Preparations for a long MG trip.

I have completed the customary polishing and waxing with my random orbital buffer and a several-step sequence of fine scratch remover, polish, wax, and detail spray. Sapphire is "real shiny!"

I don't take 2,000 mile road trips for granted even with modern cars, so for this journey with my 40 year old car I started in early May with sorting out all the critical systems and getting them squared away, a benefit of my recent retirement. Here is a list of items I addressed:

- installed new convertible top with zip down rear window

(key move for hot weather trip)
- new bushings installed in both front and rear suspensions
- serviced the reservoir-type front shock absorbers
- radiator reworked with higher cooling-capacity core
- flushed entire cooling system
- replaced brake fluid and inspected then adjusted brakes
- installed rebuilt carbs rebuilt by renowned master Jimmy Hilton
- serviced my oil-type K&N air filters
- installed what I hope is a set of sturdy windshield wipers
- replaced broken speedometer drive gear in overdrive gearbox
- had speedometer refurbished & calibrated by Palo Alto Speedometer
- adjusted valves
- oil and filter change
- rotated and balanced tires
- cleaned and polished the chrome wire wheels
- cleaned out the drain of the fresh air cowl vent

The early model MGBs were equipped with two 6 volt batteries installed in battery bays below the deck that is behind the seats. Later models like mine came with one 12 volt battery, but despite this, the cars were still built with two battery bays. One sits empty. I put a plastic liner similar to a small waste basket in the empty bay and stocked it with spare parts. Though the bay is not large, removing the larger parts from their cartons and wrapping them in a single protective layer of bubble-wrap allowed me to fit in all of this:

- electronic ignition module
- matching ignition coil
- ignition switch parts
- fuel filter
- fan belt
- braided oil pressure gauge oil line
- temperature sensing unit
- solid state fuel pump
- heater control valve (part of cooling system)
- spark plugs (already gapped)
- throttle cable
- replacement four way flasher unit
- instrument voltage regulator

In the corners of the trunk I also have packed a comprehensive tool kit and these spares:
- Lucus alternator
- water pump
- a package of assorted replacement bulbs
- a gallon of 50:50 radiator coolant pre-mix

And in a top secret location: two four-packs of Old Speckled Hen

National events are top notch!

National MG clubs exist, one for T series such as MG-TC, MG-TD, and MG-TF; one for the MGA series; and another for MGBs. I belong to NAMGBR, which stands for National MGB Register http://www.mgcars.org.uk/namgbr/ww.mgcars.org.uk/namgbr/ . Each year these national clubs organize a national rally. The first I attended was MG 2007 in Rohnert Park, California, nestled between the rival Napa and Sonoma Valley wine counties. The national rally rotates around the country to picturesque settings like this. MG 2008 was in Valley Forge, Pennslyvania. This years rally, MG 2009, will be in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Enthusiastic MG owners from all over the country drive their MGs to these events. Groups at Rohnert Park came from as far away as St. Louis, Missouri, and individual entrants came from as far away as Georgia. I attended as a member of the Southern California MG Club http://www.scmgc.org/

Events are the key to enjoyment!

Perhaps the best trait of this hobby is sharing it with others with common interest! I spent about six months investigating other MGs for sale, and attending British car events, which was like going back to school. What a opportunity to learn from the experiences of so many others! My first big event was the Fall 2005 San Diego British Car Day. The event is put together by a consortium of clubs representing many British car marques. MG, Austin Healey, Triumph, Jaguar, Sunbeam, Rover, (Mini) Cooper, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, and on and on! Several hundred cars on display with several hundred owners, and complete with an authentic bagpipe band!















There are also driving events, which capture the real spirit of these cars! An eclectic mix of cars and owners at each!

Introduction

This all started early in the summer of 1968 when I acquired my first car, a 1964 MGB roadster. Well used by that point, but affordable for a young college student on his way from Emporia State University in Kansas to the much larger Indiana University. The MG red color, despite its oxygenated paint, was a good match for Indiana Creme and Crimson and the school's nickname, Big Red. My family quickly nicknamed my MGB "little red".

The love affair lasted about 2 1/2 years, until after I entered the Air Force in August of 1970 and was mid-way through Air Weather School at Chanute AFB in Rantoul, Illinois. That's when I decided to become engaged to now my wife of over 37 years. I had driven Little Red very hard and the three main bearing engine needed refreshing. I sold it off my father's driveway in Indianapolis for exactly the amount I needed to buy the engagement ring. But I never forgot! I have owned many cars since then, and worked in the motorcycle industry for over 23 years and logged over 90,000 miles on some of the best motorcycles in history. The memory of Little Red never left, and in early December of 2005 I acquired another MGB, a 1969 roadster. The day I brought it home was the same day my daughter received her acceptance letter to Penn State University (Go Lions! Go Blue!) and the Sapphire business honors program. The next day as I poked through the documents, spare parts, and other items in the trunk I came across a half-full pint can of car paint, ironically labeled as Jaguar Sapphire Blue. That day the roadster was appropriately named "Sapphire."

I've done a lot of work to her over the past three and a half years. I found an overdrive gearbox and had it installed, brought the paint back to a good luster, restored the original wire wheels, refinished the somewhat rusty floorboards, installed a solid state ignition distributor and coil from master expert Jeff Schlemmer in Minnesota, and a correct rebuild set of SU carbs and exhaust shield from master expert Jimmy Hilton in Texas. I found both experts through a prolific online web site http://www.mgexperience.net/. I have both learned and shared many tips, techniques, and experiences with the hundreds of other MG owners there.