Finally go everything buttoned up on my MGA Mk 2 Deluxe re-restoration
project and fired it up again today.
It has run once in the last 15 years (now twice). The first time was from
the garage up to the road when the front float developed a leak and sunk while
driving up there.
This time, after changing the float and running it a bit (fired up very
easily and the carbs aren't even that far out of whack although they've been
off
the car and back on without adjustment), I tightened the various clamps - pain
in the ass as I am using original style wire clamps.
This time the oil pressure hose decided to give up the ghost and puke a
litre or so by the time I noticed. Find another one, clean it up and
reinstall
(a bugger to do on the block end) and it seems to be running just fine.
The oil cover vent spit oil out as I don't have the hose on it (no air
cleaners yet) and I was less than delighted to see that Moss had chosen, for my
carefully sprayed engine paint, a substance that immediately goes dull and
spotty when oil hits it. Hey - who'd ever figure on an engine getting oily,
right?? ^#&%&#&!!!
Their wheel paint is surprisingly good looking, on the other hand. I figured
on just using it to spray the old wheels so I can run the car a bit until I
fit the wider wheels and new rubber, but they turned out really well! I
guess I shouldn't count my chickens, mind you - after the engine paint fiasco,
maybe the wheel paint is impervious to everything....except dog pee?
I don't plan on running it for too long on 25 year old Michelin ZX (the
spare was actually a Michelin X - when did they stop making those?).
The MGA header does fit really well first time - got to give them that! Nice
piece of work.
Next some more clean up, put the rest of the interior back in and clean it
up for pictures required for our collector car plates, then off to see if we
can get it through the emissions test!
Bill
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