The MGA With An Attitude

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MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (July 1 - July 15, 2019)

Monday July 1 2019:
Sitting in Northville, MI, made a morning phone call to a friend Brock Dittrick in Northville, MI. He was close by and got a little excited, so came to see us and chat for a bit. This is the guy who was considering buying the Austin A110 that we were inspecting last summer in Mount Uniacke, NS. He didn't buy it, but it was jolly good fun anyway. Meanwhile he had finished restoration of an Austin Gipsy, nice tricks.

Then we headed off to visit Guy's Garage in Northville, just to discover that the property was sold, the house was razed, and a new house was now standing in its place. But a neighbor told us he had moved to Ann Arbor, and the phone number still works, so we were quickly back tracking to Ann Arbor. Meet the home owner and shop owner Guy St John (a member of BMTA). First notice was the "modern" Mini that he picked up cheap with a few issues that were easy to fix. Then a late model MGB converted to Weber downdraft carburetor, followed by a short discussion about how to restore positive crankcase ventilation, fuel vapor recovery and anti-run-on functions.

There was a rubber bumper MGB converted to chrome bumpers and dual HS4 carbs (very nice). Then another rubber bumper MGB with Weber carburetor (habit forming maybe).

There was a '65-'67 MGB with a Mallory Dual Points distributor (a little something special for every car).
While we were chatting a flat bed arrived to unload the chrome bumper "roll-up-window" MG Midget with another Weber carburetor and a fiberglass bug-eye Sprite front end (cute modification). It had a nasty coolant leak from the 3-way molded rubber radiator hose (easy fix with the right part), and master cylinder with internal leak due to deteriorating rubber seal cups (wants a new master cylinder).

Next we were off to visit Quality Foreign Car Service in Berkley, MI. This place used to service vintage British cars, but has recently given it up, now only working on more modern vehicles, so scratch this one off the list.
We took our best shot at finding British Motor Cars in Pontiac, MI, but the building number for the street address was in a range that didn't exist in the given street. We suspect the street name was changed for part of the length of the street. Also phone number not in service, and no trace of the business on the internet, so scratch that one off the list as well.
We took a rather long jaunt farther east to Marine City, MI looking for Davis Restorations and/or English Motors Inc. This looked like a very nice place for a car shop on a dead end street next to a canal and across the street from cemetery. Unfortunately closed up, now looks like only used for storage, and the now common disconnected phone numbers (under both business names). So scratch two more shops off the list.
Then back west a jaunt to Hugo's Garage (foreign and domestic auto repair) in Romeo, MI. This place looks promising, but in the window there was a sign reading, "Sorry we closed all week". Okay, we will call them later for details.

More west just in time for our last programmed stop for the day at D&D Fabrications in Almont, MI. Say hello to Dan LaGrou. He has a fetish for stuffing aluminum V8 engines into MGBs, and he would likely build you a nice performance V8 if you like. Pics outside okay, but not inside. But I can tell you there are about 300 aluminum engine blocks in there, 300 crankshafts, and 1000 cylinder heads. Nice to know there is no shortage of aluminum V8 engines for the B's.

Okay, time for a real late lunch and a cool WiFi break while we check email and BBS, and some of the backlog of photos and notes. Right on 9-pm, just packing up to head north when a friendly soul walked in to ask about the car. Say hello to Ian Kempf of Imlay City, MI. He has an MGB and two MGA. The pics here are one of the MGA that is most certainly too far gone to be restored. It was a one-owner car from new, driven for decades, then finally parked for a couple more decades, always with hope that it would one day be repaired and put back in service. The old owner finally conceded that it would never happen. When the car was sold to Ian (real cheap) there was a promise that some part of this car would live on. We're not sure what that might be, but we have plans to return in a few weeks to have a personal look at the car.

Having killed another hour, we will be shorted on sleep again tonight. For now we were fueling up and heading north for nearly three hours to land near Gaylord, MI (really), about 50 miles shy of the Mackinac Bridge.

