Arden MG Club - Newsletters 2019

Previous Newsletter during 2019

Newsletter December 2019

Reports:

December Club Night: Yet again another new member joined us but I hope he will not be dissuaded from coming back after listening to the discussions about the future for the Club (more of this in the AGM section), so welcome David.

Xmas Meal: Another great evening at the Golden Cross with 58 of us sitting down to a wonderful meal (maybe too large portions, although 'Graham 2 Puddings' did manage 2 puddings!!), so well done and thanks to Matt, Claire and their team at the Golden Cross. I think this is the first time no one has cancelled at the last minute, so you all must be getting more healthy or just don't want to miss out!! The numbers meant we overspilled from the Restaurant into the bar area, with 2 table set aside for us and I think the table for 10 was well arranged, I hope you all felt as if you were still part of 'the Club' and not missed out. There was the usual quiz and as it was current the first section was devoted to 'The Election' which caused a few scratched heads, as did the last section on MGs (well we are an MG Club), however there was a clear winning team called the 'Rafflers' which could only be Mike & Helen but no doubt assisted by Dusty & Fay, well done I hope you enjoy the chocolates. Next we had a presentation, as you all know by now Alan & Julia are stepping down as Events Secretary having worked hard since the AGM in 2012, we could not let this pass unrewarded, so in the usual tradition I presented them with a photo montage of them both enjoying their work at the Club events (thanks to Norman for putting the montage together and printing the end result). To end Graham liaised with Mike for the now traditional singing of 12 Days of Christmas, however Graham changed this to an MG themed song, which I think went down much better with everyone joining in the singing. Very good Graham, well done. That just left it to wish everyone a Very Happy Christmas and an MG'ing New Year, when we do it all again starting with the Chilly Willy Run at the Golden Cross on New Year's Day, I hope to see you then.

Future Club Events:

Wednesday 1^st January 2020 - Chilly Willy Run:

As stated last month, we will be starting and finishing at the Golden Cross for this year's run (which makes it a bit easier for me to organise), however despite using gritted roads (in case of inclement weather), I'm sure you will find it an interesting route, ideal for blowing away the cobwebs of 2019 and starting a new decade.

Please arrive from 11am and Matt will be offering Coffee & Tea to purchase, I have had a poor response to my request about bacon rolls which is difficult for Matt to cater for, so we will need to make this a pre-order as with the lunch. If you would like to have a bacon roll at the start please let me know before Friday 27^th when I will be giving the Golden Cross the finalised food order.

The lunch menu is below, so if you would like to have lunch please let me have your pre-order before Friday 27^th, you can of course join the run without partaking lunch but again please let me know so I bring enough route sheets. As this is a 'pay-on-the-day pre-order' and you find you are no longer able to attend please let me know (phone 01789 261 815 or email), so I can advise the Cross to cancel your meal order. You can check if you have booked and your food choices on the Club website (www.ardenmgclub.co.uk ) and scroll down the Chilly Willy Run 2020 page.

For this run we would like to see you in your MG but modern cars are also very welcome.

The Golden Cross have given us a set menu for the day with a price for 2 courses and this is as follows:

Menu

2 courses £12.95

Starters

Homemade Soup of the Day (V)

With a Rustic Mini Loaf

Chicken Liver Pate

With Caramelised Onion Jam & Rustic Mini Loaf

BBQ Wings

Chicken Wings in a BBQ sauce

Mains

Bombardier Battered Cod & Chips with Mushy Peas

Hunters Chicken served with Chips and Salad

Steak and Ale Pie served with Chips, Real Gravy & Peas

Spinach & Mushroom Lasagne served with Garlic Bread (V)

Chicken Tikka Curry served with Rice and a Poppadum

Sizzler Sausages served with Mash, Peas and Gravy

Desserts

Cheesecake of the Day served with Ice Cream

Sticky Toffee Pudding served with Custard

Jam Sponge served with Custard

Chocolaty Brownie served with Ice Cream

Selection of Local Ice Cream

Tuesday 7^th January 2020 - Club Night and AGM - The Golden Cross:

Following my comments back in October about standing down, there has been discussions within the Club, which is great to know what people think. It has also been very useful to me to clarify my own thinking. To summarise the comments that have come back to me, I think it is in three parts:

The noise level at the Golden Cross which makes some people uncomfortable and it is difficult to have conversations.
The size of the room at the Golden Cross which is limiting the future growth of the Club, there have been a number of people who have come to the Club and cannot find anywhere to sit, so stand at the door which gives the apperance we are not welcoming. They then do not return to other meetings.
Should there be a subscription, which would allow the Club to have a higher profile at events and encourage new members.

My view on the above is:

Yes this has been a problem for some time, however John H has come up with a suggestion of ways to investigate solutions and I will discuss this with Matt & Claire in the New Year.
The room is only too small if the Club wants to keep growing. Personally I think it would be better for the Club to remain at the size the room makes us. If the Club were larger it would present other problems, a more formal structure would probably be necessary, it would be more difficult to find venues for Runs & Events and I'm sure there will be others.
Having a subscription would definitely mean the Club would need to be more formal and would only be necessary if the Club needed to pay for the hire of a venue or if it was larger. I would not want to do this with the Club and indeed the intention when it was set up was for it to be informal and 'easy going'.

In conclusion, I would like to see the Club continue in the way it is now and if that is going to be the case would now not be in a rush to step down, however that will always be open to review especially if someone else wants to have a go at continuing the Club. For me the Golden Cross is the natural home for the Arden MG Club, it started here and has been running here for over 31 years (the only exception was a 17 months hiatus in 2000/2001).

I do appreciate that there is some desire to have another venue and I don't see this as a problem, the Club has been through this phase in the past and the Arden MG Club Pre 56 group was formed and still meet at the Blue Boar, however now use the name Arden Octagan MG Club, therefore if anyone would like to start a new meeting venue on a different night to the first Tuesday, then it can be done. Like the Pre-56 group, however it would be necessary for the new venue to have it's own bank account and communications, however it will be a good idea to share events with each venue inviting the other when they organise anything.

If anyone would like to put a proposal to the AGM please let me know, so I can circulate the information in advance and a discussion at the AGM will be short.

As mentioned in previous months Alan is standing down as the Events Secretary, no one so far has volunteered to take on this role. The role is not arduous, unless you want it to be, it's up to the individual to decide how much time and effort they want to devote to the Club, in essence next year it can be as little as maintaining the 'volunteer list' for the future events and maybe looking after the Club equipment (not essential), however you will enjoy it more if you do more. There are no committee meetings to attend, you don't even need to be at all the events but you might want to enjoy making the Club run better. Please let me know if you are interested in giving it a go.

March Madness Run - Sunday 29^th March:

Trevor & Angie have a venue planned for this event.

Asparagus Festival - Thursday 23^rd April:

This is the start of the Asparagus season and is celebrated at the Fleece Inn in Bretforton, several of us attended last year and it was great fun, so Nigel has offered to arrange this as a Club event.

Drive-it-Day Run - Sunday 26^th April:

Alan & Liz have planned a venue for this annual run.

Weekend Away 2020 - Dorset - Friday 12^th June to Monday 15^th June:

Nigel has collected deposits from 41 people for next year's weekend away (and paid the venue!!), so it will be another good sociable event. I guess it will not be too late to add yourself to the list, if you have not booked and are interested the information is on a page of the Club website.

Organising the Future Events:

Thank you to everyone who has come forward and offered to organise events for next year, this will spread the load and allow us to have lots of good events to attend all through the season. The list is on the website and there are still lots of empty spaces for organisers, so if you would like to have a go, don't be shy and it can be good fun, there are lots of people who will be glad to assist with advice and practical help. Please have a look through the list and if you are inspired to try an event, just let me know and I will add your name to the list. Remember the list is not exhaustive, so if you can think of an event we have not done before we can add it and give it a try, if it works then great, if not we know not to try that again.

Events Diary - On the Website:

I will be uploading the current Events Diary to the Club website when I have uploaded the Newsletter, this is not definitive and will change as Events are added or change, so please keep a look out at it, I will try and keep it fully up-to-date.

Other Events:

See the Events diary.

Other Matters:

2020 Arden MG Club Wall Calendar:

All 26 calendars have been sold (or reserved), I think Norman has done a great job again giving us all a reminder of the events we took part in during the previous year and the added attraction of an MG themed cartoon from Graham on the February page. I hope you all enjoy having them pinned on your wall.

Club Equipment:

You may remember that earlier in the year we purchased a New Banner which used a frame and this has worked much better than the one we needed to hammer the posts into the ground, however the frame was getting scratched and damaged in the travel bag it came with. I have persuaded Caroline to forego a pair of curtains which she has kindly converted to be a soft carry bag with pockets for each item of the frame, this will help keep it in good order for a longer time. I had also looked at the Flag Pole that we have used for a good number of years which is a good focal point for the Club at events and noticed that the paintwork of the stand and poles was chipped and scratched. Whilst making the bag for the banner frame I prevailed upon the long suffering Caroline to make the remaining curtain into a bag for the pole, which made me think we needed to repaint it all. I have therefore had the pole and stand shot blasted and powder coated which has given it a new lease of life. Can I ask that when anyone is using these bits of Club equipment to be careful when setting them up and more when packing them away and to ensure they are stored in the pockets within the carry wrap and hopefully we will be able to use them well into the future.

What Have You Done With Your MG This Month:

Andy has been busy with his Midget and sent this message:

Hi Paul -just to let you know, got my Midget alloy wheels back from re finishing today -hope to get new discs on this week and tyres next one -then I'm ready for the Chilly Willy run!

Thanks Andy, those wheels look great, look forward to seeing them on the Run.

Last month we had the first part of the saga of Trevor & Angie's MGB restoration with a conversion to Ford Duratec power, just to make it interesting, here is the second installment:

Restoration of and Installation of a Ford 2l Duratec Engine into our MGB - Part 2.

For those of you who fell asleep during Part 1, or just lost the will to live, here is a recap.

The total restoration of an MGB including the installation of a Ford Duratec 2l all aluminium engine and six speed Mazda gearbox. Engine to produce 210 bhp and the complete installation would be carried out without any modifications to the MGB chassis/body, utilizing all original mounting points for all components.

Have you found that after making the decision to spend money on something exciting, the consequences and reality of your actions brings you out in a cold sweat? I have now had more cold sweats than politicians have told lies, and that's a lot.

Restoration and Build Considerations

We decided that if we were going to invest time (more than we envisaged) and money (more than we envisaged) we would do the job properly. I already had a scissor lift and once I had seen an MGB on a rotisserie/spit, I had to have one, so I fabricated one, and hey presto it was spinning like a top. Both are a must for people like me whose head tells them that they are forty, but the body says you must be joking.

So, all components that could be removed from the car were stored, discarded or sold, and I mean everything. The engine and gearbox went to somebody in the club, who by chance had a brand-new limited slip diff for sale (a must when trying to deliver 210bhp to the road).

