The MGA With An Attitude
MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (February 16 - February 28, 2021)
Tuesday, February 16, 2021:
Posted up a new page in the MGA Part Numbers index for the heater air control cable, which was prompted by someone asking for the correct length of that cable.
 Got another inquiry today about the length of the MGA and early MGB rear axle housing. Easy enough to look it up in archives of the MG Experience web site MGA forum (from the last time someone asked). Add this to my wish list for a new tech page for the rear axle housing part number.
Wednesday, February 17 2021:
Sheesh! What a backlog of things to do. Three days behind in this trip long again. Got carried away today and posted another tech page under "Tools" for another way to make your own tube socket for the octagonal rear hub nut. This whole article and all the pictures are compliments of Ahmed EL Abasiry in Calgary, AB, Canada.
Not sure if I should mention this, but I'll do it anyway. I got a call today from one of the guys involved with the warehouse full of cars for sale in Quincy, Illinois. This has been an ongoing saga for some years. First it was a guy helping a friend to sell some cars, which started the discussion about who owned the cars. Some cars were moved from one warehouse to another building to collect all MGs in one place, and the sales listings continued (along with the public speculation).
Then the second location building was sold, and 18 cars were included as part of that sale. Then the 18 cars were sold again to another party, who is currently attempting to sell them off one at a time (as the public speculation continues). Three of these four people seem to be satisfied with the transactions. The guy in the middle from the beginning seems to think he was shafted on a couple of points, but it may need legal action on his part to change anything after the fact. It was a two hour friendly phone conversation while I collected as much information as I could,
and the guy may call me again later. -- Interesting day, to say the least.
Okay, I also threw together another Variants page for a modern MGA Fastback Coupe which is currently under construction. Four years in, and likely another year to go. Absolutely amazing workmanship.
Thursday, February 18 2021:
Another new tech page this morning for a 3D printed magnet ring that clamps onto the differential input collar to provide pulsed signal input fot variable electric power steering. Choice of 4, 5 or 6 magnets, two different sources.
Friday, February 19 2021:
Good Friday Morning at Tech Central. Somebody has been working when I wasn't here. During the week Kyle Vanbuskirk (the young guy) and a couple helpers were pulling the V6 engine out of his Nissan 300ZX (one of them). The red 300ZX has been sold (but still here). The engine and gearbox out of this silver car will go way with the red car. The second gearbox going into the silver car came out of his third car (parts car). And one of these cars is suppose to get a Corvette engine stuffed into it.
The green MGB (nice daily driver car) has a door off today to replace the lower edge of the outer skin for rust repair. That's going quite well by mid day. A pair of tires were brought by for appraisal. They turned out to be Nankang tires, so best advice there is to see how far you can throw them.
Another MGB door is being prepped for a race car by completely removing the guts. Not long to remove the interior trim panel (good for the trash). Then grab an air chisel and cut all the way around the perimeter of the inner panel. Then the windscreen was lifted off of the MGB wannabe race car, with some consideration to making both the windscreen and a removable hardtop quick change.
Just checking to see if a new oil filter was the correct part to fit the MG Midget spin-on mounting. Take a few minutes to scratch and sniff, checking out dual Weber downdraft carburetors on the TR6. And at least one MG Midget seat was about to be pulled apart to replace the bottom cushion. Enough fun for one day.
Saturday, February 20 2021:
Well this was a good way to kill a half day. I finally got around to making a new tech page for the dimensions of the front wood bow for the convertible top (all three different part numbers). Some years ago I had an email chat with a guy in UK who makes one of the wood bows (don't remember which one or for which distributor). He was unaware there were three different part numbers, and didn't know which one he was making. But he did say if I could supply the drawings he would be happy to make all three parts for commercial distribution. This may be the golden opportunity to set the world right on all counts. I still need to see some late model 1600 and/or 1600-MK-II cars to check the shape of the side overhang on the canopy, and determine the exact finished length for the longer wood bow for those cars.
