The MGA With An Attitude

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MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (April 16 - April 30, 2019)

Tuesday April 16, 2019:
Bit of a mystery to start the day. We wanted to visit Steve Chaffee in Trabuco, California. He has a 1955 MGA #10111, a very early production car, possibly the second MGA known to hit the American shores (or the second oldest one currently known to exist in the States). We missed him two years ago in April or May 2017, wanted to meet him at NAMGAR GT42 in Solvang, CA, but think we missed him there as well. His phone has been "not receiving calls" in 2017 and now in 2019, so we decided to try knocking on his door. No one home when we stopped in this morning, so still a mystery. Keep him on our list for a possible future contact.
Then we dropped in to visit Heritage Garage in Costa Mesa, CA. Some time ago the owner decided to downsize some, moving the shop from the front corner of the building (left side of photo now a Porsche shop) to the back (next to where my car is parked). I think the business has grown some since then, so the smaller space is now somewhat "cramped". This shop intended to work on vintage Mini's, which they do in a big way, but over the years they have consented to work on other vintage British cars as well.

The MGA on the lift is in for "get her road worthy" after a few years being idle. At least four Mini's in the front shop (good thing they don't take much space).

The deeper we go into the bowels of the building the more we find, like the machine shop and lots of parts storage. More cars, including a Mini Moke hiding under a tarp in the far back. Pretty sure there was a paint booth in there somewhere. Out back more cars, jigs and fixtures, and a couple of large storage containers.

We stopped to visit Joe Dale in Huntington Beach, CA. He wasn't home at the time, but we made the call, and later in the day he called back so we had a chance to chat. He has an MGA with 1800 engine and a supercharger. At last report it had a leaky carburetor, but that was fixed. The car is now in a shop where we likely wouldn't have seen it anyway, but we had a nice chat, and I recon the car is doing well.
On and off for four years we have been trying to connect with Abingdon Rough Riders (T-types). They operate in the San Francisco Bay area, seem to like taking a driving tour once a month, but we never seem to be in the right place at the right time of month, so we are still missing them. Will make a call and see if we can get to meet someone from that club later in the week (or next week).
Also for at least a couple of years trying to connect with Kenneth and Jackie Brion in Fullerton, CA. In June 2017 we missed them when they were out of town for "cottage repairs" after a storm. Also missed them at GT-42 in Solvang in 2017. Today no answer to a phone call, and no one home when we knocked. So we left a voice message, but still missing them as well.
Then we had a 30 mile run up CA-57 on the east side of Los Angeles to visit Ratnayake Hema in Azusa, CA. Don't let the sign on the building confuse you, it is no longer a conveyor company. The faded sign on the gate says Hema Tech, which is his medical laboratory service (which we hope you do not need). But the large warehouse building in back holds his personal car collection.

He has lots of MGA, a fist full of Healeys, a larger assortment of Riley (as I think he is President of the Riley Motor Club of North America), and a number of other vintage British cars. We had to tip the AH Sprite back onto the building as it was about to rain.

The Tyrolite Green MGA 1500 is a pet project, being reconfigured as a "Deluxe" with Twin Cam chassis parts to give it four wheel Dunlop disk brakes and knock off pin drive steel wheels. There is a good story about how he came across all of the Twin Cam chassis parts at great expense.

Our primary reason to be here today was to discuss an MGA engine that has had problem with a retrofit rubber seal on the crankshaft. This issue popped up as we were passing two years ago, but had to miss on that pass. By now the shop that was working on the engine is closed, adding another trick turn to the problem, so the engine has been sitting for another two years. There was an original RHD 1600-MK-II Coupe sitting outside, about to be restored to original glory, as there were very few of those built. The Ford Model T is just another extension of his eclectic tastes.

Poke around the pictures and choose the models you like best, just don't ask me what they are. We were checking out the Healey room on the way out.

Twelve miles to the west we stopped briefly for a picture at Foreign Machine Service in Pasadena, CA. This is the shop that was working on the MGA engine (above) two years earlier, but the owner is since deceased and the shop is now closed (scratch one more off the Shops list).
Then we were fighting slow traffic for an hour doing 24 miles more west to visit Jim Plowden in Los Angeles, CA. He has the #51 MGA Coupe from 1962 Sebring races, which he bought in 2013. After racing it a bit the engine blew and needed repair, after which it is getting more freshening up while trying to keep it as original as possible. It was not here to scratch and sniff today, but there were a few more toys in the garage.

