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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - help.... clutch slave cylinder bolt


Hi all,

does anyone have any hints or tips for threading the upper bolt on the slave cyl.

it's freezing and i got to finish this tonight

help

N.
Nigel Coulter

I assume this is the clutch slave that is causing problems. Make sure the bolts screw into the bellhousing before presenting the slave up. The threads are 3/8 UNC so ensure you have the correct bolts. Under the head of the bolt should be blank for about 3/8 in of the length of the bolt before the thread starts. You can trim the length of the thread to about 3/8 in long. Place the top bolt in the respective top lug of the slave and present to the bellhousing and feed this bolt in by finger rotation until it is going in then present the other. The proximity to the chassis often stops presentation of the slave cylinder to the bellhousing and then placement of the bolt. The car will have to be as high as you can safely get it. Tighten the top bolt with an open end spanner and the lower one with a socket spanner. You will have to contort under the car with the top spanner. The operation is best done by someone with nimble fingers and thin forearms to avoid bruises. I have often thought about reducing the top lug on the slave to form and U so that the bolt could be screwed in and then the lug slid under it for tightening. The lower bolt is not normally a problem.
Alan.
Alan Anstead

Shorten it, Nigel. That's what Guy advised me to do, and I've blessed him ever since, because it means I can get the lower bolt tight enough to hold the slave firmly, before I have to put the upper bolt in.
Nick

This job is in my top 5 of pain in the ar*e. Hadn't thought about shortening it though.
John Collinson

Its now a while since I had to do this as I now have a concentric slave. But the way I used to do it was with shortened bolts as Nick mentions. I also grind a taper end to the bolt to make it easier to start the thread.
I would then put the top bolt in first, allowing the slave cylinder to rotate around out of the way as much as possible to give better access to the top bolt. Then just before it begins to nip up tight, swivel the cylinder around into its correct alignment to install the lower bolt. At that point it only needs about a half a turn with a small open ended spanner on the top bolt. The bottom one is easy to nip up tight from below.

Guy
Guy Weller

Easy, file the bolts to a point & use a stubby spanner.
Brad (Sprite IV 1380)

Steady, Brad - must be the drink. Easy it ain't.
Nick

Ok, it's not the easiest of jobs, but filing the bolts & using a cut down spanner certainly makes it just awkward rather than near impossible.
Practice makes perfect, think i've done that job at least 10 times now :-(
Brad (Sprite IV 1380)


Thanks for the advice .. finally got the bolt in after an hour of trying.........

TO DO list:

Write up the history of me and My midget 72 C 827 ( formerly XAK 98L)
Nigel Coulter

Nigel,

how did you do it in the end?
Brad (Sprite IV 1380)

I read somewhere people have cut the bolt hole ear on the slave into a slot so you can start the upper bolt without the slave, then start the lower going through the slave as normal, then rotate the slave's open top slot onto the bolt and snug it up.
J Van Dyke

J, I reckon you read it in Guy's posting 6 below your one :o)
David Smith

Sorta, but cutting the ear, like this. Don't know, I didn't do it, just read it.


J Van Dyke

indeed cut the slave up i am still thankfull that one of the previoes owners dit that

i just have to release the nut far a bit to take the pressure of the spring ring and it slides in and out!
Onno Könemann

gotcha, thanks. A shortcut I also use on engine mount towers, and the coil bracket too.
David Smith

@ Brad (Sprite IV 1380), Scotland, brad_r@fastmail.fm

Told my seven year old that he would never sit in the car again if he didn't help. Small hands got it started and tightened it up with a stubby spanner.

Big thank you to all
Nigel Coulter

J. Thats what I was suggesting (slotting) in the second posting except in a vertical plane.
Alan.
Alan Anstead

Nigel said:

"Told my seven year old that he would never sit in the car again if he didn't help"

They do have their uses! My son was great at that age when I was re-wiring an old house - I sent him down under the floorboards to feed the new cables through. The space was tight even for him and my only worry was that I might have to cut up the floor if he got stuck - or explain to the fire brigade!

Guy
Guy Weller

I know this particular case has been solved but for future reference, I manage to get round this by reaching down throught the battery tray! In my case this is possible as the dreaded rust started a large hole in my battery tray for me, so all I had to do was finish the job with some tin snips!

Cut, leaving approx 1" metal border between heater box, sides and baulkhead, then replace with a removable plate which will just sit on this 1" shelf. In my case it's a 1500 so remember to notch out a hole to allow the plastic clutch pipe to pass through in the corner!

This mod is great, not only does it allow you to remove and replace the slave housing/cylinder with considerable ease, if you ever do have to bleed the clutch you can easily raise it above the level of the master cylinder and stop the usual nightmare of trapped air in these notoriously difficult to bleed clutch systems.

I admit this may seem drastic to some but done correctly noone but you will ever know! In 5 years of midget ownership I have had the engine and gearbox in and out on 6 or 7 occassions at least and every time I smile when it comes to the slave removal, battery out and there she is!
:D
D Prince

can this be done is the pipe not stiff
bjc
bj camp

Ooh, is this another time-lapse thread? I think I have lost it - the thread that is. bjc, what are you asking?
Guy Weller

This mod is great, not only does it allow you to remove and replace the slave housing/cylinder with considerable ease, if you ever do have to bleed the clutch you can easily raise it above the level of the master cylinder and stop the usual nightmare of trapped air in these notoriously difficult to bleed clutch systems.

can this be done can you bend the pipe without putting a kink in it
bjc
bj camp

D Prince, Avon, United Kingdom

know this particular case has been solved but for future reference, I manage to get round this by reaching down throught the battery tray! In my case this is possible as the dreaded rust started a large hole in my battery tray for me, so all I had to do was finish the job with some tin snips!

Cut, leaving approx 1" metal border between heater box, sides and baulkhead, then replace with a removable plate which will just sit on this 1" shelf. In my case it's a 1500 so remember to notch out a hole to allow the plastic clutch pipe to pass through in the corner!

by D Prince, Avon, United Kingdom
bj camp

bjc - Some of the cars (1500's) use a flexible plastic line for the clutch. I doubt that raising the slave high enough on an earlier car with the rigid pipes would be possibly. Although there is the rubber hose section I don't think it would be long enough to do as described.

Guy
Guy Weller

guy
i have flexible plastic line would it kink if i
was to try the way in the mod when you put back down the hole
bj camp

Perhaps it would, or even probably. I haven't tried it.

I did use adapted bolts to make it easier to fit / remove the slave cylinder as described. But I now have a concentric slave cylinder fitted with a remote bleeder which is much easier.

Guy
Guy Weller

This thread was discussed between 01/01/2009 and 02/07/2010

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