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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Engine/Gearbox Mounting Angle

Hey guys,

I'm just finalising the gearbox mounts for my Toyota T50 gearbox conversion, and am wondering what approximate angle I should have the engine and box on front to rear, as I have some room available to move it up and down. I really should have taken some photos and measurements before I took the original setup out of the car, but you know what they say about hindsight... It would be good if I could get it close to standard so that I don't flog out the driveshaft unis too quickly.

Could someone with a standard engine and box please take some side on photos underneath the front of the car to give me a comparison of the angle between the sump and the chassis rail?

Thanks in advance,

Andrew.

Also, anyone who has used the Dellows bellhousing for this conversion before, did you have to remove a large chunk of the bellhousing in order to fit the midget clutch slave cylinder? I have to say that I am very unimpressed with the Dellows conversion, a lot of the parts have required modification to fit and/or work properly, and the casting for the actual bellhousing is horrible. It will do the job fine, but it's probably the ugliest casting I've ever seen.
AndrewF

Andrew, the easiest way to make sure the driveshaft will run without any undue vibration is to set the output angle of the transmission to the same angle as the pinion flange. Easy to do with a simple magnetic angle indicator. Just pull the drive shaft flange and place the indicator on the pinion flange and take the reading. It will probably be around 2 to 5 degrees up from horizontal, then compare that with the output of the transmission or if that isn't easy to access the front pully on the engine will do as well.
Bill Young

Now why didn't I think of that... Thanks Bill!
AndrewF

Andrew,
I'm in the process of fitting the Toyota T50 rear engine mount packing to obtain the mounting angle. Since I'm building from a bare shell I don't have the reference from the diff flange so I've spoken to a few people and the angle is minimal, which tallies with Bill's figures. My reference is from using traditional means - a spirit level!
I thought I had a Dellow bellhousing but from your comments I have'nt as the quality is pretty good. I had a chamfer incorporated into the chassis rail adjacent to the slave cylinder which gives clearance and easier access.
Derek
Derek Stewart

I'm at the office now and have the link to a good article on drive shaft phasing and set up that might help. http://www.iedls.com/IEDL_PTS_LGL_091008_Secure.pdf

Bill Young

Thanks Bill, I understood the theory but that's still a very helpful document.
AndrewF

This thread was discussed on 29/03/2010

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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