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MG MGB Technical - Tranmission Mounts

I spent the better part of Sunday on the concrete underneath my 77 MGB trying to install the transmission mounts and crossmember.

I watched John Twist's You-Tube video, and when installed that way, the crossmember will not line up with any of the captive nuts in the frame. Oddly enough, when intalled backwards, the crossmember fits perfectly.

While not quite ready to give up the crash bar, unless someone can afford some much appreciated advice, that is what I may end up doing.

Thanks in advance to all the avid MGB folks out there.

One more thing - it is an overdrive car.

This is also posted on the MGB General BBS -
B Dubuc

If it is a 77 with the forward mounted radiator and the electric cooling fans you don't really need the engine restraint tube - to stop the mechanical fan moving forwards and chewing up the rad at any rate! How it lines up with the holes when the front mounts are attached correctly is the crucial thing, the implication is that something is wrong up front. My V8 came to me with the rear crossmember attached to different captive nuts each side! That was because the engine mounting plates are handed and had been fitted to the wrong sides, but that can't happen on the 4-cylinder. It may be an option though, albeit a very inelegant solution, to getting the crossmember the right way round and the restraint tube attached.

4-cylinder cars with the square mounting rubbers up front had restraint brackets behind them which hit the chassis brackets if the engine moved too far forwards, sometimes one sometimes two. At least they should have, but I have never seen them, and no one has them.
Paul Hunt

I deleted the restraint bar 25 years ago on my '67 B and have suffered no ill effects. RAY
rjm RAY

Paul, my 69 does have the restraint bracket 'turn' on the engine mounting bracket on both sides. They align to contact the welded chassis bracket in the event that the engine moves that far forward as you describe. That is on a car body that would have probably been built late 68 to early 69 - engine and gearbox were cast in October and November 68 respectively.
Roger T

So they *do* exist :o) I tried to get some to prevent even more damage in the event of anything untoward. I've had mine for 20 years with no ill effects either - so far. But you don't need them until you need them. Then you may wish you had/still had it/them.
Paul Hunt

The problem was the advice on the video. The mounting yoke offset must be pointing forward in order for the transmission crossmember holes to line up properly on the frame rails. It does make the rear rubber mount bolts ALMOST impossible to start - it takes several attempts (O.K. - several hours) to get it, but eventually with a lot of deep breaths, they go in. This application is for the LH overdrive equipped transmission install.

Available factory illustrations are contradictory - parts images show the offset pointing to the rear of the tranny while images in the factory repair manuals show it pointing forward on both OD and non-OD cars.

Thanks to all who offered up their advice.
B Dubuc

Just catching up. I have a restraint bracket on my '72 Roadster fitted to the LH side.
Richard Coombs

This thread was discussed between 12/10/2009 and 27/10/2009

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