Oh, goodness. It seems I'm being taken to the (smiley) mat.
W. Ray Gibbons writes:
> I notice that your sign-off message is,
>
> > "A life lived in fear is a life half lived."
>
> Isn't your desire for fuses in the headlight circuit at odds with this
> philosophy? Doesn't knowing that your headlamp circuit is perfectly free
> to melt down without protection add to the spice of the lbc experience?
> How many Honda owners have experienced an exploding headlight switch? And
> recognize this--fuses won't keep the lights on; they may still go out at
> the worst possible time. All you will accomplish is to keep the wires
> intact if a short occurs between the fuse and the lights.
There is a line between confidence and stupidity.
My personal MGB has a near-stellar record of reliability with me. I
will even go so far as to say that I expect absolutely no electrical
malfunctions to surface in the forseeable future. A brave statement to
make about a Lucas showpiece, but I'll make it nonetheless. My car is
remarkably original and remarkably well-preserved, with no PO electrical
bodges yet discovered (the only PO was my mom, and she was diligent with
the car's service).
This does not mean that I am invulnerable to the same sort of silly
mistakes that John made. I enjoy driving my car, perhaps even a bit
more than I enjoy working on it. I do know that I explicitly dislike
being stranded on the side of a faraway highway, and anything that I can
do to prevent this is time well spent.
An automobile is a harsh environment for electrical circuits, and
therefore automotive circuits should be designed and built with an eye
for robustness. I don't think many of us will disagree with me when I
say that Lucas & Co did not incorporate every safeguard that they should
have in the MGB wiring harness. In other words, there is room for
improvement, and I'm going to do some improving.
Yes, even with fuses my lamps could fail in a moment's notice. The
spice of LBC ownership will still be there. The difference is melted
wires and a possible car fire, which do not, in any way, contribute to
the enjoyment of my MGB. I shall rid myself of any fear of these
hazards with sensible preventive maintenance.
> If you put the fuses in, I recommending changing your sig to "Better safe
> than sorry."
Yes, I advocate adherence to this mantra as well.
> Please note: implied or virtual smileys scattered throughout the above.
> I don't honestly advocate fixing your brake lines with aluminum foil and
> epoxy, either.
This message bears no rancor or hostility; still, I believe it deserves
to be clearly stated.
> Ray Gibbons Dept. of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
> Univ. of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT
> gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu (802) 656-8910
--
Todd Mullins
todd@nutria.nrlssc.navy.mil On the lovely Mississippi (USA) Coast
'74 MGB Tourer (thanks, mom!)
"A life lived in fear is a life half lived."
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