Rod's delivers an MGC Friday afternoon

This is roughly week 12 of no road tests. The winter weather has been quite tenacious, and I’ve coined a new expression:  “Every day above zero is a good day”.  That’s on the fahrenheit scale, and the last three days have not gotten off to a good start.   But we’re adapting.

Friday we had this MGC trucked in by Rod’s Towing & Repair of Putney (802-387-4771).  Greg & Vicki have been very creative about making the Triple A Plus zone work for our clients.

Just finished: XPAG TD & MGB 3 main

Monday morning we had the soon-to-be Gunmetal Gray XKE series 1 OTS transported to Jay at Windham Coach & Carriage in Brattleboro (802-254-1114) by Mike Savage of Weston in his enclosed trailer, and Mike will be back tomorrow morning to move the Healey Blue over OEW BN7 to Hurd’s Upholstering in Springfield, Vt for the installation of the interior.  We’re running out of space, but not out of work, and anyway, Dick’s better, faster and cheaper.

Butch expresses himself in paint

I put final paint on these two MG engines at the end of last week.  Butch has already installed the TD engine in the car seen here, but while he was painting the tank board, Patrick changed out the broken TD cluster gear. New ones are available for about a thousand dollars, but the one and only used TD transmission part we had on hand was…  Ayuh, you guessed it, a TD cluster gear.  Someone from Coram, Long Island was very, very lucky.

obstructed access

Patrick applies heat

One of the major items on the MGC owner’s punchlist was an overdrive leak.  The solenoid power wire aperture in the O/D maincase is always a suspect, but in this case it was one of the solenoid housing cover hold down bolt holes instead, and it was the only one conveniently located under the exhaust where the only repair access is created by taking the exhaust down.  Fortunately for us, but not so much for the owner, this exhaust was pretty much at the end of its useful service life, and taking our advice he opted for a stainless steel replacement.  In the photo below left, you can see Patrick heating up the manifold studs to replace them, although after this picture was taken the manifold ended up on the Bridgeport to mill out one stud that still  twisted off in the manifold flange.

Monday afternoon Patrick and I rolled the TD known as Myron out of the shop to get at some Myron parts that were boxed up and in the attic.  The car had been outside for only a few minutes when a passing snow squall created this winter tableau:

Just a sudden snow squall.

An MG TD on the move

We’re waiting on the arrival of a series one 4.2 E type Open Two Seater in Gunmetal Grey.  This car will not be arriving under its own power, as  not only is the power unit already on premises, but most of the rest of the car as well.  When the bare shell shows up we’ll be getting to work.

Casting about for something to fill in a little time on a snowy afternoon during a snowy week, we decided to push this MG TD in the shop in order to get on with it.  Warner finished up the engine a week or so ago and it will be interesting to see how far we can get before we are with Jaguar.

A set of N.O.S. 16201 pistons

Pictured here is Patrick installing the upper oil rings on a New Old Stock set of early MGB pistons.  Sharp-eyed observers will take note of the fact that these pistons use a 2nd oil control ring around the bottom of the skirt, except we don’t.  With a good cylinder wall finish, the upper Hastings oil rings which Patrick is using will be more than enough oil control, thank you very much.

Eagle-eyed observers will also have taken note of the fact that Patrick is also installing N.O.S. Vandervell connecting rod & main bearings in the very desirable Vandervell VP3 material.  A better engine bearing has never been produced before or since.  Regrettably, we have no others.

Butch repairs a Lucas 594 park/turn lamp

While Patrick was comfortably ensconced downstairs in the driveline room with a 3main bearing MGB engine, Butch was working diligently upstairs repairing the right front park & turn signal light for the Healey Blue over Old English White Austin Healey BN7 two seater just visible behind him.

Initially, we were just going to replace it with a better used one, but an assiduous search of the shop premises failed to turn one up.  However, these components were so well built that you can always fix ’em when it’s your only reasonable alternative.  On days like this we wonder who’s going to repair those in-dash GPS devices in about 20 years when all those Lexus’ hit the restoration cycle.  O.K.  just kidding !

Friday's heavy snowfall

Thursday and Friday it snowed heavily.  As a general rule, if the snow’s light enough, and below bumper level, my MGB GT is good to go once it gets rolling.  As seen here, that was the condition on the ground.  Once again you can consider this to be a gentle reminder that there is no substitute for studded winter tires.

