Tom:
You can leave the trunk open without draining the battery by disconnecting
the purple and black wire from the switch located at the right side of the
trunk. That circuit is switched by the ground, so there is no risk of
anything shorting out with the disconnected wire left dangling there. I
would put the top up, but I would latch it. If you don't latch it now, you
won't be able to get it to latch if you should get a wild hair and decide
that you want to take a winter drive. The full tank of fuel is a good idea
to keep moisture from rusting the inside of the fuel tank, but add a fuel
stabilizer so that you won't have to discard the fuel come spring. I grew
up in Anchorage, Alaska, and my dad had MG's off and on as daily drivers.
Best bet to avoid all of the storage woes is to keep the snow shoveled from
in front of your garage, and take the car out on a clear day once a week.
Put a 50 lb bag of sand behind the seats and these LBC's handle great in the
snow. I lived in the Sierra Mountains one winter. I wish I would have
taken a picture of my little midget with my ski's on ski racks on the hard
top parked between Tahoes and Suburbans in front of the ski lodge, as it was
quite a sight (lots of suprised looks and smiles).
74 Midget
78 Midget
63 Falcon
http://personalweb.sunset.net/~davidr
----- Original Message -----
From: <Tomsjetta@aol.com>
To: <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, November 15, 1999 9:16 PM
Subject: The Wintry Midget
> I am aware that there are guides out there regarding winter storage of our
> LBC's, but I'm not sure if I'm in a unique situation or not. This will be
my
> first winter with my Midget, and I want to make sure I take good care of
her.
>
> First of all, I live in CT, and it has been getting cold, so I have not
been
> driving her much at all. For the past few weeks, I've taken her for a spin
> once a week. Except for the last time, she started up on the first try,
and
> has driven as good as any other time. The car had a new battery installed
in
> August, and that was the last time the oil was changed.
>
> The gasket on the valve cover is shot, and is clearly leaking oil. I have
the
> gasket, but no torque wrench. I do not want to tighten it too hard. Plus,
I
> am afraid the throttle cord will snap since it goes right over the valve
> cover. I know that for a couple bucks my mechanic will do it right, with
no
> hassle.
>
> My garage is nothing to brag about. It's been standing since 1940, and has
no
> electricity. A loft covers half the front end, so I can't fully open the
> hood; with no light in there, it wouldn't matter anyways. At this point,
all
> I'm making sure of is that the car sits with a full tank of gas.
>
> Obviously, once the snow starts falling, I will stop taking the car out.
> Given my limitations, what should I do with the car-anything? In the very
> least, I'd like to start her up for a while once every weekend. MG World
says
> to keep the hood and trunk open to allow for air passage. I can't do that
> with the trunk, since the light would drain the battery. Also, they
recommend
> having the top up, but not latched. Should I do this?
>
> I realize I don't have the perfect home for my car, but it's all I've got.
> And no, before you ask, I do not have a cover, and yes, I am noticing some
> dust accumulation.
>
> So list, let's hear what you have to say to this mechanically simple
man....
>
> Tom
> 78 Midget
> Drafty garage, no electricity, no cover, no tools, 400 yards from Long
Island
> Sound.
>
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