Todd Mullins quoted:
"Bragging about the reliability of a certain component
will unfailingly bring about the demise of said
component."
Boy, do I know about that!
Twenty years ago, when I had my first 'B (a '66), I arranged a first
date with a gorgeous young lady for a Saturday night. We and two
other couples were going out for dinner and an evening at the
theatre. I went to pick her up in the B, and as I was waiting
(comment on that at your own risk!), her father began asking me about
the car. He wanted to know if I had any starting problems because his
son had an Austin Marina and had had no end of difficulties starting
it. I blithely replied, "No. Never. I've never had a problem." Which
was entirely true for the two years I'd had the car...up to that
moment!
We went out to the car, I turned the key and...nothing. Not a click,
not a tremor. Lot's of gas, no lack of eletrical power. They had one
of those driveways that slopes steeply down to the garage, and her
poor father had to push me up out of his driveway with his car, which was no
small
feat with the bumper height differential.
One of the other couples had to pick us up. We had 5 minutes for
dinner. At least the show was good. We never went out again.
As for the car, we push started it after we brought her home. It
turned out to be a dead segment on the starter motor. Funny how it
chose that exact moment to fail...
Dave Etherington '73 MGB
Toronto Ontario '85 Prelude
detherin@interlog.com
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