What a story Travis! Thank you for sharing it with us. Your story could be a
chapter in a book "LBC fever". Many on the list could add other chapters.
Keep us posted on your progress.
Travis Grant Elliott wrote:
> Ok Herb, you twisted my arm ;-) But here goes.
>
> Way back when in 1979 there was a body man who lived near where I lived who
> had an MGA, that sat alongside his house. I was drawn to the car, there
> was nothing else like it on the road. Since I was turning 16 that year, I
> tried to buy it from him. To make a long story short, he wouldn't sell it,
> but I was hooked.
>
> I then started looking for an MG! Then one day in August, my father came
> into my room about 10 am and asked if I was going to sleep all day. It was
> summer and I was out of school and didn't have to work that day ;-) We all
> know how lazy teenagers can be, or should that be "remember".
>
> I got up and got dressed and we went to Wilmington, to look at cars. It
> was a place called Friendly Lincoln Mercury, and British Leyland. There
> were 5 midgets on the lot that day. There was a white one, 2 brown ones, a
> blue one, and a beautiful example in Brooklands Green with twin sidestripes
> that had the MG logo just above the rear side marker. The stripes were in
> silver. The interior was in biscuit or tan. It had no extras, there
> wasn't even a radio blanking plate, just a hole in the center console. Well
> after the usual cat and mouse game over the price, a price of $5200 was
> settled on. I know it sounds expensive, but it was right in line with the
> other entry level cars of the day, (that I would want to drive;-).
>
> We came home and I had to wait until October to get my license to be able
> to drive by myself. But I wore my learner's permit out, with anyone that I
> could talk into the car with me.
>
> It carried me through the rest of high school, and partly through college.
> I had way too much trouble with clutches(but during my redo of the car, I
> found my troubles, that's another story). I commuted 60 miles a day to
> college and the MG just wasn't reliable enough, no motor problems just
> clutches, so I eventually bought a used japanese econobox and parked my
> midget in my father's garage.
>
> It sat in my father's garage for 14 years, until a chance happening upon a
> british car rally on the Blue Ridge Parkway once again ignited the passion.
>
> Upon returning home from vacation, I went to get MY car. I brought it home
> and after replacing a battery , coil, and fuel lines, had the car running
> in less than 30 minutes, but It still needed a clutch. I pulled it into my
> little workshop and started taking it apart. That was a little over 2
> years ago, and much has happened since then, but in the last couple of
> days, I have fired the engine for the first time since the rebuild.
>
> The PASSION is BACK and I hope to finish the complete car before the Summer
> of 2001 is over. I am completely redoing the car. Interior and exterior.
>
> Since I am once again working on my car, I will probably be posting to list
> more often, Mostly asking, but hopefully helping along the way also.
>
> Safety Fast,
> Travis G. Elliott
>
> 1979 Midget 1500
> Original Owner, 1st car
> Trying to rebuild by Summer 2001
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