The MGA With An Attitude
MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (March 16 - March 31, 2025)

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Sunday - March 16, 2025:
Hit the next exit at Walterboro, South Carolina in the morning, but that didn't work out, so back onto I-95 North. Immediately on merging into traffic, cough, sputter, hesitate a few seconds, then carry on running again. Huh? System voltage down to 10.7-V, alternator dead, kill the headlights and head for the next exit (where we were going for the next McD anyway). Open the bonnet to check, sure enough alternator wires broken again. The dang 3-pin connector we got from Moss Motors has a hard plastic shell, but absolutely no strain relief for the wires. This isn't the first time the wires broke off right at the end terminals.

Patiently waiting and ducking between rain storms, we eventually reconnected wires with 1/4-inch and3/8-inch Lucar connectors, and threw the screwy Moss connector into the nearest garbage can (for the third or fourth time). Fire it up, check the voltage, 14.2, good going, at least we didn't fry the alternator. I put a tie-warp on the three wires immediately aft of the alternator connections, repeat at 2-nch intervals, and also tie-wrapped the 3-wire cable to the new steel oil pipe at the spin-on filter adapter. That should secure the 3-wire harness to move in concert with the engine and alternator, hopefully keep the wires from breaking again. Take a few seconds to smile, because it is easier working in here without the oil cooler hoses and standing oil filter in the way. See? The oil cooler delete is paying off already.

Hang out, make some calls for upcoming appointments. Head north again in the evening, arriving south side of Columbia,South Carolinaat 10:30-pm, 5-miles from tomorrow's appointment.

Monday - March 17, 2025:
We stopped to visit Elliot Cox in Columbus, South Carolina. His E-type was leaking fuel profusely from the center carburetor, and it was not from the overflow tube. It was coming from the vicinity where the float chamber is attached to the bottom of the throttle body. the center carb definitely had to come off. This is one of the toughest cars to work on the carbs as they are large and vary close together, and the tubular chassis obstructs a lot of space near the engine. Think high density space where you can hardly get your fingers in to touch anything, let alone get tools in there for wrenching on stuff. But persistence pays, and eventually the center carb was on the bench.

There is the mounting base of the float chamber, the main fuel jet and rubber diaphragm assembly that was being replaced (hiding a compression spring underneath), and the jet housing with the choke mechanism.

It struck me that there should be paper gasket between the jet housing and the throttle body, because that joint appeared to be below fuel level in the float chamber. The shop manual, assembly illustrations, and a diagram that came with the service kit all had no gasket showing at that location. Okay, give up, and reassemble it with no gasket.

Lots of dropped parts and skinned knuckles later, it was finally reassembled. The moment of truth was at hand. Switch on, fuel pump running, pressure up, and no leaks. Cool, but not finished yet. More skinned knuckles hooking up throttle and choke parts.

Switch on, pressure up, a little choke, give it a crank, and it fired right up. Running a bit rough at first, but as soon as the choke was reset it was idling smooth as silk with no choke. Hey, smiles all around. Put the air cleaner back on, close the bonnet, time for a test drive. Then time for late lunch and some WiFi work.


Tuesday- March 18, 2025:
One appointment for today didn't pan out, so we spent most of the day finishing yesterday's photos and notes. Also booked a room in Naperville, Illinois for the weekend when we will be helping out with the CMGC All Sports Car Autojumble and Swap Meet at DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL.
-- In the evening we tanked up and bailed out of Columbia, SC at 7-pm, landing for late dinner at 11-pm in Dandridge, Tennessee. Kind of fun running through the Smokey Mountains in the dark with lots of traffic on he interstate highways. the new 1800 engine (with 3.9:1 final drive) was absolutely perfect, pulling nearly all the long hills in top gear (with the 600 pound trailer in tow. Just one hill had us in 3rd gear for a minute, counting up the elevation that was ticking up on the Garmin GPS. Looks like it will now pull 6% grades in top gear. Unfortunately we still don't have an inclinometer in the car. The hill that put us down into 3rd gear must have been at least 7% grade (maybe 8%?). And it has a climb rate of at least 300 Feet Per Minute. Gotta love the larger engine, and the mountains are much easier and more fun now.
-- 248 miles in 3.8 hours non stop at 70-75-mph (except for a few construction zones). 11 gallons of fuel makes it 22.5 MPG through the hills with a heavy foot and the trailer. The fuel consumption has been very consistent in mostly highway driving for the last few tanks of fuel. And the engine finally consumed one quart of oil in the last 935 miles since the oil filter conversion and oil top-up. That is very good for a hard working engine. Now if the new engine will just hold together and not give us any more problems we will be very happy.