Sunday, February 21 2021:
One of those days in the dumps, didn't feel like doing anything, killed the day watching YouTube videos.
Monday, February 22 2021:
Had a little excitement today. Three engines from two different towns, one near side, one far side, and one that couldn't get into the lot and had to wait in the street.
One ambulance, one county sheriff patrol car, at least six fire chief cars (can't imagine they had so many of those). The last picture tells the real story, lots of people being paid to wait. We were told it was a small electrical fire under a hot grease fryer, noting we could see or smell, but needed to evacuate the building anyway. We saw maybe two or three firemen go into the building. One soon came out and stowed his breathing apparatus back into the engine. Another came out long enough to get a fire axe. If they were going to rip something apart, I suppose this place would be closed for the rest of the day, so we were soon off to a different WiFi spot.
Being out and about in mid afternoon, it was a good time to find Best Buy and pick up the mobile hot spot (cell phone WiFi connector). We have managed to do without one for nearly seven years, but in the past few months we had been "attending" several Zoom meetings, and the local free WiFi doesn't seem to have enough band width to handle it. I don't worry about the cost of the little box, but now I get to pay $35/mo for data service until I decide it's not worth it for just a few hours per month I might use it. Four days before my monthly billing date, it was prorated for $5 to get connected, which seemed reasonable. Instruction said if it doesn't connection 15 minutes, call the 800 number. Well it didn't, and I did, and it was after hours, so please call back tomorrow. The box says, "Out of data allowance", so apparently they charged me to be connected, but being denied service anyway. Bummer. Check back tomorrow. Meanwhile, another UML Zoom meeting tonight with John Twist while we struggle with WiFi that stutters and stumbles.
Tuesday, February 23 2021:
Not a happy day. Killed the entire day trying to get the new WiFi hot spot to work, and it didn't happen. The first 1-1/4 hour phone call got as far as connection well enough to download a simple web page, but that's about it. Fussing with it for a couple of hours, doing YouTube videos and running speed checks, revealed download speeds near zero, like 30 to 300 times slower than McDonald's Free WiFi (which was disappointing to begin with). So back in the phone with Verizon tech support, two more calls, three more techs, lots of screwing around, and total failure to make it work any better. The resulting offer was to send up a Trouble Ticket, and wait for a week to see what they could determine. No sale, I ain't waiting another week to find it still can't be made to work. I wanna use it Thursday evening.
So another trip to Best Buy to return the failing hot spot box, and exchange it for another one of the same model. Customer service guy at Best Buy said there are many of these returned. Why? People just can't get them to work. Haven't had that situation since many returns of scanners, the most returned device in 1991.
Grab a late lunch, then back to charging and installing the new WiFi box, and back to calling Verizon Tech Support, well within their advertised working hours, needing them to connect the new unit to the existing account (already paid for). Response then via the automated answering machine was, "sorry but we cannot connect you at this time". So kiss off 24 hours, and we are pretty much back to where we were same time last night. Nothing but frustration from Verizon (again as usual).
Wednesday, February 24 2021:
A little better progress today, but still in question. Returning one WiFi box for another didn't seen to make any difference (which is what I had expected). Two more hours with Verizon Tech Support this morning managed to get the download speed up a bit, but still only 1/3 as fast as the McDonald's Free WiFi. Verizon is finally hinting that this may be about optimum for data speed over the current 4G network (not into 5G yet). That was what I was suspecting for a long time, that data over the cell phone channels is not going to be as fast as via other broadband links.
I was supposed to have a Zoom meeting scheduled for Thursday night with the CMGC Web Site Committee, one day before the monthly billing date on my cell phone account. So we arranged for Verizon Tech Support to call me back at 10-AM Friday to see how the Zoom meeting works on the Jet Pack mobile WiFi link. There is also an ongoing billing issue where the automated pages on their web site constantly want to charge me more than the agreed plan fee, which is another reason we are not finished with Tech Support.
