MGA Guru Gone Mobile

While finishing up last month's report we got a phone call requesting more assistance. This called for a return to Lexington, South Carolina to "resume" some work on Dave Daniel's MG TF. After lots of work (and frustration) a few months earlier patching up the original wiring, Dave bit the bullet and bought a new wiring harness. That didn't sound like too much of a chore, but nothing is easy with these old beasts. The replacement harness had no bulb sockets and very few wire terminals (grrrr), requiring a good dose of soldering tricks. The wiper motor was defunct, and may need more attention later, the wiring diagram did not match the devices, and the wiper switch is apparently in some inaccessible space above the glove box on driver's side. We touched up one original horn to be reinstalled, had to toss out a vintage illuminated cigar lighter that looked good but wasn't, and spent too much time restoring operation of the vacuum controlled time delay turn signal switch. After a week of fiddling it was a running road legal car again. Wheeew! Having spent a lot of time on my back under the dash and more time on my back on the floor, I recon I collected some back problems lasting for a week afterward (but such is life). Then we were after his MGA to fix the turn signal switch, flasher unit, indicator light, relocate the fuel pump, and I recon that car should now be a reliable daily driver.

Then we took a short trip to the east end of Columbia to visit Elliot Cox, where I got to adjust and tune triple SU carbs on a Jaguar E-type. Count one happy Jag that hadn't run right for quite some time.

A couple days later we were in Albany, GA to help Bill Waller revive a 1969 MGB which was his daily driver for many years, but had sat idle for many years. We installed a replacement fuel pump, removed a clogged fuel filter, fixed some wiring problems cleaned ignition points, got spark from the coil but not the plugs. Had to call it a day when it needed new spark wires which we did not have. Would return to this one later.

On Saturday 11/5 we were in Columbus, GA to spend time with Phillip Clark doing rear brake work on his MGB. After considerable work time, we found improperly modified hand brake levers making the hand brake non-functional. Bummer, order parts and come back to this later. Also, spend a bit of time on clutch hydraulics before calling it a day.

A few days later we were in rural Hamilton, GA (north of Columbus) helping Ray Mobley revive a 1967 Volvo 122. This required a lot of work on the SU carburetors, but by day's end it was running (first time in many years, as usual).

Between 11/11 and 11/15 we were racking up miles shop hopping in Georgia, visiting more than 15 shops that work on vintage British cars. We found a few that were long since closed a couple under new management, several alive and well, and a couple new ones (good news). After some time revising the Shops list, we count 120 shops (out of 700 on the list) that we have so far visited and verified working.

When passing in the area we stopped one evening for a return visit with Frank Chance in Richmond Hill, GA. We were just checking on progress of his MGA Fun Buggy.

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