necessarily aligned down the center of rotation. Mine only had the u-joint on the blower side, so when motor and blower got out of alignment such as with chassis flex or torquing, it could not accommodate much without flexing the shaft.

[@oldschoolmotorsickle]

Like they say, they’re only original once, and that certainly applies to the 356. Clean it up, and drive it with minimal worries!

[@redbarchetta8782]

See you at Griots again I hope. 😉 Love the car. Some people spray a protector clear coat over the patina. I like the look myself.

[@h-j.k.8971]

What a beautifull MG :-) I run these Blockleys on a prewar Jag and a Morgan threewheeler and I go way up on the pressure when on track (35-40 PSI)

[@ccootsona]

Glad to hear that I'm in the right ballpark with tire pressure range. What model of prewar Jag do you run? This pointed tail MG parks next to a '68 E-type OTS so I enjoy comparing 30 years difference in automotive technology. Sometimes I go out to the garage to get something and just stare at these two cars becuase they are so interesting to see side by side.

[@h-j.k.8971]

@@ccootsona ​ @Craig Cootsona Actually it was built in 1947, Jaguar built these before and after WW2 with only minor design changes, still runs the old Standard 2.5 engine and rod brakes. If you get someone to film your outside tire while hard cornering you can see how much your tire tucks under and correct the pressure accordingly.

[@chrisroach9459]

The patina look on the Porsche might be fun, but I just melt when I see them in silber.

[@ccootsona]

Yes. I'm torn between leaving the paint and re-spraying it. Part of me thinks if I'm going to spend a couple grand on rubber and interior, I should just respray in original silver and then drive the heck out of it! On the other hand, so few cars show up like this and it's compelling to see them in this barn-fresh condition. I have plenty of time to think on it,

[@Mercmad]

I had,in my teens ,a 1937 Riley 15/6 with a Wilson preselector. I lost reverse and being only 15 I had no idea if how to fix it . I asked evey mechanic in my town for advice . I couldn't get fixed so I swapped it for a mini 😢. A year later I started an apprenticeship and part of my training included repairing locomotive transmissions... Very large preselector trans made by self changing gears in the UK. 😅

[@ccootsona]

Rileys have so much style, and sadly I almost never see them here in the states.

[@peterredman235]

The best way to describe a pre-selector gearbox, especially to an American audience, is A manually operated automatic!

[@ccootsona]

I like that description. Like a 1930s version of tiptronic with an actuating pedal.

[@geraldkunz5910]

Hi Craig, please tell me the brand of the seats of your lovely TA special. 😀

[@ccootsona]

We measured the narrowest seat we could comfortably sit in and I built the frames using a 1" thick plywood base with lightening holes to save weight. Then I formed an aluminum back that is screwed into the plywood all around on bottom. My wife upholstered them in exchange for buying her an industrial sewing machine! If I get time I'll show how they went together in another video.

[@jamest.5001]

Id give it a satin clear coat, and let it be!

[@Starfireaw11]

My god, that's a beautiful car. The only thing I'd change is to paint it British racing green and get rid of that brake light.

[@ccootsona]

I considered darg BRG, and if I did another one, that's the color I'd use. Black is so difficult to keep clean. However, one of the factory photos of a Q-type race car showed black and that's what stuck in my head for this car. The third brakelight (rubbolight model 8 from 20s bentleys) is removable with 2 knurled thumbscrews on the rear bulkhead but I leave it on for safety because only a thin piece of plywood separates me from 12 gallons of fuel if I get hit from behind. Also it allows me to hinge the tailcone forward and land on the rubber light without crashing onto the fuel fillers.

[@herbhoover6423]

Put on some proper size, motorcycle tires. Sweet Ride.

[@NOLAART]

NO! Fix the 356 make it look like it's supposed to. I mean would screw up the finish etc on that MG so it's easy to maintain. Rat Rods 356s do not make.