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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGA - Searchable PDF Worksop Manual

It's still work in progress, but here's a first conversion from the image-based PDF I first posted ten years ago

Its a 10MB document so I cannot post it here, please use the link.

Feedback is appreciated. I have increased the size and quality of most images, but better ones are always welcome

https://ufile.io/u3y01


The link is valid for 30 days only
Dominic Clancy

Thanks Dominic,
I have downloaded it and it is now stored on my phone.

Could save a few trees between us all.

Cheers
Colyn
Colyn Firth

Dominic, what is the difference with the manuals available on mgaguru?
http://www.mgaguru.com/mgtech/books/wsm.htm
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

Thanks very much Dominic, really good.

Mike, Dominic has cleverly made the document searchable, and also as he says, some diagrams are improved - look for example at fig A1 and A2, and many more.
Graham V

Thanks Dominic - very helpful
A searchable SPL would be another asset if anyone has a version.

Mark
Mark Wellard

I have used one or other chapter of the WSM to test OCR (text recognition) products at regular intervals over the last 10 years or so, only last year did I judge the results as being promising enough to get deeper into the actual production of a searchable version.

The main issue with making these documents searchable is conversion of the tables. The choice of font, the unclear printed text, the use of a lot of ...... sequences, and the cramped layout of many of the tables present significant problems for even the most advanced OCR engines (and I have used a few to get the optimum starting point where the effort for the manual correction was reasonable).

There is something around 60 hours work behind this searchable Workshop Manual. I'd have finished sooner but when I sent a draft to Barney in February, he was extremely dismissive of the need for a searchable version and I stopped working regularly on the project until picking it up again last month. I am gratified by the positive response from everyone else. Who knows, Barney may decide to host the finished version on his site, just as he hosts my original image-based PDF version

What about the SPL?

I tried converting The Engine section of the SPL today as a test exercise on a new version of an advanced OCR engine. It created 208 pages of alphabet soup. I tried another popular one, and although I could obtain the table layouts generally, these were made up of hundreds of single objects, and the accuracy of the text recognition was very poor. Moving to a structured layout would take hours for each table.

Converting to Excel gave me column of entries but the relationship between the columns was lost.

I plan to try with a forms recognition solution but don't expect much from that either.

So it's too much work to do when there are already excellent tools in the form of the main supplier online shops, which effectively do the same as the SPL.
Dominic Clancy

Dominic
The improvement to some of the diagrams/photos is superb - eg figs. F1 and H1 where you can actually see what its referring to.
Graham V

Thanks Dominic...great resource.
Gene Gillam

A great project ..many thanks Dominic..
Neil Ferguson

In regard to the problems outlined by Dominic in creating a searchable SPL I would suggest it is not necessary.
The SPL differs from the Workshop Manual in that it has a part number index and a description index.
Any search can be done there.

Mick
M F Anderson

Hi Dominic,
Followed your link and it sent me to an advertising site. Maybe you have been hacked.
Thanks anyway.
Tom
T Heath

I would try it again Tom,
I just tried the link and got the pdf download for the MGA WSM again, so it seems to be still active.

Cheers
Colyn
Colyn Firth

It's a free file hosting so there are adverts.

An updated version will hit the server on Saturday, I have had time to finish the general data and general information sections as well

Dominic Clancy

Anyone who thinks a searchable version of the repair manual isn't useful is out of touch with the modern world! ;) Excellent work and thank you for your efforts. If it turns out that you need a place to host the file, I would be happy to provide one.
Steve Simmons

Here's an update with additional sections and a few minor corrections

https://ufile.io/i9s6p
Dominic Clancy

Just been exploring your updated PDF WSM Dominic and it is brilliant, thanks so much.

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Thanks for posting this. FWIW, I haven't gotten very far into it, but on page 31 in the car number information there appears to be some line wrap issues.

-Del
D Rawlins

Thanks Del, will fix from the next version - tables are always a bit tricky
Dominic Clancy

It looks great, Dominic, thanks!
Rutger Booy

Has anyone downloaded to iOS devices like an iPad using Dominic’s link. Doesn’t seem to work for me without a lot other junk popping up.
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

here's the latest corrected version 5
1. all sections except for the special tools section have now been added - I see no value in doing that one
2. lots of spelling corrections
3. layout corrections

Thanks for all the positive feedback.

If someone can alert NAMGAR I have no objection to seeing this put on the NAMGAR site in exchange for an acknowledgement as long as it remains free of charge for access


https://ufile.io/u44ee
Dominic Clancy

Mike,

I can download it on my IPad using IOS.

Mick
M F Anderson

Thanks Mick
Dominic sent me the pdf so all fine.
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

I have now had a nice email from Barney and the file is now hosted at this link

http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/books/wsm/wsm___17.11.2018-v5(1).pdf

Barney explains his reaction as follows (I suspect he didn't look at the attachment before he replied to me before....)

"I had no intention of being "dismissive of the need for a searchable version", just generally pessimistic about OCR programs that never seem to work. When they are advertised as "99% accurate", that means they will have on average 5 text errors for every 100 words, which is entirely dysfunctional for a technical document. While OCR may be getting better with time, the current state of the art still sucks, and I have to give Dominic a LOT of credit for his sticktoitivity figuring out how to make it work."

So all is well again in the world.

And he's right - there is a huge difference between OCR products, and as that's how I earn my living I confirm that you have to pick the right one for the job.

I must be mad because I have now started on the twin cam version! All in the interests of product testing!

Dominic Clancy

That's to hear Dominic and great comments from Barney which I absolutely agree with, particularly where he gives you a lot of credit, well deserved.

I tried to open the link but I don't think it is active yet.

Cheers
Colyn



Colyn Firth

try
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/books/wsm/wsm___17.11.2018-v5(1).pdf
Dominic Clancy

Copy and paste into address bar -

the ').pdf' part doesn't transfer so the hyperlink is incomplete.
Nigel Atkins

There could be yet another great leap forward, as I have now also worked out how to create an html version of my native document. It produces an html file and a folder with the 200-odd images as png files.

I just need to figure out how to host this and we will have a full web-based version. How cool would that be! All informed advice welcome.
Dominic Clancy

Okay, since this is giving a problem for some people, I took the parenthesis out of the file name. Try this:
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/books/wsm/wsm___17.11.2018-v51.pdf
barneymg

Works for me. Thanks Barney
Mike Ellsmore

Dominic, I can host as many pages as you like, if it would help you.
Steve Simmons

Thats perfect Barney, the link works instantly now.
Cheers
Colyn
Colyn Firth

One problem with the searchable Workshop Manual.
Section MMM is the Dunlop four wheel disc brake option.
On page 210 Figure MMM.3 it shows a Lockeed disc brake on a wire wheel car instead of a Dunlop disc brake on a Dunlop disc wheel

Mick
M F Anderson

Corrected with an appeal to Mick for as many images as he can supply for v6

For Steve Simmons : I will send you the files for the web-based version so you can have a play to see how hosting could work

Dominic Clancy

Dominic,

I have attached a photo for figure MMM.4
It might be a bit small. Will look for another later.
Let me know if it is not suitable and I will look for another.
I will only have photos for the MMM Section (four wheel disc brakes option) as I do not have a Workshop Manual for a normal pushrod MGA.
Will send photos later for your Twin Cam Manual as I only have Twin Cam editions.

Mick


M F Anderson

This thread was discussed between 12/11/2018 and 01/12/2018

MG MGA index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.