One more shop to visit today if we hustle. A few miles to the west, spittin' distance from the ocean, we stopped at Peter's Marina Motors in Venice, CA. Closed for the day, we made the call to chat with Peter. Wanting to retire soon, but he still has a lot of Marina parts to sell.
Out of business hours, we made a couple of phone calls, then spent the next two hours in traffic for 48 miles west up the coast to Camarillo, CA where we would stop for the day. Pretty good day as we got farther than we though we should. Time for email and some WiFi work with the 7-pm lunch break.

Wednesday April 17, 2019:
Was sitting in Camarillo in the process of taking a day off to catch up photos and notes, which was going well until we got a phone call from Rob Zucca wanting to know our plans. Then he barged in and bought us lunch, killing another hour (or two), and was asking if/when we were going to drop by his place (again). After he left we did get caught up with business (mostly), so gave him a call and crashed his place about 6-pm. We have been getting around this way every two years, so this is at least the third visit, but each time there is a little more progress (evolution) on is MGA. He changed con-rod bearings recently to cure low oil pressure, and changed pressure relief valve to banish oil pressure flutter, and there was the 5-speed gearbox.

Another apparent success was the custom radiator with extra thick core (among other things). That little gem is detailed in the tech section of my web site. And there was the nice Mini with the extra trim package (but I dunno nuttin bout these modern things with roll-up windows).


Thursday April 18, 2019:
Today was a bit odd and didn't accomplish much. We began by killing a few hours with planning and a few phone calls. Wanted to meet with Pardise Britsh Car Club, but couldn't contact anyone. Then to accommodate someone else's schedule, we killed a couple more hours before hitting the road. About 1:30 pm we were headed west thinking 75 miles from Camarillo to Slovang, CA, when we got a text message canceling our appointment. Lucky that message came exactly when it did. We had only gone 10 miles, so we hung a quick right on CA-126, another 60 miles east followed by another 60 miles up I-5 and a fuel stop. Then heading up CA-99 for a very hot 125 miles (including a half hour creep for an accident delay) followed by due north 12 miles on Clovis Avenue to Clovis, CA (in the desert of the central valley just east of Fresno). That would be a 240-mile 5-hour unplanned diversion to get into the vicinity of our next appointment. So we arrived by daylight in the evening rather than way past midnight or tomorrow mid day. We got one call-back from a friend Jay Newsome in Clovis saying he would be out of town tomorrow, and was busy tonight, so no visit there (but we had seen him previously so that's okay). For day's end we were sitting in Clovis doing WiFi stuff while thinking about next day.
And then the unexpected happened at 9:51-pm, with a text message from Marc Vanzoest in Clovis, CA. He was supposed to be one of tomorrow's appointments, if we could get in touch. He is a commercial pilot, just returned from Shanghai, walked in and saw my voice message. A few text messages later, and a 10 minute drive, and he walked in on us at 10:10-pm accompanied by a granddaughter. To top it off, he was driving his Mexico origin MGA Twin Cam CKD car, one of only twelve Twin Cams produced that way. This one is chassis number YDH5/2535 a 1600 body style from near end of Twin Cam production (the last Twin Cam being 2611).
We had a short chat, then strolled outside to check out his car. Definitely get a bunch of pictures of this one, hang on. I was trying to find any feature that might be unique to a Mexican assembled CKD car, but I don't think we will find anything different from standard issue. There should have been (originally) a Mexican issue number plate in the door jamb, but that was missing, never there for as far back as this owner can determine. The original radiator number plate is on top of the fan guard, which I am told is correct for all Twin Cams.

Originally shipped from factory in primer paint, the initial paint color is not known for sure, but was likely white from original construction. The car had been repainted once (at least once) before the current owner, and was white then. Current owner restored the car and painted it blue, also giving it Grey interior. With the multiple repaints it is unlikely to find any original features from Mexico construction that may be different from factory issue type. The body number is probably not legible without removing some paint. There are a couple slightly odd features in the bonnet. It is missing the small cut-out in the inner frame to clear the front carburetor, which should be there for this late production Twin Cam, making us suspicious that it may not be the original bonnet. It is also missing the second bracket for the prop rod (opposite side) which is assumed to be on all high crown bonnets produced from beginning of Twin Cam production. That bit is very puzzling, I think never reported like this before. Makes me think it may have been removed with some prior work.

