Fix It With Steve...

As the Tech Coordinator, I have made some preliminary plans for the spring. Below are the upcoming projects.

	Transmission swap and hydraulics rework. - Carol Mullis wants to get David’s 1972 white MGB on the road again. (you may recall David passed away in March 2008 after a long illness. Dave was a former officer and a strong contributor to the club over the years. He was present at many activities and always brought a cheerful perspective to the agenda at hand). The car needs (as a minimum) a tranny swap and brake & clutch hydraulics. There’s no fluid in either master cylinder & it must have gone somewhere!! The car will be coming to my garage in February. Once I’ve got it on the lift & made a full assessment of what needs doing I will report back with a schedule, so ‘da boys’ can come round & help do the business. Carol has a spare transmission & the engine isn’t seized, both of which are good things!
	MGB to MGA engine transplant - Russ Mehaffey is planning on putting a B engine into his 1957 white MGA. We will be building up the engine once he gets it back from the machine shop. Again, once I have a schedule I will broadcast it.
	Clutch rebuild - I am looking at doing some clutch work on a 1960 AH Sprite. My plan is to look at the car on February 1st and will report back afterwards with a more detailed activity list & timing.

	Instrument Panel rewire - In between all that the personal fleet is getting some attention. My 1974 red TR6 is at the painters. Amongst other parts of the project, things that might interest others, I’m going to refurbish the instruments. The $250 in parts I’ve bought easily beats the $800+++ I was quoted for the work to be done. The car is down to a shell so will be completely rebuilt, new carpets, dashboard, trunk trim, rubber seals, steering wheel etc.
	MGB Steering Rack replacement – My ‘new’ MGB GT is getting a new steering rack. The brakes need bleeding and the cooling system needs checking out. I don’t think I have a thermostat!
	Overdrive install - I have collected an overdrive gearbox for the MGB GT and plan to install it in the near future once I have confirmed the engine is ok or not. It may have an oil consumption habit.
	Air conditioning install –again a further improvement for the newly-acquired MGB-GT.
	Weber carburettor replacement with HS6 units - The Weber carb has got to go, so I’m looking for a pair of HS6’s to retrofit into my MGB-GT

As you can see, there is plenty of opportunity to drop by to take a ‘look ‘n learn’ or help out with any, some or all of these projects. The exact dates will be announced on the club website and hopefully we can broadcast the details with an email to the members.
If any of these projects particularly interest you then please let me know directly at tech@chicagolandmgclub.com So I can ensure you are kept in the loop as to the ‘what & when’ is going to be done.

~~Steve Skegg

Editor’s Note:
Now I know you are all visualizing a frigid open-door garage ‘out in the sticks’ with a greasy mechanic in a winter parka bending over a cold bonnet working on a cars’ ailing innards. Well, that couldn’t be farther from the truth (well maybe some of it). Steve is the proud owner of a tandem two-car garage—heated and air conditioned in the Summer—plenty of working room! It even has a full-height four-post lift—and tools to fix mostly everything! Steve is located in Downers Grove, IL southwest of Ogden avenue and Main street.