The Library Muse

Where’s Barney? I have not been following his adventures on his web site, MGAGuru.com, on a daily basis, but I’m sure that the Gaylord boys are someplace warm. Last time I checked they were in Pensacola Florida, which should be nice this time of year. I don’t know if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow or not, but at our house Woody, the resident woodchuck, ain’t chucking no wood. In fact she is still hibernating under the rear stoop. But it won’t be long until our weather warms. The days are getting longer. The sun has a little more warmth to it. So get working on those winter car projects, you don’t want to get caught with your (oil) pans off on that first nice day. Inventory those parts that need replacing, perhaps you can pick them up at the Swap meet in a couple of weeks. Same location, new date.

Flaming Floorboards
By Steve Tom, 2012, 290 pages, soft bound

This book was written by Steve Tom, not the actor but a career military man with a PhD in mechanical engineering. Defiantly a Type-A personality. No, not that type. His car in high school was a Model A Ford, then in the 70s he added an MGA when he attended Purdue. Is this why Barney brought this book to my attention? And his love affair with British cars (and others) continues. You would think that PhD would know better. But thankfully love is not rational or an intellectual undertaking. This book is the humorous tale of his cars and the associated characters. Also contains technical advice. Talking about the (lack of) quality of oil seals, “I always suspected this was a deliberate design to help owners maintain their cars. When you back a British car out of the driveway, you should see three spots of oil, one from the engine, one from the transmission, and one from the rear axle. If any one of those spots is missing, you’re probably low on oil”.

~~Bill Mennell