Never underestimate how much space you need to store all the bits once removed, I had to build a shed and buy racking. Now the dog could see the rabbit and the vast expanse of paint that was to be removed to bare metal from the complete underneath and engine bay was visible, this made the dog howl. Once again being naïve I had underestimated this task. After many nights of scraping and using every type of rotary wire brush in the world plus a hot air gun that nearly burnt the garage down on more than one occasion, it dawned on me that I would probably die of old age before I saw bare metal. To the rescue came Frost.co.uk - restoration products, I can recommend their aircraft grade paint stripper gel. It really did what it said on the tin, it's like Nitromors on steroids.

Progress was made at quite a pace now and I am pleased to say that the initial inspection in the bramble bush was true, it had no rot to the common places. The exception to this was the floor pan and a couple of areas to the boot floor. Not wanting to cut corners both passenger and drivers side floor pans were replaced with new front to back items and the boot floor patched. A coat of protective primer was applied and finally we were ready for the best bit, the challenge of doubling the performance of a 42-year-old car, and it not turning itself inside out or heading for the bushes at every opportunity.

So where to begin, did I say the best bit? What I should have said was the daunting, costly and divorce invoking, shall we say discussions bit. My only chance of justifying the cost and time to be invested, was to encourage Angie to bond with this MG. It baggers belief that she did not want to venture into a dirty, draughty cold garage, I would have had more chance of bonding Boris and Jeremy. Unfortunately, the budget did not allow for bribery with handbags. (Angie has an addiction to buying handbags, even attends handbagoholics anonymous).

Physical Design Considerations

If one tried to solve every physical problem before starting a project like this, you would probably be sectioned as a babbling wreck or disappear down the pub, never to be seen again.

Luckily Engineers are methodical, can prioritise the problem-solving process and find solutions, I just went down the pub.

Some simple decisions are-

Will the bonnet shut? How does everything fit into the engine bay?

How will the exhaust pass the fuel tank now that it must leave the engine on the opposite side?

Will you have to be double jointed to change gear?

What about the front cross member? How to keep the engine bay temperature correct? The list goes on and the way I chose to answer these questions was to offer the engine and gearbox into the space available and see where there was a conflict of space/practicality.

To my surprise, bearing in mind that I wanted to use existing engine mountings and gearbox mounting with the gear lever in the same place as existing, it looked very encouraging.

Two areas that could not be resolved without serious modification was the front crossmember and the Dutatec oil filter housing/oil heater, yes oil heater. The Duratec engine has a mini water heater incorporated into the oil filter housing to achieve quick operating temperature of the oil. This might have something to do with the variable valve timing system which utilises the engine oil to optimise fuel economy, performance and emissions. Our engine will have this function disabled because to achieve 210 bhp, economy will have to suffer a bit. The front cross-member was quite easy to modify and strengthen. A solid billet of aluminium was machined and ported to replace the water fed heater matrix on the oil filter housing.

The design and manufacture of two bespoke engine mountings, a bespoke bracket for the gearbox a modified gearbox cross-member and it was in. Well that's sort of it but I forgot to mention the profuse swearing, head scratching, to the point of baldness and a body that rebelled against the continuous getting down, getting up, getting down etc. But I have to say the NHS have been great in giving me two new knees and hips so that I could finish the project.

This was a good start and now we, I don't know why I keep saying we, it was only me because even after lavishing handbags, holidays and the promise of how much fun this MG would be, Angie was still not bonding (I know I said the budget would not allow this, but Angie was losing faith). Because I needed to allow enough space for the induction system i.e. throttle bodies, trumpets and big air cleaner, I slightly tilted the engine to give the correct inlet tract length. Size is important when it comes to fuel/air mixture as this was where much of the extra power was to be found. This solved one problem but reduced the amount of space I now had for the large 4 into 1 exhaust system, where more additional power would be found.

For the technically minded the exhaust manifold specification is a 4 into 2 into 1 and the primaries required an inside diameter of 1.5 inches and as near as possible all four pipes to be 24 inches long before coming together as 2 pipes then one with an inside diameter of 2 inches. To compound the space issue the steering column is now on the exhaust side, this was not going to be easy, a sculpture worthy of winning the Turner Prize would be required.

I must be rubbish at writing concisely because another 2 pages written and I have not even covered 50% of the twaddle, I mean technical stuff. There are many other aspects/problems to overcome, like how do you connect the MGB speedometer to a gearbox that has no provision for this? Then you have the dynamic design problems. When the MGB was designed, weight distribution and the relationship between the front and rear roll stiffness was paramount in producing the handling characteristics we have come to love, and they made a good job of it. By changing the original design criteria for amount of traction required, weight distribution, and suspension set up, one could end up with a right dog's dinner of a car.

I fear folks that there may have to be a Part 3 or even Part 4. Stay tuned same place, same channel next month (if Paul allows me anymore airtime [it's interesting so far, not sure about the Handbags though..ed]) The best bits are yet to come; they all say that.

Trevor and Angie

A Very Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year to you all

Paul

-----------------------------------

Newsletter November 2019

Reports:

Club Night Guest Speaker - Peter from RBW about the All Electric MGB:

We had a very interesting talk at the Club Night on Tuesday, from Peter Swain of RBW about his all electric MGB. Peter explained how the project was started, after litigation against him from a business sale resulted in a nervous breakdown, however with help from Friends & (most of all) Family he started again this time in a Classic Car business and came up with the idea of making an MGB electric powered. He enlisted the help of Continental who are providing the motors and electronics (the most important part) and has got the project up to production level. Although, you do need deep pockets to purchase one, they have orders to get them started. The car is based on a Heritage shell with Golf Mk7 suspension, so is all new and drives very well. Despite the dark we were all able to have a good look at the car and I was privileged to drive round the block, a great experience. A big thank you to Peter for sharing the project with us and to Nick for arranging it. I'm sure we would all wish Peter the best of luck to make the project a big success.

Malvern Festival of Transport:

A few of us braved the elements to put on a display at the Malvern Transport Show. The rain did ease off around 11 o'clock (just as well as my windscreen wipers packed up half way there!!) but started again at 2pm, so we packed up and headed for home, sorry to Helen who had just arrived in her 'Modern'. Fred did well with the runners up prize in the 1970's section, well done Fred. Thanks to Alan for organising what was still an enjoyable and sociable day (although the inclement conditions did mean we had to forego the bacon butties but he had emailed us all, so we were prepared) and it was Alan & Julia's swansong, so an extra thank you for all the work over the last 9 years. Now that's 2 years of wet, will it be better next year? Should we go again?

Skittles Night:

The Butchers Arms in Mickleton did us proud for this year's Skittles Evening, although we were a bit worried when we got there to find several tables already occupied by diners but they soon took the hint when we started chucking balls down the alley at them!!! There were a few no shows, so we had less than the full complement (I hope they are all getting better) but everyone had a good time if the photo is any guide. The competition this year was the 'B' Team (MGB Owners) v 'The Rest' and would you believe after 3 rounds the scores were tied at 257 points each but 'The Rest' had an extra player, so the 'B' Team was declared the winners. There were other winners but we have to start with the 'Wooden Spoon' and there was a couple who struggled even as a pair to add much to the scoreboard, so Mike & Jane were awarded the award!! We had enough time this year to have 3 lives each for 'Killer' and there were 3 players in the final round (Paul, Graham & Steve) and I knocked a single pin but neither Graham or Steve could hold their nerve to keep up, so I won the bottle of wine. The ladies performed well with all the highest scores of the evening, however it was Diane who topped the list with a score of 25, aided by a 'Full House' on her first go, so received the bottle of wine. The men were not as good with 3 of us (Paul [again!!], Fred & Lex) on 22, so a 'Play Off' was required. We decided to have 1 ball each with the full 9 pins and the highest score would win, I went first and managed a lowly 4 points, Fred was next and only managed 2 points, it was all down to Lex but the best he could do was 3 points, so again I was declared the winner (how embarrassing!!).

Future Club Events:

Organising the Future Events:

Thank you to everyone who has come forward and offered to organise events for next year, this will spread the load and allow us to have lots of good events to attend all through the season. The list is still on the website and there are still lots of empty spaces for organisers, so if you would like to have a go, don't be shy and it can be good fun, there are lots of people who will be glad to assist with advice and practical help. Please have a look through the list and if you are inspired to try an event, just let me know and I will add your name to the list. Remember the list is not exhaustive, so if you can think of an event we have not done before we can add it and give it a try, if it works then great, if not we know not to try that again.

Tuesday 3^rd December - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Tuesday 10^th December - Xmas Meal:

The full details about the Xmas Meal are on the website, however the menu for the Golden Cross is as follows:

Christmas Fayre Menu

STARTERS

Home Made Leek & Potato Soup Topped with Carrot Crisps,

Served with a mini loaf.

Oven-Baked Mushrooms. In a Creamy Garlic Sauce, (V)

Served with garlic bread.

Duck & Port Pate,

Served with mini loaves.

Prawn Cocktail with Marie Rose Sauce,

Served on a bed of lettuce and farmhouse brown bread.

Vegetable Spring Rolls, (V)

Served with a sweet chilly dip.

BBQ Chicken Wings,

Served with a garlic dip.

MAINS - All served with roasted parsnips and seasonal vegetables

Traditional Roast Turkey,

Served with roast potatoes, stuffing, 'pigs in blankets' and topped with a proper Yorkshire Pudding.

Roast Beef,

Served with roast potatoes, stuffing and a proper Yorkshire Pudding.

Salmon in a White Wine Sauce,

Served with crushed new potatoes.

Mushroom, Spinach & Truffle Pie, (V)

Served with creamy mash and gravy.

Slow Roasted Belly Pork,

Served on a bed of creamy mash potato.

DESSERTS

Christmas Pudding.

With brandy sauce.

Chocolate Brownie,

With chocolate sauce and ice cream.

Spiced Apple Crumble,

With custard

Vanilla Cheesecake,

With raspberry coulis.

Sticky Toffee Pudding,

Served with custard and a rich toffee sauce.

Fresh Coffee and Mince Pies - £2 Per Person,

Please order and pay on the night

We have booked the Restaurant for the evening and bookings will be entered in order of receipt (last year we overflowed into the main pub, so the earliest bookings will be seated in the restaurant). The cost will be £20 per person for the 3 courses, or £18.00 for 2 courses, Cheese and Biscuits are available with a supplement of £2, please note coffee (or tea) and mince pies are not included but can be ordered on the night at £2. Entry into the raffle is included. To book please let me now your selection from the menu, or send me your completed booking form (Paul Dunster, 24 Emmerson Ave, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 9DX), cheques made payable to 'Arden MG Club' (they will not be presented until end of November). As in previous years we will try and group the tables as per your requests. To date we have 58 people booked (you can check the bookings and Menu selections on the Xmas Meal page of the Club website) but there is still space if you would like to join us.

Wednesday 1^st January 2020 - Chilly Willy Run:

I have decided to make this year's Chilly Willy Run a bit easier for me, so we will be starting and finishing at the Golden Cross but don't worry there will be an interesting run in between and as ever we will make sure it is using 'Gritted Roads' just in case of inclement weather. As usual assemble at the Golden Cross from 11.00am to be ready to leave around 11.30. Coffee & Tea will be available to purchase at the start but please let me know if you would like bacon rolls in order to gauge if there is sufficient interest to persuade Matt to provide them.