Wednesday - March 19, 2025:
Good news on MG Dark Red engine paint today. The Rust-Oleum color "Merlot", which has been discontinued since 2020, mysteriously appeared on Amazon in 6-pack of spray cans. No idea if it is current issue or old stock or how long it might last. -- Additionally, in Canada, Rust-Oleum consumer product is known as Tremclad brand, and there the same color is named "Wild Raspberry", and it is still available.
-- Another late evening sprint, leaving Dandridge, TN before dusk, driving into the sun for a while, running more mountains heading north on interstate highways, all 70-75-mph. A few full throttle hills, but top gear all the way. 220 miles to a stop in Sadieville, Kentucky by 10-pm. Another fill-up, 9.5 gallons,23.0-mpg. By now i'm sure the new vacuum advance pipe is doing good things for fuel economy at road speed.

Thursday - March 20, 2025:
Still heading north, slated for a stop over 45 miles north of Indianapolis. We pull a very short side trip to pick up a jug of oil for next oil change at Walmart in Lafayette IN. Switch car off, and it will not restart. Huh? A quick look under the bonnet, noting obvious amiss, but pulling the manual starter switch does nothing, and shorting across the power terminals on the starter switch does nothing. Hey, it's cold out here, and we are needing a fuel stop, so give this thing a push start (while the engine is still warm), and we head up the road a bit to a truck stop. -- Don't stall it in traffic, don't switch off while we are weighing the options. Not a good idea to park it over night when we might have to work on a cold car in the morning (and not knowing if we might need a new starter motor). Brother's place, where we panned on stopping tomorrow, is just another 71 miles on, so keep it running while we fuel up, make the phone call, and get back on the road north. -- Another hour and 20 minutes driving state highways, all goes well, and we arrive at brother's place in Hanna, Indiana in mid afternoon, and park it tin a nice workshop while we head inside for late lunch, one day early no less.

Friday - March 21, 2025:
After breakfast, out to the shop to investigate the dead starter problem. Yeah, still dead. Could be burned contacts in he pre-engage solenoid,except it doesn't even click. Maybe a broken trigger wire? No, the trigger wire was not broken, but has a plastic shell clip-in spade connector. Wipe the wire clean, unplug the connector and plug it back in again,wiggle the connector a bit, pull the starter switch, and it was cranking again. Woo-hoo, just a bad plug connection? Something to keep in mind for future reference. Warm the engine up a bit, drain and change oil and filter, and take the rest of the day off.

Saturday - March 22, 2025:
Back on the rod a bit after noon, heading generally northwest, trying to avoid some traffic, got on some roads we didn't like, but eventually got through anyway. Arriving for a room reservation late afternoon in Naperville, Illinois, our old stomping grounds. Check in, then a quick trip to a local store for a bag of grub. Hardly enough time to check email before I had to head out again for 6-pm appointment in Wheaton, IL for helping Chicagoland MG Club set up a large building at DuPage County Fairgrounds for the annual Swap Meet. This is why we drove nearly 1600 miles in the past week to get here. Enough hands on deck to finish the job in just an hour. Wait till you see what this place looks like tomorrow.


Then off to Alfie's in Glen Ellyn, IL for dinner and social with the help gang. Good food, and I ate to much. Back to the hotel to get some sleep, as tomorrow will need a very early morning rising.

Sunday - March 23, 2025:
Good gawd, there's a 5-am too? Stagger out, get dressed, skip breakfast, choke the engine to get it started. I was a few minutes late for intended opening of the building to let the vendors in for set-up at 6-am. At least we were off to a good start. 40dF and rather breezy chilly, but going to warm up to the low 50's by mid day. Good day for the Chicagoland MG Club All Sports Car Swap Meet and Autojumble. Central Daylight Savings Time, still dark at 6-am., with a number of vendors lined up waiting to unload and get into the building to set up their tables.

Two hours later, 8-am, most of the vendors are in and set up, and doors open for the visitors. Didn't take long to fill the aisles, and I recon it will be a good turn-out this year. 10-am at height of the foot traffic it was time to crawl around and take pictures. Of course I get stopped by several people wanting to chat, but keep moving until I get all the way around with pictures of most of the goodies on offer. The first few pictures below are overall shots of the foot traffic. There were for sure more people than the photos imply, because it is a large space and we can't see everyone at once.

Then a walk around to show the wide variety of the booty available. For lots more photos and notes on this swap meet, see the supplementary photos and notes page.
-- By that time the crowds were crushing, vendors all in, not much more I could do to help. I wasn't needing to shop for anything, and not going to stick around for clean-up duty this time, so I bailed out early to head back to the hotel where I could begin processing photos and notes. That was about the time navigator Elliot took off with some friends for a social day while it got real quiet in the room. so I could work.