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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Timing cover -Grinding ?

Hi,
Thanks to your help I have sorted out a duplex chain set and hopefully set the camshaft timing.
I attach a photo of my timing cover.I think this was for a duplex chain even though a simplex set was fitted to my car .I have read in places on the web that you need to grind of the little steel lip surrounding the hole for the camshaft leading into the breather cannister when fitting a duplex chain.Can anyone tell me if this is right please before I start grinding.If I do not have to I would rather not and the cover does appear to be the right one,with the cannister on the front for a duplex chain set

Thanks

Mark

M Teal

I've never heard of the need to grind that off.
Lawrence Slater

It can be a tight fit on some covers. An alternative to grinding it off is to push the cover out a bit to gain clearance.

A good way to check whether any action is needed to get clearance is to fit the cover (using only a couple of bolts) without a gasket and see if the engine turns over by hand without any contact noise. When finally assembled, the gasket thickness provides sufficient up-your-sleeve clearance.

Note that you also need to change the two bottom machine screws securing the front plate to the bearing cap to ones with countersunk heads.
Paul Walbran

thanks guys,Have trial fitted without gasket and it is fine

Regards

Mark
M Teal

I had to dress mine out a bit and grind in a few places as the vernier gear fitted did hit - although it may have been that the cover had been 'dinked' at some time in its life.

Better find out now than when its fitted as I did and I didn't build the engine either.

R.
richard boobier

And it was all going so well....

I got as far as fitting the timing cover last night. Everything was fitted and tightened up nicely, but when I came to turn the engine over, something was stopping it.

It turned out that the adjusting nuts on the vernier wheel were hitting the rim round the base of the oil-separator take-off.

Richard, before I start laying into things with a big hammer and doing irreparable damage, how, precisely, did you dress your cover out. Mine also appears to be very slightly concave, and relieving that might be just enough to remove the problem.

Please bear in mind that I'm a ham-fisted amateur and not a trained engineer or panel beater!

Colin
C Mee

I've been having a bit of fun with this one.

After tossing ideas around in my head for a while a plan began to form.

I knew that hitting the cover with a big hammer would, in my hands, produce a pretty dimpled finish if it didn't damage the cover terminally.

How about pressing it out?

After a bit of measuring, I turned a 5" buck and carved out a die in a block of off-cuts left over from the house extension work six years ago. Proof to SWMBO that, left long enough, those off-cuts were bound to come in useful and shouldn't go on the bonfire.

Then I mounted it all on my cider press and, in less time than it's taken me to type this, I had a presentable modified timing cover.

I did a bit of grinding to remove the projecting mouth of the oil separator tube just to be on the safe side.

This time, when I bolted it all back together, the engine turned over smoothly and silently with not stoppages or rattles.





C Mee

Well done, now that really is impressive ...




that you make cider, I mean. :)
Nigel Atkins

Now that's seriously impressive Colin. Well played Sir!
Greybeard

Looks the biz.
Dave O'Neill 2

Home garage engineering at its best!
Chris Madge

Impressive work Colin.
Please can you now carve a full sized die and buck set for a Frogeye bonnet?
GuyW

Good stuff Colin. Just a word of warning, if you are still using an engine driven fan, the oil separator canister may interfere with the blades. May need washers to pack out the fan.
Bob Beaumont

This thread was discussed between 07/01/2012 and 04/05/2020

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