MGAguru is on the Prowl

MGA Guru is Gone Mobile

As previously reported in past issues of Driveline we visited Columbus, Georgia, a couple of times in late November and early December, lending a hand for a '63 MGB (rod bearings), a '74 MGB (tune-up), a BMW 2002 (head gasket), a '60 MGA (tune-up), and a '71 MGB (finish restoration).

For the continuing story we returned to Columbus, Georgia, for a day (short side trip) on January 25, 2015, to check on how these guys were getting on. They were doing very well indeed with all of the cars we worked on now on the road. They are all hyped on their MGs, and I was prodding them a bit to see if they might form a new club in Columbus to get more people involved. Indeed they would. They started making phone calls and inviting more friends. Their first official meeting was Saturday Feb 7, 2015, at a local restaurant with 12 people and 8 British cars in attendance (not us). The new club name is "Brits In The Valley" (referring to the Chattahoochee River Valley), and they have an active Facebook account www.facebook.com/groups/britsinthevalley.

The very next day Sunday, Feb 8, we returned to Columbus to assist with their first tech session. In attendance were 7 club members with 8 cars (2 resident). By day's end most of these cars were getting some attention, mostly tune-ups, one speedometer repair, and one bad oil leak. This was another very successful day. End result of all this is that there is now a new British car club in the Chattahoochee River valley of western Georgia and eastern Alabama.

For additional news, we are still spreading goodwill among British car folks. We have had visits with South Alabama British Car Club (Daphne, Alabama), British Motoring Cars New Orleans (north shore group in Mandeville, LA), North Alabama British Motoring Society (Huntsville, AL), Mardi Gras MGs British Car Club (Daphne, Alabama), Panhandle Cruisers and Pensacola Austin Healey Club (rally from Pensacola, FL), Brits In The Valley (Columbus, GA), British Motoring Club (Montgomery, AL), Birmingham (British) Motoring Club (Birmingham, AL), English Motoring Club of Mississippi (Jackson and Vicksburg, MS), British Motoring Club New Orleans (north western group), British Motoring Club New Orleans (southern group). That was just the past 4 weeks (and 4,000 miles).

We got to visit a few more shops and museums and car collections. Mike Darby shop in Loxley AL, Busted Wrench Garage (Museum and Gift Shop) in Gulfport MS, BMC Restorations in rural Kiln MS, Pat and Barbara Cashman's widely varied car collection in Vicksburg MS.

We got to visit Jim and Ann Parsons in Madison, AL (near Huntsville), whom we haven't seen in 25 years. They were MGA owners and members of the Chicago Area MGA Club in the late 90's. They have over the years been moving around some due to Jim's career in aircraft jet engine design. He hasn't had an MG for a number of years, but it was real easy to get him to take a refresher drive in my car. He took his college age son along, and they are both freshly hyped on MGs.

We are still fixing cars as we go (of course). MGA 1600-MK-II (charging problem), MG ZB Magnette (tune-up, starting problem, and a failed fuel pump), Bug-eye Sprite

(Continued on page 11)