MGB Time for another puzzle piece....

[YakkoWarner]

I now have an engine and gearbox bolted together to form a single unit. I have a complete motor mount kit from Moss (all new rubber and fasteners) which includes replacement bushings for parts I do not even have - the catalog show a rod going from a bracket on the bottom 2 bolts of the engine-to-gearbox to the crossmember under the gearbox. Not sure what that does but it wasn't there when I took it all apart. Thats a problem to solve later since I can't actually determine that it does anything....

My current puzzle is the 2 rubber bushings that go (or more accurently do not go) into the holes on the upper and lower parts of the rear crossmember mount. Is it possible to buy those parts with the rubber peices already installed because I have destroyed several attempting to push the bushing into a hole it cannot fit into (and when comparing the peices of the old ones that came out the sizes are the same, so apparently at some point in the past it was possible to get these parts with the bushings already in them)?

 

[JPSmit]

can't speak to the bushing but the rod is there to keep the engine from ending up in your lap in the case of an accident.

 

[YakkoWarner]

can't speak to the bushing but the rod is there to keep the engine from ending up in your lap in the case of an accident.

Well that kind of sounds important - I'm not sure how to find those missing peices but I think that's going to move up on the to-do list before any significant driving....

 

[YakkoWarner]

On closer inspection I realize that my crossmember does not have the welded-on bracket at the front to fit the rod onto, so even if I source the actual rod and associated fittings that won't do me any good unless i can also come up with a matching crossmember. I did not see any evidence to suggest that it was cut off at any point, so either it did not come with that or someone did a very clean removal job. However the end result is the same - adding that safety rod will will have to be deferred. Was that equipment even included in the 1970 models (which is what this drivetrain came out of).

I watched a video showing someone just pushing those round bushings on with a plastic bar through the holes - they made it look easy so I suspect it was edited for television....

 

[JPSmit]

On closer inspection I realize that my crossmember does not have the welded-on bracket at the front to fit the rod onto, so even if I source the actual rod and associated fittings that won't do me any good unless i can also come up with a matching crossmember. I did not see any evidence to suggest that it was cut off at any point, so either it did not come with that or someone did a very clean removal job. However the end result is the same - adding that safety rod will will have to be deferred. Was that equipment even included in the 1970 models (which is what this drivetrain came out of).

I watched a video showing someone just pushing those round bushings on with a plastic bar through the holes - they made it look easy so I suspect it was edited for television....

In truth I am not sure how important the bar is - if you get in an accident with the B I suspect having it or not having it will be the least of your worries - Having brown pants - now that's an important consideration.

 

[DrEntropy]

The rod actually acts as an "anti-torque" device. On some occasions the torque produced tends to raise up the trans tail-shaft, the rod counteracts that.

The later iterations (post 1968, IIRC) it became a Rube Goldberg kinda thing.