In message <Pine.3.89.9403031553.A25858-0100000@chopin.udel.edu> Michael W
Montoya writes:
> I've been reading this list for about a week now and figured it
> was time to say hello.
> Unfortunately, I really don't have much experience with British
> cars, other than drooling over the neighbor's XK-E. I am kind of an old
> car nut, and have lately been toying with the idea of getting some sort
> of roadster in the future (I think Peter Egan did it with that TR3
> article in last months Road and Track). I'm just testing the waters now,
> but I've gotten a lot of insight reading some of the discussions
> here. I've got a fair amount of experience restoring cars (I'm
> working on my second '67 mustang, though it's a couple of thousand
> miles from me right now), so I can generally understand what's going
> on here, though I have to work on the whole boot-bonnet thing :-)
> Anyways that's my story for now. One quick question, though.
> I'm trying to get the feel of the workings of British cars and how
> they differ from American cars in the design and the process of repair
> and/or restoration. I've seen a book out called "How to Restore
> British Sports Cars". Could anyone tell me if this is worth getting,
> if for no other reason than to get an idea of what I'm getting myself
> into, should I purchase an _insert car here_?
> Thanks, and take care,
> Mike Montoya
>
Mike,
One key to British cars is to remember that people in the UK who designed these
beasties thought 100 miles was a long way. Another is that close machined
tolerences are not their forte. This translates to the British as being the
inventers of the externally lubercated engine.
For instance the TR3 was designed to have basic periodic maintnence done every
3000 miles. In the US this can be once a month or less. In the UK this occurs
at 3 to 6 month intervals. Most american drivers did not maintain their British
cars oftern enough and consiquently had lots of problems. So now you know why
people who take proper care of them always seem doing some maintnence.
The British have never been able to build an oil seal that works. This means
you expect oil leaks and you check fluids in everything that takes oil
frequently and certainly befor any major trip.
People who do not understand British engines adjust the SUs when anything gets
out of tune. The points pit, they adjust the SUs. A plug wire goes belly up
they adjust the SUs. The SUs are extreamly dependable and once set do not tend
to go i=out of sync.
May of the cars that has Lucas electrics are open sports cars. These get
exposed to moisture, and over 20 or 30 years, the connectors tend to corrode on
occasion. A corroded connector or the dreaded previous owner should be your
first suspects in dealing with electrical problems.
The British have a "funny" way designing their mechanical parts. You will
notice that working on a British car feels differnt than working on an American
car. The advantage is that they are consistant and many of the parts are
interchangable across cars & marques. If you get into a British car, you will
probably want to sell off all non-British cars you work on because the
mechanical things work differently.
Just about any newish sub compact sedan will out accelerate, out corner, and out
stop most british cars, but they are nowwhere as fun. And fun is where its at.
Take care,
TeriAnn
TeriAnn Wakeman One of these days, I'll be old enough that
twakeman@apple.com people will stop calling me crazy and start
LINK: TWAKEMAN calling me eccentric.
408-974-2344 TR3A - TS75519L, MGBGT - GHD4U149572G, 109 - 164000561
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