Engine Nut

MG Club Trophies

2011-05-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

Wolseley WD

2011-05-05T05:58:00.001-07:00

The only thing that slowed me down, and that's only because I don't have a gas welding kit, is the fuel tank. From amongst all the tanks, the best one still has some tiny pin holes - rusted right through.

I contemplated fitting a plastic tank, but decided that plastic would look too modern and in any case unless I could find the right shape and size, bad.

Now that the engineering shops have opened, well most of them, I'll take the tank and have it properly welded and sealed on the inside.

Through time one learns, and what I have now decided, even before starting work on any of these stationary engines, is start with the trolley. Get some decent sleeper wood or at least 100mm by 100mm plank and make a sturdy trolley with metal wheels. Here again, plastic or even rubber trolley wheels just cannot cope with the 200Kg single cylinder engine. It jumps around a fair bit and quickly flattens or breaks the plastic or rubber. Being very expensive as well, it far better to get something really sturdy. I notice on Old Engine sites that many restorers start by building their own wheels, shaping the rim and welding in some proper spokes onto a 1inch pipe for the axle spindle.

Lister D single cylinder engine found

2011-04-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

Lister D single-cylinder petrol engine RA Lister & Co of Dursley, Gloucestershire. (circa 1942)

This is a single-cylinder vertical petrol engine. RA Lister began the manufacture of petrol engines in 1909. Later, the D-type became hugely popular and the company manufactured and shipped many thousands all over the world. This original example was given to me as part exchange for a computer, by my friend Francois Pentz of White River Mphumalanga. Francois, now in his 40's, remembers this engine as a youngster, running on their farm, Lubeck near a canal pumping water up to the house.

2011-02-13T22:16:00.000-08:00

Valetines Day Celebration Run

2011-02-13T21:51:00.000-08:00

The MGCC Northern Centre joined the Triumph Sports Car Club on the Run to celebrate Valentines day on Sunday the 13th of February to Askari Lodge in the Magaliesberg.
With a total of 49 cars (including 2 Ferrari's in "Valentines day RED" of course), this was one of our best attended Runs in a long time. We were joined by family and friends who arrived at the MG clubhouse well before 09h00 and quickly filled all available parking space. The route followed along the N14 towards Krugersdorp, then heading North past Maropeng and we arrived at Askari Lodge (all tar road) at about 11h00. We were on time for quick refreshments and then we wandered along the pathways, enjoying the wonderful historic exhibits and the wagons. By now we were all very excited to see the elephants and spotted them in the distance eating in a vlei. After an excellent lunch (Valentines day Feast) served by Askari and included in the package, we gathered ourselves and set off down to the large dams where the elephants had by then come to bath and feed. What a wonderful experience it was to really get up close to these magnificent creatures.
Mid afternoon we decided it was time to leave and formed smaller groups. With the cars suspensions now significantly lower than when we arrived, we set off taking a different route past Hartbeespoort dam, Pelindaba and then Pretoria. Tired and warm we safely arrived home. What a great day it was, and for our ladies who appreciated the celebrations and the drive with us in our MG's.

MG TD 1951 at Zwartkops AFB

2011-01-26T01:03:00.000-08:00

Wolseley AC sub assembly

2011-01-26T00:46:00.000-08:00

Wolseley AC 1965 coming on strong

2011-01-11T02:43:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to stay at home for a change and I could spend just about the whole of December to fettle my MG TD, the Morris Minor and my Wolseley Air Cooled engine. The Wolseley is really looking the part, now coming together and being finished in Satin Black. Check the pictures! What about nice gold striping?
The only thing that slowed me down, and that's only because I don't have a gas welding kit, is the fuel tank. From amongst all the tanks, the best one still has some tiny pin holes - rusted right through.
I contemplated fitting a plastic tank, but decided that plastic would look too modern and in any case unless I could find the right shape and size, bad.
Now that the engineering shops have opened, well most of them, I'll take the tank and have it properly welded and sealed on the inside.
Through time one learns, and what I have now decided, even before starting work on any of these stationary engines, is start with the trolley. Get some decent sleeper wood or at least 100mm by 100mm plank and make a sturdy trolley with metal wheels. Here again, plastic or even rubber trolley wheels just cannot cope with the 200Kg single cylinder engine. It jumps around a fair bit and quickly flattens or breaks the plastic or rubber. Being very expensive as well, it far better to get something really sturdy. I notice on Old Engine sites that many restorers start by building their own wheels, shaping the rim and welding in some proper spokes onto a 1inch pipe for the axle spindle.