I like the current grey leather seats and matching kick panels. The Car No. plate is a replacement part, but is configured like original with the original chassis number. The engine number plate appears to be original issue with the proper raised lettering and the appropriate amount of weathering and scratches. However, it is odd that the plate is blank between the two "/" marks. The numbers were embossed from below before the tag was fitted at the Morris Engines Branch in Coventry but the center part was left blank. When the engines were fitted at the MG factory in Abingdon that space was punched from above with a letter U for normal gearbox cars and Da for close ratio gearboxes, depending on what was fitted to individual cars. They should have punched it in Mexico during final assembly, but apparently neglected to do it. Marc was tired and needing sleep, so it was time to call it a night. But we may get another look at this one by daylight tomorrow. As they were leaving it was obvious that this car does not have a close ratio gearbox, as it pulled away smartly with the standard stump puller 1st gear. Marc mentioned that he thought all of the Mexican assembled cars would have been fitted with the 4.556:1 final drive ratio.


Friday April 19, 2019:
Sitting on WiFi today and had another walk-in, Larry Zerwig from Sanger, CA. He was our third intended contact here, and the second one to come to us so we didn't have to move. Cute, huh? We had a nice chat for an hour or so, wanted to see his car again (already saw it a couple of times past, photo from 2015), but he said he no longer has the car (or maybe it was hold up somewhere else for a while). Then he was off while we got back to work.
We had one shop visit today at Original Duplicates in Fresno, CA. Cottage industry is still alive and well. This guy is making copies of factory original tools for vintage British cars, mostly small tools. He also makes a few special tools that the factory never thought to produce. The plates are steering wheel pullers for late model MGB (in process). Most of his tools can be purchased through Moss Motors.

In one shot here there are dozens of special tools on a single rack. The poster board has 14 pages of photos of cars he as serviced in past years, including some full restorations. He no longer works on vehicles as a whole. He does still work on component parts occasionally, like rebuilding carburetors for instance.

Then we dropped in to see Marc Vanzoest with his Mexican CKD Twin Cam in Clovis, CA. Things must look different by the light of day. The car had been running rich last night, so I was going to tune the carbs a bit, but he didn't bother to fire it up today. We did get to poke around the engine bay and discuss some of the finer detail. All in all he is pretty happy with the car as is, although he doesn't have time to drive it enough.

Back to the WiFi spot in late afternoon, and all of a sudden it was after midnight, and I didn't even get to posting these photos and notes (until next day). I have no idea what I was working on all that time (email tech questions maybe), just works out that way sometimes.

Saturday April 20, 2019:
First things first today, get yesterday's photos and notes posted. Then I had just resolved to spend the rest of the day doing the CMGC April newsletter on the club web site (going on two weeks since that came in and not done yet). But then I got another email message from Tom Netzer in (near) Moorpark, CA, this time with a phone number and street address. Turns out we blew right past his place two days ago, no knowing where he was. So now we have an instant change of plans again, about to do a 5-hour 220 mile back track south through the desert, should be fun (not), and we intend to do our long overdue oil change when we get there.
Gas it up first, then pick up a jug of oil, and quick stop for carry out lunch a couple hours later. We had a 5-pm appointment in Moorpark, and we damn near made it. Our appointee met us at the nearest intersection with a sizeable 4-wheeler ATV, thinking we might get lost before we found his place a mile down a gravel road. We had the location nailed, would have been okay, but ended up eating his dust for a while. 100 yards shy of destination we hit a steep hill, slam shifted into 1st gear on the fly and floored it. Not sure if we could have made the hill or not, but had to ease off a tad to keep from running into the leading ATV, then lost momentum and the engine gave up the pull and left us stopped 100 feet from the crest of the hill. Probably could have made it okay if it wasn't for the trailer in tow. Our friend came back with a tow strap and gave an assistance tug. The 1200 pound 4-wheel-drive tug added to our own traction finally got us up the hill. Say hello to Tom Netzer. We didn't go back to measure it, but wild guess says that hill must have been at least 30 percent grade. This was only the second time in 5-years, 186,000 miles that we found a hill on a public roadway that we couldn't climb with trailer in tow. At least I was comforted by the fact that the parking brake held on the steep slope, thanks to brake shoes in correct size (not the undersize Moss Motors parts).

