The MGA With An Attitude
MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (August 1 - August 15, 2022)
Monday, August 1, 2022:
Engine machinist should be back from vacation today. Called and left a message to inquire.
 CMGC August newsletter arrived in Publisher format this evening, needing to be transcribed to HTML for the club web site. Better timing this month,as I likely have time to do it tonight and tomorrow.
Got a reminder note to register for the British Car Festival in Chicago on September 11. Only 2000 miles away from northern California. Should be okay, as long as I can get the engine back together in the next couple of weeks.
Tuesday, August 2, 2022:
Called the machine shop mid morning and late afternoon, left messages on answering machine, but no call back.
Nearly 12 hours working on the CMGC newsletter transcribing today, and didn't get it finished. Killer issue 24 pages with lots of photos.
Added a neat picture to tech page on T-nuts for seat mounting in the floor of the MGA. Concours geeks will go nuts over this sort of detail on originality.
Wednesday, August 3, 2022:
An old tech question just came up again. MGA clutch pedal works near the floor, and clutch may gradually engage while holding
the pedal down. This should point to internal leakage in the master cylinder with fluid returning to the reservoir as it leaks past the primary pressure cup. Similar problem can happen with brakes if brake pedal gradually sinks to floor when you have your foot on it. Solution is standard repack of the rubber bits in the master cylinder. -- Bunch of more minor tech questions kept me busy all morning.
Called the machine shop again mid afternoon, left another messages on answering machine, but still no call back. I'm a bit concerned about the lack of response, because I will need to leave California in a couple more weeks. I certainly don't want to leave the engine parts in his shop, and don't want to leave a disassembled engine at my friend's place either. Stay tuned to the soap opera.
Finally got the CMGC August newsletter posted on the club web site. Killer issue this time, 24 pages with lots of photos (and some very odd formatting).
Thursday, August 4, 2022:
Split one tech page into two and added more pictures for broken exhaust manifold problems and bracing straps for the exhaust down pipe. I have replaced a broken exhaust manifold at least six times (like 2-year intervals), so I call this a chronic problem with MGA.
Called the engine shop for the 4th day running (ducking my calls for the past 3 days?), and finally got an answer. At least they are started, in the cleaning tank anyway, but now close to another weekend. So current projection is to be finished sometime "late next week". So having just killed two weeks waiting, what do we do to kill another week?
Friday, August 5, 2022:
Posted a new Part Numbers page for the AUC4334 Coupling for MGA throttle shafts. Don 't even remember why, but I think someone was asking about the 4BA clamping screws and required wrench size.
Posted a new tech page for the Blending Pieces on the MGA Coupe side window frame to explain how they are to be installed.
Saturday, August 6, 2022:
More photos and notes for the same tech page showing the rear blending piece and the chrome trim strip at bottom of the window on top of the door shell. It strikes me that there are lots of tiny screws in this assembly. I suppose labor was still relatively cheap in the 1950's.
Sunday, August 7, 2022:
Must have been a day off, 'caus I don't remember nuttin'. Real quiet Sunday on the BBS and slow email. But we headed northeast late night with a stop in Angels Camp.
Monday, August 8, 2022:
Hour and a half northeast from Ripon through Angels Camp to Brice Station Winery four miles north of Murphys, CA. The last five miles was climbing from 1000 feet to over 3000 feet before our destination. Now that we knew the engine machining was getting done, it was time to catch up and finish some other deferred maintenance on the MGA. Today we needed to process four parts shipments that came in a few weeks earlier. The first was the (next) replacement alternator that was shipped from the east coast (by mistake I suppose) and took the better part of a week to get here. Luckily we haven't needed it yet since replacing the last one six weeks ago. Today I just drilled out the metric (8mm) thread to tap and install a Heli-Coil for 5/16-24-UNF thread for the adjusting link bolt, and transferred the fan and pulley from old alternator to the new one so we could stash it in the trailer for spare part.
The second package was a set of tappets and pushrods that was supposed to go into the borrowed engine I installed in my car a month ago. But in spite of all insistence and a promise that it would ship from California to California, this package also shipped from the east coast, which compelled me to transfer one year old cam and tappets and pushrods from my old engine to the borrowed engine. Now the new tappets and pushrods will go into the remachined engine along with the cam from the borrowed engine.
The third package was much larger, containing replacement gaskets and other small bits for inventory after assembly of the borrowed engine (currently in my car). Some smaller parts were to replace valve train bits and head bolt nuts and washers borrowed from the old engine to complete the borrowed engine. It also had complete lower engine and upper engine gasket sets for the remachined engine to be reassembled (coming up by this weekend I hope), and some for inventory in the Magic Trailer.
The forth package came from British Vacuum Unit with a new vacuum unit (surprise), one high quality contact points set, a new red rotor, and a couple of (hopefully) good condensers. The little bits are for inventory, while the vacuum unit is about to be installed in my spare distributor.
That didn't take too long, and navigator got a few new tech lessons on ignition system in the process.
By then it was getting later than anticipated (past lunch time) before we got started on a bit of body work to repair that irritating large dent in the left side dogleg that we picked up an hour after midnight April 30th. I know I couldn't get a picture of it in the dark, but I can't believe I didn't take a picture later or even mention it after it happened. Well there it is after some hammer and dolly work to get it straightened out, and we will touch up a few more paint chips and blisters in the process.
