Filename = MG/Pages/PA0255/Level3-10MechanicalPA0255.htm
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With the history of this car, and that it has never been completely restored, it is NOT a "matchinhg numbers" car. According to the chassis file the original gearbox, differential, dynamo and starter were replaced by the factory free of charge during their support of the Bill Haden's trials program.
Chassis Number - P1 255
Engine Number - 1889AP
Bonnet Number - 0415
Engine Capacity 57mm x 83mm = 847cc
Track 3'6"
Wheelbase 7'3.5"
Overall Width 4'4.5"
Overall Length 10'11"
Complete car weight 1,652 lbs
With the hard economic times after the War, pre-war cars were the most common transport for the middle class family while pre-war sports cars appealed mostly to young men and particularly students. In the 1950s and 60s the new sports cars like Triumph, Jaguar, Austin Healey and MGAs were just not affordable to the latter. When I started college in 1959, a used TC would cost over £300, a well-used Triple-M car might fetch £150 and a Morris 8 tourer, which looked akin to an MG and all I could afford, was £90. But the running cost budget precluded spending much on maintenance. The majority of used pre-war sports cars were kept outdoors and the British winters were very wet causing bad rust and deterioration of the body. Spares were usually sourced from a breakers or scrap yard. A thriving aftermarket existed selling non standard parts to bring any vehicle into the modern legislated era.
The availability of pre-war cars for the less well off user was dealt a serious blow in 1960 by the mandatory "Ten Year Test" of roadworthiness. Many vehicles were scrapped because it was not economical (affordable) to bring the running gear up to passable condition. Common fatal faults were king-pins, track rod ends, loose front hubs, steering box, brakes and the lights. Originality was of no concern; in practice many owners endeavoured to "modernise" their cars.
When purchased from Mike Frost in 1984, the engine had been reportedly rebuilt by Mike Dowley whose business, Sports and Vintage Motors, is highly respected. This may have been done by Patrick Gardner which could be verified. It certainly went very well, was very quiet and had excellent oil pressure which it still exhibits today.
It is a single-breather block and had no evidence of cracks in the water jacket
Original looking header and bottom tanks
Modern style core
No dents in radiator surround, chrome in good condition
False honecomb grille in good condition
No evidence of leaks
Period Correct pair of 1 inch SU carburettors with brass piston caps
Correct-looking and sized float chambers but one is a later type having no reinforcing gusset.
The fuel pump was the correct SU type mounted in the correct position.
The firewall mounted change-over tap appeared non-functional.
The steering box is a Marles Weller unit
This all appeared in very good condition because, having been raced by Patrick Gardner in 1980, it had to pass scrutineering. In addition we have MoT certificates issued during the Gardner nad Frost ownership periods.
The only items needing attention were the rubber dust excluders of the brake cables and reqar trunnions.
It is well known that the rear Luvcax vane hydraulic shock absorbers fitted to the PA were non adjustable and had a short wearing life. Maybe when the car was relatively new, say, prior to 1939, they were either still working or they could be replaced by relatively affordable MG-supplied parts. But after the war and particularly during the 1950s and 60s, "better" aftermarket solutions, became available. The hydraulic shock absorbers fitted to the TA, TB and TC had similarly poor service life. Telescopic or tube shocks became available and two vendors (to my knowledge, Munro and Andrex) offered a nice cast adapter plate to enable them to be fitted to the P-type and T-type cars. PA0255 had such a modification sometime in the past and was fitted with Andrex telescopic shocks at the rear. But it retains the stock Hartford friction shocks at the front which I believe are original with new decals.
The differential did not make any unusual noise and there was no evidence of oil leaks.
This appeared to be stock and in good condition
The exhaust manifold and down pipe were in good gondition
The wheels were 19 inch rolled-rim and correct for any P-Type
The wheels were painted green
It was noticed there was no engraving on the knock-off nuts and no MG badge on the spare wheel nut. This may be an original feature of the early serial numbered cars.
The economic background described above led a previous owner of PA0255 to repair a rotting body tub with a home built replacement but retaining the steel double humped scuttle. Neglected were: The rainwater channels on the tub bulkhead were shortened; the bonnet rest webbing was not replaced; the main bulkhead fume excluding gaskets were not included and the bulkhead diagonal braces gained new mountings. The rest of the body tub is skinned with aluminium. While it is quite sound and presentable, it is not concours, and a new tub would be the answer if that was the desire. But it was not our desire. It is not until the late-1960s and after the founding of the Triple-M Register, that the range of highly professional businesses got started to satisfy the reqirements of originality. Certainly deeper pockets were needed.
The original style of long thin battery was another item difficult to source in England unless you knew Steve Dear and Motor Master Batteries. PA0255 carried a "regular" car type battery and the different carrier had been made but still located in front of the petrol tank.
The connection of the front wings and running boards finished as a single unit was immediately obvious. Otherwise, the bonnet, doors, rear wings and front apron were in good condition. Mike Frost reported that the fuel tank was new. He had spray painted the body green and it looked quite smart.
