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September 29th, 2008

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Q & A: MGA 1500 Rear Main Cap (Broken Crank)

Wednesday March 26th, 2003
Q & A, MGA, MGB, MGC, MG T-Type, Midget
Hi John,

We've met before at Namgar events and you've helped with a few questions in the past. Here's my situation and question.

My crank (MGA 1500) just broke beneath the rear main cap. The cap was ruined but the block appears to be okay (visually).

My first reaction was to try to locate another cap, then it dawned on me that due to necessary alignment these were probably line-bored, and thus unique to each engine. Is there anything I can do to save the block as the rest of the engine is in top condition? I was thinking it may be possible to get a replacement cap, then bore all three mains oversize. I have never seen bearings, however, that were oversized in their outer diameter. Any thoughts? Hope all is well.

Best Regards,

Greg Snooks

Greg!

The cap truly is part of the block and the rule is that you cannot switch caps, block to block. Consider that you have to completely disassemble the engine anyway and that fixing a cap to the rear main requires at l... read more