I adopted my fathers' 1968 MGBGT around 1982 while still in
college. The car was purchased new by him, driven daily (5 mi round-trip),
and had a whopping 40k original miles. The maintenance history was
fair, having mainly been worked on by an enthusiastic, but only
marginally competant out of work electrician/mechanic. This guy could
handle brakes and tune-ups, but Lucas electrics were just too much for
him.
I was always a pretty good mechanic, and took over the car as
my main transportation. I drove it for about 6 years until I bought a
2-car garage with a house. Unfortunately the 30 minute Massachusetts
commute coupled with the ungodly insurance premiums forced me to park
it (INSIDE of course !).
This year, as I was working on the garage, a friend came over
and asked "How come you don't drive it ?". Forgetting about the 2
times I was stranded, the outrageously expensive parts, and the hours
of tinkering, (and a 30th birthday looming), I answered "Gee, that's a
good question, maybe I SHOULD put it on the road". So I commenced to
get it going... 2 Lucas batteries, alternator, fuel pump, and $500
worth of insurance later, it was on the road. Then, the RH front shock
went. Bob and Bob from Foreign Parts Unlimited in Somerville Ma.
(GREAT guys BTW !, some prices better than Moss...) recommended a set
of SPAX for the front. I figured it was worth it, and it was. Replaced
all the rubber brake lines at the same time. Then the SU's started
acting up. Turns out the floats were damn near shot, and the needles
and jets sat much too long... Bob and Bob had the answer in one word -
"Weber". So I put that in, and was again happy with the results. I
finally decided to brave the commute to work, all went well until I
started losing power... Pulled over, opened the hood and noticed the
fuel-filter FULL of rust... Yep, you guessed it - Fuel tank. So I put
a new one in AFTER using slushing compound from MOSS - (GREAT stuff...
it looks like I vinyl-coated the tank, let you know in 10 years how it
works). Then I noticed that it was sagging in the rear... New
leaf-springs. (Done at the same time as tank, amazing how much room
there is after the tank is out).
It's running GREAT now ! Was it worth it ? YES ! So, my
contribution to this group is a helpful hint for everyone with a LBC.
Ever wonder how to clean the female side of a bullet connector ? The
male is easy, just a little steel-wool, but the female is tough. The
answer is: .22 caliber bronze bore-brush. Push it through, twist while
pulling it back, and the inside will be shiny and corrosion free... ENJOY !
--
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Scott F. Conti scott@math.umass.edu
Director, Math RCF
Dept. Math & Statistics Office-(413) 545-3254
University of Massachusetts Fax - (413) 545-1801
Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
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