Lunch will be available at the Golden Cross and the menu is below. As it is so close to the other festivities at the time of year Matt has asked us to provide a pre-order for food but pay on the day. Please let me know if you are going to join us for the run and your menu choices if you would like to have lunch. You can of course join the run without taking lunch but please let me know if you are going to join us, so we have sufficient route sheets available and we know who to wait for, if you find you are no longer able to come just let me know to cancel by email or phone (01789 261 815).

For this run we would like to see you in your MG but modern cars are also very welcome.

The Golden Cross have given us a set menu for the day with a price for 2 courses and this is as follows:

Menu

2 courses £12.95

Starters

Homemade Soup of the Day (V)

With a Rustic Mini Loaf

Chicken Liver Pate

With Caramelised Onion Jam & Rustic Mini Loaf

BBQ Wings

Chicken Wings in a BBQ sauce

Mains

Bombardier Battered Cod & Chips with Mushy Peas

Hunters Chicken served with Chips and Salad

Steak and Ale Pie served with Chips, Real Gravy & Peas

Spinach & Mushroom Lasagne served with Garlic Bread (V)

Chicken Tikka Curry served with Rice and a Poppadum

Sizzler Sausages served with Mash, Peas and Gravy

Desserts

Cheesecake of the Day served with Ice Cream

Sticky Toffee Pudding served with Custard

Jam Sponge served with Custard

Chocolaty Brownie served with Ice Cream

Selection of Local Ice Cream

Tuesday 7^th January 2020 - Club Night and AGM - The Golden Cross:

After 8/9 years, Alan has announced that he is going to stand down from the post of Events Sec at this coming AGM, so we will need a replacement!! This has made me think it is time for a change, I have come to the conclusion over the last few years that 10 years is probably long enough to be running the Club. It is now drawing to the end of my ninth year as Chairman, so I think this a good time to be looking at the succession plan for future years and for someone with new ideas and enthusiasm to come forward and continue to progress the Club. The Club keeps getting bigger, which is great but maybe it needs a new approach in the way it is run, so please all have a think about the future you want for the Club and how we can achieve it. I would be very pleased to discuss this with anyone, so let me know your thoughts. The Agenda will be on the website soon.

March Madness Run - Sunday 29^th March:

Trevor & Angie have a venue planned for this event.

Drive-it-Day Run:

Alan & Liz have planned a venue for this annual run.

Weekend Away 2020 - Dorset - Friday 12^th June to Monday 15^th June:

Other Events:

Not much going on at present but we have been invited to the 'Holly Run' organised by the Morgan Three Wheeler Club, who run this 'Treasure Hunt' style event each year. This year the start and finish is at The Old Waggon & Horses on the A451 between Stourbridge and Kidderminster at 10am.

The date is Sunday 15^th December. There is no entry fee just book with the organiser.

Other Matters:

Club Clothing:

There had been some interest in another order for the Club Clothing, however I have only had one person ask me to obtain something!! If anyone is interested in adding to the order please let me know before the end of November. The information about what is available is on the Club website.

2020 Arden MG Club Wall Calendar:

Norman has finalised the Calendar for next year and it has gone to print. There is an added attraction this year as Graham has produced a bespoke Arden MG Club cartoon which has been added to one of the pages. Same price as last year £5 each and they will be available at the December Club Night. I have a number of pre-orders but there will be some of the batch of 25 left, let me know if you would like one or try your luck at the Club Night.

What Have You Done With Your MG This Month:

Trevor & Angie Smith have been converting an MGB to 'Ford' power and have started to put down on paper their journey through the process of the project and have been good enough to share this with us. Here is the first instalment:

Restoration of and Installation of a Ford 2l Duratec Engine into our MGB - Part 1.

This story is also how we became members of the Arden MG Club.

The engine commonly referred to as the Ford Duratec engine is a Mazda designed engine fitted to the series 3 MX5. Both the block and the head are aluminium, weighing only 224lbs compared to the 400 lbs of the MGB engine. The MGB 1800 engine will give you circa 95bhp, the standard Duratec gives 150bhp, our engine is specked to give 210bhp.

In The Beginning - 2015

With my impending semi-retirement approaching and after watching a TV programme showing the rising prices of MGBs, we decided to purchase a MGB roadster to restore. We also decided that to get the best out of MG ownership, we needed to join a local MG club.

Our only previous ownership of a MG, when we were in our twenties, had been a 2-year-old 1972 1275 MG midget in midnight blue. Being only 2 years old and a soft top, it felt like a Ferrari to us.

So, without any real knowledge of buying an old MGB I started looking around. At the same time, I needed a printer, mine having just expired. By chance there was a gentleman 9 miles away in Wellesbourne who was selling two. I made contact and set off to look at said printers. There I met "Dell Boy" Nigel Hook, and ended up buying both printers (Nigel offered me a deal for both) Nigel does like his deals. I also spotted that he had a MGB under a cover and our talk quickly moved to all things MG and that I was on the look out for one to restore. Ahh he said I know where there is a roadster which I think will be cheap. Have you noticed how Nigel always knows somebody who knows somebody etc etc. What year was it I asked, he replied it is on the cusp a 1974. I thought what the hell does on the cusp mean. I now know it is the change over time from chrome bumper to rubber bumper. The car was in Hinkley, being sold by the owner of Classics & Chrome Ltd.

The car was in a bramble bush under a tarpaulin, with a great deal of green algae on hood and body. At that point my instinct said I should walk away, but with Nigel's words "I think it will be cheap" ringing in my ears, I blindly checked for rot and what I was getting for the money. To my surprise beneath the scruffy exterior the car was solid in all the right places and it started and moved. It was not on the cusp it was a 1976 rubber bumper conversion that had been subject to a previous restoration (as it turns out corners were cut). We did the deal at £1500

I don't know if that was a good price or not. I was feeling quite pleased with myself, now the proud owner of a MGB Roadster not realizing that what I had purchased was a future money pit. Also how was I going to tell Angie that I had spent £1500 for a car that looked like it had come from a scrap yard. Much grovelling, flowers and chocolates would be required.

I was beginning to regret Nigel's words "I think it will be cheap"

Not that I hold Nigel responsible for getting us involved in MGs, spending our life's savings, re-mortgaging the house and bank robbery, but I can't help feeling that It would have been cheaper if I had bought a brand-new printer from PC World.

The MG Experience

What we can hold Nigel responsible for is that after another chance meeting at the Brailes Flower Show later that same year, he invited us to attend a meeting at the Golden Cross. This turned out to be a very good move for us. We have thoroughly enjoyed the club activities, runs and making new friends. All the good times enjoyed with the Arden MG Club has outweighed the ups and downs of being a MG owner. Nigel is forgiven for uttering those words "I think it will be cheap".

Many of you who have restored a classic car know how much work is required and how long it takes. I was new to this and naive to think we would soon be joining the runs with the wind blowing through our hair. With the summer quickly disappearing It was not long before we realised that if we wanted to join in the fun of MG motoring, we needed to purchase another MG, after all, plan A was that being semi-retired and MGBs rising in price, it would be a good investment (well that's what I told Angie). So, we purchased an on the road red 1972 MGB Roadster from Weston Super Mare.

Now that we were living the dream with our red MG my thoughts turned to our original blue MG.

I apologise that it has taken this long to get to the main purpose of this story.

Being an engineer, we just can't leave things alone and after seeing/hearing some V8s on one of the runs,

I thought that's for me. However, after looking into the amount of work involved for the power that is produced plus some prompting from my son, I decided to go down the 2l Duratec engine and 6 speed gearbox route. As I found out this sort of work is like weddings - always add an extra nought.

To make this project even more of a challenge, I decided that the installation would be carried out without any modifications to the MGB chassis/body even down to using the existing exhaust mounting points, so that with a few special components, anyone could complete this conversion if required (I am hoping to maybe sell them as a kit of parts). I have achieved this and the car is now at the paint shop. In Part 2 I will talk about the trials and tribulations you must overcome once you start this sort of journey

Trevor & Angie

Thanks Trevor & Angie I'm looking forward to the next instalment, a very interesting project is anyone going to be inspired?

Happy MG'ing

Paul

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Newsletter September 2019

AGM - Tuesday 7^th January 2020 - IMPORTANT PLEASE READ:

Alan, after 8/9 years has announced that he is going to stand down from the post of Events Sec at this coming AGM, so we will need a replacement!! This has made me think it is time for a change, I have come to the conclusion over the last few years that 10 years is probably long enough to be running the Club. It is now drawing to the end of my ninth year as Chairman, so I think this a good time to be looking at the succession plan for future years and for someone with new ideas and enthusiasm to come forward and continue to progress the Club. The Club keeps getting bigger, which is great but maybe it needs a new approach in the way it is run, so please all have a think about the future you want for the Club and how we can achieve it. I would be very pleased to discuss this with anyone, so let me know your thoughts.

Reports:

Back to the normal run of the Newsletter, firstly my apologies again for missing the previous 2 Club nights, August was the only time we could get to Denmark, however the September holiday was arranged to see the start of the Spanish 'Grand Tour' cycle race, La Vuelta, which started in the local town to where we stay in Spain, so a golden opportunity to see the event and ride a stage of a Grand Tour. The opening stage, for anyone who didn't watch it was a 'Team Time Trial' where the whole team ride together against the clock, this photo is of the Team Ineos, the only team from GB.

Only one event to report on, The Wellesbourne Lions Classic Fun Day. Although this was not billed as a Club Event a good few attended and displayed under the Club Flag & Banner. Nigel reported that it was a good day and from the photos sent by Clive there was plenty of sunshine. Should we put this Show into the Calendar for next year?

Future Club Events:

Organising the Future Events:

In view of what has been said above, I'm going to try a new way of organising the calendar and how we arrange events. With this Newsletter is a list of potential events for 2020 (this list is not exhaustive or cast in stone, if someone wants to add an event, great and if no one is interested in an event then it can be removed), as you will see the column on the right hand side is titled 'Organiser'. The idea is for people to volunteer to organise an event, just let me know and I will put your name against the date. If no one volunteers then the event will not happen. Remember the task of organising an event need not be onerous and there are plenty of folk in the Club to seek advice from and to assist with the running of the event, in fact it would be helpful to have a group to assist on the day, if required. Scroll to end to view.

Sunday 13^th October - Malvern Festival of Transport:

Everyone has got their tickets for the Show, just be there before 11am, however after consulting the weather forecast Alan & The Team have decided NOT to offer bacon butties, so take the appropriate actions or there are food outlets in the Show.

Friday 18^th October - Skittles Night:

We are now fully booked for the Skittles Night but for those who are going, it is at the Butchers Arms in Mickleton. Be there from 7pm and we will start skittling as soon as we can. Around 8.30pm the hot self-service buffet will be ready, with a choice of Steak and Ale Pie, Beef Lasagne (Gluten Free) or Chicken Coq au Vin, served with Chips and peas. Those who have been before will know parking can be in short supply, so car sharing would be a good idea, have a look on the website to see who is booked and if you know someone lives near you or on the way, then see if you can arrange lifts. If anyone needs to know who lives near them or phone number please ask me.