Turn around and take a picture behind us, the hills in the far background are on an island 25 miles away. Then we got a look at the object of our affection, or the reason we came. The MGA 1600-MK-II rust-free California car had been nicely repainted, driven just a bit, and then parked 30 years ago. It is sort of a time capsule. Aside from the dust, it looks like it could fire and drive away (except no one has checked recently to see if the engine might turn). There s also a complete but disassembled MG TD on the shelves behind.

In the coming months (and years perhaps) Tom would like to get this MGA back on the road. We were discussing the procedure to R&R the body without removing the wings or disturbing the fender piping, as he would like to clean and paint it underneath (along with replacing all rubber and perishable hydraulic parts).

Then we hopped into the 4-wheeler for a short ride up the hill to check out two more MGA. The first was a 1600 Coupe, mostly complete but missing carburetors and rear glass. Someone had run a Weed Wacker, and the engine bay was full of dry desert grass and cockle burrs. Did some digging looking for the engine number (missing plate anyway). It turned out to be a 1600 engine, in spite of the MGB oil filler cap. Moderate rust all around the roof, more in the floor rails, a little in the frame. Not sure if anyone would ever restore this one, but maybe as they get more rare.

The second one was (once upon a time) a 1600 roadster, severely crunched in front, missing a lot of parts and substantially rusty all around. Still has rear axle and suspension parts (not wire wheels), a decent windscreen, some of the instruments (needing restoration of course), otherwise not much to salvage. Someone had torched the rear tonneau to salvage the boot lid hinges. Left us wondering what it was worth for scrap metal value. It was one of those "If you want this car take that one too" deals.

Then for kicks we ran the 4-wheeler a hundred yards more to top of the mountain for a final view southwest "past" the Pacific coast. Knowing where to look you might see the ocean just above center in the pics. Mountains in the background are a lot farther away than you might think, on islands 15 to 25 miles off shore.
Fun time over, back down the hill to tend to business. Time to do a quick oil and filter change on my MGA (well over due again). The oil filler cap was missing this time (broken lanyard cable). None in the trailer (used to have two, put it on the next order list). After poking around a bit, Tom ran the 4-wheeler back up the hill to snatch the rubber cap off the rusty Coupe. Time to relax and chat a while. About dusk we ran down the hill to Camarillo for dinner. Suddenly had the feeling of Deja Vu, like the movie "Groundhog Day". We had driven 500 miles to end up were we were two days earlier. After dinner navigator pointed us 20 miles back through the mountains to Filmore where we had gased up earlier in the day, because that's where he knew there was a late night WiFi spot (and we kind of liked the road).

Sunday April 21, 2019:
Hung our in Filmore last night. WiFI was okay, but the soda machine was on the fritz, so this morning we headed back through the mountains to Camarillo again. Third time through Grimes Canyon Road is a charm, and daylight to get some pictures as well. I had to set the camera down to negotiate repeated tight swiggly turns and steep hills. Navigator wasn't taking picture either, as he was busy hanging on with both hands. Kind of like Tail Of The Dragon, but for only six miles here.

Easter Sunday holiday, no shop hopping, so I was intending to use the day for that pesky newsletter thing, but it didn't happen (again). Was responding to tech questions, and then a fair amount of time posting a new web page on a historical Fitzwilliam race car that was recently raised from the dead and restored. Jolly good fun here: www.mgaguru.com/mgtech/twincam/tc107-669.htm
Late night we ran 50 miles up the coast, for "guess what".

Monday April 22, 2019:
Since we were back down this way, we took the opportunity for another stop at Moss Motors in Goleta, CA. Good time to pick up that replacement oil filler cap, and a few more items we missed on the last order to restock the magic trailer. Say WHAT? Waddaya mean the oil filler cap is on back order? Propshaft U-joint too? That's one of the most common parts in the world. Guess we will try O'Reilly down the block for that one. But we did get the replacement for the master cylinder repacking kit and a couple of brake hoses and a heater valve. Should be ready for just about anything now.

Well, maybe not everything. About 100 miles up the road we were pushing hard up hill in third gear on CA-101 when I noticed an unusual small loss of power, like a strong head wind or a minor misfire. Quick glance at the safety gauge thinking it might be running hot, when I noticed ZERO OIL PRESSURE. You wouldn't believe how fast my left foot it the clutch as my right hand was killing the ignition switch. Coasted onto a narrow shoulder with a guard rail, stopped to open the bonnet wondering where the oil went that we had just changed Saturday evening, found oil all over the right side of the engine bay. There would be a small delay.

