Howdy all,
As you may have heard, I intended to get my 'B back here to NC this
weekend. It didn't make it, and in the confusion, I may have caused some
more problems. So, please share my experiences with me, (though they may be
long!), and try to help me figure out what else I might need to do to get my
baby here...
It starts on Thursday - the MGB passed state inspection and is
road-legal for the first time since 1984! I decide to drive out to my
grandparents to test the tuning of the car. Top down, the whole way, and I
love it! The car needs some slight tuning (richen the mix a bit) and I head
to get gas. After filling up amidst stares and smiles, I'm in line to pay
and the attendant says to me "Hey, is that your MG leaking gas?" Yes, it
is! The top of the tank is apparently rusted, and I overfilled the
tank...After the attendant helps to clean up the gas and we determine that
no more will leak out, he tells me about his '60 MGA that he's had for 20
years - you meet MG owners in the oddest places! I drive off and he waves
and smiles...So, after an e-mail to George at Classic Restorations, I learn
that a gas tank will be at my door by 10:30 the next day for an install.
Friday dawns well - the UPS person wakes me at 10 with the new tank and
I start into the job right away. Upon dropping the old tank, I meet one of
the famed "Cats of Abingdon" - or what is left of it! A black mass of fur
and bones drops from the panel between the tank and the trunk floor...Who
knows what it was! The top of the tank was thin, rusty metal, but the trunk
floor was surprisingly unrusted. I prepped both with black gloss paint and
was on my way again. This time, I decided to add some cardboard to cover
the oil cooler and part of the radiator - which helped the car's temperament
considerably. I also advanced the timing a touch until the car ran
beautifully. I also found that with the top up (at night - didn't want
frost on the INSIDE of the car) and the defrosters on, I get some pretty
good heat. The 'B did very well at night, and was more comfortable than I
thought possible...Even though I had to duck under the top header to see the
traffic lights!
Saturday dawned as a beautiful day. Since I was to be leaving on Sunday
morning, I was determined to put the 'B through the paces to see how she'd
do - after all, I wanted any problems to show up now, rather than somewhere
on the trip where I could do nothing about them! The top went down, and I
headed out for some fun - I had to get plenty of miles on the car so I could
calculate the estimated gas mileage - and I was loving it! As Jimmy Buffett
would say, "It's a ragtop day", as I passed a 'B on the road (top down), a
TR-4 with the top down, and came across a 'B on the side of the road near
the county fairgrounds. Stopping to see if he needed help (he didn't; he
was putting the top up), I found a very, uhhh, interesting car. It was a
'68 'B, painted in the pink raspberry metallic color of some new Chevy
products. It had some kind of steel panasport rims from the '60s that were
painted off-white and, worst of all, WIDE WHITEWALLS! Gross, to say the
least. But, the owner said he fixed it up for his girlfriend and she didn't
like it so it was for sale. I think about $4500 or so, I was too upset at
seeing the wide whites on racing wheels to think straight!
As a generalization, it's amazing to watch pre-pubescent boys have an
orgasm when your car blows away mom's SUV. I love the attention - I even
got a wave from a guy driving a topless BMW! I have some observations of
the car that others might or might not have - The gas and brake are so close
together, I found myself heel and toeing without even trying. My car
doesn't have much juice at low RPMs, but once I get them up to about 3500 or
so, it takes off. I wonder if it's cammed? My gears seem odd too - first
and second are really close, but there's a noticeable drop from two to
three. And no, it's not equipped with OD. I had the car up to about 84 mph
('74 MGB roadster) and it still had great road manners! Might have had it
up higher, but I was coming to a hill - anyone else with a similar top speed
in a stock 'B?
So, into Thursday night, the car performed flawlessly. I had about 100
miles on half a tank of gas, and the day was great. I couldn't help but
thinking about how good life is and how the problems melt away when I'm in
that car (Girlfriend? What girlfriend?) and I was simply enjoying some of
the finest top-down motoring amidst the changing PA leaves. I was on my way
home when I spotted a little, mostly unused garage near my house, with two
MGB's out front! One red roadster, and one primered GT. I stopped to chat,
and the one guy showed me his project - a '70 roadster that he's prepping
for a BOP 215. The engine was just rebuilt and looked beautiful! The car
was being chopped to fit the engine in, and was undergoing the typical rust
repairs. Then the dream ended.
I hopped into the car, and as it has traditionally done, didn't start on
the first try - the starter relay just clicked. Then, another click. And
another. So, figuring that the starter was jammed, I put the car into gear
and rocked it, still to no avail. After the shop boys came out and rapped
on the starter, we still had nothing and tried a push start. No luck. They
pulled out a battery and tried a jump with no luck, then checked with a
multimeter and could find nothing funny. So they jacked up the car and I
crawled underneath to clean the connections. Still nothing, so I called my
dad and he towed me the three miles with a tow chain and our Blazer. I was
visibly upset, since I had to drive the sled back to school.
As a recap, the key would turn, the battery was good, but the starter
relay would only click once. The mechanics and I diagnosed it as a bad
starter. And, after 24 years, that original Lucas thing deserves to retire.
But, a new starter is in my dad's hands - lifetime warranty, no less. I
have to go home this weekend for a 50th wedding anniversary and will give it
one more shot. If there's still problems, I try again at Thanksgiving.
I have a few questions about the car's problems at the garage though.
1. When push starting the car, it wouldn't start. We tried to start it in
fourth gear, in a space of about 30 feet. The speedo never got about 10
mph. Should I be surprised it didn't start?
2. When push starting the car, after releasing the clutch, the rear end
made some pretty ugly clunking sounds. The rear has been flawless up until
then, with no swarf in the fluid when I changed it and no whining at any
speed. Is this noise the washers that Moss recommends replacing, or should
I worry? Did I break something? Is this normal? What should I watch for?
3. As I was removing the starter leads that are bolted on, I managed to
touch the wrench to the body of the car, creating an arc-welder. The wrench
was closing the short for less than a half of a minute while I grabbed an
insulated hammer to knock it out of there. (Then I disconnected the
battery. After the fact, dumb@$$ that I am.) Here's my question: what did
I fry? The radio and lights still work. Did I fry the alternator (the
idiot light didn't come on, but the car wasn't started either). Did I fry
the starter relay? What about my electronic ignition module? Keep in mind
that the key was off when this fiasco took place. Anything else I might
have ruined that should be replaced?
Thanks for your help. I never realized what a sled my S-10 was until I
climbed into it after a weekend of driving the MGB. I'll never own a truck
again. I was trying to think up a suitable name for the MGB and have to
decide between two that really strike me - "Little Miss Magic" after the
Jimmy Buffett ballad, or "South City Midnight Lady" after the Doobie
Brothers song. Hopefully, I'll have time to contemplate the whole thing on
the long drive from PA to NC on Monday! Thanks to any and all who read this
long and can offer advice!
Michael S. Lishego
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Speedway/3706/
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