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MG MGB Technical - how do i fit a new cylinder head?

Hello one and all

can anyone tell me how to fit a cylinder head to a 1800 gt? are there any pitfalls i need to watch out for. How do i know if the rocker is worn etc?
MM

May I suggest you become a member of this site - only takes a minute and costs nothing - then you will be able to search the archive threads (among headings above this thread). They will give you access to a large volume of assembled wisdom from members who will have covered this topic any number of times.

The volume to be searched can be reduced by selecting eg most recent year as a starting point.

You might consider getting hold of a service manual as well, will help a lot with this task and any others that come up.

Regards
Roger
Roger T

The B series engine is very rewarding to work on and well within the scope of an enthusiastic amateur. Everything you could need to know is in the archives. You would need to be sure that the problem is just the head , I have sufferd a 3 to 4 cylinder crack in the block as well. The rocker is down to mileage, mine is now noisier than I like but has run over 100K miles. I may fit an exchange one this coming winter. There are issues with rocker assies between the 18G and 18V engines but this is all in the archives.
S Best

MM. The advice to join this group is excellent. The archives and a copy of the factory workshop manual will answer most of the questions you have.

Many of us have been using the resin type headgasket as manufactured by Payen in the UK. My results have been excellent and I do not remember anyone having reported problems with it. Slightly more expensive, you worth it. You will want a complete "upper gasket kit" for your year engine.

Cylinder heads need to be torqued in a sequence to prevent damage. The order is shown in the workshop manual. A number of us have had problems with old cylinder head studs--either breaking or not holding torque properly. The new studs by Rover, at least as of two years ago, had a problem with breaking before you reached the proper torque. Chris Betson, of Octarine Services, in the UK, has some better quality cylinder head studs which you might consider.

Read the manual, check the archives and ask about what does not seem clear to you. We are always willing to help. Les
Les Bengtson

Les,
I am in the process of having my head rebuilt. I ordered a complete head rebuilding gasket kit and noticed it contained many more gaskets than I removed. It seems I only need the head gasket, thermostat gasket, heater control gasket, manifold gasket and valve cover gasket. Am I missing something here? 74.5 mgb roadster, Weber DGV carb conversion. (The machine shop took the valve seals) I should mention that the pollution control equipment has been removed.
John

John. The gasket set, if it is a Fel-Pro (which uses a resin type head gasket), should have a list of gaskets included on it. For your 74 1/2 car you should have the gaskets for the SU carbs (which are not used with your Weber) and two steel donuts for the exhaust system (which you may not need if you did not take it apart). It will also have the rubber "O" rings for the valve oil seals (which your machine shop may replace with more modern seals). Thus, you may have some left over gaskets. It is also possible that you have some form of "universal MGB engine" kit which will have the gaskets for the 75 onwards cars also in it. Without knowing the brand and the markings on the package, it is hard to say exactly what you have. Just make sure that you have all of the gaskets you will need to do the job. Pain in the neck when you lack the one gasket needed to put an engine in. (Such as most lower gasket kits do not contain the rear main seal which must be ordered seperately.) Les
Les Bengtson

Sorry Les,
I should have mentioned it is a Payen gasket set.
Thanks,
John
John

John. "Never apologize, never explain." But, that having been said, I am glad you got a good quality gasket set. I was fortunate enough to be able to e-mail a number of highly qualified people when I was rebuilding my "first" (in a long time, and technology had changed) MGB engine. All of them were most kind in spending their time to educate me, and all recommended the resin gasket. The only what that I can repay their kindness to me is by trying to pass on what they taught me and what I have learned to others. Thus, your thanks go, not to me, but to Peter Burgess, John Twist, Roger Parker, Bob Muenchausen, Paul Hunt and a number of others who have, similarly, helped me over the years.

I was glad to be of assistance. Les
Les Bengtson

This thread was discussed between 11/05/2005 and 12/05/2005

MG MGB Technical index

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