Upstairs, Downstairs

MG TD at Abingdon Spares

Road Test Cycle: MG TF at Abingdon Spares

The weather finally broke this week.  Although the roads are dusty in spots, they haven’t been wet, except for some run off.  It’s getting very close now to sugaring season, perhaps the only agricultural crop, apart from ice, which is harvested in the winter.

This has allowed us to get some deferred road test work completed.  I took this TF out for the long loop of about 25 miles thru two states, which isn’t actually saying much, since we’re only ten minutes from Walpole, New Hampshire, an incredibly fortuitous accident of geography, because that’s where Abingdon Spares, the ‘T’ series MG parts house is located.  I worked there for a while in the 1980’s.

Butch fits up the BJ8 console & armrest

Butch trial fits the BJ8 console & arm rest

Nothing is ever truly easy.  In order to get the radio console (sans radio) to fit between the fiberglass tx tunnel and the dash, it was necessary to trim the bottom edge of the console and cut down and re-glass the shift aperture in the tunnel.

We’re blaming it on the Toyota five speed, although really we also know that the entire dash panel came out about half an inch too close to the floor.  Because where you end up means everything, this has been an extended fit and adjust process where the ends justify the means.

Steve installs carpet fasteners

Steve installs carpet fasteners

Meanwhile, downstairs Steve is working on the door glass and door trims for the red BJ8.

Because open sports cars have a tendency to get wet on the inside, we like to provide the means to pull the carpets up should the car get caught out in a cloudburst.  The underfelts, especially, are very efficient at holding moisture, and we even see cars from Nevada & California with rusty floors as a result of this.

Jaguar XK 120M

Jaguar XK 120M in West Lynn, circa 1955

This archival photo has just appeared in the new issue of MESH NEW ENGLAND Magazine. (www.meshnewengland.com) in the context of a story about the owner (one of our customers) who was intimately involved  the Greater Boston North Shore sportscar scene in the late ’40’s & ’50’s.

If you’re not familiar with MESH, it’s lush graphics are visually stunning, and the story content is an easy read.

An E-type on test

Also on test Monday: The greatest view in the world

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