Tuesday July 2 2019:
Up early for a quick breakfast, then 40 miles north and west to visit Doug's Import Service in Petoskey, MI. As large as this shop looks from the outside, he regrets not building it larger.

He works on all foreign cars, including vintage British, and there seems to be an acre or two of spare cars around. The most interesting one may be the beater looking MGA in the yard. This was Doug's first car when he was 19. He ran the wheels off it for some years, at one time painting it BRG and painting his name inside the boot. Then he traded it on a big Healey, and forgot about. Decades later a customer brought this car to his shop to see if it could be returned for road use, but the cost was prohibitive, so it wasn't going to happen. In the process of inspection and evaluation, they found Doug's hand painted name in the boot, so it turned out to be his early driver car. In the end the owner signed over the title and told him to enjoy his old car. Now he has a problem trying to find time to restore it. And by the way, it does run.

Then we were driving 75 miles back south to visit MFD Classic Motors in Traverse City, MI. Their web site says "Premier Automobile Storage, Restoration, Detailing, & Mechanical Work", but these days it apparently is limited to "Premier Automobile Storage", and stops there. Another business Hammer & Dolly Automotive Restorations used to reside at this same address, but they moved some time ago, so that may be related to the reduction of restoration services here.
Our next stop would be Lakeside Automotive in Traverse City, MI. This place is still in business, but the owner is winding down servicing of vintage British cars, which is now limited to his prior customers, no more new customers being accepted.
Just down the street we finally got to visit Hammer & Dolly Automotive Restorations at their new digs in Traverse City where they have lots of space, and they put it to good use. Sweet Sunbeam Alpine right up front.

Somebody is about to have a very nice Studebaker. Check out their in-house upholstery shop. Wanna guess the car in black primer. Hint, not a Mustang, something much more rare.

The paint booth is another ingredient in full service restoration one-stop shopping. I found a nice Austin America being restored. A light touch here as I used to own one. In another building, space for storage for customers cars, which will fill up in the winter months. Also a place for cars that are in process but on temporary hold.

One more programmed shop stop today at Van's Garage in Leland, MI. That's about 35 miles northwest of Travers City, out on a peninsula (and in slow going tourist trap territory). That's Van out front, trying to slow down in semi-retirement. His recent entertainment is restoration of a Hupmobile. Meanwhile his son has taken over operation of the commercial shop, which looks like it will be here for many years to come.

Lots of space inside, and several people on staff. We found a nice Austin Healey 3000 in for minor maintenance today. My wild guess at the plastic cover might be a vintage Plymouth, and the International out back.

Two days in arrears, while I was posting photos and notes for today, I had in my hand a business card for David Irvine Custom Automotive Restorations in Northport, MI. This is a shop that was not previously on my list, and someone handed me this card sometime in the past day (or maybe it was the next day). At the moment I don't remember who, when or where, but this shop is 12-1/2 miles north of Van's Garage in Leland which we did visit, but we missed this one. The proprietor is a third generaton restoration specialist, apparently very good at his craft, and he has a very nice web site. He does work on vintage British cars. Pity we missed the visit while we were up there. I have no idea when we might get another shot at it.
In the evening we were heading for a meeting with Twin Bay British Car Club (NAMGBR) at the Elks Lodge in Traverse City, MI (having taken us five years to get here). Unfortunately there was no one there. The meeting had apparently been cancelled, maybe on short notice, no idea why, and no note about the cancellation on the club web site (or Facebook page). There was one other guy there with a membership form and cash in hand, first visit, intending to sign up as a new club member. I recon this was not a good first impression for him either.
Okay, so we headed for the nearest WiFI spot to do some grunt work. Late night we head nearly three hours south, staging for tomorrow morning's appointment.

Wednesday July 3 2019:
Had an interesting run through some side roads this morning to visit Rusty Moose Garage in Grand Haven, MI. Forrest Johnson has been tinkering with British for decades. The small rusty moose was a gift from his daughter, and became the namesake for the shop. Forrest went to work for University Motors Ltd in Grand Rapids, MI, and later bought the shop when John Twist was retiring. A few years ago (2016-2017) the new shop on Grand Haven was built (or expanded), and the shop in Grand Rapids was sold.

