In message <9311021922.AA00433@apple.com> Rik Schlierer writes:
>
> I read your posting about customizing the GT. It sounds like
> an impressive looking beastie. It was interesting, however to
> see your plans, considering that you thought a racing stripe
> on the TR3 would be garish. (Just teasing)
>
Acting stuff deleted (Good Luk though!)
Rik,
Actually, the vision is a lot more impressive than the beastie currently looks.
It is BRG but needs paint badly and has a small ding on each front wing. The
wire wheels have worn hubs & broken spokes.
Interesting you should bring up my differing philosophies between the BGT & 3.
I was just pondering that recently myself. I'm spiffing up the looks of the BGT
& leaving the drive train stock, and making the body and overall look of the 3
as stock as possible, but playing games with the drive train and suspension.
I think I am very strongly influenced by the other cars I see and the opinions
of their owners. I also percieve the 3 as being both classic and a fun car, and
the BGT as as being the staid commute car that could use some jazzing up to make
it a bit more interesting. I see Bs all the time and do not really think of
them as being classics. Where as most everyone I know, including me, looks on
the 3 as being a classic. I go to an event like the Portland All British Field
Meet and see this row of TR2-3Bs all trying to look better than new. I see the
more laid back MGB owners with a mixture of restored stock cars and mildly
customized fun cars.
I originally purchased the 3 to be a fun play car, and have also come to believe
in it as a classic. So I'm compromising, trying to leave the appearence as
stock as possible and making it capable of playing hard.
The BGT was purchased to be a dependable all weather commute car. I was looking
for something that was not too abysmal, that was reasonably weather tight,
dependable, got good petrol milage, and could carry a bale of hay and some feed
sacks in a pinch if needed.
But its performance is just not up to TR3 standards. For as long as I've had
the BGT, I've debated upon selling off for a TR4, Jensen Healey, Stag converted
to the Rover V8 or some such. The BGT just wasn't very interesting. Well, I
put the overdrive transmission in her & she was considerably better on the
highway. I took the rubber 'spring' off the driver's seat bottom, lowering the
driver's seating and found myself in a better driving position. I looked at
Scott Fisher's B's new minilite repro wheels and thought they look super. But
it still didn't do the trick. I looked at the plain Jane BGT and looked at
other cars in my budget range & still was not satisfied. Last Sept. at the
Portland meet, I pulled myslef away from the Land Rover crowd, and the line of
TR2-3Bs to take a look at the Bs. Afterall, I do have one & I should at least
check them out....
There were a number of mildly customized BGTs that looked really nice! exciting
even. I talked to a couple of the owners & looked at several cars & said Hmmmm.
I thought they would look terrible without the chrome strip...wrong. The chrome
strip distracts the eye from the lines of the BGT and breaks the car up. The
bumper overriders and badging look too crowded and also breaks the lines up.
Looking at BGTs without all the add ons I saw the results of Italian styling on
the basic roadster design. Striped of all the add ons, the BGT looks like she
belongs in with classic limited edition cars. There was beauty hidden under all
that chrome. A British Italian born design showing traits of both parents, the
British design and the Italian styling over the basic MGB. It was hidden there,
wanting to get out and play. Well, since I still need a dependable economical
commute car and she still has to pass regular SMOG inspections, I'm not running
out and turning her into a BGT V8, but I'm going to at least let her look as
exciting as her lines can let her.
Now if I could just afford a big Healey 3000 two seater
TeriAnn
TeriAnn Wakeman One of these days, I'll be old enough that
twakeman@apple.com people will stop calling me crazy and start
LINK: TWAKEMAN calling me eccentric.
408-974-2344 TR3A - TS75519L, MGBGT - GHD4U149572G, 109 - 164000561
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