Tuesday 5^th November - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross. There will be the postponed talk/demo on the project to fit electric motors and batteries to the MGB. They will bring one of these cars with them, probably the red one.

Tuesday 3^rd December - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Tuesday 10^th December - Xmas Meal:

The full details about the Xmas Meal are on the website, however the menu for the Golden Cross is as follows:

Christmas Fayre Menu

STARTERS

Home Made Leek & Potato Soup Topped with Carrot Crisps,

Served with a mini loaf.

Oven-Baked Mushrooms. In a Creamy Garlic Sauce, (V)

Served with garlic bread.

Duck & Port Pate,

Served with mini loaves.

Prawn Cocktail with Marie Rose Sauce,

Served on a bed of lettuce and farmhouse brown bread.

Vegetable Spring Rolls, (V)

Served with a sweet chilly dip.

BBQ Chicken Wings,

Served with a garlic dip.

MAINS - All served with roasted parsnips and seasonal vegetables

Traditional Roast Turkey,

Served with roast potatoes, stuffing, 'pigs in blankets' and topped with a proper Yorkshire Pudding.

Roast Beef,

Served with roast potatoes, stuffing and a proper Yorkshire Pudding.

Salmon in a White Wine Sauce,

Served with crushed new potatoes.

Mushroom, Spinach & Truffle Pie, (V)

Served with creamy mash and gravy.

Slow Roasted Belly Pork,

Served on a bed of creamy mash potato.

DESSERTS

Christmas Pudding.

With brandy sauce.

Chocolate Brownie,

With chocolate sauce and ice cream.

Spiced Apple Crumble,

With custard

Vanilla Cheesecake,

With raspberry coulis.

Sticky Toffee Pudding,

Served with custard and a rich toffee sauce.

Fresh Coffee and Mince Pies - £2 Per Person,

Please order and pay on the night

We have booked the Restaurant for the evening and bookings will be entered in order of receipt (last year we overflowed into the main pub, so the earliest bookings will be seated in the restaurant). The cost will be £20 per person for the 3 courses, or £18.00 for 2 courses, please note coffee (or tea) and mince pies are not included but can be ordered on the night at £2. Entry into the raffle is included. To book please let me now your selection from the menu, or send me your completed booking form (Paul Dunster, 24 Emmerson Ave, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 9DX), cheques made payable to 'Arden MG Club' (they will not be presented until end of November). As in previous years we will try and group the tables as per your requests.

Wednesday 1^st January 2020 - Chilly Willy Run:

Yes our traditional first event of the year will be running again on New Year's Day. As last year's event was getting too big, this year it will be just The Arden MG Club but I hope a lot of you will join me to start the New Year with a tour of the Warwickshire countryside and lunch. The start will be at the Golden Cross, arrive from 11am and we will depart around 11.30/11.45. More details soon.

Tuesday 7^th January 2020 - Club Night and AGM:

At the Golden Cross, see above for more details.

Weekend Away 2020 - Dorset - Friday 12^th June to Monday 15^th June:

I sent round a leaflet about the Weekend Away for 2020, which I will soon add to the website to download the pdf. Nigel has received a number of bookings, so it will be another good weekend but Nigel needs to have the deposits (£50 per couple) at the November Club Night at the very latest.

Other Events:

Nothing to promote this month.

Other Matters:

I'm pleased to say that the offer from Dusty to gave away a boot rack for a MGF/TF was taken up and Phil will no doubt be showing it off on his car.

Club Clothing:

A number of people have asked me about another order for the Arden MG Club badge clothing. I'm happy to collate some orders and send it off, the more stuff we order the better chance we can avoid the carriage charge. If anyone is interested in having any of the items, please check on the Club website and let me know what you would like. Depending on the response I will set a deadline at the next Club Night.

2020 Arden MG Club Wall Calendar:

I hope you will all be pleased to know Norman is all set to start putting a calendar together for next year, which will be in the same vein as previous editions to show photos from Club Events in 2019. I have had a suggestion that with all the artistic people in the Club we should offer the chance for them to produce an artwork that can be used in the months when there were no events. If you are interested in putting something forward, which needs to be Club or MG based, please let me know and we can reserve space for you, however be aware we need the artwork in good time to have the calendar printed for sale at the December Club Night.

We are going to produce 25 calendars again, so if you would like to reserve a copy please let me know, as ever 'First Come First Served'.

What Have You Done With Your MG This Month:

We were in Spain again at the right time to see the Classic Car Meeting in the town, here is one of the MGs parked in the crowd. It looked very good, although the interior colour scheme was a bit garish!!

Guess the Car Competition:

I was pleased to receive several replies to this quiz, the first correct answer came from Phil B, with only a little help. Graham was next but needed a lot of help and Lech was correct with his first attempt but a little slow in sending. Dusty also had a try. Thanks to all of you. The answer of course is Terraplane, made by the Hudson Motor Co.

This month, Phil has sent me another one for us to guess at, this time all we need is the make of car but more info if you know it, would be welcome. Send me your guesses as soon as you like again a bottle of Old Speckled Hen for the first correct entry.

Happy MG'ing

Paul

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Newsletter September 2019

Reports:

Again my apologies for not being at the September Club Night, however I will be at the October Club Night after getting special dispensation from home, well it is our Wedding Anniversary but so long ago I've forgotten how many years now!!! I'm told that attendance was as good as usual and that David and Alan did a sterling job in my absence. My thanks to them.

They reported on two events:

Brailes Show: Numbers were a bit down on previous years, no doubt the forecast didn't help, however the weather did pick-up through the afternoon. We didn't put the shelter up due to the high winds, most of the displays had been moved in to the marquee. None the less everyone enjoyed the afternoon and several of us paraded around the display ring.

Broughton Castle Transport Show: This was a new show, so we thought we would give it a try in place of the Pershore Plum Festival, which is getting a bit 'busy' in the 'MG field. Looks like the Club had a good day there and I'm told the run to get there was good, how much water was there in the Ford? Many thanks as always to Alan and the team for organising, also Lech & Paul for the run and Norman for the photos. There was a further report from the Show and Alan & Julia sent some photos and reported : "Mike with his red TF won best in his category & then went on to win Best in Show at the end of the day. Added to that Arden MG Club came second in Club category (he revealed our award at the Club night)". I was also informed that Trevor & Angela won second prize in their year group. Well done Mike and Trevor & Angela also congratulations to Alan for organising the Club display.

What did you all think, should we go to this show again next year or go back to attending the Plum Festival or both?

Future Club Events:

We are getting towards the end of the event season but there are still things to look forward to.

Tuesday 1^st October - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross, please note the talk/demo of the battery powered MGB has been postponed until the November Club Night.

Sunday 13^th October - Malvern Festival of Transport:

Alan has sent off the bookings for this last show of the year and will have the tickets available to hand out at the Club Night. Depending on the weather they will look at doing the bacon rolls again, so keep your fingers crossed for a fine dry day, we don't want a repeat of last year.

Friday 18^th October - Skittles Night:

This year's event will be again at the Butchers Arms in Mickleton, same format as usual. There will be a hot self-service buffet with a choice of Steak and Ale Pie, Beef Lasagne (Gluten Free) or Chicken Coq au Vin, served with Chips and peas. All this for £9.00 per person. I would like payment by the October Club Night, numbers limited to 30 people, to date I have 16 booked by email, so if you have not already emailed me and want to join in the fun send me an email soon with payment at the October Club Night.

Tuesday 5^th November - Club Night:

Tuesday 3^rd December - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Tuesday 10^th December - Xmas Meal:

Yes it is that time of year again already. I hope to have some details of the menu at the Club Night but I'm happy to take email bookings now, it will be the usual procedure of those who book first have the choice to sit in the Restaurant, when it is full we will over-spill into the main pub. Make sure the date is on your calendar.

Weekend Away 2020 - Dorset - Friday 12^th June to Monday 15^th June:

Other Events:

Nothing to promote this month.

Other Matters:

An offer from Dusty: Someone gave me a boot rack for a MGF/TF which I'm sure I won't use. It's taking up wall space in the garage where I want to hang my vintage push bike. If anyone wants it, it's here for the collecting. If anyone is interested please let me know and I will put you in touch with him.

2020 Arden MG Club Wall Calendar:

We are going to produce 25 calendars again, so if you would like to reserve a copy please let me know, as ever 'First Come First Served'.

What Have You Done With Your MG This Month:

No one else has sent me anything this month but as you know we have been away driving through France into Spain, and in France we came across a Classic Car Meeting one fine Sunday morning on the outskirts of a town called Auch. There was a good display of Classic Cars and nearly half were British made. The photo of the white MGC was taken here. Whilst we were in Spain we went to the regular Classic Car Meeting (it is much different under a burning sun!!) in our local town in a hotel car park, this time there was a terrific display of Classic Cars with a lot of American cars and a couple of MGs, the Midget and the BGT.

Guess the Car Competition:

Following on from the Classic Car Meeting in Los Montesinos, who can guess what this car is that was spotted in the line-up of cars. A bottle of Old Speckled Hen at the October Club Night for the first correct answer I receive.

Happy MG'ing

Paul

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Newsletter August 2019

Reports:

I'm sorry I was not at the August Club Night (and won't be there for September but not many more holidays this year!!). My spies tell me the meeting went well and that David was very good at reading my notes!! Nigel gave everyone a run down on the plan for next year's Weekend Away and I have collated his information into a 'Leaflet' which I will attach with the Newsletter, there were some concerns about this year's venue but Nigel has made a lot of effort and has addressed most of them. Bookings are now open with confirmation deposits by November Club Night.

Three events to report on, firstly the Quiz on Wheelz - A little down on numbers but a good evening, great meal at the Cross. I think the new format worked well, maybe a couple of tweeks required, what did everyone else think? Yet again Lech & Pam were the winners and Marg won the 'table quiz' prize. I was not going to embarrass the wooden spoon winner but there again it was Richard & Fiona! Well done to Graham, with help from Lech.

Badsey Flower Show - Went very well, even the rain held off, lots of interest in the show field and

Alan & Julia did a great job with the Scones and Strawberries, with added attraction of Prosecco,

many thanks to them and Steve & Gaynor.

Chairman's Picnic - Everyone I talked to said how good the venue and the run were, so I guess we

can consider this another successful event and despite the mixed weather forecasts the rain held off

and the sun eventually shone. There was plenty for everyone to eat and not much left!! The 'Team'

did a wonderful job preparing the site for the arrival of the convoy. The cars looked good parked up

in the Courtyard, all the other visitors to the Park were treated to a fine spectacle. There was even a

hardy bunch of us who braved the narrow bumpy road to enjoy the excellent views.

Future Club Events:

Sunday 25^th August - Broughton Castle Transport Show:

This is a new show which we think we should give a try and this will be in place of the Plum Festival. The location is just outside Banbury and a scenic run to get there has been set (thanks Lech). Meet at the Golden Gross to leave at 9am (note bacon rolls & coffee will NOT be available, however they might open the doors if you need to use the loo). If you would like to join our display please let Alan Cleobury know, or I can pass a message on and he will hand out the route instructions and entry passes at the 'Cross'.

