after many weeks vacationing under the carport, the 73 'b lives
again. i've got a slight valve tick and an overly rich mixture (i
think), but i've never been happier to hear a car crank. BTW, what
is the piston lifting rule (1/8") when adjusting the mixture? (hif4 su's)
happily driving around last night, i began pondering all this talk
of the future of lbs's. i've wanted an mgb since before i could drive,
and at age 24, my wish has finally come true. the car takes up a lot of
time, but it also sat in storage for a few years before i purchased it,
so i knew what i was getting into. i'm lucky in that mt father-in-law
has had a couple of mgb's and currently has a tf--my wife grew up with
mg's, therefore is very appreciative (and tolerant!) of the 'b.
sadly, i know of very few people my age with any interest in older
cars, especially british cars. cars seem to have evolved into a
disposable commodity. lease a new car, drive the hell out of it for
2-4 years, trade it in, lease another new car... air conditioning,
power steering, 100,000 mile tune-ups, and a smooth, quiet ride along
with some degree of performance seem to be the features in demand. i
suppose the high heat index, frequent tuning, and hard ride of an mg
are not strong selling points on the market today.
for me, working on the car is a sort of therapy. driving it is the
ultimate therapy. maybe if more people had the chance to drive lbc's,
they would understand the value of these cars. sure, a miata's easier,
but the sound of that little british 1.8 strolling through the gears,
the breeze rushing around you, the purr of the overdrive--pure poetry
(even with a slight valve tick...). lbc's are cars designed for
driving, not ultra-quiet, climate controlled, smooth-riding cruising.
i like my wife's toyota, and my nissan pickup isn't bad, but they are
no match for the sheer fun of the mg. my $.02...
-robert williford
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