I will start at the beginning. In the autumn of 1960, a farmer in
Illinois who owned MGTF 1500 HDA46-7949, loaned the car to his
brother-in-law for a short trip. Several days later, the car was
returned with a broken crank shaft. The engine was removed and taken
apart, an old TD engine purchased to get the crank shaft, but then no
further work was done on the car. It was pushed into the barn and the
farmer's son played racecar driver in it and broke just about everything
that was glass or chrome or looked like it needed to be hit with a blunt
instrument.
Fast forward to 1995. The farmer and his wife are getting a divorce and
one of the few things that he gets is the bedraggled and much ignored MG
which he had to move to his place of business. Enter a used truck
dealer from Holland, Michigan, who was there to buy two mobile cranes.
The TF was thrown into the deal somehow and the cranes and the TF and a
"pallet of parts" put on the flatbed truck to return to Holland. After
the man's mechanic and body man refused to have anything to do with
rebuilding the car, he decided to sell it.
Enter Yours Truly. Several weeks earlier, in August of 1995, I had sold
my 79 MGB and sworn off foreign cars. This man's brother came to me and
asked if I would like to take a look at an old MG. If there was ever a
time I needed to be out of my office, it was then. Needless to say, I
fell in love with the car. I had to have it in spite of the lack of
many of the engine parts, the sad condition of the car and the family of
mice living in the passenger side uphostery (is it any wonder that my
wife has named the car "Minnie").
Fast forward to today. The car now has the rebuilt engine installed in
the renovated and repainted frame. The new tires are installed on the
renovated suspension and brake system. The rebuilt transmission is
connected to the engine and the rebuilt rear end. The new wiring
harness has been run as far as possible to the car - no fenders so no
head or tail lights. The renovated gas tank has fuel in it and is ready
to supply the new fuel pump and then the rebuilt carbs. The new battery
is wired in place.
With the help of a good friend, the timing and points are set. After
cranking the engine without plugs to assure oil pressure, the engine was
started and ran like a clock. The car was then driven around the yard.
This is the first time the car has moved under its own power since 1960
- 37 and a half years! My wife says that I was grinning like an idiot.
And that is how I spent my Sunday afternoon.
Ed Curtis
'55 MGTF
curtis@hayburn.com
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