The MGA With An Attitude
MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (March 16 - March 31, 2022)
Wednesday, March 16, 2022:
Up early enough, headed north and didn't stop for breakfast until close to the northern state line at Clarksville TN. Catching up prior photos and notes, BBS and email. Spent some time updating the CMGC web site for newly elected officers and appointed staff members. Our WiFi spot closed (without notice) at 7-pm, so heading a bit farther north into Kentucky. The Kentucky Welcome center was closed (road entrance barricaded), so I guess no one is welcome in Kentucky. Stopped for fuel and more WiFi time at Hanson, KY.
 Somewhere in between there the car LF tire kicked up something rather heavy and solid which hit the fender flare on the LR wing dog leg, making a notable dent and flaking off the paint. At least it is in an easy access area, just remove the wheel for access to hammer it out and repaint. Keep in mind for the next opportunity for another body work session.
Following I-65 north, we crossed the Ohio River into Indiana (think Evansville). Then headed west on I-64, crossing the Wabash River into Illinois where we found the Skeeter Mountain Rest area around midnight. New to us, never been on this road before.
Thursday, March 17, 2022:
A little to the west in the morning, touched into a Walmart in Fairfield, IL for supplies (clothes and engine oil). The intended local WiFi spot had no wall outlet, so skip breakfast and head north. Landed in Mattoon, IL by mid day for lunch, somewhat ahead of schedule, where we had intended to stop in the evening. Now it looks like we may just drive another 3-1/2 hours north this evening, and be in western suburbs of Chicago a day early. Well, no. Weather to the north is predicted to be pretty terrible, way colder for one, and lots of rain to go with it.
Thinking of staying near Mattoon tonight, but then found out the WiFi spot would close early, and Navigator had something to do on line at 10-pm, so heading off again. Stop at Tuscola IL for fuel, but WiFi there is crap, so keep going. Finally found serviceable WiFi in Champaign, IL near 10-pm. At least back in my old stomping grounds where I used to hang out (all through the 90's) with Champaign County Sports Car Club in Central Illinois Region of SCCA. Weekly autocross and TSD road rally, anyone? Somewhere around midnight we headed a bit more north to stop near Buckley, IL for the night (cooler but not raining yet).
Friday, March 18, 2022:
Sixty miles of side roads heading north through farm country arriving Braidwood, IL for breakfast. The car knows its own way "home" from here. Light rain starting 10-am, right on schedule, 100% rain rest of the day, and going to be colder tonight. I don't think we're in Florida any more, Toto. Everyone wearing medium jackets or double sweat shirts and/or rain capes.
Update to a tech page for reaming throttle bodies to install bushings for throttle shafts. This will now reference John Twist YouTube video with information for a couple special tools allowing this operation using a hand held power drill.
Another 50 miles on
arriving Naperville, IL 5-pm, miserable blowing cold rain. Check in, get indoors, order pizza delivery and call it a night.
Saturday, March 19, 2022:
Moderately cold (40dF), light rain and mild wind. Memorial service for older brother today, so taking the day off from MG stuff.
Sunday, March 20, 2022:
Updated a tech page for sway bar aftermarket mounting brackets and bushings for MGA. This is persistent nagging issue where we want to install a 3/4" sway bar, but original is only 5/8" (with matching small bushings and brackets).
Updated a tech page for electric brake light switch modification to show a couple more ways to do it (when you feel creative).
Uploaded a new tech page for repair of MG Twin Cam hand brake pad lever and adjuster parts. These parts are often messed up by corrosion and not currently available as replacement parts.
Monday, March 21, 2022:
Updated a tech page for Reverse Lockout for MGA or MGB. I like this one, because it is a one-hand one-second operation without looking, and never needing to set it or reset it (it just works).
In the evening we were off to the monthly Chicagoland MG Club membership meeting in Mount Prospect, IL. We were introduced to our new slate of officers (whom we already knew). Then there was a nice presentation about vintage car insurance by a rep from Hagarty Insurance, followed by some normal club business. After the meeting, heading a little more northeast.
Tuesday, March 22, 2022:
Today we were visiting Northshore Sportscars in Lake Bluff, IL. Been here several time before. The business was recently taken over by Michell by buying out her father Norb Bries. Best wishes to Michell. This trip was for a post-purchase inspection of an MGA recently acquired by a friend in Florida, Curtis Skomp (photos and notes at bottom of prior page). Purpose of the inspection it to see if there may be anything the new owner would like to have fixed before shipping the car off to Florida. He intends to give it to his wife to toy around in, so wants it to be in very good condition on arrival. It is an "older restoration, body-on", looks like it will be a very nice daily driver. I found a few flaws, nothing to write home about, maybe a few things to be fixed or adjusted once the owner decides on priorities. Someone said I was there for three hours. Took too many pictures I guess, as my camera battery was going dead just as I was finishing.
