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MG MGB Technical - Measurement Required - MK1 MGB

I need your help.

I'm about to order some new carpets for my Mk1 and the transmission tunnel carpet is moulded.

My car was originally 3-synchro, but has been converted to 4-synchro, and I'm not sure if the remote cover has been extended.

I need to know the distance from the rearmost vertical face of the remote cover (arrowed in the attached photo) to the back of the tunnel where it meets the rear bulkhead for an unmodified car, so that the carpet can be moulded to suit.


Dave O'Neill2

I did this conversion to my '67 B quite some time ago and the shift lever now sits about 2 1/2" farther back. I purchased a new set of carpets, at the time, and only minor modifications were required for the later transmission's shift lever placement. RAY
rjm RAY

When I fitted my later 4 synchro gearbox to my pull handle car I cut and extended the removeable transmission cover. Then I went to a business here and they custom moulded the new carpet to fit the new shape after heating it in a special oven. They put underfelt underneath and did a mervellous job. That was 15 odd years ago and you would never know the lever was a couple of inches further back. My Australian car came from the assembly line with a moulded centre carpet and incidently the rear deck carpet was moulded too.
Ian Buckley

This a a picture of a pals where the tunnel cover has been obviously extended by a PO. Based on that yours certainly hasn't had an extension inserted in the same place, but almost certainly has immediately in front of the hole for the gear lever. "Invisible repair" comes to mind, which seeing as it can't be seen from either above or below without a certain amount of removal of parts seems a lot of effort to go to. Not that the method employed on my pals has anything to recommend it, it has been welded back in place, when surely additional holes could have been drilled in the cover flange.


PaulH Solihull

Yes, I can see the difference there.

When the car was being used by SU for development, it had an 18V engine and 4-synchro 'box fitted, and was also converted from LHD to RHD. It may well have gone back to Abingdon for that, which could explain why the 'repair' was done so professionally.
Dave O'Neill2

Dave.

I'll add my name to the conversion also. And about 2.5 inches is the shift in my lever position also.

I've cut the transmission cover in a manner that the forward 9 bolt holes stayed in the same position and only the rear 2 holes where moved.

The cover was cut across the top in front of the lever aperture, then horizontally backwards at each side and then vertically downwards. Fillets were welded in place and ground back to flush(ish) before a skimming of filler was put on.

For a bloke of my limited fabrication talents, I'm fairly pleased with the results.

Photo shows a standard cover next to the adapted one.

I've also got a moulded carpet which I've now got to "warm" up to get the curvature in the right place..... not looking forward to that though.

A


Andrew McGee

Thanks Andrew.

I didn't realise you had a Mk1 as well.
Dave O'Neill2

Mine looks the same as Andrew's, I am proud to say. Looks like it was made that way, well done. One of the 'secrets' is to refit the front half and then carefully get the rear half in exactly the correct place before welding or you will end up tearing the rubber boot when you select reverse.
I even installed 1/4" nuts so I didn't need to use screws to locate the back half.
I am sure some people have covered the space with duct tape or similar!!
Ian Buckley

Ian, I hope I've done that okay also as whilst the exterior of the BGT is a little rippled and ropey, the interior (when I will spend most of my time) is being put together quite nicely.

The two rear bolt holes on mine allowed me to mark the transmission tunnel for centres which I then drilled out the tunnel and captive welded two nuts onto the upper side of the tunnel. With the flange of the cover being peened over it does look quite tidy and almost a shame to cover it with carpet!

A
Andrew McGee

Meant to add a photo of the BGT, it's currently work in progress and my first attempt at painting. Note the door is a slightly different colour, simple mistake I lost count of how many coats I put on it and did a couple too many. It was painted two months after the bodyshell was due to a number of reasons. Won't do that again in future!

A


Andrew McGee

Another the same as Andrew & Ian - the further back the join the fewer captive nuts there are to fit!
Paul Walbran

I am glad others have gone to the same trouble as I did. I wish I had taken a photo of my extended gearbox cover but I did in the pre digital photography days.
The GT looks good and it sounds like you are having fun. Many people have made a lot of mistakes when painting!
Ian Buckley

Ian, the BGT is being done as a practice for when we come to do the Magnette later this year. I was hoping to get it done before we left for our trip to your land mass. But that is looking extremely unlikely now as we get on the plane in two weeks time... can't wait!
Andrew McGee

Are you coming to Adelaide? I can show you a Magnette with a paint job that will really impress you. It belongs to a good friend and so far only the body has been done.
Ian Buckley

This thread was discussed between 21/02/2013 and 24/02/2013

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