Hello fellow netters,
Here I am moved to The Netherlands and living without Maggie (68 B), although
it's nice to be living full time with my wonderful wife again after the last
year and a half of commuting. I'll have to admit, I must be addicted to the
list, I saved all the digests during the last month when I've been too busy to
read them, and last Sunday and tonight read them all. Plenty of enjoyment
there, an MG fix that I needed, althought I think it makes me miss Maggie more.
A few comments I'd like to throw in - to Will Z. who was lamenting the traffic
congested drive to work I can say - better to have that than no car. My drive
in the company provided 96 Opel Vectra just isn't the same as my MG commute at
home. I particularly liked the sidewalk cafe idea - forgot who suggested that.
To Corey who finally unloaded the story of his
piece-by-piece-find-something-more-to-fix-front-end-work - hope you get Rags
back on the road for Indy, and I've been there / done that - finding the wrecked
front end during my restoration (not before buying) - despite the time / money -
it's such a joy to get back on the road - just hold out a little longer.
Enjoyed the new MG / Miata / top down rant - some of us really have our
opinions - but in the long run acceptance of others and their opinions and
behavaiors makes all our lives much less stressful and enjoyable. Hard to keep
up with David D. as he runs from one Britcar show to another (what a great job
you must have) and meets (or misses Wes) people - Oh, by the way David, I really
enjoyed your article in MG Driver. I want to go on one of those MG buying sprees
one of these days. What was it - five or six in just a few months - amazing.
All of you with multiple LBC's are making it much easier to justify to myself
(and later to my wife) having another one or two or three lbcs when I get home
- just to have around the house, restore, drive, fix, admire, enjoy, show off -
whatever.
Thanks to those who answered my desparate post in late May when Maggie's speedo
/ tacho quit working simultaneously 5 days before the trip to my dad's house. I
sent the speedo off to Palo Alto Speedo, the ad was in Hemmings, after calling
and discussing an $80 rebuild, and ordered a new cable from VB. Had both sent
to Dad but told him if he didn't feel like fixing it - I'd do it when I was home
for Christmas. Boy that seems like a long time. On the positive side, I get to
see lots of great looking MG's here in The Netherlands - there are a much higher
density of LBC's (Mostly MGB/MGB GTs) here than around Baton Rouge and generally
much nicer ones. I'll get together with Bert Otten / Frank van Dalen in Delft
occasionally to ride (and maybe if they let me) drive their MGBs. Sorry I
couldn't have helped Burt with his regulator / generator / battery problem -
same thing happened with my first B in 1976.
When I read Denise was selling her '67 O/D transmission, I jumped at the chance,
wrote her a message immediately, telling her I wanted to buy it, although I
haven't bought a '67 B to put it in yet, and wasn't sure how I was going to
organize getting it shipped to my Dad from over here, but then I read a few more
digests, and it was sold. More dreaming about MG restoration shot down in
flames. Erased the message from the out basket.
This afternoon, all this MG input got me so fired up, I figured why not keep
looking for a '67 even while I'm here, and I called a guy in Illinois
advertising three MGB's in the MG Driver - one a '67 with O/D - my dream car.
After talking for 10 or 15 minutes and discussing the possibility of just
sending him the money but leaving the car with him until next summer (am I nuts
or what), I asked if he had the convertible top, at which point he said it was a
GT. Ka boom - must have been a message from above that I was going way too far
with this stuff and need to come back down to earth. I think GT's are great,
but in Louisiana, I just have to stick to roadsters.
The Road Assistance idea is great too - I'd sign up, but won't be there until
next summer. I'll put it on my list for when I get back.
Enough idle ramblings. Thanks for all the fun with the list - now that it's my
primary source of MG entertainment.
Rick 'back down to earth - have to be content with reading about mgs' Huber
'68 B (Dad's 'how fast am i going' daily driver)
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