So...were you rootin' for the Kiwi's or the Brumbies?
Steve Conley
Marysville, WA USA
'76 MGB Roadster
GHN5UG393585G
mailto:swconley@foxinternet.net
MGB Online = http://web3.foxinternet.net/swconley
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net]On
Behalf Of Neil Cotty
Sent: Monday, July 05, 1999 2:15 AM
To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: The MG Gods were smiling! - longish
Hi all,
Well I made it back from my trip to Canberra on the weekend, the A in one
piece, but thanks only to the intervention of the God of MG. I think I
mentioned to the list that I had a loose fanbelt earlier in the week. Well I
found out why 1/3rd of the way to Canberra, seemingly in the middle of
nowhere - some little town outside of Wollongong. (A good name for our non
Aussies!) I had stopped there as I noticed the vibration was back, luckily
there was a spare parts shop as I'd stupidly left my box of spanners at
home. So I bought a couple of 1/2" spanners to adjust the belt again and a
spare fanbelt. I tightened it all up out front of the shop. Well something
should've clicked right about then, but my brain was in Rugby fest mode. <G>
So I got about 100m up the road and it starts again, so I pull over to the
side of the road outside this house with a speedboat parked in the driveway.
I was feeling pretty p***** off by this stage as I could see my weekend
disappearing down the plug 'ole. We had to be in Canberra by 6:30 to get to
the Rugby on time!! ARGGHHH!! This was getting SERIOUS!!!!! ;)
A couple of minutes later as I was struggling to remove the belt, this guy
sticks his head under my bonnet and scares the s*** out of me as I didn't
hear him coming! Anyway he proceeds to take over the job, showing me what
I'm doing wrong etc (and probably thinking I'm a pansy coz I'm wearing
gloves - HEY the radiator was HOT!), and I'm thinking - ok, who is this guy,
where did he come from etc etc. Ok I admit, I was feeling a bit peeved as I
had no idea who he was!! <G> Anyway I swallowed my pride and allowed him to
touch my 'baby' figuring he had a good 30yrs on me and must know a thing or
two. ;) Right about then I say - 'Oh so you've worked on a few cars then?'.
He says 'Aha, owned a few MG's too.'. I say 'Oh right, what?'. 'Well I've
got a TA in the Garage over there'...... WHAT!? Right then I think I went
bright red. lol! In the space of one sentence I realised I parked outside
this guys house, who owned a TA (since 1948 for gods sake!!), who was nice
enough to come out of his house to give me a hand and *I* was giving him a
narky attitude!!!! *gulp* It seems he'd ran an auto business started in the
20's by his father. So ahem, a *bit* of experience. WHOOPS! <G> I somehow
managed to rescue the situation (I think). He also got his own back to a
certain extent when he knocked the bonnet stay and it collapsed smack bang
on the top of my skull. <G> Yes I had a tennis ball sized wake up call. :) I
still have it. lol!
Anyhow, it seems the car had stripped the lower nut that's welded onto the
dynamo support bracket. So the bolt had fallen out. No wonder I could move
the thing without having to loosen the lower bolt! DUH! I had plain forgot
about that bolt when the thing moved straight away after I loosened the top
two. Well one new bolt later, some food, chat & cold drinks and we had a
look in the Garage. Yes there was the gorgeous original, unrestored 1936 TA,
an amazing 1948 Norton motorcycle (and 2-3 other modern ones), a Holden FJ
and a stack of photo's, memorabilea etc! Wow. Aparently a Q type resides in
this little town along with a stack of other MG's.
So why exactly I choose to pull up outside that house, I'll never know and
heck I didn't even spot the MG Windvane proudly aloft the garage roof! There
must be a God - an MG god. :) It even helps dummies like me. <G>
So thanks Claude! You're a life saver!
BTW We ended up making it to Canberra in time to watch the Kiwi's demolish
the Brumbies. Heh heh. <G> Oh yeah - and Neil O. - someone has to do
something about that weather down there! Mate it's FREEEEZZZINNNGG!!!!!
Cheers,
Neil.
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