 In last month's Driveline our editor put out an invitation to drive our MG's more. He's right, the cars benefit from being driven, the drivers benefit from the enjoy-ment, and the club benefits from the visibility. I was going to say society as a whole benefits but I guess that's a stretch.
T he weekend of June 18-20 Judi and I took part in the Secrets of Jo Davies County Tour and it was great. This is an event that's been on our calendar for the last several years but always got edged out by other priorities. I'll have to admit that my concerns about my car's ability to make a long drive made me less aggressive in lobbying for the tour than I might have been. This year with more experience with the car (including last year‘s One Tank Tour) and Dino's help with sorting out some issues gave me the nerve to take the plunge.
I've always been a fairly conservative driver so the buzzing of my MG's engine at highway speeds was hard for me to hear. I have read and been told that these engines are de-signed to rev and are willing to do so for extended periods of time, but hearing it and accepting the sound takes some repro-gramming (or my thinking). Cruising along at 55 or 60 mph on the way to and from the tour has me convinced my MG is happy to do it.
Jim Evan's experience with the deteriorated fuel line and Dino's story of how he acquired the other 1/2 of his limo did cause me some concern. I've occasionally smelled gas when driving the Roadster this season but have been unable to find the source of the odor. Jim said his second clue was a gas odor while driving. The first was some fuel on the floor when he got the car out of storage. A quick check of the various possibilities for leaks has not revealed anything yet, but a thorough check is planned.
Barney pointed out that the flat top of later model gas tanks can collect moisture trapping debris which in turn can cause rust through the top of the tank. Pin holes can be fixed with J.B. Weld, but larger holes require tank replacement. Since checking this problem requires dropping the tank I'll check all the lines and fittings first.
Mentioning J.B. Weld reminds me that during the cold
|
|
Cruise Nights Update! What have Lisa and I been up to on Wednesday nights that you can do too? We have been visiting the local cruise nights in Cary, Illinois. On Route 14 in downtown Cary about a hundred cars gather in the street next to the train tracks -- domestics and imports. On Thursday eve-nings, cruise to Barrington, just one block east of Route 59 and one block south on Main. Also over on Lake-Cook Road, there is another great gathering of domestics, imports and a few mo-torcycles, weather permitting. Don‘t forget the various club events coming soon. The 24th annual British Car Festival is just around the corner on September 12, at Oakton Community Col-lege in Des Plaines.
Brother, Can You Spare a Wrench? It‘s the summer driving season, so if you have any problems with your car, don‘t be afraid to call someone! There is always a member or a friend that has some knowledge of these Brit cars. Everybody is always tinkering, and that‘s always the topic of many discus-sions at the monthly Club get-togethers. The floor is always open at the Club Meeting to pose your particular problem to all those gathered every month. Take a gander under your car peri-odically, and see if its leaking oil. (Or more oil…) Hey, my limo leaks, so I just carry an extra quart or two in the boot, and I also carry the standard complement of tools with me to any event just in case I or someone else happens to break down. Just don‘t let another summer go by because of a little maintenance or fix-up is needed. MGs are not expensive to maintain, but that is part of the hobby. Rely on the membership – just call some-body.
P.S.: Sorry about my phone number being listed incor-rectly the last few months. It has been corrected on the newslet-ter masthead. Don‘t be shy to call me. (I am still not crazy about the computer, but that‘s just me. I'm old fashioned, I guess, just my cars are not. Have you seen my V-8?
Welcome New Members
The officers and members of the Chicagoland MG Club extend a cordial “MG Welcome” to these new members who have joined our club in recent months. We wish each and every one of you “Safety Fast” and hope you will avail yourself to as many club activities as you can.
Mike Hoover - Des Plaines, IL – 1971 brg MGB
Ferdinand Lobbezoo - Skokie, IL – 1976 red MGB
Note: Any new member whose name does not appear above, your application may have missed our deadline. If you don’t see your name next month, please call our Secretary, Victor L’Heureux at (847) 516-3093 to verify.
|
July 2010