Monday 26^th August - Pershore Plum Festival:

This will no longer be a 'Club Event', however anyone can book to attend.

Tuesday 3^rd September - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Tuesday 1^st October - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross, however we have a battery powered MGB coming to visit us as well and test drives may be possible, the builder will also give us a brief explanation of the project.

Sunday 13^th October - Malvern Festival of Transport:

One of the last outdoor events of the year, lets hope for better weather than last year. Let Alan know if you would like to join our display.

Friday 18^th October - Skittles Night: This year's event will be again at the Butchers Arms in Mickleton, same format as usual. Menu details will be available for the next Newsletter and I would like payment by the October Club Night, numbers limited to 30 people, so book early (by email, pay by October) when we are full, we are full.

Tuesday 5^th November - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Other Events:

Sunday 25^th August - MG95 Event at Beaulieu

This year the MG marque reaches a significant milestone - its 95th anniversary and to mark the occasion one of the biggest events of the year is MG95 to be held at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu on Bank Holiday Sunday 25 August. This is the one and only event for the MG marquee to be held at Beaulieu this year, so this is an excellent opportunity to come together with fellow MG'ers.

The event is being co-ordinated and organised by Solent MGOC, celebrating their 30th anniversary as a Club with Bournemouth and Poole MGOC and Southampton and New Forest MGOC who are also marking their 35th birthdays this year. It should be a great occasion for us all at this lovely venue. Many of our Region 10 local clubs have already pledged their support and several hundred examples of the MG marque (classic and modern) from regional clubs and individuals are expected.

The gates open (to MGs only) at 9am with the public arriving from 10am - those taking part should be in place by 10am, but you can arrive and depart at any time during the day. There will be a public vote for 'Car of the Day' with prize-giving in the afternoon - awarded by the Owner and Founder of MG Owners Club in person - our own Roche Bentley

Spaces may now be booked for both cars and club marquees for the event with the organisers; see contact details below:

Main Organiser: Solent MGOC - David Bromley Email: david.bromly@aol.co.uk

Southampton & New Forest MGOC - Robin Plumley Email: mgtf160mg02@yahoo.co.uk

Bournemouth & Poole MGOC - Chris Adamson Email: chris@whizzco.co.uk

Alternatively, you can get Advance Event Entry Tickets for visiting MG owners at £13.50 per person which are available in advance online at: www.beaulieu.co.uk/events/mg-owners-rally/ (or pay at the gate on the day).

Admission includes access to the museum, Palace House, Beaulieu Abbey, the World of Top Gear, monorail and grounds. There is a restaurant with the usual facilities on site.

Sunday 8^th September - Wellesbourne Lions Classic Funday

Sunday 8^th September - Dorriage Day Classic Car Show:

Saturday 7^th & Sunday 8^th September 2019 - The Peaks to Lakes Run: The Cat & Fiddle, Peak District to Wrynoes Pass, Lake District. Details from Norman Verona, email: norman@frenchblat.com .

Other Matters:

Nothing to report this month

What Have You Done With Your MG This Month:

No one has sent me anything this month, so I will finish with the answers to last month's 'Guess the Car' quiz.

I had a couple of repliers (thanks to them) the first from Doug: 'I think the car is a Graham. I seem to remember they bought the tooling from the Administrators of Cord and converted from FWD to RWD'.

However the correct answer came from Tony Barr: 'Hupmobile Skylark convertible, it was the only convertible made of this model. Some people may think that it is a Cord'.

Happy MG'ing

Paul

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Newsletter July 2019

Reports:

Weekend Away: Graham will be pleased this month as there is lots to report on, not least was the Weekend away to Devon Valley. There were a few issues this year, the weather was a bit mixed (but we can't blame Nigel for that) and some difficulties on the site (and we still can't blame Nigel for that) despite this everyone had a great time and Nigel & Stephanie have received lots of thank you comments. Nigel has also welcomed the constructive comments about what works for us for this event and these are being addressed with the venue for next year (more on this next month). The highlight of the weekend was the 'runout' on the Saturday to Slapton Sands and even the weather played ball with the sun shining all day, it was fascinating to see the history about the 'D Day Landing' preparations which took place all around this area. Sunday morning saw us join up with the Torbay MGOC, which is a newly formed group and they set us a route to get to their normal meeting place. They obviously have difficulties as a few of us were relegated to the 'gravel pit' which was far too close to the driving range!! The rain on route didn't help but again not Nigel's fault!! There were a few mechanical problems resulting in Peter & Lisa and Mick & Marg having to turn up in their 'alternative' MGs!! Roger had the worst luck having recently changed the front wheel bearings on his CGT one of them collapsed on the Sunday run out but no problem they were 'rescued' back home and were back again in their 'alternative MG' before the end of the day. All too soon it was time to pack up and head for home, after a very enjoyable weekend away, a very big thank you and well done to Nigel & Stephanie.

Nigel's Sunday Adventure Run: Nigel was not content to be running one event this month he also organised the run to The Fleece in Bretforton. I'm told it was a fantastic route, despite a couple of anomalies with the instructions. The BBQ went down well with most folk sat outside in the sunshine and of course the quiz about what you had seen on the way.

Show Night: This brings us to the Club Night which was our annual Show Night where everyone can polish up there cars and show them off with the prospect of winning prizes. The favourable forecast brought lots of you out with 37 MGs filling the Orchard Car Park and everyone was soon busy looking round to vote for their favourite MGs. We changed the categories this year to try and spread the winners about, please let me know what you think. It has been suggested to me that this years winners should be excluded from next years competition, what do you think, maybe they should only be excluded from the top awards? Did you all agree with the new ruling about attending at least 2 Club Nights to be eligible for the prizes? Many thanks must go to the 'Girls' Pam & Caroline who sat outside collating all the votes and recording the winners and of course Norman for another set of excellent photos.

The new categories brought some new winners and the full list is:

The Best Early MG:

Winner: Angela Smith - MG TD Midget

1^st Runner-up: Helen Lobb-Jones - MG TC Midget

2^nd Runner-up: Paul Adams - MG TC Midget

The Best Modern MG:

Winner: John Hale - MG RV8

1^st Runner-up: Chris Yates - MG Maestro Turbo

2^nd Runner-up: Phil Ward - MGTF

The Best MGB/C or Midget:

Winner: Roger Phipp - MGC GT

1^st Runner-up: Norman Large - MGB Roadster

2^nd Runner-up: Graham Robson - MG Midget (Bumble)

Favourite MG Mascot:

Winner: Julia Grice

Runner-up: Diane Rayner

We added a new prize this year called 'Pot Luck'. Anyone who scored at least one vote was included in a draw for the prize and the Winner was: Phil Bawn.

And finally there was a new category that I knew nothing about, this was for the Best Red MGB owned by the Chairman, so there could only be one winner. Many thanks to David for taking the trouble to award me a prize (although you would have thought my car would a win a prize just because of all the awards and prizes displayed!).

Future Club Events:

Sunday 28^th July Chairman's Picnic:

Everything is ready for this year's picnic. Meet at the Golden Cross from 10.30 and bacon rolls and coffee/tea will be available to purchase. We plan to leave around 11am for a 40 mile scenic run through the lanes. All those who have booked and paid have given me their selection of the plate of food they are going to bring, the full list is on the website and looks like we will have a real feast, please remember to bring your contribution!!

Tuesday 6^th August - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Saturday 11^th August - Brailes Show:

A regular event on our calendar and we usually have an excellent display to join in the show. The show itself is extensive with a large marquee full of competition entries (produce, flowers, cakes, photos........). There is no cost to enter, just let me know you are planning to attend and be there before 12 noon to be settled before the show opens. Bring a picnic for a social afternoon, although there is a beer tent, afternoon teas and food stalls.

Sunday 25^th August - Broughton Castle Transport Show:

This is a new show which we think we should give a try and this will be in place of the Plum Festival. The location is just outside Banbury and we may organise a scenic run to get there. More details soon. If you would like to join our display please let Alan Cleobury know, or I can pass a message on.

Monday 26^th August - Pershore Plum Festival:

This will no longer be a 'Club Event', however anyone can book to attend, Alan has some bookings forms if you would still like to attend.

Tuesday 3^rd September - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Tuesday 1^st October - Club Night:

Sunday 13^th October - Malvern Festival of Transport:

One of the last outdoor events of the year, lets hope for better weather than last year.

Tuesday 5^th November - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Other Events:

Saturday 7^th & Sunday 8^th September 2019 - The Peaks to Lakes Run: The Cat & Fiddle, Peak District to Wrynoes Pass, Lake District. Details from Norman Verona, email: norman@frenchblat.com .

Message from Norman Verona: There are a few places left on the Peaks to Lakes Run for September (now 2 separate events). The Saturday will be the run around the Peak District and Sunday will be the run around the Lakes. Participants can elect to do the Peaks only, the Lakes only or both.

Other Matters:

I have had a message from one of our number who has made good use of 'our' memorial shelter at GWR Toddington Station:

"Just wanted to thank the club for providing this at Toddington we have installed a remembrance plaque for my Dad who visited regularly and loved trains."

What Have You Done With Your MG This Month:

How many of you MGOC Members recoginsed Clive Edgington car at Caffeine and Machine in the 'Tweet of the Month' section on the 'Letters' page?

Last month I promised the article from Richard Avery, so here we are:

MGB - Front Discs & Wheel Bearings

Since I've had my MG, after a few miles the brake pedal pulsed under braking but was fine at the start of the journey. I had previously checked the Runout of the discs and found both were running true, though slightly rusty. As the car sits for most of the winter months I'd taken the view that new ones would only go the same quite quickly.

Having been in Torquay for a Rock n' Roll weekend, I decided to call into Moss in Bristol on the way home and get a few bits and pieces that I wanted. Asking about disc prices, I was surprised just how inexpensive they were, and bought a pair.

I started on the driver side. After making sure the disc bolting face on the hub was perfectly clean before bolting on the new disc, I then cleaned and re-greased the wheel bearings and re assembled the hub and brake caliper.

Moving round to the passenger side, when I removed the hub nut to remove the hub and disc assembly, instead of the outer taper bearing coming out, the bearing cup which should be a tight fit into the hub, also came out - oops what's going on here?!!

I then realised that no bearing spacer shims had been fitted between the inner and outer bearings and with the hub nut torqued up, the bearings become tight resulting in the bearing cup rotating within the hub.

A quick call to Moss to order new bearings, shims and a hub, find that steel wheel hubs are no longer available - only hubs for wire wheels are available.

The bearings, shims and oil seals arrived the following morning, and I was hoping that a new bearing cup might just be enough to be a tight fit in the hub - not so, it is the softer hub that wore, though it had worn nice and smooth and round.

In my toolbox I have a bottle of Bearing Retainer grade Loctite so applied that to the new cup and fitted into the hub - half an hour later it was stuck fast. I had already fitted the new disc so then started re assembling the hub to the car, only this time I had to work out how many shims were required between the bearing spacer and outer bearing - it's all a bit of a fiddle keep torqueing the hub nut, checking for end float, undoing again - fitting another shim, trying again etc etc until achieving the correct amount of end float - (.002 - .004 ins.). Then once more taking of the hub to pack the bearings with grease (packing the bearings beforehand makes shimming the bearings both more difficult to do and less accurate to feel for end float.
I notice in the March 2019 Enjoying MG, that there is a particularly well detailed article on replacing and shimming MGB wheel bearings, by Michael Beswick - What's a TUNK? pages 31-33 - the only omission is that a big spacer that fits between the inner and outer bearings is missing from the parts picture, though it is referred to within the text.

