Rented a van for the day and headed over to Corsham to pick up the engine and gearbox from Austin. We used a Clarke engine crane, a substantial piece of kit, to lift the engine with gearbox still attached into the van and onto a pallet. Austin then showed me how to strap it down. We pushed it to one side of the van and used the van’s eyelets to secure it. Austin explained how to use the ratchet properly so as not to make the reel too thick. I didn’t know this before, so I hope I can retain this knowledge. Austin has an MGB in his shop for some work. It was a roadster of similar age to mine, also in white.

When I arrived home, I called in Mark to help with the removal. We inspected the engine and gearbox while it was on the crane to assess the task of separating them from each other. An underplate had bent up and was preventing access to two of the bolts, so Mark bent it back into shape. We planned our route using the crane and then transferring onto a trolley I had bought, we wheeled the engine into the garage. We then carefully removed the starter motor and gearbox itself. The gearbox came off nicely and has exposed the clutch mechanism. The starter motor looks in reasonable condition too. We put the gearbox (with overdrive unit) into the boot of the MG for storage and left the engine on the trolley. Mark then left and I had some lunch. After dinner I removed the water pump which from the outside was in a dire state, heavily corroded. On inspection the impellor inside was rusty, so that unit will need to be replaced. I checked prices, which are around £50, so a worthwhile investment. I then decided I had done enough as I was feeling rather tired, so I folded the engine crane and pushed the MG back into the garage. Space is very tight now, so I will need to carry out a garage re-organisation and buy some more racking soon. Unfortunately, the trolley gave out during the pack down. It is only rated to 300kg, so that is my fault, probably. On the plus side, all the fittings are easily interchangeable onto a new base, so I can design a custom trolley, making it a little wider for improved stability and adding beams to the underside to add strength.

This was a good day of learning and I am grateful to Austin and Mark for their help.