Beck TD, Part 84 - Converting to PCV

 Converting to... what? PCV is a very old acronym for one of the earliest attempts at controlling the emissions from auto engines. It stands for "Positive Crankcase Ventilation" and was developed in the 1950's. As is typical in our country, it was regulated into law in California first, since they have the perfect storm of population and geography to have a real smog problem in Los Angeles. Basically, the stinky byproducts of gasoline combustion were recycled and burned again to try to reduce their effect on the atmosphere, and not at all coincidentally, also make our garages not stink so badly of unburned hydrocarbons.

Beck TD, Part 83 - New Air Filters

 This is another one of those crazy projects where I spent a lot of time and effort making something I could easily buy. What can I say? I just like making stuff! In this case, I modified some inexpensive air filters to precisely fit the SU carbs on Beck TD. These filters came from AutoZone, and were suggested by Larry, who's a member of the Volvo Powered MGs online group. He said that he had used them very successfully on other projects, and the price was right at around $23 per filter, including the lower housing and pretty chrome cover.

A Substantial Threading Die Holder

 If you aren't the sort to regularly make your own screw threads, you might not be aware that the cutting tool used to do that is called a "die." And of course, if you are using the die to cut threads, you need a "die holder" to work with. The die holders that come with sets of threading dies are small, cheap, and prone to break at the worst possible time. So... I just finished making this substantial replacement:

Beck TD, Part 82: Remediating the Radiator

 I've wanted to do something about my top radiator hose for years, ever since Beck TD came to the Grant Street Garage. The mechanic that converted Beck to Volvo power years ago apparently made several decisions based on what materials were at hand. For the top hose, he chose a brass plumbing fixture to convert the 2" hole in the TD radiator to the 1-1/4" needed for the Volvo engine. He chose a flex hose with dubious routing to get it all to work. In this photo, the valve cover is removed, giving a better photo of the whole routing:

Beck TD, Part 81: Testing the Temperature

 This was an interesting bit of garage science today. About a year ago, I replaced the water temperature gauge in Beck TD's dashboard because the existing one had failed. I was suspicious of the new gauge right away, because it seemed to read about 10 degrees hotter than the old one, and also would read 10 degrees hotter than the temperature indicated on my laser non-contact thermometer, checking right at the gauge sender.

I had read of a test for those capillary-style gauges using boiling water, but I had never tried it. Until today, that is! Read on for the interesting results.

Beck TD, Part 80: Moving the Alternator

 MG TDs didn't come from the factory with an alternator to recharge the battery. In 1952, an old generator was good enough. In fact, it was probably still good enough in 2019, but in that year, Jake Roulstone and I collaborated on a blog post on how to convert to a modern alternator, which became Part 45 of the Beck TD saga. The installation documented there has worked perfectly ever since, so of course this winter I decided to redo it. What good is a project car if you don't have projects!

Audi A3 Sun Visor Repair

 It has been rather quiet around the Grant Street Garage for several months. My last blog post was in April, 2022. In May, I had very successful open heart surgery, leading to a summer of rehab, and then in August, I happened upon a home in a retirement community that we loved so much that we moved! We managed (with help from Beyond the Fork in the Road, a marvelous moving company) to pack, downsize, sell our old house and move in just 3 months. But that didn't leave much time for shop fun! Here's a photo of the new place, with Beck TD in the driveway. We kept the Grant Street Garage, so Beck still has a place to live.