At last the WD8 is running.

2010-08-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

At last my Wolseley WD8 is running. It all started with Chris from Easby Guesthouse in the Drakensberg coming to visit me to help him get his Wolseley up and running. Chris' engine was overheating. He said that water tank, even though being the size of a dust bin, boiled within three hours!
We starting right from the beginning by removing the engine covers and setting up all the timing gears. This proved to be quite a job, as through the years many additional timing marks were punched into the teeth. Not knowing for sure which were the correct ones, I decided to open the covers from my engines and use it as a reference.
After setting the timing and adjusting all the gaps - spark, points and the plug, we fired her up. Fuel was starting to leak out everywhere. Chris had used some peculiarr piping for the fuel lines and it leaked from every connection. These we quickly replaced with proper rubber fuel hoses, and after a couple of tweaks, she was dry. Next morning we fired her up again and Chris was on his way home.
So, after all this, I decided to get my Wolseley sorted out. I began by rechecking everything and found that from flooding, the sparkplug was black and dirty and wet. After resetting the float level and cleaning the plug, she fired up within one full turn of the crank handle. Quickly switching over the selector to Parafin, she started to run smoothly and when the temperature came up, really sounded great.

My friend, Patrick was holding onto the engine, which is still mounted on trolley wheels, to stop her from running away. I still needed to get the selector tap sorted out, because after a while fuel slowly started to drip from below the tap. I suspect the seals inside to weep, and maybe the tapered part needs a bit of polishing to prevent the fuel from seeping through.
Now I can start on my Air Cooled engine. First to get it stripped and sandblasted, then if all components are good, I'll start with the gaskets and reassembly.

Wolseley and Vetsak stationery engines – added to collection

2010-06-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

Some weeks ago I noticed an ad in the Junkmail by a guy named Michiel, who lives on a farm just on the other side of Warmbaths, who was advertising four Wolseley engines and some spare parts for sale. I phoned him and asked about the models as so forth, and on the 16th June, a public holiday, we decided to go and visit him and to purchase the stationery engines.
Johan Kruger and myself drove through on what was to be the coldest day so far this winter. We set off in his car towing my Venter trailer, and stopped over at the Greenfields restaurant outside Warmbaths for coffee and breakfast. What a delicious plate they serve! It would have been worthwhile to just drive there for the breakfast. We had to collect two take-away chocolate milkshakes on the way, as part of the deal with Michiel.

Arriving at his farm gate, I asked whether he knew what was in the containers, and when he answered “Milkshakes”, I said, “Then in that case, you must be Michiel!”
After a short visit and some more coffee – and a chance to look through his collection of nineteen fifties Farmers Weekly’s, we loaded the engines. Trying them down securely. The seller promised to keep an eye out for more Wolseleys and that he will also look for a Lister or two and possibly a Vaaljapie tractor for Johan.
The trip back home went smoothly, although we were slightly concerned with the weight of the four engines stowed in the small luggage trailer. No worries, and soon as we could off-load. Tilting the trailer to let the last one slide off onto the ground. These engines weigh between one hundred and eleven and one hundred and thirty five pounds – no light weights! I couldn’t wait to take stock and to check all the spare parts, so I started by making a short-list:
The engines:

One Vetsak WD8 engine - number 12K21 embossed on a plate screwed onto the side of the engine.
One Vetsak WD8 engine – number 87729 stamped onto the engine just above the dipstick and oil filler cover.
One Wolseley WD9 engine – number 79983 stamped on its Wolseley plate attached to the side of the engine.
One Wolseley AC air cooled engine – number 6109 stamped on its Wolseley plate attached to the side of the engine.

There are more than enough fuel tanks, magneto’s and tank straps. But, two carburettors are missing, as well as two hot boxes, various pipes and taps and other small items. The fuel tanks were badly rusted, with one or two patched with Pratley putty that I might have to scrap.
Turning them over by hand I found one engine that does not have any compression. However, I know from experience that it might just be a valve stuck open. The other engines appear to be in a reasonable condition - covered in preserving dirt and diesel, which our seller liberally spayed over them to stop the dreaded rust worm.