First guess was maybe a broken hose for the oil pressure gauge feed pipe, but that wasn't it. Then looking for a cut hose where the oil cooler hoses went through the body diaphragm beside the radiator, but the rubber grommets there were in perfect condition and it was dry there. Put some oil in the engine and start it up to see where it was leaking. Turned out to be a leak through the side of an oil cooler hose, and these hoses were a bit less than 11 years old. Knowing the problem, I fired it up to move 200 feet up the hill to a wider shoulder for safety from passing traffic.
I had very carefully tied the hoses together with plastic cable ties, and tied them up to the coil bracket on the inner wing, every reasonable effort to stabilize the hoses to prevent shake and chafing. But chafe they did, with flat spots on both hoses where they were rubbing together right in between two plastic tie wraps. That had to be the most unlikely place they should ever wiggle. The road side fix was not too difficult, just disconnect both hoses and use the one that was not leaking to shunt from the engine block to the oil filter mount, bypassing the oil cooler. Top up the oil, clean up a bit, stow the tools, and we were on our way.

One eye on the oil gauge, pressure looks okay with fresh cool oil, but expecting it to drop once it heats up. Bail off the next exit to hit a Walmart for more oil, pressure then going a tad below 20 at idle with hot oil, but no knocking noises, so we are still mobile. Now making plans to change the rod bearings sometime soon. I may take this opportunity to change the oil cooler hoses to original optional style metal pipes with short hoses connecting to the engine. Ordering parts is easy. Where to ship them is the next problem, and where to find a friendly garage to borrow for a few hours to swap out the parts. Currently sitting in King City, CA this evening, heading toward the San Francisco Bay area later tonight.

Tuesday April 23, 2019:
Off to a good start today. Found a friend with a work space, then ordered up the hoses and bearings (and pan gasket) we need to be shipped ahead. Short morning WiFi session, as there was no AC power outlet available. Made a few calls. Scratched a couple of clubs off our visit list when they had nothing going on in the next few days. Skip one friend who was busy, one friend out of the way whom we had seen before, and one friend for whom we don't have a phone number or street address (not enough time for email now). The list is getting shorter.
Then we were off to visit Collins Classics in San Mateo, CA. We had missed this one two years ago as it have moved, and we thought it was just gone. Last year we received notice of the new address. Today we were a little concerned on arrival, as sign on the building said "San Mateo Tire And Brake". I stepped inside to ask anyway, and was pleased to find that Collins Classics is indeed alive and well. The prior owner Tom Collins is deceased, but his partner Tyrone Revelo is still running the business. In past years Tom had owned this building, then sold it to move elsewhere. After some time the rent was escalating unreasonably, so he moved back here and is now sharing the space with the guy who previously bought the building. Nice friendly arrangement. There appear to be more vintage British cars in the shop than modern cars, but this might be because the Brits stay longer on each visit while the tire and brake customers come and go more quickly.


Had a fairly long run north through San Francisco, spotting this Alfa Romeo along the way. Then crossing the Golden Gate bridge and heading farther north.
Next stop was at D.Elgin Cams in Santa Rosa, CA. That's D.Elgin in the green shirt, customizing cams for 52 years. Poking around the shop a bit we found cams everywhere.

Two cam grinding machines to go with two sets of hands (and more supplementary equipment). Talk about custom, the last picture is cams from Porsche flat six engines being cut down to install in flat four engines, including re-orienting cam lobes by significant angles to suit. I didn't want to ask how he does that.

Now I need to blow off a little steam. Done with visits for the day, we were heading back south a bit in the general direction of another appointment (in a day or two) on the east side of the bay. Navigator routed us first through Novato, CA, then through Vallejo, CA, because he new of a couple of "good" WiFi spots we had been to before. Unfortunately both had "deleted" their electrical outlets since our last visit two years earlier. Bummer. We were then going farther away from our next appointment, routing through Concord, then east to Stockton, and finally south to Manteca, CA before we found a "friendly" WiFi spot near I-5, having checked out several more along the way. Last friendly WiFi spot was in King City, CA the night before, so we had just traveled 387 miles of "desert" with no electrical outlet at any of the WiFI spots. We had ended up 60 miles farther east than desired, wasting a lot of time getting there.
Pretty sure California in general is getting less friendly with time. I attribute this to the retailers naturally acting in their own best interest, "defending" themselves from some "undesirable" people by deleting the electrical outlets and locking restrooms, as they don't want certain types of people hanging around the dining room for extended periods of time. I was hoping that doesn't include us, but perhaps we get lumped in with some general rule.

