Robert Allen wrote:
>
> I has able to attend a wonderful little car show in Columbia, Missouri,
> this weekend. It the organizers on this list, congrats on a job well
> done. A nice show and a great time.
>
> There is a thread on the MG list querying preventive maintenace tips.
> This brings to mind several observances the last couple of weekends.
>
> One fellow has been bringing back a TR8 with a lot of sweat equity and
> quite a few new parts -- and a nice paint job. He blew the upper
> radiator hose. He has owned the car for a year and a half and knew it
> had been neglected for 10 years before he bought it. The hose is
> specific to an 8. He never bothered to renew it.
>
> A Midget lost a fan belt while trying to run home at speed on the
> freeway. They hadn't owned the car long. It's a low mileage Midget but
> its still 20 years old.
>
> An MGB filled it's crankcase and carbon cannister with gasoline. It got
> to the point that a foot of flame was coming out the exhaust.
>
> A Spitfire was running really, really hot. Finally removed the
> (required, here) front license plate and frame to stop blocking the air
> flow. This was somewhat effective. But when you open the bonnet, none of
> the original fiber board shroud directing air into the raditor could be
> found. The car eventually overheated on the freeway and then locked up.
> The motor is gone.
>
> A fellow with a Big Healey was contemplating selling the car. It just
> never rode very well and shook and shimmied on the highway no matter
> what he did. What he did was paint it and replace the wire wheels. This
> weekend he was praising new tires. He finally replaced the Pirellie
> Cenurtos (sp) that haven't been produced in about 10 years. It
> completely transformed the car. It now is a decent road car again.
>
> At a previous event, an old guy in a V12 XJ sedan hoofed it good and
> hard. He blew a heater hose, the engine over heated and it hydraulic
> locked on its own coolant. The beautiful old motor is toast.
>
> And your's truly never bothered to service the U-joints on the
> halfshafts of the TR6 until it was almost too late. I had always been
> meaning to so it but I knew it was an ugly job and just hadn't got
> around to it. I was lucky to limp that one home.
>
> These truly are pretty realiable cars but they are now at least 20 years
> old. Just how long do you think the maintenace can be prolonged? All of
> these car were shiny, and pretty, and looked pretty sharp. In each case
> the owner lacked the knowledge, common sense, or gumption to do the
> required mainteance.
>
> If you expect to keep them on the road, you have to hold up your end.
> These are pretty reliable cars if you replace the parts that would
> normally wear over time. That is all the rubber items, the U-joints,
> wheel bearings, brakes, a major tune-up and make sure you have healthy
> fluids.
>
> If your engine is healthy, a professional could get the car in shape
> for, maybe $750 plus a good set of tires. Is your car worth it? Are you
> worth it? Maybe that is a lot of money but, as a point of reference, the
> Wife's Z28 ate it's water pump at 60k miles. The dealer replaced the
> pump, belt, and hoses. The bill was $700. Our cars are no more expensive
> to maintain that the modern stuff and, in fact, most of the parts are
> relatively cheap. You just have to set your mind to it.
>
> Off the soap box,
>
> Bob Allen, Kansas City, '69C/GT, '75TR6
Amen Bob!!
Pat
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