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Re: depressed MGB GT owner

To: bmahoney@home.com
Subject: Re: depressed MGB GT owner
From: gofastmg@juno.com (Rick Morrison)
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 16:45:15 EDT
On Fri, 10 Jul 1998 09:25:38 -0500 Becky Mahoney <bmahoney@home.com>
writes:
>> Jon said:
>snip > I think that the GT looks better than the roadster, don't know
>why.
>
>snip> BUT:
>> > I thought that the GT was to small !! I am around 6"4' (or is it
>> > 6'4",? 193 cm anyway), with a VERY long back so I did not look to
>> > much at the MG.
>
>snip> There is something special with English cars .
>
>Jon:
>You don't need to apologize for difficulty translating into english!  
>I
>recognize and appreciate your intent and enjoy your sense of humour!  
>It
>is fortunate for everyone that different people like different things. 
>
>(that doesn't mean I can't give you a hard time about what you like!)
>
>I have never been able to see what others do in the GT.  The roadster 
>is
>just the most incredible car, IMO.  If I ever want to have a GT, I can
>get a hardtop for the roadster...That way I could have both. ;~)

Nope, 
 Then what you have is a GT WANNABE.  It still leaks, but now instead of
a soft top leaking, it's a hard top.
 Remember, there are about 5 or 6 roadsters out there for every 1 GT. So
if you want to be unique,you have a GT (too)

>Additionally, it would seem to me that someone that is tall would find
>it easier to enjoy a roadster since headroom isn't an issue. 

I'm not the tallest person in the world (5'9"), but in my GT I have more
head room than in my wife's Honda Accord.
 In fact, if  you take a tape to each, the roadster actually has a bit
less head room than the GT, which was built with a slightly higher roof
line than the roadster roof.
 Some of my taller friends tell me that in the GT, they don't feel like
they are having to bend down to see under the top windscreen frame.

 But then
>I'm only 5'1". (don't know that that would be in cm)  My challenge in 
>an
>MG, or any other car for that matter, is being able to reach the 
>pedals
>without having the rest of me crammed into the steering wheel. I
>describe my legs as 'stubs with feet attached' ;~) The first MG I ever
>sat in, because of the way they had the seats rigged, was not a good
>experience; there was absolutely no way I could reach the pedals and 
>see
>over the steering wheel at the same time.  I believe the owner had
>lowered the seat as much as possible and he had actually bolted the 
>seat
>directely to the floor.  I didn't buy that car...the mouse droppings 
>in
>it were more than I could take.  The car didn't even run....it 
>wouldn't
>surprise me if the mice had not added some tasty wires to their nest. 
>For many years I wished an MG could be in my garage, but just 'knew'
>that it wasn't gonna happen.  Why own a car that you can't
>drive...better to get something that you can reach the pedals in and 
>see
>out of at the same time.  (at one time I found myself wondering if a
>person could strap blocks of wood to the pedals...;~)  Fortunately for
>me, my love for these cars lead me to another one that I did get to
>drive.

 Seriously, Becky, There is a solution to the pedal problem, but it take
a friendly machinist/welder and a bit of time. A spare set of pedals
helps too.
  Have him cut the pedal pads off the pedal arms, and extend them an
extra 1" or so.
 It can be done. I did a similar thing to a Midget several years ago, for
a friend who's wife was only 5"3 and had much the same problem with
control placement. 
 The only caveat is just make sure the welder is GOOD. and that he makes
the best weld possible. A pedal snapping off is not conducive to good
personal hygine.


Rick Morrison (who drives a)
72 MGBGT
(or when he need to get wind in both of his hairs, has a )
74 Midget



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