Will Zehring's recent posting (in part):
"I mean, you're not going to be changing the synchros by the side of
the road, are you?"
I had to chuckle, Will, thinking back to 1986 and the "Ocean-To-Ocean
T Tourist Trophy" trip we made with 50 TC's, TD's, TF's....there was
even one pre-war TA or TB, from Holland as I recall...from New Jersey
to California and back, about 7000 miles in 3 weeks. Running 300 - 400
miles a day was a little rough, and as you'd imagine we had a wide
variety of breakdowns: besides the ordinary (generators, flat tyres,
fuel pumps, belts, etc) we repaired/replaced burnt valves, faulty
pilot bearings, freeze plugs, main bearings, brakes, axle seals and
broken half-shaft...we even replaced an engine in a motel parking lot
in the rain with no special tools....uh, unless you count the turkey
baster we used to prime the oil pump with....
We all made it to the finish in Toronto. And we regularly take
similarly challenging runs with the "old" MG's....Fact is, there's
darn little that can't be fixed by the side of the road (although I
suppose changing the synchros MIGHT present a slight challenge.....)
Jerry Keller
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