The cause of brake pedal pulsing wasn't the discs but an incorrectly fitted / adjusted wheel bearing!

I have now bought a used hub through ebay, which I have stripped out the bearings & cups and cleaned it up ready to fit new bearing sets should the Loctite fails to retain the bearing cup but I've checked it again after more than 200 miles driving and it seems to be holding fine.

Phil Bawn has sent me an interesting 'How to do' article:

MGTF Hands free phone and USB slot.

No doubt some members have a system already in their cars to enable hands free phone use and to play music through their speaker system from a usb or phone, however here is the way I added it to my TF.

Required:

Phone holder in the dashboard air vent mine is a magnetic one a Luoriz and a metal plate goes on to the back of the phone and seems to hold the phone quite securely.

If you want to plug in say a sat-nav as well a double or triple cigar lighter socket, as well.

Bluetooth Wireless unit mine is a Victsing.

A fuse holder circuit TAP.

Additional cigar lighter socket.

All available from E Bay or Amazon.

You can of course take out the existing cigar lighter socket and connect wires to that,but I did it via the air conditioning fuse since it was an unused one in my car.

The correct designation of the Victsing unit is Wireless in car Bluetooth FM transmitter radio adaptor which transmits music from the phone, USB flash drive,tablet or Mp3 to the car stereo system, and its done by tuning the unit to an unused radio frequency, in my case Radio 1, you also of course need to synchronise your phone to the unit.

The cigar lighter socket on the tunnel near the gear lever is not ideal for this job hence the triple socket which I mounted with velcro type material on to the passenger side interior light panel, the panel is held on by two screws, the extra cigar lighter socket is attached to the triple unit.

My sat-nav is attached to the base of the windscreen drivers side so I fed its wire around the dash and then through the drivers side interior light panel across to the other side where the socket is, also feed a wire in the other direction from the cigar lighter socket towards the fuse carriers under the dash on the drivers side.

On the passenger side behind the light panel is an unpainted metal bracket, I drilled a small hole and attached a self tapping screw to a wire to act as the earth, the other end was then connected to the outer blade on the cigar socket.

If you now have the Add a circuit TAP adaptor blade fuse holder AFTER DISCONECTING THE BATTERY place it in position instead of in the case of my car fuse 15 or which ever unused circuit you want to use.

Check the circuit TAP adaptor with a meter to check which of the four sockets are live and add the wire you have already put through from the cigar socket centre connection with a suitable blade connector to that socket,the main red wire from the TAP adaptor doesn't seem to be used.

Checking all connections then reconnect the battery.

By this method the unit will only work when the ignition is on and the Victsing unit will light up blue and show the bluetooth connecting with your bluetooth phone and the radio frequency, so then play Spotify through the phone or add a USB with music to the Bluetooth unit.

Any questions I'll be happy to advise.

Many thanks to Richard & Phil.

To Close With: Graham Robson has sent me 'an identify the car' photo and has given us a big clue:

"Intriguing story; it's American, from the late 1930s, and it looks like one thing, but is, in fact, another. "

Who can give me a correct answer?

Happy MG'ing

Paul

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Newsletter June 2019

Reports:

Despite there being nearly 50 of you at the Club Night and a few MGs were there even with the inclement weather but there were no recent reports to announce, so we went straight to the future events.

Future Club Events:

Sunday 23^rd June - Sunday Adventure Run:

Nigel is not content with organising the Weekend away this month but there is still his Adventure Run. Meet at the Golden Cross at 11am for the approx 40 mile scenic run through the Cotswolds, finishing in Bretforton at the Fleece Inn (owned by the National Trust). At the Fleece a 'Summer BBQ' will be served, at a cost of £15.00 per person (comprising of: Home made Burgers, Locally Sourced Sausages, Cajun Chicken Breast, Parsley Battered Corn on the Cob, Cheesy Chips, Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad, Wholegrain Mustard Coleslaw Mixed Green Salad, Roasted Red Pepper and Mixed Olive Salad, Selection of Artisan Breads and a Selection of Relished & Sauces). We will be able to display our cars in the orchard and there will be seating and a bar in the barn for use by the Club.

Booking and payment is essential to Nigel and the closing date is past, however if you have not booked and find you can now attend talk to him, to see if you can be included.

Details and booking form on the Club website.

Tuesday 2^nd July - Show Night:

A social evening where you can show off your pride and joy and win some prizes, so make sure you have cleaned, polished and waxed your car.

The categories will be different for this year, although the voting system will be the same, there will be a voting slip, note down the registration number for the car you think is the best in each category without voting for your own car or the same car twice, simples!

The categories will be:

The Best Early MG

The Best Modern MG

The Best MGB or Midget

The Best MG Mascot

and a new category of 'Pot Luck'. Any car that scores at least one vote and has not won a prize in any of the above categories will be put into the hat to draw a winner.

There will be lots of prizes, so lets fill the orchard car park again (there is no football to get in the way this year!!!).

Sunday 7^th July - BMC & Leyland Show, BMM, Gaydon:

We will again have a display at this show at the British Motor Museum and we will be given free tickets which give access to the Show, as well as the Museum and the Collections Centre. We have had a good display over the last 2 years, although we will have a new location this year but in a prime position, so should be a good day out. If you would like to book for the Show let me know as soon as possible but the closing date will be 30^th June and I will hand out the passes at the July Club Night (Show Night).

Wednesday 17^th July - Quiz on Wheelz:

Graham has booked us in at the Golden Cross, so the plan is to also start from the Cross anytime between 6pm and 6.45pm. There will be 2 or even 3 locations to stop and search for the clues, then head back to the Cross by 8pm for a hot buffet. The cost for the buffet will be £12 per person. I have not had much response for the Quiz so far, so please let me know, as soon as you can if you would like to join the fun by email and you can let me have the payment at the July Club Night.

Saturday 20^th July - Badsey Flower Show:

Steve will again be looking for support for the excellent show (can you arrange better weather this year Steve?!) and they have requested a BBMF fly past, hopefully a Hurricane. Alan & the Team have been talked into another 'food tent' and will again be offering Scones with jam & clotted cream, there is also talk of Prosecco!! Not to be missed, let me know if you would like to be added to the list, no cost to attend (just be there before 12 midday) except for the Scones & Prosecco (optional). Don't forget your picnic although there are food & beer/prosecco stalls at the show.

Sunday 28^th July Chairman's Picnic:

This year we will be visiting Rousham Park, the format will be the same as previous years, where you bring a plate of food to share in the picnic. We are going to set up our picnic on the lawn in front of the house, it is a fantastic setting. There will be the usual scenic run to get to Rousham, starting from the Golden Cross meeting from 10.30 (bacon rolls and coffee/tea available to purchase) and ready to leave around 11am. The cost for entry into the Park is £6 per person (sorry no dogs please), please book and pay with me, letting me know what plate of food you are going to bring to share (to avoid duplication, see the current list on the Club website).

Tuesday 6^th August - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Saturday 10^th August - Brailes Show:

A regular event on our calendar and we usually have an excellent display to join in the show. The show its self is extensive with a large marquee full of competition entries (produce, flowers, cakes, photos........). There is no cost to enter, just let me know you are planning to attend and be there before 12 noon to be settled before the show opens. Bring a picnic for a social afternoon, although there is a beer tent, afternoon teas and food stalls.

Sunday 25^th August - Broughton Castle Transport Show:

Monday 26^th August - Pershore Plum Festival:

This will no longer be a 'Club Event', however anyone can book to attend, Alan has some bookings forms if you would still like to attend.

Tuesday 3^rd September - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Tuesday 1^st October - Club Night:

Sunday 13^th October - Malvern Festival of Transport:

One of the last outdoor events of the year, lets hope for better weather than last year.

Tuesday 5^th November - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Other Events:

Saturday 7^th & Sunday 8^th September 2019 - The Peaks to Lakes Run: The Cat & Fiddle, Peak District to Wrynoes Pass, Lake District. Details from Norman Verona, email: norman@frenchblat.com .

Other Matters:

Club Clothing: I'm sorry about the mix-up over the VAT on the batch of clothing, however I have now received all the items ordered and have handed some out. All the outstanding items I will give out when I see those who purchased. I have updated the prices on the website to reflect the VAT addition.

What Have You Done With Your MG This Month:

I've been meaning to contact you ref my MGF and what I've done to it recently.

I've totally stripped down the front suspension cleaned and painted the front subframe then replaced ball joints, track rod ends, hub carriers, hubs & bearings topping it off with the big brake kit!

Complimented with new 11 Spoke 16 inch alloys.

I think it now looks the Dogs Do Dah's !
Not bad for a 25 year old (that's the car not me ) Phil Ward.

What have I done this month ? - David Rayner

Well the first thing was to breakdown as we were turning into Wings & Wheel's, and got pushed into parking space. In fact the marshal said, "Where do you want to park?" I said "how far do you want to push me?" The day got worse, as for the next 20 minutes it poured with rain and we were stranded in the car. When the rain eased, we made a dash for the club house. Discussing the problem with Lech, and after the appropriate coffee and bacon bap snack, Lech set to, to make a few checks, it was looking like the coil or condenser. The next white knight to come along was Andy Bourne, who had a spare coil, this fitted, and with fingers crossed the key was turned, resulting in all cylinders firing.

The rain eased and although a little windy, it was a pleasant afternoon. Come home time, Lady B started first time and we arrived home safely. For those that don't know our drive, there is a reasonable rise {that's an understatement it's b****y steep - Ed} up to the garage, and although we can get 3 cars on the drive, we have to move them to get Lady B into the garage. I pulled up outside our house on the road, she will start again said Diane, of course she will, I said, turning the key only to hear a click. After counting to ten, I said, pull the bonnet knob, I pushed the horn and checked the lights, OK, I had power, I rechecked the wires in the coil area, and all seemed OK. It's got to be the starter. Now the starter motor is buried under the distributor and not easy to get at.

At this point I was in need of a cup of tea, and if I could have pushed the car into the garage, I would have, and sorted out the problem the next day, but not with our drive at 15 degrees up hill.

I have never used the breakdown service coupled to our insurance, so gave them a call. An hour later the guy was here, I told him of my findings, so under the car he went, only to find a loose starter motor wire, he pushed it home and re-pinched it, we were running again.

Searching the Web, I found a company in Bromsgrove called Powerspark, who had a Lucas DLB105 {coil-Ed} in stock. The advantage here was they were half hour up the road and I could go and collect it. I also found their website very easy to use. I also bought a new set of HT Leads.

Off came Andy's borrowed coil, and on with the new one, checking on negative/positive wires were on the correct side, also replacing the leads, one at a time to keep them in the correct order. With the Lucas DLB 105 you can increase the spark plug gap slightly, so, out came the plugs, cleaned and re-set the gap.

