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MG MGA - Rear carburetor bottom bolt

Is there an easy way to loosen/tighten the bottom bolt holding the rear carburetor to the manifold?
Gene Gillam

Bend the open ended spanner slightly. Still a pain but easier.
Barry.
Barry Gannon

"Bend the open ended spanner slightly. Still a pain but easier.
Barry."

Thanks!
Gene Gillam

A trick is to remove the carbies,air filters and inlet manifold as one. You need an old style offset ring spanner to get to the manifold/cylinder head nuts. Once these are undone then only vacuum line, throttle and choke cables to undo. When off it is easy to setup mixture linkages, etc.
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

I always do the same as Mike and take off with manifold. Choke and throttle can be disconnected first but vacuum pipe is a bit more difficult, particularly to reconnect. My solution here has been to cut the copper pipe and fit a tight bit of pipe as a joiner where it is easier more accessible. Clearly no problem if you have gone the plastic pipe route.

Paul
Paul Dean

I take off the filters first. Not had to bend a spanner. Fiddly yes, but aren't they all under there! Hardest one I find is the mixture nut on the rear carb with the filter bolted on. I always end up with a scratched wrist from the choke cable.

Steve
Steve Gyles

I find the use of stubbies (short open ended & ring type spanners) Although fiddly they make it possible for me with both the filters and then the carbies. Never tried the whole inlet manifold removal idea - maybe next time.
Pete
PeteT

It isn't necessary to bend anything except the upper part of the heat shield a little towards the outside of the car. First remove the air filter outer plates, filter and mesh. This is best done standing at the front of the car (if you are right handed) and reaching along the inner wing. Front filter goes first. Then remove the overflow pipes, and replace the banjo bolt and float chamber lids and all the gaskets and seals to keep them together. It is then possible to use a 1/4" drive socket and a short extension to remove the entire carb assembly, including manifold, from the head with choke and accelerator cable attached. If you have a flexible vacuum advance this too can stay attached, otherwise you need a 4BA spanner to detach it, again standing at the front of the car to get access. Put an old towel on the heater and you can then rest the entire assembly there. Make sure to disconnect the battery to avoid any sparks, but I assume that with pulling the carbs more is planned, which means it should be disconnected anyway.

To get the bonnet up out of the way use a long strap loop around the front pin, over the top of the screen and under the rear-view mirror and back to the pin. This completely removes the need to remove the bonnet for any work in the engine bay, and there's even enough room to pull the engine with a crane.

I am doing a five speed install next weekend, so will try and get photos along the way to illustrate getting an engine out in about an hour from starting work to having it on the floor.
Dominic Clancy

It isn't necessary to bend anything except the upper part of the heat shield a little towards the outside of the car. First remove the air filter outer plates, filter and mesh. This is best done standing at the front of the car (if you are right handed) and reaching along the inner wing. Front filter goes first. Then remove the overflow pipes, and replace the banjo bolt and float chamber lids and all the gaskets and seals to keep them together. It is then possible to use a 1/4" drive socket and a short extension to remove the entire carb assembly, including manifold, from the head with choke and accelerator cable attached. If you have a flexible vacuum advance this too can stay attached, otherwise you need a 4BA spanner to detach it, again standing at the front of the car to get access. Put an old towel on the heater and you can then rest the entire assembly there. Make sure to disconnect the battery to avoid any sparks, but I assume that with pulling the carbs more is planned, which means it should be disconnected anyway.

To get the bonnet up out of the way use a long strap loop around the front pin, over the top of the screen and under the rear-view mirror and back to the pin. This completely removes the need to remove the bonnet for any work in the engine bay, and there's even enough room to pull the engine with a crane.
Dominic Clancy

Obviously there are many different ways to tackle it.
I always find it a pain so took an old ring spanner, and ground down the outer circumference so it slips on to the bolt relatively easily and then I find it much easier to remove the bolt.
Graham
Graham V

Dominic.

Although when using metal vacuum pipe I can disconnect it with carb in place I have always had problems engaging thread when refitting the pipe. Any tricks?

Paul
Paul Dean

This is my solution!

I can see all the carb mounting bolts as well as all the manifold nuts 😁.

Cheers
Colyn


Colyn Firth

Paul

in my experience it all comes down to standing in the right place to allow the digits to work with minimum awkward fumbling. I put a length of rubber hose in the vac hard line a looooong time ago to make this job easy. I seem to remember that I stood in front of the car with my right shoulder on the wing to do this, but can probably say / swear more after the weekend, as the car coming in is AFAIK very original - it's a first time visitor to me so I am a bit uncertain what to expect, but the goal is to do a five speed swap in a day. It's easily possible if the car is as standard as I believe, but no-one expects the Spanish Inquisition!
Dominic Clancy

Colyn

Rather of subject but where is the blue tube from the rocker cover going?

Paul
Paul Dean

I got it. The blue tube connects to an intake air filter for crankcase ventilation. Someone did it right (for a change).
barneymg

This thread was discussed between 01/04/2018 and 04/04/2018

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