Always plenty of service and restoration work going on here, mostly MGs but occasionally something else may sneak in. That's Mike Blackport organizing the shop work load. Behind him is the original rusty moose.

Then we made a quick stop at the home of Clark & Clark Specialty Products, Inc in Holland, MI. This is a home run business and a Manufacturer of over 200 parts and accessories, much of it for vintage British cars (also a member of BMTA). They supply parts to other distributors, and you can buy direct by mail order. Check out their web site for a list of their products.
While we were in town we dropped in to visit Eclectic Motor Works in Holland, MI. I have been here before, including taking their MGA sheet metal technical course in 2007, and a late night visit in September, 2014. The primary reason for today's stop was to "officially" visit the headquarters of British Motors Trade Association, which was founded by Carl Hiedeman (Eclectic Motor Works) and John Twist (University Motors, Ltd). While here I snapped a few current pictures.

Then we ran over to visit to their new facility two blocks away. This will be mostly for customer car storage, some temporary stowage of in-process cars, and hopefully future hosting location for technical seminars. In-floor heating will likely prevent it from being used much as workshop space.

The blue MGA is an all original survivor car, typically buffed through the paint color coat, and a little rust in the body sills, but it would be a shame to restore it. The indoor heated storage space goes on and on as the building covers most of the length of the city block.

We were looking for Alan Christian Motors in Holland, MI, but no joy here. Gone ten years, now occupied by a modern car repair and transmission shop. There were a few classic cars inside, but the current shop does not service vintage British cars. Marty Boysen, the prior proprietor of ACM has moved on to auto auction and into partnership of Fab Farm which has naught to do with vintage British cars).
Then we were off to visit West Michigan Imports in Byron Center, MI. Say hello to Duane Bailey. This place will service most vintage British cars "other than MG", figuring MG is the primary domain of University Motors (and now Rusty Moose Garage). They like to work on Triumph, Austin Healey, Jensen Healey, Jaguar, etc.


We then stopped briefly at Advance Auto Wire in Byron Center, MI. They manufacture upgrade wiring harness for vintage British cars, including power block, lots of relays, and the proper wire colors for vintage Lucas wiring.

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A little jaunt to the east, we were looking for British Carburetors, LLC in Grand Rapids, MI, but ran into a post office. We made the phone call and left a voice message, but did not get a call back (July 3, eve of national holiday). There is a fairly decent web site with email, FormMail and phone number. I'm pretty sure this is a decent business, but I am always a bit leery about doing business with an anonymous party not disclosing their business location.
While we were in town we took a run past the former location of University Motors Ltd (and more recently Rusty Moose Garage) on Patterson Avenue in Grand Rapids. Not much to see here as the building is now a body and paint shop (since 2017).
One last run before the holiday closes in on us, we drove east to visit Empire British Car Parts in Kalamazoo, MI. Okay, we forgot this is the British car parts arm of Engel Imports, and we have been here before. They are also the home of Terry's Jaguar Parts. I'm kind of surprised it doesn't say "Empire" somewhere on that door. Engel Imports = "The best kept secret in British Parts!"

Now we get to go cool it for the rest of the day.

Thursday July 4, 2019:
Still sitting in Kalamazoo. Holiday, so no appointments. Spent half the day catching up WiFi grunt work and the photos and notes for the past few days. Now I get to post the CMGC July newsletter on the club web site (boring). Late night headed a little southwest and crossed the state line into Indiana (barely).

Friday July 5, 2019:
Got the CMGC July newsletter on line, and not much else. Late night headed west and northwest into Illinois staging for next appointment.