All back together Lady B fired up first time, so took her for a run up the road. Ran sweetly, if anything it increased the tick over slightly, so reduced that on my return.

Usually you get an idea something is not quite right, so it can be attended to, but I don't like it when you breakdown on the road, but at least in this instance there were fellow club members there to assist. Thank you.

A good tip from David, when he put the plug leads back he printed off some labels to identify the individual leads, thanks David.

Comment from Fred Bury:

In response to Richard's article about batteries; I fitted Manor Garage's twin 12 volt conversion when I restored my car (regularly advertised in magazines). This consists of 2No 12volt batteries in the original carriers wired in parallel, so still 12volt but double the capacity. Proprietor Richard Chapman was very helpful and obliging and supplied everything required (including wiring loom). I fitted them 5 years ago and had marvellous reliable performance ever since. Hope I'm not tempting fate!!!!!

www.manorgaragewantage.co.uk is their web site if anyone is interested.

Some contributions from John Stevens:

Just to add, nothing really for the What Have you Been Doing In Your MG, not even anything risky, but I can attach shots of Carl's former B before and after (though still in progress).

And more from John......

A good short story.....in Evesham B&Q Friday for work, saw a gent get out of an E39 5-series, as I have the M5 version I thought I'd chat to him (if I bumped into him in the store). Of course I bumped into him.
A lovely man, looked and sound similar to the actor that played the surgeon roles (The Fast Lady 1962- Bentley) James Robertson Justice.

He had many cars and told a story he used to live near Abingdon. When he saw the 'new' MGB GT being photographed outside his Thatched Cottage house he asked if he 'could a free car'. They said, well,

come and see us, anyway they arranged for him to buy the new GT at a snip over £500. Not sure what they were then, he said about 1967, but apparently was a good discount.

I asked what colour, he thought grey, but if there's an image of the new GT around '67 with a thatched roof behind, it's probably his old house; but of course photographing a car in one location doesn't usually result in publication, but if the discount was generous that might have been because it was intended to be released.

Thanks John, does anyone remember that publicity photo with the BGT outside a thatched cottage?

Please keep those stories coming, I still have an article from Richard, about brake discs and bearings, I hope you can wait until next month!!

Happy MG'ing

Paul

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Newsletter May 2019

Sad News:

I'm very sorry to say I need to start this month's Newsletter with more sad News, on last Saturday I heard that Allen Smith had passed away earlier that day. Those of you who have been involved with the Club for some time will know of Allen and those of you who are recent to the Club will certainly have heard his name mentioned. Allen & Judi were the proud owner's of an MGB and more recently a modern MGTF and have been with the Club from the early days. He became the Chairman way back in 1993 and was only allowed to relinquish the post in 2009 when Geoff & Vicky took over (it took two people to replace Allen), however he did far more than that for the Club. He was the Chairman of the Heritage Run Committee from the turn of the Millennium, all the way through until the last one and indeed did the vast majority of the work, no doubt with a lot of assistance from Judi (especially in the latter years). Allen had been inflicted with MS, some of you will remember the visit and donation we made last year to the MS Therapy Centre in Coventry where Allen had attended regularly, however he was too unwell to join us for our visit. He spent his last few days in Myton Hospice and passed away peacefully on Saturday. The funeral will be held at 2.00pm on Monday 10^th June at Redditch Crematorium, Allen's wish is for NO Black Ties. It is a shame that this coincides with the Weekend away in Devon, as I'm sure many of you would have wanted to attend.

A very sad day for the Arden MG Club, Allen has left a great legacy behind and will be greatly missed.

Reports:

Malvern Transport Show: I'm told this went well, especially the bacon rolls (well done 'Team'), with a good few cars making a good display to show off our new banner and of course Richard Avery has become the Club's new 'recovery service', great sign.

The Asparagus Festival: Although this was not a 'Club' event quite a few of us responded to the invitation from the landlord of the Fleece to join them, thanks to Nigel for passing the invitation on. There was even a 'Scatter Rally', where you have to work out your own route to find the answers to the clues, which was great fun. It was a really good afternoon out, maybe we should add it to our events for next year.

Drive-it-Day Run: This year's run was very ably organised by Richard & Fiona, they even managed to get some sunshine through the day. They set out an excellent run through some lanes we have not been down before, with some fantastic scenery. We had our own parking area when we arrived at The Southcrest Manor Hotel and Richard & Fiona were already there to direct us where to park. The Sunday Lunch was very good and was supported by several quizzes (I had no hope with the plant questions I'm not a gardener!!). There were winners and there were prizes, however there was a tie for the 'Guess the Number of Eggs in the Jar' challenge and the tie breaker brought the same result so Mike Jones & Christine Large shared the jar, Mike passed it around at the Club night. A great day out thanks Richard & Fiona.

Sheila Yates Funeral: Following the announcement in the Newsletter last month a collection of us joined the Spridget Register, in a convoy following the hearse as it left the Bell in Alderminster to travel to the church in Tredington for the funeral service. Another sad day but I hope Sheila would have been pleased to see the long line of MG's following.

Future Club Events:

Monday 27^th May - Bidford Wings & Wheels:

Bank Holiday Monday, at Bidford airfield (off Buckle St, due South of Bidford). This is getting to be a popular event, no need to book just turn up and all they ask is for a donation into their collecting bucket.

~~Sunday 2^nd June - Quiz on Wheelz:~~ Please note the date has been changed, see below.

Tuesday 4^th June - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Friday 7^th to Monday 10^th June 2019 - Weekend Away to Devon Valley Holiday Village:

Everything is now set for the weekend away and Nigel has been in touch with the local MGOC and he has asked me to add this message:

"Torbay MG owners club have invited us on the Sunday of our stay to join them for a run to Dartmoor. They have offered to come and meet us at the site to follow them and give us the directions to Hay Tor on Dartmoor with a lunch time snack BBQ. It is a nice run but as you will realise I have to let him know so the Torbay club can get it organised can our weekenders let me know ASAP if they would like to do this on the Sunday."

Please respond to Nigel or myself as soon as you can, to allow him to make a considered reply to the Torbay MGOC.

Sunday 23^rd June - Sunday Adventure Run:

Nigel has now organised his 'summer run' and it will start from the Golden Cross. There will be a scenic run of approximately 40 miles through some of the Cotswold's finest countryside to finish at The Fleece Inn at Bretforton, where a 'Summer BBQ' will be served. The cost for the BBQ is £15.00 which will comprise of: Home made Burgers, Locally Sourced Sausages, Cajun Chicken Breast, Parsley Battered Corn on the Cob, Cheesy Chips, Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad, Wholegrain Mustard Coleslaw Mixed Green Salad, Roasted Red Pepper and Mixed Olive Salad, Selection of Artisan Breads and a Selection of Relished & Sauces. We will be able to display our cars in the orchard and there will be seating and a bar in the barn for use by the Club.

Booking and payment is essential to Nigel as soon as possible as he needs to provide the venue with the numbers for the food.

I will load a booking form onto the Club website.

Nigel needs to advise the numbers to the Fleece in the very near future but has only received 10 bookings so far. If you would like to join the run please let him know as soon as you can, many thanks.

Tuesday 2^nd July - Show Night:

A social evening where you can show off your pride and joy and win some prizes, so make sure you have cleaned, polished and waxed your car.

The categories will be:

The Best Early MG

The Best Modern MG

The Best MGB or Midget

The Best MG Mascot

and a new category of 'Pot Luck'. Any car that scores at least 1 vote and has not won a prize in any of the above will be put into the hat to draw a winner.

There will be lots of prizes, so lets fill the orchard car park again (there is no football to get in the way this year!!!).

Sunday 7^th July - BMC & Leyland Show, BMM, Gaydon:

We will again have a display at this show at the British Motor Museum. I will be asking for bookings nearer the time but it should be free to enter (when booked) which gives access to the show and both museum buildings. There has been a good turnout the last 2 years.

Wednesday 17^th July - Quiz on Wheelz:

Please note the change of date, Graham was struggling to find a venue for a Sunday evening, so we have reverted to the midweek date again. The plan is to start from the Golden Cross, any time between 18.00 and 18.45. There will be 2 locations to stop and search for the clues, then head back to the Cross by 8pm for a hot buffet. The cost for the buffet will be £12 per person. Please let me know, as soon as you can if you would like to join the fun and let me have the payment at the Club Night.

Saturday 20^th July - Badsey Flower Show:

Steve will again be looking for support for the excellent show (can you arrange better weather this year Steve?!) and maybe we can talk Alan & the Team into another 'food tent'. More info nearer the time.

Sunday 28^th July Chairman's Picnic:

Tuesday 6^th August - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Saturday 10^th August - Brailes Show:

A regular event on our calendar.

Sunday 25^th August - Broughton Castle Transport Show:

Monday 26^th August - Pershore Plum Festival:

This will no longer be a 'Club Event', however anyone can book to attend, Alan will have bookings forms nearer the time.

Tuesday 3^rd September - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Tuesday 1^st October - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Sunday 13^th October - Malvern Festival of Transport:

One of the last outdoor events of the year, lets hope for better weather than last year.

Tuesday 5^th November - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Other Events:

Saturday 7^th & Sunday 8^th September 2019 - The Peaks to Lakes Run: The Cat & Fiddle, Peak District to Wrynoes Pass, Lake District. Details from Norman Verona, email: norman@frenchblat.com .

Other Matters:

Following on from last month's comments about pedal cars (with Graham's Austin badged Jeep), I asked if Liz & Chris had a photo of the Bugatti Chris made from scratch and here it is. Poor William looks a bit squashed in it because the size was scaled from the available wheels. It has been used more recently by their Grandchildren.

What Have You Done With Your MG This Month:

Adrian Knott has sent me the following story, it might encourage some of you to do the same:

In April, we took our B GT V8, called Meredith, on a mini tour of Brittany.

Day 1 - We packed her liquids, spare parts and tools and found there was barely enough space left for our two bags, coats and walking boots but eventually it all fitted in. Memo to self - minimalist packing in future.

We set off for Plymouth and an overnight crossing to Roscoff, stopping en route for a picnic beneath the Uffington White Horse. On arrival in Plymouth, we parked at the terminal and walked into town for a sundowner drink and a meal on the quayside.

When we returned to Meredith, we found she had been given a makeover with a dense coating of Saharan red dust. So, once we were checked in and waiting to board, out came the cleaning cloths and a bit of floodlit valeting restored Meredith to British Racing Green. This did attract interest from fellow passengers but I am sure others were wondering "how many times a day does he clean that car - get a life!".

Day 2 - The crossing proved calm and uneventful. When we returned to Meredith to disembark the next morning, my first thought was "Did I turn off the battery isolator switch?". It turned out yes I had and Meredith fired up fine. The same wasn't true for a BMW Z3 parked nearby which didn't start at all and was left stranded on the ferry. We were so relieved it wasn't us. On we drove into the small town of Roscoff for a French breakfast of coffee and croissants followed by a walk around the picturesque centre. From Roscoff we headed south to Huelgoat which is a peaceful village beside a lake, surrounded by mature, mixed forest. We took a walk for an hour or so through the forest. It felt prehistoric because parts were dominated by huge mossy granite boulders and dark streams. And being a sunny Spring day, the vibrant foliage encompassing every shade of green cast a colourful glow along the paths. There was a devil's grotto too under layers of boulders which was accessible by metal ladders. On returning to the village we enjoyed crêpes for lunch and strolled around the centre before taking to the road once more. Travelling on small D roads we traversed the Parc Naturel Régional D'Armorique and made our way along the coast to Douarnenez where we stayed overnight in a Logis.

