dthorp@fnoc.navy.mil writes
> I'm reminded of a survey of college woman who voted middle-
> aged men as most "appealing", but went on to define
> middle-aged as 32!
I guess that makes me middle-aged. What college was this ?
I may need to re-enroll !
My turn to tell the life story. I am of very German extraction,
(Kolb-Hafer and Drinkwitz-Lichsin), and learned to drive and
turn wrenches on the family series of VW's, until the demise
of the air-cooled flat fours. That was the end of VWs at the
Kolb's place. Since the VW station wagon that
I took to college (see concrete bodge story in the archives)
was fuel injected (ask me how long it takes to find a bad head
temperature sensor or change a fuel pump with a pin-hole), my
SU adjusting skill are still my weakness.
Dad has a 1956 Corvette that he's had since 1957. I really liked
that car, but it was very flexible over the Baltimore/Harford
county roads that I learned on. One of my uncles had had (grammar?)
LBCs and even raced them on occasion, but that was a dim, distant
memory. I decided I needed a convertible sports car, but a smaller and
better handling one. When I finished college and got a real job (sigh),
I was saving up for a convertible turbo RX-7. Instead, when my apartment
complex was sold, and my rent doubled, I used that money for a downpayment
on a townhouse. After my bank account had recovered somewhat, I realized
that new car prices were inflating at approximately the same rate as I
was saving money !
After looking around, I bought the oldest reasonable condition MG I could
find. I wanted one that was done depreciating and that just might appreciate
someday. (I'm still waiting ;-)) I couldn't afford big Healeys, and most of
the Sprites I looked at were in poor shape. I could just fit my 6 foot
nothing self into a Midget, so thats what I ended up with. It's nice and
simple, once you get past the oddly British way things are put together, so
I can actually work on it. With my other car, I can just poke the computer
and when the trouble code says something cryptic, I can just sigh and take
it in.
However, on the way to pick it up, my roommate informed me that he was leaving
to marry his girlfriend. There goes the money I was going to restore it with!
Several years pass, during wich I fix things slightly faster than they break.
I decide I want to buy one of those Heritage MGB bodies, and build an MGB.
I buy a wreck-damaged 1969 MGB as a donor, and upon returning with it, my
roommate informs me he has lost his job, and could I cover him until he gets
another one! (so much for that restoration)
P.S. I want to hear from anyone who has done a full Heritage body ground up
assembly, as I have not completely given up yet. I still have the B in
storage ! (And yes, my current roomate is leaving at the end of the month!)
JKF - Kolbj@ymv5.ymp.gov - Wind in my Hair, Shifting and drifting
- Mechanical music, Adrenalin surge
- Rush, from Red Barchetta
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