Then I "wasted" a few hours to sit in on John Twist's UML Zoom tech session on line from Michigan with about 135 other people as the sun was going down in California. Got back to the body to slap on a first pass of Bondo, then after dark some sanding and a second pass at the filler. Meanwhile navigator and I were taking turns with mineral spirits and rags and window cleaner trying to remove 30 year old peel off paper from Perspex plastic panels for the side curtains. They had been soaking in water for three weeks, but that had almost no effect, so mineral spirits was the next best bet without harming the plastic. Then it was half past nine pm before we packed everything up and made a mad dash for late lunch before the local bistro would close at 11.
Tuesday, August 9, 2022:
Early start. Mission for today is fender finishing and primer, and hopefully get the red paint on it before dark, which may be wishful thinking, but we'll see. Wet sand the 2nd pass filler, and looking pretty good, but needing a little touch up. Two more passes at filler and wet sanding, because it goes fairly quick. Then primer, 10 minutes between coats, 20 minutes before wet sanding, and 30 minutes before top coating. Keep the clock running.
I can't believe I talked myself into this, but see the bit of primer at top of the fender? There was some rough texture paint in that area since it was touched up there a year ago in York, PA (while the front end was being repaired. So time to take advantage of the opportunity and sand it down to be repainted. So I did. 5-pm, rinsed clean, all dry and taped off long the piping line, ready to paint.
Mixing paint. In case you were wondering, this is the remains of the paint we had special matched a year ago, just been carrying it around in the trailer for the next special occasion. 5:30-pm, all one color again, get on to cleaning up the paint gun. Give it an hour, and we can put the wheel back on, drop it off the jacks, and pull off the paper and tape. Sure enough, 6:45 and there it is. Cute, huh? We ain't driving it away just yet.
Waiting at least 4-hours for the paint to dry after spraying , so find a WiFi signal and kill a couple more hours. 9:30-pm we had it packed up and headed south. Landed back in Ripon, CA at 11-pm for very late lunch.
Wednesday, August 10, 2022:
There it is by the light of day, looking a lot better than it did a few days ago. Remind me that I need to finish buttoning down the rag top (now that it will not stick in wet paint).
Catch up day, reviewing 2-1/2 days worth of email and BBS, Then recording the parts from four parts orders just received and stowed in the Magic Trailer. A few missing parts there, so a call to Moss to report and get those sent out. Then a call from a friend in Oklahoma trying to buy a basket case project car, tow it home, and how to get a valid title for it.
Thursday, August 11, 2022:
This is already "late next week", so time to call the machine shop to inquire when I should be scheduling the engine pick up (wishful thinking with fingers crossed). And the reply was, "I expect to get started on it Monday". .... (Grrrrr). July 8 he said he wanted the pistons before he could finish hone the cylinders. July 20 I hand delivered the new pistons to his shop, at which time he said he was going on vacation the next week (July 25-29), and it should be done the following week (first week of August). Mid week first week he said "late next week". And now "start on it Monday". So now looking at a month after I gave him the pistons, so what's to do? Keep shuffling our schedule while we watch most of the summer go away.
Got a few phone calls today from the guy in Oklahoma City, now buying the project car in Eureka. Missouri. In fact he drove there (700 miles) to close the deal now driving back, to be home before 6-am (1400 miles in 24 hours). But I was on the phone with him until 2-am CST, so I think he'll make it without going to sleep driving.
Friday, August 12, 2022:
Trip to NAPA for brake fluid and thread locker adhesive, then to an ATM, and then it was laundry day. Then I got another call from the engine shop to say he was working on it, had the bores roughed out and was about to install the sleeves, might have it done Monday, but yes Tuesday for sure. Also going to replace the exhaust valve seats. Then he was recommending that I get new exhaust valves. He didn't need those to finish the job, but now I need to order the parts before reassembly. Quick look at my watch, and it was 2:55-pm on a Friday, so immediately call Moss Motors to place the order and beg for same day shipping right at 3:05-pm. Wait and see I guess.
Saturday, August 13, 2022:
Nope, Moss didn't get the order processed and shipped same day, so kill another three days for them to process it on Monday. Now we are definitely going to miss an appointment in Chicago next weekend, once in a lifetime event that can't be rescheduled. Ongoing feeling of depression.
Sunday, August 14, 2022:
Still waiting for machine shop, and now waiting for Moss to ship parts. Like waiting for paint to dry when you're in a hurry, but nothing you can do about it.
Monday, August 15, 2022:
Lots of BBS messages and email after the quiet weekend. Otherwise more of a day off.
If nothing else, at least I had time to fix a wiring problem on the trailer. When backing up I often turn the trailer about 45 degrees before going full lock steering to make something close to tightest possible turning radius without jackknifing the trailer. Each time we do that the trailer wiring harness flexes quite a bit between the hitch ball and the fixed anchor point on the trailer tongue, so the wires tend to break near that point. The break is often at one end of a butt splice connector. Each time I strip and re-join the wire it gets shorter. Next time I may have to replace four wires in the trailer harness to make them longer again.
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