Rest of the day (and much of tomorrow) will be spent processing photos and notes for the inspection report.
Wednesday, March 23, 2022:
I spent a lot of time a few years ago searching for cross reference numbers for the MGA differential pinion seal. One bad number cross referenced gets more bad numbers (boo, hiss). Now I get to it all over again, and this one is hard to find. The problem stems from one part number now pointing to two very different configurations of the seal, one being the wrong part. Persistence pays, I found a few, and hope it's right this time.
Someone wants to change the front ball bearing on the gearbox input shaft without disassembling the rest of the gearbox. Lots of luck. The shaft has to come out to change the press fit bearing, and removing the shaft will drop needle rollers into the gearbox. Maybe hold the gearbox vertical with front end down, then the needle rollers might come out with the input shaft, but also dislodge the 3rd-4th gear sliding hub and synchro rings? For sure we have spent more time discussing this than it would take to disassemble and reassemble the gearbox.
P.S. - Posting this a few days late (midnight Sunday morning), due to overloaded schedule this week. Got to the Wednesday Night Garage Club at "Tommy's Garage" (Tom Raddatz) in Lagrange Highlands, IL (man I needed the break). Arrived 7-pm and wolfed down a cheeseburger before jumping into the fray. Six cars in the first picture, and that's not all. First a little discussion about removing engine of Tom's V6 MGB and stripping the engine bay for painting in preparation for sale. Should sell better if the car was all one color.
Notice the Jaguar E-Type 2+2 Coupe on the top rack. That one is destined to get a top crop to turn into a convertible soon, as well as a Corvette engine conversion. The original engine is in another room, more on that later. Then onto the MGA with electrical issues (maybe). Good facilities here, so we pulled up the MGA wiring diagrams from my web site on the large wall monitor.
MGA under restoration, debating on possible desire to paint the engine bay while checking out the high energy ignition box on the inner wing. We were supposed to be working on turn signals, but not tonight without a battery. Restocking the fridge, not to run out of the good stuff. Then a quick trip to the yard to check out the new acquisition, old MGB wanting some TLC.
Now we get to the E-Type V12 engine and manual gearbox in the next room. Possible buyer sending inquiring. Clean off the engine number to verify the correct E-type engine, and send a short video to show we can turn the flywheel by hand.
Have a notion wanting to test run it, but the starter motor is rusted solid. Put penetrating oil on the drive end bushings, and remove the tail cover (with lots of aluminum corrosion inside) to oil the brushes end bushing. Still no turn, so we dunked the drive end in a bucket of Evapo-Rust, adding a few bottles for displacement to bring the fluid lever a little higher, that one will soak for a while.
Late evening update to a CMGC web page for important update information on the upcoming All British Swap Meet And Autojumble (on Sunday March 27 at DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton IL).
Thursday, March 24, 2022:
Updated a tech page on oversize anti-sway bar installation on MGA with custom frame mount bushings.
Received notice that the composite leaf springs for MGA (and some other vintage British cars) are now out of production. Pity, as it was a very nice part, Just not enough demand to justify continued production.
More time spent on the issue of crankcase ventilation, which may not have ever worked properly from new in any MGA (this may never end).
Friday, March 25, 2022:
Added pictures to a tech page for an original style rear seal for late MGA and early MGB gearbox. Nice find on eBay. Someone should reproduce these things. The external felt seal is very good for dirty environment (like under the car).
Added a new Accessories tech page for period correct security locking nuts for Lucas fog lamps or driving lamps.
Way behind on my web site work, email, tech and BBS review. Checking into a secluded motel for the next four nights, and may have to work late (later) nights to catch up. We have the CMGC Swap Meet Sunday (y'all come), and I have ordered some new tires for my MGA, which hopefully will be available at least by Monday or Tuesday.
Saturday, March 26, 2022:
Well, I pulled an all-nighter starting Friday midnight processing 120 photos (from 150 taken) into web page format, and got about 15% of the way through comments for the photos. Had to break at 9:30 this morning to Pep Boys to get two new tires installed on my MGA. Did I mention the snow and blowing cold? Brrrrr. Had to give the MGA a sniff of ether to wake it up. Funny how cars do the opposite of people.
In and out under an hour, and back to the hotel. Now need some sleep, hoping to get the inspection report finished later tonight. And I have to be up before 5-am tomorrow for opening hours of the CMGC Swap Meet. -- Zzzzzz
Sunday, March 27, 2022:
Got up late last night and got back to work on the inspection report notes. Did not get it finished, but got a few more hours sleep in the small hours of the morning.
