A Mistake Viewed The Other Way

David with Peter Money & his MG Midget

David with Peter Money & his MG Midget

Peter Money’s well traveled MG Midget has been languishing barn-bound for the last five years.  He decided it was time to put an end to that, so after dropping off the Turquoise over White Austin Healey 3000 Mk II last week, I made tracks for Peter’s barn to pick it up.  His daughter Lily snapped the picture.

John got it running and went thru the brakes & wiring and installed four new shocks. I tweaked the carburetors this morning and put on a door mirror.  Now it’s up to Peter  to drop the top and make the fall leaves rustle along the side of the road.

John makes up brake pipes

John makes up brake pipes

Butch repairs a control head

Butch repairs a control head

Peter’s car also needed some new brake pipes on the rear axle.  Over on the left is a photo of John setting up our English vice-mount flaring tool.  Having the right tool has saved us untold hours of time and gives us the flexibility to make exactly what we need.  Meanwhile, on the right, Butch is about to make a non-working Austin Healey control head whole again.  This particular unit is an amalgamation of a nearly correct reproduction control head with the critical parts salvaged from old control heads that are no more.  Since we seem to be doing a lot more of these we keep a replacement control head wiring harness & stator tube (what the wires go thru) in stock at all times.

damaged MGB

Last week's ditch-bound MGB

Repairs have been scheduled on the Harvest Gold MGB seen last week on these pages in a muddy ditch, where it ended up after the left front wheel came off and went under the car.  It’s a big bummer all around, having just been the recipient of new  paint and a performance engine upgrade.

This British Invasion-bound car was still eminently drivable, and in fact I gently urged the owner to do just that.  I’m completely confident it would have been the talk of the show.  But as the wise man once said, that’s what insurance is for.

Chevy Nomad

Not seen at Stowe

As it happens, the hugely attended British Invasion of Stowe wasn’t the only automotive event in Northern Vermont last weekend, as the National Street Rod Association Northeast Nationals were taking place in Burlington at the same time.

I came upon this immaculately turned out Chevy Nomad two door s wagon with  Oregon plates, in the south bound Randolph rest area on my way back to Westminster.  Isn’t it just magnificent ?

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