Phil Vanner wrote:
<<<<I can see it already. Bill Eastman is warming up his keyboard, writing
first drafts of a new essay about the MGA being the absolute pinnacle of
styling excellence. ;-) Enlighten us Bill!>>>
Well, if you insist... Actually I haven't seen the sign but I may start
fueling at the local Mobil in hopes of snagging one ;-)
When my daughter and I are out running errands and fighting over what radio
station to listen to, I often remark, "Isn't that a good looking car" or
something to that effect when we pull back into the garage and see the A
sitting there. The other day she responded that I really must be proud of
that car.
I replied to her that no, in fact, I was not proud of the MGA. I admired
it for its obvious beauty and its ability as a sports car but in order to
be proud of something you must have had some hand in its creation. I told
that I was proud of my children, for instance, but not the MGA.
You see, I bought the A basically as it stands today. I have rebuilt the
front suspension, replaced the rod and main bearings (standard maintenance
;-), and performed various minor fixes but I do not, in my opinion, bear
sufficient responsibility for the car's present state to feel pride.
I think that this pride developed from true responsibility for our LBC's is
what makes the group as a whole quite enthusiastic about the pain they
suffer. I expect that in the near future I will pass the threshold of
responsibility where I can feel pride in the MGA. In fact I would not
doubt that the pending clutch job will be just the ticket. Nothing builds
pride like pulling the motor!
Happy Holidays,
Bill Eastman
61 MGA garage beautification object (for the winter only)
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