The dashboard is finished with veneer, quite well done, very presentable, but not original.
The instruments themselves (tachometer, oil pressure and ammeter both correctly brown faced) look as if they were freshly restored and operaated well.
The lighting PLC and horn/dip switches were original, as are the rest of the dashboard components.
The "divers helmet" dashboard lights were not present.
The instrument cluster and center panel have been chromed but not painted brown quite correctly
The odometers looked original but do not operate due to lack of cable and gearbox adapter.
The Main/reserve dashboard control plus its escutcheon wss there but not connected at the bulkhead tap.
The steering wheel was a white rimmed 4-spoke Brooklands style of period age.
Mike Fost made new seat squabs and seat back in green leather similar to the original style but there were no fittings of seat squabs to floorboards
The rear of the cockpit was trimmed with matching panels and green carpet on the rerar platform.
The door panels and MG logo interior were original.
The transnission tunnel was green and was not included in the Mike Frost respray.
There were, and still aren't, any carpets.
This was new and Mike Frost's paint was the only paint on it
The filler cap is the dog-bone type
Mike Frost fitted a new full tonneau cover in black canvas.
He also made a hood (top) using the same material in a similar style as the original.
The folding hood frame is original
There are no side curtains for the doors.
The windscreen wiper is of the original style but wired externally to the winsdhield.
The wiper arms and connector are recognized as a popular Trico aftermarket set.
Standard ignition coil and distributor
Distributor equipped with a quadrant arm suggesting some-time manual advance/retard system.
Double-dipping headlights were required which was solved by Lucas producing an 8 inch to 7 inch rim adapter to be able to use modern pre-focus and later sealed beam units on the separate headlights which most pre-war cars and TCs had. At the rear, an earlier ruling had required two separate rear lights, brake lights and reflectors mounted a specified minimum distance from each side of the vehicle. Every MG prior to and including the TC needed rear lighting upgrades. I am guilty of throwing away the original lighting equipment only to be faced today with sourcing expensive reproductions.
The bulkhead carried an original CJR1 cut-out and junction box.
Battery charging was by the stock 3-brush dynamo
Using the same topic headings as above:
In 19?? the NEMGTR organized a 1,000 mile circuit of New England for which we decided to use PA0255 instead of the TC just to be a bit more challenging. At the start we met Dick and Joan Miller with their J2, the only other participants driving a Triple-M car, and that began a long and influential friendship. As the tour progressed up the Apalachian Mountain ridge, some serious hills were climbed quite successfully. But when we reached the challenge of Mount Washington we started to encounter a reduction in engine power. Or was it just so steep. In first gear we did not get the air speed to cool the engine, but there was not enough power to pull in second gear. While the TC had romped up the hill in the past, PA0255 failed. Up into Maine the steepness and length of hills was less severe and we moved along quite well. As the days and miles went on something mysterious was getting worse to the point where, in order to finish the tour, we decided to switch over to the TC when we passed near home. PA0255 was lucky to get up our own driveway. Extensive diagnosis after the end of the tour showed that the keyway in the top of the dynamo shaft had worn so much that the valve timing had been getting later and later. Our local machinist was so skilled that he ws able to weld up the shaft and machine a new keyway. Power was restored. But for this kind of terrain, we really could use a water pump.
We had known Dave Raymond from participating in NEMGTR events but we got to know him better now that we had a Triple-M car. He supplied a P-type water pump that needed some restoration work which the local machinist did to the water inlet and outlet ports. From other experiences, the aluminium alloy used back in 1934 was prone to corrosion which may have been accelerated by the use of antifreeze. We obtained the shaft sealing material from the local hardware store. When purchased as a factory option, the kit probably included a new bottom radiator hose which needed to have a very tight S-Bend. We found a suitable hose as a portion of a modern Ford hose. Part number to be remembered. The engine was very reliable during road and hill-climb use for the next 15 years or so but it was pressed into racing during the restoration of our TC. We found it very enjoyable and competitive with several other vintage racers.
While participating in the MG Focus Event at Mid-Ohio in 2005 we blew a head gasket which transpired to be between cylinders 1 and 2 so no water leakage or oil-contamination was experienced. It still worked well enough to drive onto the trailer and head home. But there was still racing the next day and we were persuaded by Curt Liposac (J3) and his friend with a J2 to change it at the track. But we didn't have a new gasket. Luckily Tom Metcalf's business was nearby and he could lend us a solid copper gasket from one of his customer's projects which was not yet installed. This we did and had a good day's racing the next day. Rachel and I did the job together and it got very cold as we worked into the darkness. Where was the enthusiastic help? At the celebratory dinner which we did get to very late.
Back home we knew we had only borrowed the gasket so as soon as we had bought a new gasket and other essentials from Sports and Vintage, we started to do the change at a more leisurely pace. We decided to fit new valves and springs to the head but our machinist found the head had too many cracks in difficult places to repair. Therefore we "borrowed" the head from PA0251 and, having certified it was crack free, the machinist enjoyed setting up the valve clearances according to the recommended procedure. This entailed adjusting (grinding) the new valve stem length so that the adjuster is in the optimum orientation. This is very critical on the Triple-M engines to get maximum performance. The lip-seal on the vertical drive pinion shaft was replaced.
