Practically Classics Forum

I just posted an update on my Anglia project, I share you pain with scraping!

So "Project757" was the grand old age of 63 yesterday .. first registered 5th Feb 1959.


As a treat, and a break from scraping, I thought I'd have a go at the propshaft U/Js and now wish I hadn't .. actually I don't have any choice as the rear U/J is floppy and knocks.

So having managed to wiggle 7 and a bit circlips out of the diff end of the propshaft it was time to remove the U/J. Or so I thought ...

My manual says:

Tap the yoke with a lead or copper hammer when the top bearing cup should start to appear. Some support for the other yoke may help in this operation. If the bearing cup sticks it is permissible to tap on the inner lip of the cup if it is exposed, using a screwdriver or thin drift, but with the greatest of care not to damage it. Pull the cup downwards to keep the rollers intact. Remove the oppsite bearing, then the spider can be detached from the yoke. Repeat the operation on the remaining two bearings.

They obviously haven't tried this on a 63-year old propshaft.

The "the top bearing cup should start to appear" must be someone's idea of a joke ... I'm now drifting the cup down (and not gently!) and it will only go so far then jams in the yoke. Lead or copper hammer? I'm resorting to a large ball-pein hammer and nothing is going to make these budge under their own steam. I've destroyed the seal captive rings to give me more movement of the spider, but even that won't get the cup out of the yoke. Oddly though I did manage to get one out of the propshaft yoke, but then the other couldn't go through as part of the circlip is still in place .. the ends snapped off! A lot of persuasion did eventually get those off and the differential yoke is free to lock in the vice .. or I would if there was enough metal at that side to grip!

All the needle rollers are now on the floor (don't worry I planned to replace both U/Js) and the two cups I'm having a go at have started to break up around the rim. I think the next attempt will be to find a thinner drift (rather than destroy my screwdrivers) or to try and drill through the cup and open the hole up as much as possible so the cup breaks apart with a few sharp blows of a chisel. Or the club hammer comes out ..

At least that is the theory I'm following next time I'm in the garage ..


Then there is the broken circlip to deal with ... the ends snapped off leaving about 2/3rds in the propshaft yoke groove

At least that propshaft made it to 63 years of age before it became floppy and started knocking...

I'm only 57 and am already similarly afflicted.

Well the rear U/J is changed although I've got one cup that needs to be pressed down about 2mm to refit the circlip.

The easiest way in the end was to smash the old cups .. they tend to crack and shatter anyway after giving them a "bit of stick".

The new cups are also really tight .. in fact don't slide in at all without a bit of relieving of the yoke. Probably made to metric specs rather then imperial .. even though they came from a major MG parts supplier. The U/Js are the same.

So having got bored scraping and cleaning I thought I'd temporarily turn my attention to one of the mods I'm making.

Anyone who has had an A35 knows the brake pedal operates a master cylinder under the driver's floor pan. This makes it liable to seize as it always gets very wet and also hard to top up as you are under the steering column and dash .. In the picture below you can see the location of the master cylinder in the floor to the left of the glove fingers.

So I'm moving the master cylinder(s) to under bonnet in a more conventional position courtesy of a Metro pedal box as this also has provision for a horizontally mounted servo and the master cylinder above that. (There is plenty of space under the bonnet!)
This is simply held in the rough position and I've not cut out all the battery tray yet to fit the cylinders, etc.

Those two holes lowdown in the bulkhead are where the original clutch and brake pedals would go. I'm converting to hydraulic clutch too with the Midget gearbox although the Metro pedal I currently have is a cable-type.

I will have to rework my throttle pedal too but that is hopefully a simpl'ish task (again that isn't standard as I'd already converted to a cable throttle back in the 70s).

Sensible mod, the purists will be furious.. Well done !

The Owners' Club have plenty of purists .. and plenty of modders too!

There is a conversion in progress where the owner is fitting the shell to an MX5 chassis .. to the body will need to be widened to fit! That's going to upset a few ..

gazza82 wrote: Wed Mar 30, 2022 7:46 pm
There is a conversion in progress where the owner is fitting the shell to an MX5 chassis .. to the body will need to be widened to fit! That's going to upset a few ..

Id love to see that

Seems a sensible mod to me given it will make the car a lot easier to love with. Bit like me doing away with the foil/paper condensers which seem to last about 30 seconds these days and fitting a hermetically sealed polypropylene film one which should be a "fit and forget" solution. Solid state voltage regulators seem a worthwhile modern day concession too, both from the perspective of reliability and to get the most out of a generator.

Alternator and electronic ignition conversions planned.

The distributors on this car are very low down in engine bay and awkward to get to. Especially in an emergency. Just trying to adjust points gap is a pita!