Wednesday April 24, 2019:
Good time to take a day off and sit still to catch up with grunt work. Responding to a accumulation of email with tech questions, and catching up photos and notes in the trip log for the past few days. Still needing to finish that CMGC April newsletter upload thing (about as late as I have ever gotten on that chore), soon to be followed by another trip report for next month's CMGC newsletter. Such grunt work is regularly cutting into time for our touring activities. Ah, such is life.

Thursday April 25, 2019:
Since we were 60 miles out of our planned location, we re-routed a bit today. First top was Stockton Wheel Service, in Stockton, CA. They stopped servicing wire wheels eight years ago (~2011), but the do still service alloy and steel wheels. They also referred us to another shop that does do wire wheels (see below).

We were going that general direction anyway, so 59 miles to the west we stopped to visit Rite-Way Wire & Wheel in Walnut Creek, CA. Nice place, decades in the service. They do wire wheels, straightening steel wheels, repairs and polishing on alloy wheels (nice rare polishing machine).

Something look familiar here? Ten new 60-spoke wheels that I think will fit an MGA. Wheels to drool over.

Eighteen miles more to the west we drove into San Francisco Bay (where we were aiming two day earlier). Well, actually we drove through a tunnel onto an island in the bay. Nice and cool here for a change. Say hello to Richard Rocco in Alameda, CA. We were here two years earlier on May 14, 2017, but he asked us to come back when we might be in the area again, so we did. Checking out this father and son MGA project car.

It's a bitsa car with a few odd features, like 1500 front lights, 1600 rear lights, vinyl covered dash, 15GB engine from early 1959 production, and LTD pegs on the doors from an even earlier model. The blue print on the wall is actually a free hand drawing done by his son. It is still evolving slowly. There are parts on the shelf for side curtains and other trim bits. They are also considering some body touch up and repaint in black (original color).

Time to get out of this city before evening traffic gets too bad, so we headed back east. Navigator had another WiFi spot staked out 50 miles out in Tracy, CA, which was most of the way back to Stockton but definitely in the right direction for tomorrow's venture. It worked out okay, so we could spend the rest of the day catching up photos and notes. And, I managed to finish uploading the CMGC April newsletter, at least two weeks late this time, but we have been pretty busy lately.

Friday April 26, 2019:
Still sitting in Tracy this morning, catching up email and BBS stuff in the morning, then heading east another hour and a half into the hills of eastern California. Around mid day we stopped to visit old friends at Brice Station Winery in Murphys, CA. We have been here before in 2015 and 2017, did some work on the car here a couple of times. And that's why we're here this time as well, going to borrow the workshop to change the rod bearings in our engine. But today we mostly just hang out and chat.
I should report that Stuart Brice is making good progress on his next MGA restoration project, body off, frame repairs nearly finished, about ready for chassis painting. Sorry I didn't have my camera in my pocket, it would have been a long walk down a hill and back to get it.
Had a new keyboard for my computer shipped here (need to replace every two years or so). That took a bit of sleuthing, but the UPS package was finally found in the USPS mailbox (duh). Got that installed so I can use all my keys again. Then we were out for dinner with Stuart, and a little email late evening. Tomorrow is destined to be a long day.

Saturday April 27, 2019:
If nothing else, we are determined to get the rod bearings changed today. Had the parts shipped here, and they arrived on Thursday. Late morning start, got the car up on stands and removed the front wheels for easy access to underside of the engine. Drained the oil and went through the expected hassle of removing the oil pan Was just into the process of changing rod bearings when some vintage Ford club showed up on tour with 30 cars to provide a short distraction. Sorry to muddy the waters with two dozen pictures of Fords, but I may move most of these later.





Got a little carried away with this one. Yes, it is a factory V8, best guess is 1932. I was looking for a '47 which I drove on the farm when I was 14, but no luck this time.


This 1953 model was what I drove to take my license exam when I was 16 (in 1965). I don't remember what happened to it, but it was gone two years later (probably engine failure).

Okay, back to work. Pulled the oil pump to get that out of the way (only 3 nuts), then on to the connecting rods. Very pleased to see there was no damage at all to the crankshaft, all nice shiny bearing journals.