During a race at Lime Rock, PA0255 started leaving a smoke screen. A compression test clearly pointed to a piston ring problem.
The engine was removed back home and sure enough piston rings were broken and they were replaced with new ones becuase the ring gaps appeared OK.
While the engine was out, there was the opportunity to change the clutch release bearing.
Oil drain pipes from Barry Foster were fitted where necessary
New water jacket plates were fitted.
The engine is still running superbly and does not smoke on starting or when running
This continues to be reliable with no leaks.
At cruising speed, temperature runs around 70C. Oil Temperature around 55C
New drain taps for radiator and block have been fitted
The carburettors remain very reliable and do not leak
The choke and slow running controls work well. Note that the slow running control does not have a brown octagonal knob.
The fuel pump has been cleaned several times, new points have been fitted and it operates very reliably even after vehicle winter storage.
The solid copper fuel pipes from pump to carburettors have been replaced with flexible insulated pipes to eliminate suspected vapor lock in high temperatures.
This has required no work beyond regular greasing and oiling.
When restoring the rear part of the chassis (see later), the Andrex shocks were replaced by new Jaguar E-type versions because the length and travel dimensions were suitable. Note the rear of the Jaguar uses four of these. They seem to suit the PA well.
The original Luvax shocks are available as a core for restoration
On bumpy roads the rear axle could be heard banging on the chassis indicating no shock absorbing on the rebound. Also, oil could be seen leaking from cracks in the rear axle casing. A major "rear end" restoration was called for as follows:
Everything on the chassis behind the rear spring mounts was removed and the chassis itself was sand blasted - masking the rest of the car of course.
After individual components were sand blasted all were spray painted using an etching primer and gloss chassis paint.
A used axle casing without any cracking was obtained. Spacers were accurately machined so long bolts could be used to securely mount the differential and rear cover to the casing.
The old axle casing had additional leather seals fitted to the axle tubes to minimize oil flowing into the rear hubs. These were not refitted but are available
The rear spring front pin was replaced each side.
New rear springs were fitted together with new U-bolts, new trunnions and new rubber dust excluders.
All four brake cables were renewed
New roller bearings were fitted to the brake cross shaft
The four-star differential was rebuilt with a new 8/43 crown wheel and pinion plus all new bearings from Mike Allison at the time of the rear chassis restoration.
A new stainless steel tail pipe was made using ss mandrel bends and is aligned correctly
The muffler/silencer is still in rust-free condition
All exhaust system mountings are very good
The wheels were sandblasted and painted silver in 1984, but have recently been resprayed silver, as they were originally. The rims run true and all spokes are tight. Some old rust pitting is visible.
Wheels are fitted with 4.50 x 19 Dunlop B5 tyres. While old, the sidewalls are free from cracks and the tread depth is close to original.
New tubes were fitted but a new tube (supplied) needs fitting to the spare wheel
Tyres hold pressure over winter storage on blocks
4.00 x 19 tyres have been used in the past but they look too small for the car. These 4.50 tyres look right.
Again, when doing the major rear suspension restoration and with the fuel tank and battery removed, we could see that the rear of the "home made" body tub was not to the original pattern. A new battery carrier was fitted and, here in America, the long thin 3EE battery is commonly available. Custom body-mounting brackets which rest on "ears" of the battery carrier were made from used axle U-bolts. Correct, but used, body mounting brackets have since been obtained.
The removable body parts including the Front Wings, Running Boards separated from the Front Wings, Rear Wimgs, Front Apron and both Doors were restored and painted locally by a shop which specializes in Vintage Vehicle resoration. The modern paint has proven very durable.
A TC (green face) water temperature gauge and black face (original?) oil temperature gauge are fitted below the dashboard and both function well.
No other changes have been made as everything works well.
A correct windscreen mounted mirror has been fitted
No significant changes have been made. The leather has been regularly treated and remains in good condition.
New marine ply floorboards have been fitted
Closed-loop eye bolts for lap-only seat belt mountings have been fitted behind both seats compliant with vintage racing rules.
The tank still looks like new. Pictures taken in through the filler show no rust and there is no rust externally
A new full length tonneau has been made in black canvas.
The hood (soft top) has never been used and looks good when erected - see picture gallery. The rear window is clear.
An Abingdon Spares rear number-plate plate with two "ears" for D-lights was fitted. Two period D-lights are fitted
The octagonal side lights were rechromed with new single pole sockets.
There are three options available for headlights:
1. 7" chrome plated buckets with 7" sealed beam light units currently fitted, or
2. M140 8" buckets with 8" to 7" Lucas reducing rim and 7" sealed beam light units, or
3. Best quality reproduction L140 units with stone guards and dual filament bayonet bulbs made by Willie McKenzie in England are available.
While the aforementioned repair to the dynamo keyway was done, the opportunity was taken to inspect the wiring and replace the three brushes.
The CJR1 cut-out works and the battery charges well.