Essential spare parts.

[JUANRAF]

Hi,

I am making a list of the spare parts that an mg owner should have in his garage.

Can you help me, thanks

[Steve Simmons]

That's a big question. The most important spares are the ones you carry in the car. If you travel long distance, you may carry more spares than if you just drive around town. For example, a water pump may be good for a 2,000 mile trip, but unnecessary for a 20 mile trip. Even if it leaks badly, it will get you a short distance.

It also depends on whether you mind waiting for part orders to arrive. Personally, I like to be able to fix anything immediately, so I keep a lot of spare parts on hand. I keep enough spares in my garage to pretty much rebuild the car. But in the car itself, the major components I carry are:

• Complete distributor with cap and wires, adjusted and ready to install
• Spark plugs
• Ignition coil
• Tachometer cable
• Fuel hoses
• Fuel pump
• Carburetor floats
• Carburetor needles
• Generator brushes, bearing and bushing
• Large radiator hose
• Spare inner tube (long trips only)
• A couple spokes of each length
• One headlamp bulb
• Misc nuts and bolts
• Exhaust gasket
• A bit of electrical wire, tape, etc.

Other spares that are good to have in the garage for the casual driver would be

• Water pump and pulley
• Starter switch and contacts
• Various gaskets including head gasket, side cover, valve cover, water elbows, manifold, etc.
• Brake master & slave rebuild kits
• Fan belt (some people carry this with them)

I'm sure I'm forgetting some things but that's off the top of my head.

[Duncan M]

If you are going to carry a bunch of spare parts, etc around in a TC you will run out of room pretty fast. The TA and TB had two big lead/acid batteries behind the seat-- beneath the differential cover. A good place to add storage in a TC, as the battery is up front. Two designs on the resources section on this site. If you build boxes for back there, just be sure you can still service the differential from above. with the fill and level plug kept accessible when the cover is removed. Also the easiest way to replace the rear brake flex hose is by removing that same wooden cover behind the seat. https://www.mg-tabc.org/library/kofferraum.htm
http://www.mg-tabc.org/library/more_storage_space.pdf

[ROGER FURNEAUX]

Several years ago, Bob & Lynn Douglas went on) an epic trip in their TC from Terra Del Fuego all the way to Alaska, and put out a blog which I'm sure many of us followed, so I suggested that they write a book (Harry Pyle did one about his travels) but AFAIK they did not. A pity, because it would be an epic read....

Anyway, I doubt they carried all the parts Steve mentioned, but they did have two hubs & shafts, of my taper-fit variety, strapped to the radiator stays on each side.

Roger

[Ray White]

Several years ago, Bob & Lynn Douglas went on) an epic trip in their TC from Terra Del Fuego all the way to Alaska, and put out a blog which I'm sure many of us followed, so I suggested that they write a book (Harry Pyle did one about his travels) but AFAIK they did not. A pity, because it would be an epic read....

Anyway, I doubt they carried all the parts Steve mentioned, but they did have two hubs & shafts, of my taper-fit variety, strapped to the radiator stays on each side.

Roger

If the car was fitted with your half shafts then I don't suppose they needed any spare ones.

Some cars, however, frequently bust their half shafts. Anyone who drives around in an Austin Seven is well advised to carry a spare h/s. stored neatly inside the chassis rail.

Having said that I haven't broken one in 40 years!. (Then again, I make sure my tapers are tight. There must be many such cars rattling around on loose tapers. )

[Steve Simmons]

Since I installed modern tapered axles, I stopped worrying about broken axles. In the old days it was standard practice to carry one. Sometimes behind the tool box, sometimes tied to the front axle, all kinds of crazy places.

FWIW, the list of spares I carry may look long on paper, but everything fits inside the toolbox and battery box, plus a full set of tools, oil, brake fluid, etc. I carry nothing in the rear except a small jack and on long trips I put a spare inner tube behind the seat. I have no storage boxes over the rear axle, no luggage rack, etc but the wife and I can still get 2 weeks of luggage into the car. You just have to be creative with your packing, and leave the fur coat at home.