Saturday July 6, 2019:
Lined up for Lands End Rally today with CMGC in Darian, Illinois. Must have counted 14 cars, likely all MGs (because that's what you need to get your participation points). In years past the Lands End rally used to run 240 miles by tradition, commonly in southern Wisconsin, usually with no stop lights for the whole trip, and were significantly competitive gimmick rallies. Well, they ain't what they used to be. This one must have been less than 50 miles, mostly a casual tour with a couple of easy driving gimmicks, and dinner at a restaurant at the end. I recon this club has largely evolved into an eating club with a car disorder. Rest of the day off to fiddle on WiFi.


Sunday-Monday July 7-8, 2019:
Spent most of the spare time working on the CMGC Library list for the web site (not updated for years past).

Tuesday July 9, 2019:
Made a courtesy stop for CMGC Natter 'n' Noggin north at Finn McCool's in Schaumburg, IL this evening. If it wasn't for us, there would have been five people here (which is three more than last month at N 'n' N south). The N 'n' N meets used to garner more like 20 friends for a good time every month. Not sure what has been happening in recent years, but it seems like a bad case of lost interest.
Caught an hour or two of WiFi time, then headed west later, landing close to Galena, IL by late night.

Wednesday July 10, 2019:
We strolled across the Mississippi River to Dubuque, Iowa today, found the host hotel, and picked up our registration packet for NAMGAR GT-44. Then wandered around the car park a bit to check out the early arrivals.

We have seen most of these cars before, but snapped a couple of interesting ones.

I'm always on the look-out for the small trailers, in case there may be a new one worth posting in the Trailers Tech section of my web site.
The red MGA trailer we have seen before. The Haul Master in the middle looked pretty good. I spent some time looking for this one on the net, found it to have 600 pound load capacity and locking side-lift cover with gas struts. Looks good, so I may have another look at it later.
The small box trailer on right is new to me. I suppose the heavy-looking rear bumper is fiberglass, which may or may not be substantial. The bumper being that low might help if you back into a wall, but it isn't going to match up to the height of most vehicle bumpers. I will try to find the owner later for more information.

I took a short stroll through the vendors display room. Lots of nice vintage tools from Liverpool Motorworks, LLC in Liverpool, Pennsylvania. I will be adding this one to the Shops list, keeping in mind it is a mail order house, not a walk-in shop.
The NAMGAR regalia tables were overflowing (already got the event T-shirt), and the always present Scarborough Faire display. The guy selling LED lamps was also there, but all the flashing lights washed out the picture. Easy enough for me not to buy anything (as I don't have any space to stow more stuff).

In the evening we attended the First-Timers and Welcome Party (combined this year). Had an extended chat with a newcomer, and more chat with a bunch of old friends and a few new ones, and got to chew the rag with John Twist for a while. As the light was failing I had another stroll round the car park to check out new arrivals. Lew Palmer is selling his 1936 MG PB Airline Coupe (in case anyone might be interested). There was a nice factory issue 1976 MGB GT V8 (mostly original). Also a nice MGA with an "oops" in front from rear ending an MG Magnette on the way to the event (both cars with the same owner).

For more GT44 photos and notes see a following photo page.

Thursday July 11, 2019:
Skip the tourist attractions, the main reason I attend the NAMGAR GTs is for the tech sessions. There are time slots for four per day on Thursday and Friday (maybe not all filled). The 9am session today was Piers Hubbard talking about the history of the MGA which began with a review of all models of MG through time (including mention of the post 1980 models).
Second tech session was Kent Prather detailing installation of the rubber rear seal for MGA and early MGB 3-main bearing engines. I was hoping he might have found a better way to do it, but not so. This was a review of the one I designed in 1994, but give him credit for a few refinements. Where I have only installed one in my own car, he has installed multiple copies in his own engines and more for some customers. He has made a few special jigs and fixtures to make the job easier, and has a few suggestions for techniques to get it right the first time.
During the mid day break, while checking out more cars in the hotel garage, I found another small trailer. This one is "Eagle", and I will have to look up the specs later. Had a nice chat about LED lights, and time for lunch.

First afternoon tech session was about sports car racing over the years. Nice review of open road racing which was eventually banned, then the tracks and cars and drivers, lots of good stories.

