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Re: A Daily Driver Falling off the Wagon

To: barneymg@ntsource.com
Subject: Re: A Daily Driver Falling off the Wagon
From: nogera1@juno.com (r c nogueira)
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 14:35:59 -0500
Hey Barney ;
Thanks for the words of encouragement. Problem is I Just finished the
rebuild on the Morgan .  The Alaska trip took its toll.  180 Paint chips,
four cracks in the chassis, and a engine rebuild. 
BTW  Your web page on the Speedy Sleeve came in  handy as I needed to
install one on the front pulley .

Bob Nogueira 



On Tue, 22 Sep 1998 03:47:53 Barney Gaylord <barneymg@ntsource.com>
writes:
>At 11:54 PM 9/21/98 -0500, bob nogueira wrote:
>>.... I've been driving my MGBGT as my daily driver for the past 9 
>years
>.... it has required  almost no  maintenance. 
>>
>>My problem is that it  has reached the point where everything needs
>redoing,  I Figure I'm looking at 1500.00 for a engine rebuild, 
>1000.00 for
>an interior, 600.00 to buy paint and materials for a refinish. Throw 
>in
>tires, a new steering wheel, new windshield and I'll have another 3000 
>to
>4000 dollars in the car plus  months of labor. The idea of just 
>parking it
>and  picking up a  more conventional  daily driver is growing 
>appealing. ....
>
>Whoa there, Bob.  As it has been a reliable car and a daily driver, it
>should remain that way.  Don't throw in the towel just because it's 
>time
>for a little scheduled maintainance.  A totally fresh engine should be 
>less
>than $1000 if you do the R&R and most of the assembly work yourself.  
>After
>that, just how urgent is the rest of the stuff?  A do-it-yourself 
>paint job
>is pretty cheap, and the tires are a periodic item with whatever you 
>drive.
> Windscreen glass is not too expensive, and do you really need a new
>steering wheel for a daily driver?  Go at it a little at a time, maybe 
>over
>a year or so if you're getting stressed out over a tight schedule, and 
>next
>thing you know it's ready for another 100,000 miles.
>
>I think the key to keeping it running indefinitely is to treat 
>everything
>as peridoic and preventative maintainance.  Do the engine when it 
>needs it,
>do the paint when it needs it, etc, etc.  Don't try to do it all at 
>once,
>and do try to keep it on the road as much as possible with the 
>shortest
>possible layovers.  Do the engine in a few weeks time, get it back on 
>the
>road, take a break for a while.  Ditto with the paint job, do that by
>itself and get it done in short order, take another break for a while, 
>and
>drive the wheels off of it.  By that time it'll be back in such good 
>shape
>that you wouldn't consider retiring it, and there isn't all that much 
>money
>involved (yet).
>
>A good incentive to do the interior might be an upcoming car show 
>(after
>the engine and paint).  Start dropping hints about window glass anad
>interior kits around the holidays.  And "We wouldn't have to buy 
>another
>car for years" can work wonders, as long as you don't have to actually 
>mean
>it.
>
>Keep the faith, Bob.  Give it another life.
>
>Barney Gaylord
>1958 MGA with an attitude (and maybe another 40 good years left in it)
>
>


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