Amy had been my navigator for many years in my other MG’s when younger and had developed an appreciation for the marque, and the hobby, as a result. She also spent many hours as a teenager polishing RUSTEY’s brightwork as a dutiful daughter during the late ‘90’s refurbishment. When I advised her that some other car, such as a Miata, might be a better pick she stood firm: “No, I want an MG and I want that MG”. So RUSTEY was destined for a new owner, and one that will keep it in the family.

I spent most of the summer of 2013 refreshing many of the items on RUSTEY that had been previously worked on a few short years ago – it’s amazing how much deterioration can occur on a car that is parked for just a few years. With rebuilt carb, brakes, and numerous other new parts RUSTEY was on the road again. He missed the Halloween rally due to an insurance SNAFU but made it to the Tune Down party for a last look by club members. RUSTEY is a fine drivin’ car!

Then, in early November, RUSTEY was loaded onto a transport truck and shipped to Amy at her new home in North Carolina. RUSTEY was a quasi-surprise for hubby Jon upon his return from overseas deployment & apparently secured with his approval. Amy reports that she will likely be able to secure the North Carolina vanity plate RUSTEY to maintain a little bit of tradition and prevent an identity crisis for the car. And she also reports that RUSTEY has gathered a lot of looks and attention in her community where most folks there are used to Camaro’s and MOPAR’s. Go RUSTEY!!

An occasional topic of conversation in this club has been about passing the torch onto a following generation of owners...maybe there’s a lesson here for some future discussion.

~~Jim Evans

TECH-BITS

The following is an excerpt from “Tech Tips” section of the Chicagoland MG Club website.

Tools A good screw-in compression tester is a must. If the compression is bad, a tune-up is a waste of time. A good electrical multi-meter will save a lot of aggravation in finding ignition and charging problems. A 12volt test light is needed for any electrical troubleshooting. The nuts on the SU carburetor linkages need a 2BA wrench. A 5/16” is almost right, but it can be frustrating. Note: The BA (“British Association") wrench is for the thread range, rather than BSF or BSW. Further information on the BA and other British thread types can be found at: http://www.britishfasteners.com/threads. Brake hose fittings are British so a selection of British wrenches will help. A steering wheel nut is 1-1/8” and most tool kits don’t have this large a size. The engine crank nut and front hub nut are 1-5/16”. The rear hub nut is 1-7/8”. Doing carburetor work without a Unisyn or similar tool is just an exercise in frustration. Unless you are an expert, comparing the hiss will not get the carburetors in sync.