Then off to the "All Sports Car Swap Meet and Auto Jumble" in Wheaton, IL to help open up shop for the vendors at 5:30-am. It was 21dF, but no snow, just breezy and overcast. Looked like a good day for an indoor swap meet. We only had the one big building this time. The 2nd smaller building was not available (full of Covid testing stuff). We had a full house, had to cut off vendor registrations 10 days before the event. Something like 68 vendor spaces, only one no-show. And the visitors kept strolling in.
I stopped at the Bittrix booth and picked up a couple LEDs, screw-ins for dash lights. I have been using LEDs from Moss Motors, used to pay $7 to $8 each, but as much as I drive they were failing in about 6-months (couldn't stand the vibration I suppose). The Moss price has been falling recently, maybe they figured out they were selling junk again. The new ones from Brittrix are encapsulated in epoxy, so I will see how these hold up to "normal" use. Oh, there was a New Old Stock SU (electronic) fuel pump on a silver pedestal. I didn't ask the price, because I still don't like electronics in cars.
John and Burt were there again, as usual, and all sorts of good treasure going out the door under smiles. If you like pictures, there are about 100 more on the club web site.
No head count yet, but it was quite a crowd. Apparently people are ready to exercise some freedom. Vendors nearly all in house by 8-am official opening time. By 9:30 the crowd was thick, and I was running about taking pictures. I as rather dogged out by 11-ish, and had work to do, so headed out early this time.
Got a few more hours sleep, then back to work on the inspection report, Finally got it done and loaded on the web server (in the small hours of the morning) for the client (and the shop) to consider what to fix on the car before delivery to Florida. 120 pictures and several pages of notes on car condition and my recommendations on what to fix (and what not to bother). It is a driveable older restoration car, so aside from a gearbox repair the rest was mostly cosmetic adjustments. The new owner immediately responded with gratitude for the report, and intends to have most of the recommended work done.
Monday, March 28, 2022:
Still awake this morning, I got to work on processing and uploading another 120 pictures from the CMGC Swap Meet. No notes required (yet). The rush was mostly for the benefit of the club Editor to put pics into the newsletter that wants to go to press in a few days.
That done, a touch of update on the club web site, and posting these Swap Meet photos and notes for your benefit (see Sunday notes). And yikes, I still have a fist full of 2-week old pictures to do a tech article on the windscreen wiper drive repair (but not today). Good to have a day off to sit and catch up some backlog.
Tuesday, March 29, 2022:
No rain, but crappy cold in the Chicago area. Checked weather forecast, destined to be cold for the next 10 days
(except warmer and rainy tomorrow. "My Future Radar" is a neat web site, kind of a crystal ball into the future showing projected radar weather maps on the fly. Heavy storm front going through on Wednesday, not enough time to drive far enough south to get away, so we decide to go south some today, then sit tight under shelter while the windy wet stuff passes through. Straight south near central IL and northern KY will get hit hardest late night Wednesday. Southwest IL near St Louis Will get hit hardest in mid afternnoon Wednesday. Rather sit through it in the afternoon than sleep with it at midnight. So we saddled up and drove 240 miles southwest to near East St Louis, IL.
Weather improved as we went, being somewhat warmer and sunny by early afternoon, actually quite pleasant and relaxing driving. Time for fuel stop and good time for late lunch near East St Louis, IL, and no yen to drive farther into worse weather area, so stop there for rest of the day. -- Couple of rather involved tech questions (brain teasers) on fuel gauge that fails when parking lights are turned on, and how distributor advance specifications actually work in the real world.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022:
Didn't go anywhere, and yup, raining in the morning, so after a bit we were back in the same WiFi spot as last night. -- Figured out why the guy's fuel gauge would fail when lights are switched on. A ground fault in or around the illumination lamp socket attached to the gauge bracket that will pass system power into the bracket when lights are switched on. Also the bracket is not grounded through the dash panel to body and chassis, only grounded by black wires in the harness. Applying power on two terminals of the gauge adds up to zero current in the gauge, which are likely not connected, which is why the gauge stops working. Unplug the lamp socket from the bracket, and the gauge works. Solution was as simple as reconnecting two black wires in a single ring lug to back of the fuel gauge.
Posted a new tech page on converting manual screenwasher to electric, including conversion of the original manual push pump to a push switch that still looks original in the dash panel.
A little touch-up of the CMGC web site for new upcoming events, Spring Chicken Rally, and Spring Tune-Up Party. -- Still raining at 11-pm, but looks like it will quit about quarter past midnight.
Thursday, March 31, 2022:
Travel day, still heading south. out of Bloomsdale. MO, Fill up in Hayti, MO, sail across 70 miles of NW Arkansas into Memphis, Tennessee, stopped at 3-am just south of Memphis.
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