The Steering Column
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Left Hand Drive
from our President
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We’re Back Baby!
February 17, 2020. That was the date of the last in person meeting for the general membership of the Chicagoland MG Club. Seventeen months. This has been way to long for a club like ours to be on a social sabbatical.
It has been a frustrating period to say the least. To mask or not to mask, that is the question. How close is too close? Can we socialize with friends and family? When will things return to normal? We all have our own idea as to what normal may be.
However, I am pleased to announce that the July general meeting of the CMGC will be in person. On July 19th the club’s meeting will be held at Mr. Beef and Pizza located at 1796 South Elmhurst Road, Mt. Prospect, phone 847-228-1210. The British Car Union along with other car clubs also meet at this location.
When looking to resume in person meetings, I found that most of the suitable venues in the Rt. 83 North Avenue area were either closed on Mondays or would not reserve a room for us.
By the time we meet, the club will already have held three driving events. There was the Spring Chicken Run, the Lake County Tour and the Run to Blackhawk Farms Raceway. Not a bad start coming off a driving season that all but disappeared last year.
The club has some new members, some new driving events planned and a new place to meet. Let’s continue to make the 2021 driving season something to celebrate.
Stay safe my friends,
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The Steering Column
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Right Hand Drive
from our Vice-President
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Have you heard the old saying, “a good car gets you from point A to point B…great cars…well they just get you into trouble.
And so it goes. Just days before my trip to Atlantic City, NJ (NAMBGR) I received a call from Rusty Moose Garage in Grand Haven, MI. This gem of a place hidden behind trees and a long winding dusty path specializes in restoration of MG’s. My windshield was in-house and ready to be installed. I just needed to bring the car to them. I made the four-hour trek there with no problem and in a short time the windshield was installed. This is where my story gets better. On my way home near the Lincoln Oasis off Rt. 80 my clutch went out. Seven hours later I was back home courtesy of AAA. The next day I called a few members for? a bit of guidance. I remember a close friend always telling me to make sure the reservoir for a clutch master cylinder is always filled with dot 4. But of course, it takes me awhile to understand what he meant and oh I learned the hard way. The next day another member looked over the car and filled the reservoir with dot 4, took it for a drive and it was shifting perfectly. Yeaaa, the car was fixed. I will never leave the garage until I check the reservoir and will always carry a bottle of dot 4 in my boot.
Two nights before I was going to leave for NJ. I decided to change the oil on my own. I have on numerous occasions observed members change the oil on their cars and even watched John Twist change oil on you tube. I said to myself, I got this. I went underneath the car and removed the nut on the drain pan. The oil drained nicely, I replaced the new filter and made sure the seal was covered with oil. The car gulped about 4 quarts. I thought, this is a piece of cake, until I started the car and suddenly oil leaked out everywhere. It was like a horror scene, dark blood slowly emerged from underneath the car and was everywhere on my garage floor. This very scene happened twice, I crossed threaded the filter. It took three times until I felt the oil filter screwed on properly. No, spills occurred when the car started. On the other hand, the garage was a huge sandbox. My partner cleaned the garage while I was washed the car for our trip. Afterall, we cannot have a dirty car on the road lol. Just another skill set added to my toolbox.
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July 2021
