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MG MGB Technical - Bonnet release cable broke !!

Hi all again,
I posted a message on the forum in early July, asking if there is an easy way to get the bonnet released if the cable breaks. someone replied with a link to a fix for the Rubber bumper version. Pls can the link be sent again ?

my car is a 1972 B GT with the chrome vertical slatted grille, any one been able to get into the lock on this ?

Thx.
Jon

Jon; I haven't tried this but a long thin screwdriver inserted through the grill may work. Use the blade as a lever against cable stop on the bottom of the bonnet catch plate. You will have to be careful to keep from bending the grill verticle bars. Let know if this works.

Clifton
Clifton Gordon

Jon,

I think this is the link you're looking for:

http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/wn_bodyframe.htm

John
John English

Hi Clifton,
got the bonnet open by using a socket extension bar and slotted it throught the grill ans used the central grille slat to lever against and pop the bonnet.

Only problem I see now is that where is the cable attached ? My cable doesn't seem to have snapped just seems to have pulled through the point where it is attached. There is a small cyclinder on the end of the lever with a hole thru it but how is the cable terminate to stop it pulling through ?
Jon

The cylinder sounds like the ferrule from the end of the cable. This should be pulled up to a small fixed fulcrum that is a U section to locate it. The hole in the fixed fulcrum leads the cable in at a nice angle to the release lever.If you are still stuck I can e-mail you a pic.
Stan Best

Jon; Moss calls it a cable trunion and screw. I couldn't find a drawing in the Moss online catalog so I made a digital of the cable attachment on my car. You can see it here;
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/flash1929/detail?.dir=/f5f3re2&.dnm=9737re2.jpg
The USA Moss part #406-040. I think Moss UK uses MG part numbers so this number may not help. When you look at the photo and see the fitting I think you may be able to find something that will work at a bicycle shop or a good automotive supply store.

Clifton
Clifton Gordon

Years ago, someone suggested fixing a long cable-tie to the release and letting it hang down behind the grill. It is easy to fish out and avoids risking damage to the grill in the event of problems with the normal release cable.
Dan Robinson

Check out the Remote Bonnet Release Kit at http://shadetreemg.com/gem.htm.

Gerry is a contributor to this BBS and has a number of handy items available.

No relationship to GEM Enterprises, but I am a happy customer.


Larry
Larry Hallanger

"""Years ago, someone suggested fixing a long cable-tie to the release and letting it hang down behind the grill. It is easy to fish out and avoids risking damage to the grill in the event of problems with the normal release cable"""

thanks for the tip. i just did it to my B
alfredo
alfredo

That would be me with the cable tie. Of course since I posted it, I haven't had to use it! A bit like carrying an umbrella to keep the rain away!

Derek Nicholson

Larry,
Gerry has stopped making his products ~ at least for the time being. After Katrina, he decided that he had too many other things to do and last I heard, he was involved in moving a bit of machine tools to a new home, a daunting project in itself.

Gerry's setup was something like this:

a length of bicycle cable fished through the grommet that the headlight wiring passes through on the Left side of the car. This wire used a cable stop to secure a loop around the hood/bonnet latch cable's attachment stud, and the other end was another simple loop which dangled inside the left side front wheel well. Hanging there did not interfere with the front tire, and was sufficiently out of sight and out of mind to provide some security. I made my own in much the same manner using just ordinary 22ga stranded wire with Lucas wiring nipple soldered to the fender well end. Looks to most folks like one of those spare wire ends many harnesses have for things like driving lights. A little less obvious than some other ways of doing the same thing.
Bob Muenchausen

I used a length of nylon braided curtain pull-cord - it doesn't rust!
Paul Hunt 2

This thread was discussed between 17/07/2006 and 21/07/2006

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