Caught navigator installing a main bearing (shhhh, don't tell anyone). Nice that all of the bearings still had all white metal, no copper showing. I was expecting this, because it ran with slightly low oil pressure but no knock on cold start. Pulled the center main bearing for inspection, and it was in very good condition, looking a lot like a quarter million mile bearing that it is. The very slight buff on one side implies that the crank journal may have been ground slightly tapered. Bear in mind these are the bearings that I re-installed with the engine repair in August 2014, wanting to know how long they would last. Since I had it apart, I installed a new center main bearing, leaving the front and rear mains for longer testing.
From right to left, 1, 2, center main, 3, 4. Two of the rod bearings had carved grooves which result when brass flow restrictors slide out of cross drillings in the crank journals. I have seen this many times. By the time the engine is disassembled to find this condition the restrictors are usually long gone, worn out and washed away in the oil flow with no other damage. It runs just as well without the restrictors, as long as you're not red lining it every day, so I have no issue leaving them out. If I ever install restrictors again, they will have to be threaded in place rather than press fit. The #3 rod bearing had a rough groove all the way around the centerline. Best guess there is loss of oil flow resulted in a small bit of white metal rolling up like a snow ball, but still no damage to the hard steel crank journal. Also good to find no detectable debris in the sump.

A little tough scraping to remove the pan gasket quickly gave way to power grinding with a wire wheel, reducing that chore to about two minutes. A bit of hammering eliminated extrusion of the bolt holes, and the game was on to reinstall the sump with a new gasket, including all of the proper swear words to enable installation of the front five bolts. Feeling better by the minute as the pan was back in place, car off the stands and back on the floor. The new oil cooler hoses were installed in short order with a little hassle to install the rubber grommets in the radiator diaphragm panel. Oil in the engine, fired up and not leaking, all is well.

There was a short pause to track down a rattling noise at very slow idle speed, which turned out to be the alternator fan. The pulley and retaining nut were quite tight, so apparently the fan has been running loose for a year since last installation. Had to R&R the alternator for access to use an impact wrench to wind the nut down another 3/4 turn to secure the fan. Almost had the alternator reinstalled, two bolts only, when the alarm went off for a dinner party. Somebody's birthday, and the pizza oven was in full swing, so there will be a small delay. Quick scrub please.
Party time! Break out your favorite beverage, scarf down the hand made brick oven pizza, salads and snacks, lots of confections for desert. Good to feel like one of the family, since we have been here before, along with more friends. I recon the alternator bolts will wait for morning.


Sunday April 28, 2019:
First off finish the alternator bolt-up and belt tensioning, pretty cut and dried. Everything fired up okay, and the ignition lamp is working again (momentarily), which it wasn't doing since this alternator was installed a year ago. Must have been a faulty contact in the lamp connector of the alternator cable plug. Clean up, pack away all the tools, back out of the shop, hook up the trailer and roll the rig down the hill to the house. A little time to sort and pack up clothes, since navigator had done the laundry while we were working on the car yesterday. Everything stashed in the trailer, some jovial goodbyes, and we were on the road again.
Cold oil pressure was 10-psi higher than we were have seen for the past couple of years. After 20 minutes cruising we took another snap of it while running full throttle up a long hill with elevated temperature, and pressure was still up there, raising smiles. Will have to report back on pressure at slow idle with hot oil once we have and extended run at speed in hotter weather.
Vineyards and orchards all over the place up here in the hills. A very good day to be alive. Hour and a quarter on we were back in Manteca at out known good WiFi spot. Before shutting it off I opened the bonnet for an idle speed adjustment, and there was a strange hissing sound. Thinking it might be a coolant leak, I shut it down, and the hissing instantly stopped along with the engine. Really? Okay, start it up again, and the hissing sound is back. Turns out to be the fan on the alternator. Go figure. Never heard this before, so I guess the fan was never power driven since the alternator was installed a year ago. Perfectly peachy, get used to the new sound. Time for lunch and catching up on photos and notes for the past couple of days. Also catching up email and planning our attack for the near future. Next time we fired up the ignition lamp was not working again. Go figure.


