We began the month with a visit to Ron and Michelle Edwards in Alachua, FL. We were helping to rebuild and adjust and MGA differential and rear hub bearings. By Feb 6 we were in Panama City Beach, FL for an evening meeting with Bay British Car Club. For the next two days we were helping a few club members there with some car issues, rebuilding MGA front suspension and a gearbox, wiring for overdrive on a big Healey, brake pedal and master cylinder linkages on a Jaguar XK-120 (chassis under restoration), and a heat shield between the master cylinder and exhaust system.

Nice backyard shop in Fort Rutker, AL

For out last evening in Florida, Feb 8, we were visiting Liz Marr in the Glades of Panama City Beach. She has an MGA that had not been running for a while, would crank over but not fire, no ticky, no fuel, dry fuel filter. Cleaned the points to get the pump running and fixed a leaky seal washer in the pump. Got it running and gave it a tune up.

Heading a bit north, we stopped to visit Lee Oxford & Mary Anne Hanley in Fort Rutker, Alabama. He has a two-story Gothic arch garage shop in his back yard, and a HUGE industrial size building a few miles away, 60x100 feet, some of it two story, with a large motor home parked cross-ways in one back corner. Did I ever say the toys accumulate to fill the space allowed? Some of it doesn't fit, and

Outdoor toys

there must be a couple dozen cars outside, and he is about to install an 8x40-foot storage cabinet to be followed by a new pole building, something like 40x60 feet (and I suppose some of his toys still won't fit inside). He seems to like anything sporty, Camaro, Mustang, Thunderbird, MG, Triumph, Volkswagen.

Then a visit to Jerry LaCross in Enterprise, AL to help a bit with an MGA chassis (finishing restoration). Mostly advisory, but also gave it a bit of tune-up to run well, spotted a significant camber problem on the RF wheel and some radiator problems. Then we had to lead foot it north

Bit of radiator mounting problem

for a meeting with British Motoring Club, Montgomery (been there before).

By mid-month we were off to visit Dan Byrne in Prattville, AL who has a 1979 MGB LE reported to have starting difficulty and performance issues, electronic ignition and a Weber carburetor, and "runs best without the vacuum connected". This one kept us busy for a couple of days completing assembly of engine peripherals, mods to install a PCV valve, restore anti-run-on function. I kind of lucked out discovering the rocker shaft was upside down, so we rotated that around the right way, so it would have proper lubrication. Finding a broken hose for oil pressure gauge coupling, my magic trailer served up a replacement part. Some adjustments of exhaust pipe and heater control cable.

Issues all cleaned up (after two days work)

A few little "issues" with MGB in Prattville, AL

Next day we killed a couple of hours installing "impossible" bolts in the MGB gearbox mount, then swapping out a failed starter motor, installing oil in gearbox and coolant in radiator, wiring up ignition coil and distributor, but still no start

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