Meanwhile only an hour later I was checking email and found out the Thursday night Zoom meeting has been rescheduled for Friday night. Rats! That means I have to pay the bill for a month of data service to stay connected, and the Tech Support call-back is going to have to wait until Monday, which will make it one full week trying to get connected without satisfactory answers. Such is life? Wait and see.
Thursday, February 25 2021:
Much of today was spent in BBS discussions about the three different models of front wood bow for the MGA convertible top. Something that should be very simple is turning out to be very whcky, not making a lot of sense, but it is resulting in a lot of fact checking and data digging. If we can ever get it all figured out, then I could make the three drawings, and I think we have a bloke willing to make all three parts for commercial supply. That's something I have been working on for decades, so there may be a sliver of light appearing at the end of the tunnel.
Friday, February 26 2021:
Here's a cute brain teaser for the day. I suppose this is intended to be a luggage rack, but what for, and why? Photo from Mark Grey in the UK is a 1959 MGA re-imported from USA back into the UK.
Ah! Just found a new shop to add to my Shops List. Classic Wood Products, LLC in Greensboro, NC is the largest provider of Classic Vehicle Wood parts in the U.S. They do make all of the MGA floorboards, cockpit trim rails, and at least one front wood bow for the convertible top.
And it's Friday in Florida, so off to Tech Central again. Kyle was strutting his stuff today, finishing up assembly of the 3-liter V6 about ready to drop it back into his Nissan 300ZX.
Nice design with single overhead cam(s), opposing rocker arms, hemi-head valve layout, and the turbocharger. Lotsa power.
And the guys were finishing up assembly of the late model MGB overdrive gearbox (we hope). Some problems getting multiple splines to align, and the oil pump roller plunger was 180 degrees out and interfering on one side of the roller carrier. Those little issues solved, it was on to installing the sump screen,
bottom cover, speedometer drive gear, rear flange, and the shift selector parts and remote shifter. Time for oil?
The MG Midget that has been under restoration for two years was temptingly close to a test drive. When the bonnet landed on top of the carburetors it was necessary to change the intake manifold for one with a bit less camber angle from an earlier model car.
And then it was running, and off it goes, and back it comes with a big grin on the owner's face.
Porting of the MGB cylinder head is progressing, at about one port per week. Last week's MGB door rust repair was nearly finished, flat sanding, and ending in primer by day's end (with the owner's big thumb print in the primer paint). And there was an Infinity people mover getting rear drum brake self-adjuster mechanism freed up to actually work.
The second Rabbit race car is nearing completion, needing to be done in a week. Apparently Kyle is going to get a shot at driving it for race driver school net week end. That should be jolly good fun for the new guy.
Verizon Tech Support did not call today as had been promised, and the WiFi hot spot box was still was not working as in intended. Any more contact with Tech Support now delayed until at least Monday, being one week front the start of this nightmare, and today being the monthly billing date when they want payment for next month's service, the only sensible thing to do was to disconnect and cancel the data contract before paying next month's phone bill. We will probably be returning the device for refund as well. It matches all of our prior experience with Verizon personal service.
Then there was the late evening Zoom meeting with the CMGC committee for whatever they intend to do about the club web site with no direction. That went so well that one of the committee members resigned by 20 minutes into the meeting (due to lack of cooperation). One hour in was long enough for most of the participants, so now it looks like another 12 days wait doing nothing until time for the next Zoom meeting. Gotta love committees.
Saturday, February 27 2021:
Got a messge from a guy in Norton, Stourbridge, West Midlands, UK. He was going on about several classic cars he has owned in the past ten years, and having sold them all. Then he bought an MGA roadster, and said, "IT's FANTASTIC! I've already decided it's a 'keeper' and I'm thinking of finding a near original coupe to go with the roadster". How's that for a first impression?
And there is a guy with an MGA with a non-standard fuel gauge that does not work. We think it is a replacement thermal gauge from a late model MGB. Needs some testing.
Sunday, February 28 2021:
Yeah, the errant fuel gauge turned out to be a thermal gauge, needs replacing with correect type.
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