SOL,
Hello all! I've just returned from my first real road trip in the '77 MGB
and it was, to say the least, an exhilarating adventure! We started out
here, in Melbourne (FL) and motored I95 to Jacksonville, I10 to Lakeland,
and I75 through Georgia to Atlanta, top down most of the way (serious wind/sun
burn...and me, from Florida). The second day we made it from Atlanta thru
Chattanooga, Knoxville, Lexington (KY) to our final destination, Maysville,
KY, and our Twenty Fifth High School Reunion! Of the original '69 Class of
30, 21 made it, and the MGB was a big hit. The hills and valleys along the
Ohio river valley near Maysville, complete with tree shaded winding country
roads, green pastures, endless corn and tobacco fields, and beautiful
weather contributed to our nastalgic return to our teens. (My wife and I have
been together in one form or another since the seventh grade!) We stayed in the
area for three days reminising with many old classmates and friends and touring
in a way that can only be experienced in a roadster. We began our return with
a side trip to Cincinnati, and down I75 thru Lexington and Knoxville. At
Knoxville we made a spontaneous decision to return via 441 thru the Smokies
and the Carolinas. After a night in hyper-commercialized Gatlinburg, we started
up through the National Park, again with the top down and werecompletely soaked
with fog and dew by the time we reached the summit. The MGB strained only
slightly on the hairpins and the only time I had to down shift to second
was on the pig-tail turn half-way up. From this point, our adventure started
down hill...in more ways than one! We descended into Cherokee, NC in pouring
rain and proceeded down through the Carolinas and Georgia through a series
of thunderstorms and bright sunny skies (we've become experts with the
idiosyncratic MGB convertible top...) Along about Savanah,GA and Jacksonville
FL, we ran into a real gully washer and literally drowned the LBC (LUCAS Basket
Case?) to the point of flashing ignition light and very, very dim tail lights.
I pulled under an I95 Overpass (remembering where I was;) to let the
storm lessen a little, and the MGB moaned and died. One hour later, after
patting the electricals dry and checking every connector, I flagged a passing
motorist/samaritan who supplied a jump start (you battery is where?) through
the rear window. We limped the rest of the way home with intermittant threats
by the MGB to refuse to idle or run smoothly at low rpm. After pulling in the
driveway and shutting her down (the MGB, not the wife) she refused to restart.
I have let her bake in the sun now for three days, and most everything has
dried out thoroughly. After checking all the connections again, this time
with an ohm meter, I've narrowed the absence of any spark to the after-market
retrofitted electronic ignition. The LED/sensor in the distributor shows narry
a glimmer (unless it's infrared or something I'm unfamiliar with) and the
output volatages read well below 12v. I'm relatively new to electronic
ignitions, particularly retro-fits. Does anyone out there have any tips
on the best replacement make/model to purchase? Best source? Tuning tips? etc.
Aside from drenching the ignition, our 2300 mile jaunt was quite wonderful
and mechanically uneventful. Truly an adventure Karen and I will share for
a long time to come. We're already planning a short hop to Sebring and the
Keys later this year.
John Blenke
'77 MGB
|