Further to the discussion on heated seats, I met a guy the other day that had
a unique approach to keeping warm in his MGA. I was driving through Geneva,
IL, when I saw the A parked in a driveway. It was non-original, obviously,
but very well put together - dark metallic paint with black minilites. I told
the guy that I used to own an MGA coupe, so he told me to turn off my truck
because I was going to be there a while! So, I did. First, he showed me the
engine - a 3.9 liter Rover, with a GM 5-speed transmission. The installation
was beautiful and the engine fit the engine compartment beautifully. It was
complemented by a pair of beautiful crackle-finish MG valve covers (from an
MGB-V8). I think I have over-used the word "beautiful" here, but I think you
get the picture. The car weighs 2400# and the motor puts out 325 HP...
Anyway, the guy was telling me about the completely redesigned electrics and
encouraged me to look under the dash in the passenger comparment. There I
found two switches for electrically heated seats, plus a couple of nicely
installed 12 volt accessory outlets. But the thing that I found most
interesting, and which I had never seen before, was the fact that he had
installed a pair of "skirts", made from the same fabric as his tonneau, which
hung from snaps installed along the bottom of the dashboard. The skirts hung
down over the driver's and passenger's legs and he said that, with the heated
seats and the skirts he was toasty in the coldest weather. I had never seen
this before and I was impressed.
The guy lives in St Charles, IL, and his name is John Hubbard, in case any of
you know him. A very interesting and obviously very competent guy. He has
rebuilt several MGs and is willing to work on more. If any of you want to get
hold of him, drop me a line and I will give you his contact information.
Michael Marr
1960 TR3A
2000 Jag XK8
Naperville, IL
=== This list supported in part by The Vintage Triumph Register
=== http://www.vtr.org
|