Coming back from Abingdon Spares in Walpole, New Hampshire during an ice storm a few years ago I was southbound on U.S. Route 5 in Westminster as I watched a northbound Subaru execute a lazy left hand turn in front of me and go off the road and turn over.  I did of course stop to render assistance, and the driver’s response is in my ear, still:  “I don’t understand what happened, I just got these new four season radials”.  No they’re not, and if you live in snow country (or even just visit) you should know better.

Daily commute

Two experts compare notes

This is not new York City where it snows almost every day, although meterologically it’s a reasonable facismile right now, since we’re in about the middle of a 30 hour snow storm.  The practical effect of this, although I have no idea why, is that the phone hasn’t rung today, with the exception a couple of ever hopeful telemarketers.

Last week just before our previous storm (we only get one a week) Butch and I ran down to Brattleboro to retrieve my XK140 frame from Jay at Windham Coach & Carriage where it had been ensconced for measuring.  As luck would have it, it turned out to be very straight.  In the picture above, Butch & Jay are discussing his findings.

"To do the job, use the right tools."

Patrick is finishing up his 3rd E-type Independent Rear Suspension overhaul of the winter.  As mentioned previously on these pages, the job is made considerably easier by utilizing some of our begged, bought, or made special tooling.  In this case it’s our SL.14 Churchill Hand Press, which is a category one tool from the above list.  Herein Patrick is replacing the rear coil-over shocks, of which there are, of course, four.

By the way, if any of our readers can identify the source of the quote in the above picture caption, we’ll send the first three people with the correct answer the british oil filter of their choice, if we stock it.

Struggles nearly over

We’re almost at the end of the line with the red TR3.  Since the car hadn’t run in some time, last Friday afternoon Butch checked his ignition and carburetion settings and discovered a certain reluctance to return to a steady idle from an open throttle.

Because his external checks yielded no results he finally hauled ’em off the car for a closer look, which revealed a couple of slightly wunky throttle plates, probably not so much from wear as from the hands of man, so he replaced them.  Because we’re still waiting for a dry road, he has now turned his attention to the Austin Healey we rolled in the shop last week.

Mission Accomplished

Also as predicted here last week, Warner did in fact have the blue MGB running last Friday.  As you know, we aren’t using the highway for road tests right now, so he pinched off the leaking rear brake line and ran it thru all four gears out in the yard.

We sent our customer in Saranac Lake a bill and he was so happy he called up and asked up to fix the rear brakes, too !

Aspirational Vehicle

This MGB has been off the road for a very long time, but its owner is sufficiently fond of it that we have been commissioned to make it run again.  That’s something we have experience with.  Butch got a secondhand engine installed last week.  Then he handed off to Warner because he had some important radiator work to finish up.  Warner built up the engine ancillaries, stuff like manifolds, carburetors, starter & alternator, and earlier this afternoon he started it up.  He has already re-established the clutch hydraulics and bled off the brakes, although the rear brake line leaked like a dripping faucet, so he has it temporarily pinched off.

Re-cored TR3 radiator

Rodney at B&R’s Garage in Lebanon, N.H. re-cored the TR3 radiator late last week.  This is what it looked like before I added paint.  I know that some car owners think it looks cool (no pun intended) to polish up the brass top tank for the local car show, but I’m not simpatico with the effect, so you won’t get it here.  But then again we’re maybe a taddy-bit O.K. with leaving an aluminum core natural as long as you paint the tanks.

Before

After

The picture on the left is from a week or so ago.  The picture on the right is from Monday.  I previously mis-identified the plastic fan on the left as MGB, it’s actually TR6.  A popular modification is to use a six-bladed TR6 fan assembly on a TR3, but you’re supposed to turn it around for belt clearance !  Things were just tight enough that the fanbelt wasn’t coming off.  In the picture on the right the optional “Tropical” fan is installed in back of the freshly painted radiator with room to spare.

Another aspirational vehicle

After three years of very little progress, David Haber got tired of waiting on “Vermont’s Premier Automotive Restoration Shop” to prep and paint his Austin Healey, so he rang us up and we trailered it to the Auto Shoppe in South Burlington.  Scott Roth repaired the repairs and put it in paint.  All that’s left is some upholstery, bumpers and a couple of headlights.  We’ll be on it next week.

In case you’re wondering, left to right are Warner, Scott Roth of the Auto Shoppe, Butch, and Scott’s dog Guiness.  Off to Guiness’ right, in a yellow windbreaker, is David Haber, the owner.