I could really relate to Micheal's frustration at nearly getting his
TR4A on the road for a test drive. I had it happen to me a couple of weeks
ago with an MGB. My partner in restoration and I had been buying parts and
reading manuals all winter long preparing for the BIG day. A camshaft upgrade
and new exhaust! We were wild with phsyce.
We started very early in the morning with the pipe dream of finishing
in one day. I had done as much prep work to the car as I could, so all was
ready and waiting. We encountered a series of potential show stoppers, but
managed to overcome them one at a time. We began to think it was our destiny
to make it, and that someone from above was smiling down upon us. For example,
we had a hell of time getting the crank pulley retaining bolt off. The solution
was simple and effective. We put on a socket/nut buster and laid the handle
againt the inner fender wall. Then... engage the starter! Bingo, off came the
nut.
By dinner time my wife had given up on us and I knew I would have some
smoozing to do later. But the project was personal by that point. My partner
and I could taste that test drive and were really pushing each other. "Done
with the exhaust? GOOD, hear is the oil pump..."
It came together, seemingly all of a sudden, and we were ready to
start it up. We were so nervous, and tired that there was a good chance we
did something stupid, "My God, what if the timing is out 180 degrees? You
start it, OK?"
Well it started right up and we sat back in lawn chairs for the break
in period. Nearly passed out we grasped a well deserved Guiness stout in hand,
listened to the symphony we had built with sweat and blood, and beamed from
ear to ear.
Oh, sure there was the expected unexpected oil leak (push rod cover
plate) and a smell of gas (sticky float bowl), but if we hadn't of had those
little things to fix then I really would have been worried.
Well, we finished the stout, finished the 20 min. break in period, and
figured we were already "finished" by our wives, so... TEST DRIVE. Oh baby,
we could just imagine how much MORE bhp we could FEEL through our seats and
SEE the car almost flip over when we gunned it. It MUST be fast as hell...
We jumped in, riding the new surge of adrenelin, giggling like little boys,
slapped a high five, and put it in gear.
We got onto the drive way, and never made it off. Oh, the car is fine,
and it wasn't snowing, but hear in Massachusetts we are covered by ICE! We
tried for another hour to get it out, then just back into the garage, but
failed miserably. The car is still in the driveway, under a tarp now covered
in snow, waiting for a thaw.
I guess we could use the down time to fix that cover plate oil leak...
Skip Cusack
cusack@pokey.msd.ray.com
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