History: The first oil drip pan was designed and built by a member of the Mardi Gras Ts MG club as a gift to Mike Lewis in the early 1980s. I have not been able to find the member’s name to give him due credit. I believe he lived in the Mobile, AL area. I first used it on my MGTF-1500 for show & racing purposes and then on my MGY-type for many years. To drain the oil out of the drip pan, it was necessary to remove the pan assembly. A few years ago, club member John Hooper expressed a need to have some made but wanted a drain plug installed. Club member Gene Gillam got involved and met with his friend a machinist who came up with a modification with a drain plug. Several members expressed interest and about a dozen were produced. The drain plug was a big improvement, but still a pain to drain. Realizing the drain was 1/8 in. NPT, I went to a local auto parts store and found several drain taps. I settled on a radiator drain cock from “HELP”, p/n 61103. It fit with no problems and to drain, it screws in, not out, so you don’t loose parts and is much easier. I have several ideas to improve it, but am satisfied with what I have. Forgetting to frequently drain the drip pan will result in it filling to the point of overflowing, oiling the undercarriage, garage, carport, drive, etc, as though’ it wasn’t installed, or the MGT’s “Cup Runneth Over”.

Installation and pit falls.

The drip pan when properly installed reduces the rear main bearing leak to a tolerable level. It will not stop all of the leaks and leave the engine & undercarriage pristine. But it’s great for getting though racing tech and car shows.

1. The threads of the sump for the bell housing bottom bolt must be in good condition so the drip pan doesn’t fall off. The drip pan will be a bit loose. Do not seal it to the sump and do not remove the cotter pin.

2. Fitting the drip pan to the sump. The critical point is that the front of the drip pan must be over (in front of the cotter pin of the sump) or it is useless. No problem on a 5 quart TD sump (smooth, no fins or ribs), but on sumps that have fins (ribs), it may not fit. It may be possible to flair the front of the drip pan to go over it, don’t know, never tried it. Depending on the casting of the sump, the drip pan may fit or require some metal removal with a Dremel tool or similar. On some castings the cotter pin hole is further forward and requires more substantial “fin” removal and clean up to fit the front of the drip pan in front of the cotter pin. On a few sumps, I removed the entire fins (ribs) that were in the way of a nice fit using a die grinder and cut off tool. With the bare sump on the bench, it was a piece of cake. On one of them with the motor and transmission installed, with the MG on a lift, it was a bit of a challenge.

3. Fitting the mounting bracket. The bracket radius may need to be changed and the hole for the bolt may need to be oveled to fit. The bracket can be bent at an angle to put more pressure on the pan. The rubber pads cuts down on vibration.

Conclusion: If you know of another method to decrease our rear main bearing leak that you want to use, great. There are many remedy’s out there, most are expensive and complex. Some work very well. For me, I frequently empty my drip pans and my drive, carport, garage, and most important my wife, notice the difference and are grateful. My thanks to Blair Engle of “The Classic MG Shop” for his assistance in developing this article. Happy Motoring,

Mike Lewis, #6352