By later afternoon the weather was cooling a bit and shadows getting longer, and folks were stumbling around the car park again. The Escapade is a very nice trailer, but I already have this one documented.

Then the 4-door MGB rolled in, compliments of Quality Coaches Inc in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Not long enough to be a limousine, but a four door convertible is unusual (as well as the jacked up off-road configuration). Turns out it was assembled form two MGB and a Nissan truck chassis.

For more GT44 photos and notes see a following photo page.

Friday July 12, 2019:
The first morning tech session was a repeat of Kent Prather and the rear seal installation for 3-main bearing engine (I skipped the repeat). Second morning tech session didn't happen, because the presenter didn't show up, so I wandered down to the parking garage to drop in on John Twist's rolling tech session. He was doing tune-up work on a Magnette by the time I arrived. Next up was a nice MGA, on which I quickly spotted a missing lug nut (not why it was there).

The in-process MGA V6 conversion chassis distracted me for a while. I was particularly interested in how they handle engine mounts and exhaust manifolds without hacking up the frame. There is a neat 3-gear transfer box on the front of the firewall to relocate the steering shaft using three U-joints. Seems like everyone does this differently, and so far never in commercial kit form.

Then it was time for the late morning tech session on rebuilding Armstrong hydraulic shock absorbers for MGA (and other cars), presented by Peter Caldwell from Worldwide Auto Parts of Madison, Wisconsin. Always entertaining, and something new to learn every time I sit in one of these.

Early afternoon tech session was a Story of the Devin, presented by Mark Brandow from Quality Coaches Inc in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After the history lesson we got a first hand look at his Devin bodied MGA. A look under the skin reveals a Rover V8, a TR7/8 5-speed gearbox, and dual line braking system.

Second tech session in the afternoon was, a repeat of the history of MG presented by Piers Hubbard. Include the Q&A session at the end, and it reveals more information worth the time. A rescheduled tech session on painting and coating garage floors didn't happen (again) as a no-show.
Evening brought us to a race car exhibition and dinner with David Hobbs at Stone Creek Winery. There were a couple hundred people for the buffet barbecue, lots of photo ops with groups from various clubs, plenty of chat time, and a live band for entertainment in between. More chat back at the hotel later.
For more GT44 photos and notes see a following photo page.
Saturday July 13, 2019:

NAMGAR GT-44 car show today, began hot at 9-am and got hotter with full sun. We had a temporary hint of a light shower, but gone after just a few drops, and overcast shade didn't last long, so just humidity, and we all got to baste. I counted 103 cars on the show field, not including a few early leavers. Supposed to be 130+ cars registered, so there must have been some no-shows. Awards banquet in the evening.
For more GT44 photos and notes see a following photo page.
Sunday July 14, 2019:
Heading east, got a chance to visit International Classics, LLC, previously in Skokie, IL, now relocated to rural Freeport, IL. Nice place in the country, large buildings, plenty of space, and lots of vintage British cars passing through here (among other things).

A Jaguar, a Triumph, and we did say "International" didn't we?

Another large building behind, more for garage space than for workshop. Will let you guess at couple of these.

More east, stopping briefly at older daughter's place in Sandwich, IL to pick up mail (and my renewed drivers license). Ended up in Naperville, IL for what was left of the day.

Monday July 15, 2019:
Catching up email and BBS, posting a new tech page for MGA Twin Cam dipstick dimensions. Sailing east across Illinois, we stopped at my storage locker in Romeoville in late afternoon to pick up some books I wanted to donate to the club lending library. Then up to Elmhurst to drop off navigator Elliot, followed by a run to Elk grove Village to pick up younger daughter Honey and return to Elmhurst for the monthly meeting of Chicagoland MG Club. Three of us for dinner please, and another 35 or so club members present, and drop off the books.


After the club meeting, reassembly is the reverse of disassembly, drop off daughter and return to pick up son. We were then off to find a WiFi spot for a while. Done in Illinois for now, late night we headed east to find a perch for the night near Merrillville, Indiana.