BMC, in their wisdom, made different rear ends for MGBs for different wheel options. Cars with disc wheels had axle tubes that were nearly two inches wider in span than the axle tubes on cars with wire wheels. Why did they do this? Why didn’t they make one size rear end and just use spacers on cars riding on disc wheels? It seems to me that it would have simplified production and would have been cheaper as well. Until 1965 all MGBs had ‘banjo’ type rear ends. In 1965 BMC introduced the MGB GT. All GTs had stronger ‘Salisbury’ or ‘tube type’ rear ends. From 1967 all MGBs carried the Salisbury type. Salisbury rear ends were also of different lengths, but Moss Motors offer an adapter so that wire wheels can be put onto cars that were originally fitted with disc wheels. Unfortunately the adapters won’t fit on a banjo type that was meant for discs. My car had discs, but I have wires for it. I have two options: I can put a tube-type rear and on the car (one is available locally that was made for wire wheels, or I can get a '67 - '80 rear end and use adapters), or I can find a banjo type rear end that was made for wires. Unfortunately there are a lot more tube types out there than banjo types. My car will be very, very nice; but it won’t be a 100-point concourse car. A previous owner had cut speaker holes in the rear bulkhead, the engine has a new alloy head, and it’s being converted from negative earth to positive. But I’d still like it to be as original as possible.
MGBs in transition periods often used parts from later years. I remember my mom saying that the door handles on her car were supposed to be the older pull-open type instead of the later push-button type, but the factory had the later parts and used them when they built the car. I’ve been told that some pre-'67 cars (mine is a '66 year model built in 1965) had the later Salisbury rear end.
So here’s the question: Did some MGB roadsters made between 1965 and 1967 really have the later type rear end? The only reference book I have at hand at the moment is rather vague. If so, how common were they?
Why two different length rear ends? The mounting for a wire wheel is much different than the mounts for a disc wheel. The wire wheel hub takes up a lot of space (about 1"per side) so the rear end has to be 2" narrower. Why no spacers? Typical brit engineering. A spacer makes for a somewhat weaker assembly, so the brits engineered a diferent housing. If this does not sound very bright, I would point out that MG, BMC, and British Leyland all went tits up with this type of brilliant engineering.
As far as the banjo vs salisbury question goes, as far as I know, yes some roadsters carried salisbury axles. I will have to go look to see which axle my roadster has. (It has been way too long since I was under the bottom of my car)
I think which axle when on which car had a lot to do with what they had in stock at the time the car was built. My car is a very late 1967.
One of the axles had a removable pumpkin, and the other had a fixed pumpkin, and a removable cover on the rear of the axle assembly. The type with the cover probably uses an axle spreader to remove the diferential. Right now I can’t remember which is which.
When I get home, on Friday, I can do a little more research if you like.
It does on to talk about the differences between the types, and other information about the rear suspension.
So Salisbury axles existed on MGBs (GTs) when my roadster was built. And they were used on some roadsters before all MGBs were so equipped. But it doesn’t give a date when they started appearing on roadsters. My car has the banjo type, only for disc wheels. (I guess this means I’ll have to get another one to restore to disc configuration. I’m thinking black with a red interior. ) I’d feel better about putting a (cheaper and more available) Salisbury rear end on my car if I knew that some roadsters built in late-1965 had them. I do know of a banjo/wire rear end, but the guy will only sell it with the front end – for $800. If I have to, then I guess I can get it and sell the front end on eBay.
) I’d feel better about putting a (cheaper and more available) Salisbury rear end on my car if I knew that some roadsters built in late-1965 had them. I do know of a banjo/wire rear end, but the guy will only sell it with the front end – for $800. If I have to, then I guess I can get it and sell the front end on eBay.