MGAguru is on the Prowl
MGA Guru is Gone Mobile

New cylinder head, car tires, trailer tires, rust repair, new door skin, repaint, new windscreen, wiper motor rebuild, door insulation, new bump stops all around, replacement rebound straps (that do not work), failed plastic fans, back to steel fan, new exhaust manifold, new water pump, as the MGA has been evolving with time and mileage. Since last report it also has new master cylinder, new leaf springs and rear shock absorbers. It is apparently the epitome of rolling restoration.

Since last report I spent a few days each on a MG TF (electrical work) and MGA brakes and suspension rebuild) in Columbia, SC, making them road worthy. On May 27 we had an emergency call followed by a 2-1/2 hour sprint from Columbia, SC to Mills River, NC to fix an SU carburetor problem on an MGA (to prevent installation of a Weber carb), so the can could go to a car show next day. On the 28th we attended the "8th Annual Great Scot! British Car Show" in conjunction with the Greenville Scottish Games (Greenville, SC). Officially 91 how cars from at least four different British car clubs, and a good time was had by all.


Next day we were in Cornelius, NC, tuning up an MGA including re-orienting the distributor drive gear. The following day a dinner meeting with Piedmont British Motor Club in Statesville, NC. A day later a visit in King, NC (some nice remote side roads to get there) to check out a 1980 MGB LE with under 400 original miles. We dusted it off, started it up, drove it 20 feet outside of the garage for a good warm up and photos, then put it away for posterity.


A day later we were in Shelby, NC, for a dinner meeting with about 40 members of Broad River European Motor Club. The Guru got to entertain the group with travel tales for a while, well received I recon. Then off to Hendersonville, NC, for a short visit with a Lotus 7 clone with a Honda motorcycle 1100-cc engine, turbo-charged with water injection intake cooler, red line at 11,000-rpm, about 240-hp (in case you can hang on to it long enough to try it out). I declined the offer for a test drive. June 4 off to Bessemer City, NC, for a picnic with Broad River European Motor Club. There we met an MGB GT with fresh restoration, still sporting a couple of zeros on the leading end of the odometer. Sluggish at low speed? Tech time. There was a quick switch to move the distributor vacuum connection from intake manifold to carburetor port, after which we expect it to run better.

On the 5th we had a longer side trip to visit Marian Inman in Hope Mills, NC. She recently inherited and MGA, a veritable barn full of spare parts, and a house full of memorabilia including over 6000 vintage automobile magazines from 140 different publishers. We spent the day sorting out everything I could identify as MG parts, a nearly overwhelming task. Then we were then off to Hickory, NC, to visit John Merhar. He has an MG TD with a racing history, and an MGB that hadn't run for decades. This was a long day nursing a Weber downdraft carburetor (needing an accelerator pump kit), a failed ignition relay, fresh gas, three quarts of oil for the engine (oops), a few corroded wire connectors, replace a fuel filter, but by day's end it was running.


We had on interesting tour of Carolina Industrial Equipment in Charlotte, NC, where they sell and service a wide variety of industrial vehicles and people carriers. One product line is the Segway scooters, including a 3-wheel police version that can cruise up to 25 mph (while you are standing up). But the real reason for being there was to see the owner's

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