At 08:34 AM 1/31/96 -0500, you wrote:
>Fellow fiends:
>
>My inane questions regarding winter usage of MGs continues!
It was the summer of '65, the'57 Ply.conv. I was driving had thrown
a rod and I was getting desparate for a set of wheels. A co-worker of my Dad
had this MG to sell and I made the deal sight unseen (hoping it was TC or
TD). On arriving at the sellers home to finish the the deal I discover a
blue '58 MGA roadster(WOW looks a little like a Cobra). This LBC turns out
to be the best $300 I have ever spent.
I drove that car hard thru all seasons in upstate NY for five years.
The only problems starting in the winter were caused by the helmet style
battery connections. Once I figured that out and the fact that four battery
connections cause twice the trouble as two(the clue here is I went to one
12v) I was not let down again.
Of course the engine must be maintained, with all Lucas components
being in excellent condition,Su's in harmony and a good feel for using the
manual choke.
My biggest problem in the winter was the sliding plexi-glass in the
side curtains tending to freeze shut, a real problem in an MGA which doesn't
have door handles.
As for winter driving fun this LBC just couldn't be beat. With a
good set of snows I found the only thing that would stop it was a 3 or 4
foot snowdrift. Learning about power turns, handbrake turns and the delicate
touch of the throttle on the back roads of upstate New York brings was an
experience to be remembered.
'58,'59,'60 MGAs,'67,'70 MGBs
Yup I still have the '58 and as soon as I finish the frame up on the '59
she'll get the treatment.
Bill Glanville
glanvill@frontiernet.net
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