Bill Y:
> > I just got a good look at a TC that an acquaintance has had in storage
> > for the past 17 years. The car appears to be absolutely complete, with
> > no rusted panels that I could see or feel, and no wood problems either
> > that I could detect.
Regardless of anything else, you *will* need:
-Tyres
-All rubber in the hydraulic system- seals, boots, hoses. You may find stuck
cylinders, which may be salvageable.
-All new fluids
-Possibly some new body rubber
-various tune-up bits & seals
-Pull the pan, clean out any sludge, and check the bearing slop at the same
time. It's almost free. (The price of a gasket, or sealant)
Ray G:
> It sounds reasonable to me.
Yea, me too, maybe. The more expensive things on this car would be a
full engine/tranny rebuild, or a rebody. Do a compression check, at least.
> is the upholstery good enough to be used? Leather is not cheap.
True. But, you can drive with slightly tatty leather, or even (gasp) Vinyl!
> even if you do most of the work yourself you will
> probably have $20K in it by the time it hits the road, unless you want a
> show car, in which case you will spend even more.
Baloney! Excuse my reaction, but you don't have to spend a fortune to own,
drive, and enjoy these cars! That's one of the real nice things about MG's in
peticular- parts are still very available, and are fairly priced. Even for
the Pre-war models.
When I got my MG PA, it was in similar condition (Probably not as good,
actually) and hadn't gone 100 miles in over 15 years. It had been painted
during that time, but had an engine file as well. It needed to have some
things corrected (like wiring, and valve timing off by 30+ degrees!), but I
got it driveable for something like $100-150 in parts, and drove it around
some that season. I've since put another couple hundred in various bits,
spent about $500 on a set of 5 tyres, and I've put several hundred miles on
it. Certainly enough to enjoy the car, and keep it alive, for under $1000.
It really does want the wheels re-spoked, and some work on the steering box.
Some day, it will even get an engine rebuild- the babbit bearings are a bit
loose, and the rings could use help. It will probably get paint first, as
there's a large area where paint had been burnt off top of the bonnet, which
I've done rustoleum red, which blends with the car's red from a distance.
The paint is cracked and peeling in places. None of that has kept me from
driving it around, and taking it to the MMM Raid in New England in '91, or
the Victor, NY show last year.
There's several SOL'ers who have seen, ridden in, and even driven this car.
I don't remember any of them suggesting that I really shouldn't use it before
I've spent a large sum of money to do so!
In another couple years, once my house is finished, I'll have time to do
more major work on it, but it will always be a driver. The interior is done
very nicely in vinyl, and I see no need to change it. The dash is no longer
the original wood & guages, but a nicely done engine-turned aluminium job,
with TC guages. Suits me just fine. Some of the chrome & nickel is worn or
pitted- I suppose I may do the worst off bits, but a few dings or spots add
character!
Yea, it really wants stuff done, and then I'll just have to drive it harder,
and a lot more often! I probably drive it more as is than many pampered
cars. Once I do rebuild a few things, I'll probably do some long distance
tours, or maybe a bit of vintage racing with it. The car is 60 years old this
year, and it's in no hurry, so neither am I.
For the time and money we do spend on our cars, we could probably have one
or 2 prefect cars, but that wouldn't be nearly as much fun as a variety of
usable cars. I've never bought a new car. Why bother? I enjoy having a
wardrobe...
________________________________________________________
Roger Garnett (Roger_Garnett@cornell.edu)
"The South Lansing Centre For Wayward Sports Cars"
"All donations of stray, orphaned, odd, neglected, etc.
sports cars and bits in need of a good home accepted."
"The drop off bin is right there- behind the barn..."
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