The Steering Column
Left Hand Drive from our President

Midway into the driving season and what a great season it’s been so far! Great friends and weather with minimal break downs have combined to make this a wonderful year for driving.

The 1979 Mustard (yellow) B is nearing completion. All that’s left do the body work on the Aluminum Bonnet I pick up at the Swap Meet this spring for $50 (what a deal) and get some paint on it. Then get the windscreen frame back from Lo-Ko Proformance Coating and reassemble it with new glass and seals. I’ve heard this can be a lot of fun so I might be looking for some assistance on this one. Then it’s drop her back down, fire up the engine and back on the road. Then it’s onto the next project.

Well the 1977 Blue B V8 needs a new cooling system. All this time I thought either the gauge was bad or the sensor, but it turns out both were fine, and I’ve been running with the engine a little hot. So, I picked up a bigger Crossflow Radiator and a larger volume electric fan which will require more metal cutting and fabricating to get them installed. So, I’ll more than likely wait till the winter to start this project. The TR6 needs a new muffler but I feel I shouldn’t mention that here. Oops I just did. Disregard the last statement. Then there’s the MGA project I picked up from a friend of a friend of Dino which DISASSEMBLED it COMPLETELY!!! Yes, I mean EVERYTHING! A daunting task to say the least. I’m not sure if all the parts are even here. Box after box, coffee can after coffee can of nuts and bolts and parts some known some unrecognizable. I think I’ll be setting this one aside till I have time and help to take an inventory and make an assessment.

Then there’s The First Lady’s (Kerry) 1966 Mustang GT that needs an engine rebuild but again this isn’t the place to bring it up, so I won’t. Oops did it again!

The club Project MGA is coming along. With new ignition parts we got her started! The new brake components have been installed along with new axle seals. Now we just need to bleed the brake hydraulics and hope the master brake cylinder is ok. Then it’s onto the exhaust assembly I think we have all the parts to make it work. Time will tell.

As for Bill Kalafut’s project The MG YB it’s starting to make a little headway. Still more Metal fabricating ahead but progress is being made. Check in with Bill for details and updates.

The Traveling Mechanics are still on the road. If you’re looking for help don’t hesitate to call, text or email. Call first before spending thousands of $$$$$$ at a shop that rarely works on British Cars and charges $150/hr.

(Continued on page 4)

	The Steering Column
	Right Hand Drive   from our Vice-President

Homage to Another Orphan

There has always been a destination on our “to visit list”. Notre Dame.

Sandy and I recently loaded up the car (no not the MG this time) and made the 142 mile trip to visit the home of “Rudy”. Staying at the on campus afforded us the opportunity to walk around and see all of the points of interest. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart was just amazing. It’s beauty is breathtaking. If you take a short walk down the incline behind the Basilica you come to the famous Grotto. These two sights alone were worth the near three hour drive. However, the best was yet to come. In our possession were tickets to tour the famous Notre Dame football stadium!

Now I was never a real ND fan. I did however enjoy Pat O’Brien and Ronald Reagan in “The Gipper”. And I think I speak for many when I praise the movie “Rudy”. What a great underdog film. But I have to say, after our tour I became a disciple of the blue and gold.

We sat in the athletic director’s skybox. Sandy got to slap the famous “Play Like a Champion Today” sign just like every ND player does before a home game. We walked out the player’s tunnel. And most important, we paraded onto the field. This is the field that was home to one of my favorite football players. None other than Alan Page of the Minnesota Vikings. So yes, now I am a fan. What a moving experience.
Now to the point of my story.

In the world of classic cars, the term “orphan” refers to a marquee that no longer has a parent company in operation. Even though we all know tha MG is the favorite orphan of the civilized world, there are others out there.

While in South Bend, Sandy and I visited the home of such a car. The Studebaker National Museum. As a child I remember my mother claiming that her old Studebaker was the best car she ever owned. We saw all vintages of Studebakers from the first covered wagon they produced in the mid 1800’s up to the last model to roll off their assembly plant in 1967. In addition, there are many unbelievable models representing other manufactures.

I know the CMGC did visit there a few years ago on the annual Amtrak trip. But if you missed it and are ever in the area, I strongly suggest a visit to this museum.

Now, a good son never disputes his mother. However, when I asked a man at the museum if the Studebaker was a high-end automobile, his answer was “when stopping for fuel, an owner would ask for $2 in gas and fill the oil”. Sounds like a few MG’s I know.

~~ Phil Wydra

Drive safe my friends