Does anyone have a secret to get the leather smooth
when we are applying it to the curvy rails of an MGA?
Thanks.
Dick 'I got wrinkles in my rails' Barnett 1960 MGA
From rwg1@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu Tue Sep 11 11:42:33 2001
From: (Roger Garnett) rwg1@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu
To: RTIK207@orange.cc.utexas.edu, (British Cars) british-cars@autox.team.net
Date: 25 Aug 93 08:25:36
Subject: Re: Jensen Healy meets prince of darkness
My frineds '74 JH has only 23K miles, and no wiring problems yet, but-
>From the British Cars List:
Rhode Island Wiring Service, Inc.
PO BOX 24N
Kingston, R.I. 02881
401-789-1955
Original equipment wiring harnesses for all model (Austin) Healeys.
>From Hemmings Motor News:
Narrgansett Reproductions
PO Box 51
Wood River Junction RI 02894
401 364-3839
Wiring Harnesses, all years w/instructions
RG
From rwg1@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu Tue Sep 11 11:42:33 2001
From: (Roger Garnett) rwg1@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu
To: (British Cars) british-cars@autox.team.net
Date: 25 Aug 93 10:47:44
Subject: Buffalo LBC's
We took a family trip up to my mothers, south of Buffalo this weekend,
where things to do with LBC's are usually few and far between. Not this
time. The first thing was an MGA in the paper "Damaged" for $4250... Hmm...
Ah, no need to call, we're already going there tomorrow. It happened to be
a fellow MG P-type owner, who's TF, ZA, and MGB LE we'd seen at Christmas,
and we were scheduled to go to his restoration shop for a visit.
The shop was interesting- a few American projects in progress, and most of
a Healey 3000 in DP40 primer hanging from the ceiling in pieces, (All
removable body panels) while it's owner got his funds together for further
work. A wall of MG posters & do-dads, including one homemade and one
molded T-Series pedal cars.
Gerry's PB is a rolling chassis, with the scuttle, rear tub, engine, tranny,
and radiator mounted. It's waiting for more time & money (been finishing
building a new house), But what's there is georgous. The paint is
poly-urathane, and it's like glass. Interesingly, the car has factory
fitted hydraulic brakes, ala Q-type, (with vented front rotors, little
screened inlet duct inside, cutouts on the outside), rather than the
standard cable-pull P brakes with finned drums. It'll be a real beauty when
he finishes it.
The MGA had been somewhat restored, and experienced a fuel line fire, which
destroyed the rear & floor wood, the interior, damaged the facia,
windscreen, and paint. The body panels apeared fine. With an interior,
bodywork, paint job, fuel pump, and a few misc other bits, it should make a
very affordable, solid '62 MKII 1622cc.
I decided to buy a swap sheet. Usually pretty sparse, but this time it had
several interesting lbc's, including a TR3, Healey 3000, '59 Hillman Minx
(stored 25 years), '59 Ford Anglia, 62 MGA for $1K, and a bunch of late
MG's and TR's. The Anglia was near by, and we'd like a family sized
british car, so we had a look. Nice black paint, nice(?) orange velvetish
interior, solid body, runs ok (1172cc flathead engine, 3 speed). Hasn't
been on the road for 10 years, needs all hydraulics. Affordable. Hmm...
Something to think about, even tho we's rather have an MG ZA/ZB Magnette,
or a Rover SD1.
A couple blocks up, there was a little showroom with a Silver E-Type coupe
in the window. It was late at night, but we stoppd to look (what else). It
was dusty with cobwebs inside, and the body was a bit bubbley, but fairly
sound looking. And, it was a V-12. There was also a clean formula car, V8,
possibly late 60's Indycar.
The next morning, we stopped for petrol on the way out, and what should be
sitting there, but *another* silver E-Type coupe! This one was very
clean. On further investigation, it proved to be another V12, with 23K
miles, all original. Wow.
The $1000 MGA was on the way, so... Fairly straight, but no engine, body
stripped 4 years before and left to sit outside. Ich. All the steel panels
were pitted with a layer of rust. The frame rails were rotted completly
away underneath from sitting in the weeds. Made for a good picture anyway.
While I was still poking at the car, someone else came, looked, and bought
it... He:"Hey, they're worth $10K fixed up." Me:"did you notice how rotten
the frame is?" He:"no it's not, that's just the body under there, the
frame is further under". Yea, right- have fun buddy. I have a feeling some
poor soul is going to buy an MGA with filled over frame rot, and a paint
job that will break out everywhere after a year or 2. Sigh.
Shortly after that, we also saw a couple out for a proper Sunday drive
sharp white TR6. We probably saw more British cars than we'd seen around
there in five years. Some good, some bad. Now, if I can just scrape up some
more money, and the house were finished...
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