Monday April 29, 2019:
Very short run to our breakfast WiFI spot this morning, had the heater on a bit, and when we pulled in and shut the heater off there was a notable drizzle of green stuff that had followed us into the parking space. Having just worked on the car yesterday, I was suspecting a loose radiator cap or leaky water hose somewhere (even though we hadn't touched any of that stuff). The dribble on the ground aligned with right side of the engine, so pretty likely a leaky heater valve. After some cool down time, inspection under the bonnet didn't turn up any leak, even with the engine running, but it took a quart of water to top up the radiator. We will keep an eye on this sitution.
Having caught up with morning "stuff", we were off to visit Kevin Askew in Roseville, CA. He has a nice MGA that he has driven a lot in past years, but has been parked for the past five years. Why? Leaky master cylinder. Yeah, we know, but he has just had one rebuilt by White Post, came back a couple days ago. So my most important input here may be encouragement to get him moving on this project. We poked around all over the vehicle, and it is a pretty solid car, so shouldn't take much to get it back on the road.

Went treasure hunting for a while, checking out some vintage tools he had collected, much of which had come with the car years back. Nice tire pump that looked like a dead ringer for an original Sutty pump, until we looked on the bottom and found nothing, no manufacturer's name. Must be some period aftermarket accessory part. There was a box full of wonderful vintage hand tools, most of which would be period correct but not factory issue for the MGA traveling tool kit. Time flies when you're having fun, but we had to get going.

Then we had a stop to visit Sierra Classic Sportscar in Meadow Vista, CA with Kevin and Christine Kemper, owners. This shop moved in here a year and a half ago, since our last tour through the area. Gotta say it is good to see some young guys jumping into the business to keep these cars alive for hopefully many years to come. We should all recognize the Morgan, Jaguar, big Healey and TR.
After the next Jaguar we had an MGB 5-main bearing engine with overdrive gearbox, and the TR3 chassis being this year's full restoration project.

Fun to poke around outside to see the daily drivers and a few "diamonds in the rough". Kevin wasn't there during out visit, but he called us a little later to thank us for dropping by, and we had a nice phone chat.
Trying to have a late lunch break while sitting on WiFi, just got off the phone with Kevin when some people walked in and began asking questions about the MGA. I think the lady in blue used to have one, now both ladies drive MG Midgets, and the guy runs a pro shop working on these cars with his wife (lady in blue) helping to run the place. We will surely get to visit this shop tomorrow. For now, back to the grunt work. Made some phone calls to find that Spit Bits in Lincoln, CA is a web site with mail order only, so we don't have to visit that one.

Tuesday April 30, 2019:
Had an appointment to visit The Car Clinic in Rancho Cordova, CA today between 10am and 2pm, so figured we should get to this one before we get carried away with other distractions. Say hello again to Glynn Clark, the good looking guy in last picture above, and his wife in blue. This is a small but busy shop, one guy with talented hands and the gal holding down the front office. They do repairs and maintenance on most vehicles, auto electric and smog test prep, and they specialize in British cars. Nice find, another new line in our Shops list. This Midget belongs to the lady friend in the picture above. Surprise, it still has the original Zenith-Stromberg carburetor. I think the request here is just a tune-up.

Nice Healey in for some chassis work, shouldn't take too long. The TD unfortunately has been sitting here for 14 months while the owner insists on procuring parts, and commonly gets it wrong. A replacement engine block for instance came in with no main bearing caps (oops). There was an MGB and a Spitfire, and I dunno what else might have been hiding in the back corner, but space is at a premium here.

While we were chatting another MGB rolled off a flat bed, get it running please, after sitting for 15 years. After making out a preliminary work order, there will be considerable inspection time before the owner gets the estimate list. Very nice car, but I hope he's sitting down before the bottom line. At least the brakes weren't frozen.


Then we were off to visit a friend Guy Ramsey in Sacramento, CA. We first had a little distraction while he was rolling a 1960 Desoto Adventurer out of the garage. Dig those crazy wings. Man, that thing is huge. You don't just push it up or down the hill. He has a winch to let it down the hill gradually, and pull it back into the garage later. Think 361-CID V8, on the verge of completion of the restoration, but has not started the engine yet.


But the real reason we were here is because he has an MGA project car, just getting started. Couple weeks ago he was asking about a slow starter, trying to get the engine running, but I think he gave up. Now the car is completely disassembled, and he is already working on chassis repairs.

No slouch here. He does all his own body and paint work. I guess if he can do a Desoto he can handle the MGA okay. Need to keep in touch to see how fast this one progresses.

We had one more stop to visit Michael Brady in Woodland, CA. Been chasing him with email and calls for a few days, but no response. Passing this way anyway, so stopped to knock on his door, but no one home. That's okay, as it was a courtesy return, as we have been here before in 2017.

Back to WiFi to bring you the photos and notes for the past few days.