MG Run to Plaaskombuis

2010-01-13T05:28:00.000-08:00

Our “Mystery Run” turned out to be more of a Fun event than anticipated. A handful of members gathered at the MG Clubhouse early on Saturday with everyone eagerly looked forward to what lay ahead. Route schedules were handed out and the drivers and navigators quickly discussed what clues they had to the look out for. Quickly we were on our way.
The distance outbound was about forty-three kilometers. Tony Craddock was driving top-down in his brilliant TC with Annette navigating. The wind was fairly cold especially when the cars veered south onto the R51 Springs road where we encountered a strong crosswind. In my TD, with the Aero Screens up and doing sixty miles-per-hour, I found it difficult to see with a strong wind right into my face.
However, after the Bapsfontein crossing it was just another short distance before we arrived at the Plaaskombuis. We were pleasantly surprised with the large turnout of local people. With stalls and tables in neat rows and many visitors awaiting the MG entourage, it was a real farm fair atmosphere. The owner of Plaaskombuis came over and welcomed us all.
By this time the hastily swallowed coffee of earlier the morning had all but disappeared, and we were all ravenous. Adéle had arranged a large buffet breakfast and was ready just for us to sit down and enjoy a genuine plaas-breakfast in the beautiful restaurant. We started off by slicing up a deliciously massive loaf of bread. Served with farm butter and homemade jams. And what about condense milk coffee? Wow, rich and sweet!
Prizes were handed over to; Peter and Daphne the winners of our competition – a fantastic braai set in very nice aluminium case, George Dehlen – winning the “Vasbyters” prize, and Val and David Waterworth – fresh bread, biltong and preserves donated by Plaaskombuis for the First car to arrive.
After the hearty breakfast we spent some time wandering around the shop and stalls. Marcelle bought a potted Clematis plant for next to nothing and could bring it back in her MG TF.
Johan Kruger had organized a visit to Brian Pugh’s workshop down the road where his MGA was originally built. The procession of MG’s headed off south while we remained behind packing up our club banners and thanking Sarel and Adéle for their generosity. Although the turnout for the Run was fairly small, all enjoyed it very much. Certainly worthwhile and we shall do it again in future. We drove a few miles, met some interesting local people, had a great breakfast and saw how restorations are done - Thanks to our members who attended.

2009-03-24T01:05:00.000-07:00

Putting it back where it belongs.
Well at last! Finis Coronat Opus or ‘The end crowns the work.’ My MG TD nears completion and its time again to just enjoy driving her. All of a sudden all the new parts in boxes and refurbished bits in their plastic bags have been used up. Everything that was neatly packed is now attached to the car. Hopefully, in their correct places.
The last of the major components to be installed were the carburetors and the exhaust pipe. The tricky thing is that the car has to be running before final settings and the torqueing can be done. Setting the gaps, doing the static timing, rough tuning the carburetors to see if the engine will at least idle. All this had to happen before the car could be driven to the local exhaust franchise to have the brackets fitted in the right places.
I got the engine to start properly, but there was a persistent miss during idle and at speed. After struggling for a week to get the car to stop misfiring, I decided to call in the experts. It was one of those, “If all else fails, read the manual”. By then Marcelle had also chirped a couple of times, “Call Peter!”
Peter Noeth arrived early one morning and after coffee we started to go through every little setting, seal and adjustment. It’s great to watch an expert at work. I can honestly say that if you haven’t done these settings working alongside someone like Peter, who really knows these SU’s backwards, then you’ll soon find out that SU’s are like Chinese puzzles.
After an hour or two, we tried the car and the TD’s engine started first time. But, then it just died. Morsdood! Gevrek! The starter motor cranked merrily, but the engine would not start. After going through every adjustment again and again, I decided to start from the other side of the engine. On the TD that’s the dizzy, plugs, HT cables and timing side.

To cut a long story short, in the end I found the distributor cap to be the culprit. Why it picked that particular moment to pack up, I cannot tell you. I chucked it. Put new HT cables on. Checked all the gaps and the timing again, with a professional timing light, and she purred away.
Nothing ever seems to go easy with an MG. There’s always be a little hiccough. A little skinning of the knuckles undoing a bolt that got frozen, a gasket that leaks just because its a little too large, a cable that does not want to go through a hole, or a brand new part that needs a little trimming before it will fit. Thankfully, in the end, it all goes together.
The reason why I was rushing a bit to get the car ready, or at least get her rolling, was so that I could make it to the Club’s Condition Concourse day on Sunday the 15th. Early Sunday morning I packed everything neatly for the trip and decided not to push my luck, but to take some tools along on the long drive from Moreleta Park to Menlyn. I needn’t have worried. All went smoothly - there and back. Nothing dropped off… Very little now remains to be done, but time is flying and the Combined Show day is coming up soon. So is winter! I am starting to think that it might be a good idea to get the hood recovered and fitted to the car to keep the cold out.Well, I’m off to go and get that left-hand front wheel rim refurbished …