Day 3 - we went east and visited Locronan which is billed as one of the most beautiful villages in France. It certainly lived up to its reputation with 18^th century stone houses and cobbled streets around a large Gothic church. Fortunately, we got there early and it was delightfully empty but by late morning visitors were piling in. It must be packed in high season though. Then onto Quimper with its quirky timbered buildings in the town centre for a lunchtime stop. Following which we headed west to the Pointe du Raz and had a windy walk through gorse and heather to admire the views of France's most westerly point. Once again, we overnighted in Douarnenez.

Day 4 - we left Douarnenez which as far we could see had little going for it other than as a stopover and headed north. Keeping to the quiet D roads we passed through many small villages all of which seemed to have speed humps of different shapes and sizes. Fortunately, we only had one grounding and no discernible damage was sustained.

On another occasion Meredith was plastered with muddy spray by a lorry outside a quarry which meant we later had to find a Laverie to sluice off the grunge. And so on to Ploumanac'h on the Côte de Granit Rose with its coastline of large rose granite rocks which are weathered into all kinds of shapes. Ploumanac'h itself is a former fishing port which has evolved into a smart holiday destination with scenic walks from your doorstep. It was voted a French favourite town in 2015, justifiably so.

Day 5 - we walked along the "Sentier des Douaniers" to the lighthouse and onto Perros Guirec before returning the same way with a baguette sandwich for lunch. With strong winds from the tail end of Storm Hannah, the surf was throwing up crescendos of spray against the rocks which provided endless opportunities to try and capture THE photo. That evening was our last night so we had an excellent Gourmet menu dinner with wines matched to each course. This was France at its best. We can thoroughly recommend the Hôtel du Parc.

Day 6 - time to head homewards. We meandered along the coast back to Roscoff to catch the afternoon ferry. Unfortunately, we had forgotten that being a Sunday the supermarché would be closed so we missed out on replenishing our mustard and wine stocks, not that we had much space for anything more than a few bottles. (Reminder to self - better planning needed next time.) In the ferry boarding queue once more, we were inspected by French customs and they objected to our 5L can of spare petrol. They said their manager had told them that only diesel could be taken on board. We pointed out that the Brittany Ferries website permits petrol too but this fell on deaf ears. Fortunately, we had just driven for 3 hours so it was easy to pour the spare 5 litres into Meredith. Then while we were sitting and waiting once more, we wondered if we could have been mistaken. On checking the Brittany Ferries web site, we found we were indeed correct so Kirsty took the French webpage to show the customs officials for their future reference. Even so, we won't be banking on a change in French policy and will instead make sure the fuel tank always has space to accommodate the 5L on future crossings.

For the statistically minded, we covered 900 miles with an average fuel consumption of 29.7 mpg. I am delighted to be able to say we had no mishaps. Meredith only required a new wiper blade to cope with some rain showers and a small application of WD40 to the wiper mechanism. It was a great first tour, after all that is what a GT is for n'est-ce pas? Are we up for another trip next year? Definitely!

Sounds like you had a great time, thanks Adrian

Richard Avery has also been busy sorting out problems on his 'B', here is his advise on batteries:

MGB - Batteries

Having nursed my damaged 6 volt batteries along for the last 3 years, I decided it was time to splash out and replace them.

When I say they were damaged, they had been over cooked by a failed alternator regulator, which I was a bit slow to realise! The symptom being that every time I checked the electrolyte levels they were well down - even after a 5 mile run!

Checking the alternator output with a multi meter, I discovered it was charging at over 18.5 volts. I bought a new regulator for a few pounds and fitted it into the alternator (an easy job, just requires removing the plastic cover at the back of the alternator using a ¼ AF (6.5mm) socket to undo the 2 retaining screws, a 5.5mm socket for the regulator and a pozi screwdriver.

You need to make sure you fit a regulator with the same number of wires from it - mine had 2 wires but some do have 3 - Moss were very helpful sending me the correct part. (I took the alternator off the car, but it could be done in the car without much difficulty.)

That stopped the electrolyte loss, but at least two cells would not hold a charge for more than few days, so always had to couple up a Smart Charger when not using the car.

At the same time I also installed a permanent voltmeter into the console to keep an eye on it in future.

Back to the new battery - For those of you with two 6 volt batteries, you'll probably know that they retail at around £90 each, hence my reluctance to replace them sooner. I looked around the batteries in Halfords for a 12 volt that might fit and the only one that looked small enough was an HSB154 but it is 223mm high, (about 30mm taller than the 6 volt batteries) so decided to check it wasn't too tall to fit in before purchasing one.

There seemed to be enough room so bought one. When I came to fit it I found it fitted perfectly into the battery cradle, and with enough clearance for the terminals below the cover plate. As it is a maintenance free battery, I decided to fit the restraining clamp across the middle of the battery - being much less fiddly than clamping it along the edge, especially since it is taller than the old 6 volt batteries. I put mine into the passenger side battery cradle and made up a longer +ve cable to reach an isolator switch I have which protrudes into the driver's side battery compartment. Without the isolator switch, I would have put it in the driver's side and extended the -ve terminal to the body. The Yuasa HSB154 was £89 with a 5 year warranty, and it throws the engine over with real vigour - a great result!

Well done Richard, there is another article from Richard for next month.

My MG:

No one has sent me any stories this month, if you would like to write something send it to me and a few photos would be great.

Happy MG'ing

Paul

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Newsletter April 2019

Reports:

The last Club Night was not the best of weather but it didn't stop two of you turning up in your MGs, Cliff's red CGT looks very nice and David even had the roof down, well done. Again there was over 40 of us in the restaurant, what did you all think of the 'Slide Show' that Norman had put together and he was good enough to bring in 2 monitors so, everyone had a chance to see them (except when Fred was standing in front of the one on the bar!!!). Many thanks Norman.

Before I progress to the Future Events I have a very sad announcement from Chris Yates, here is his message to me:

"I have not been able to attend recent meetings because Sheila has been very poorly and passed away last Thursday 4^th April. Although we have only been with the club for under 2 years she enjoyed joining in the club activities and making friends with its members, we had planned to take part in many of the excellent runs and events this year. I hoped that you could make everyone aware of her passing in the next edition of your Newsletter and to this end I have attached a photograph of her at Goodwood. Her funeral will be on 1^st May at St Gregory's Church in Tredington at 11.15 am and should anyone wish to attend they would be more than welcome."

Future Club Events:

Not a Club Event but may be of interest, the Fleece Inn in Bretforton has sent this to Nigel (who is using the Inn for his 'Sunday Adventure Run'):

Asparagus launch day on Tuesday 23^rd April 2019-see below:

Cars would attend at the Fleece from about 11.30am. Other cars will include Morgan, Triumph and MG marques. Complementary light refreshments will be served and there will be entertainment from Vintage Singer Betsy Harmony and others. At approximately 12.45 cars will leave for a Navigational Scatter event based around themed Asparagus clues throughout Worcestershire. Expected return to the Fleece Inn for about 4pm-5pm when a complimentary Asparagus Tea will be served to all contestants along with a complimentary Asparagus Goody bag.

If anyone is interested let me know and I will pass the info on.

Sunday 28^th April - Drive-it-Day Run:

As you will all know by now, Drive-it-Day is a nationwide activity arranged by the FBHVC to encourage all classic car owners to take their vehicles out to show that they are used and of importance to the history of the country. For many years now we have organised a run on this event and this year is no exception. Richard Avery has again stepped forward and has organised the day for us, so for the run he has booked us into The Southcrest Manor Hotel, Southcrest, Redditch, B97 4JS, where lunch will be available. The start will be from the Golden Cross, meet from 11am to be ready to leave around 11.30 and the scenic run is about 40 miles through the local lanes. There are 21 cars and 39 people booked in for the lunch, it may be too late to join in now but if you haven't booked and would like to, you need to check with Richard, the booking form is still available on the Club website.

Tuesday 7^th May - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Monday 27^th May - Bidford Wings & Wheels:

Sunday 2^nd June - Quiz on Wheelz:

We are trying a new format this year with three distinct stopping places to get out of the car and look for the clues to answer the questions, rather than looking for the clues as you drive along. We are also trying a new idea of having the run in the late afternoon on a Sunday (starting from 17.00 to 17.30), however the finish will be at a suitable venue for a meal. Please let me know what you think. Graham and Lech are working together on the quiz, so it should be good!!

Tuesday 4^th June - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Friday 7^th to Monday 10^th June 2019 - Weekend Away to Devon Valley Holiday Village:

THE FINAL PAYMENT IS REQUIRED BY THE MAY CLUB NIGHT, SO IF YOU HAVEN'T GIVEN NIGEL THE PAYMENT BRING YOUR CHEQUE FOR £340 TO THE MEETING ON MAY 7^th.

Sunday 23^rd June - Sunday Adventure Run:

Nigel has now organised his 'summer run' and it will start from the Golden Cross. There will be a scenic run of approximately 40 miles through some of the Cotswold's finest countryside to finish at The Fleece Inn at Bretforton, where a 'Summer BBQ' will be served. The cost for the BBQ is £15.00 which will comprise of: Homemade Burgers, Locally Sourced Sausages, Cajun Chicken Breast, Parsley Battered Corn on the Cob, Cheesey Chips, Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad, Wholegrain Mustard Coleslaw Mixed Green Salad, Roasted Red Pepper and Mixed Olive Salad, Selection of Artisan Breads and a Selection of Relished& Sauces. We will be able to display our cars in the orchard and there will be seating and a bar in the barn for use by the Club.

Booking and payment is essential to Nigel as soon as possible as he needs to provide the venue with the numbers for the food.

I will load a booking form onto the Club website.

Tuesday 2^nd July - Show Night:

A social evening where you can show off your pride and joy and win some prizes, so make sure you have cleaned, polished and waxed your car.

Sunday 7^th July - BMC & Leyland Show, BMM, Gaydon:

Saturday 20^th July - Badsey Flower Show:

Steve will again be looking for support for the excellent show (can you arrange better weather this year Steve) and maybe we can talk Alan & the Team into another 'food tent'. More info nearer the time.

Sunday 28^th July Chairman's Picnic:

Advance notice, to be confirmed.

Tuesday 6^th August - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Saturday 10^th August - Brailes Show:

A regular event on our calendar.

Sunday 25^th August - Broughton Castle Transport Show:

Monday 26^th August - Pershore Plum Festival:

This will no longer be a 'Club Event', however anyone can book to attend, Alan will have bookings forms nearer the time.

Tuesday 3^rd September - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Tuesday 1^st October - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Sunday 13^th October - Malvern Festival of Transport:

One of the last outdoor events of the year, lets hope for better weather than last year.

Tuesday 5^th November - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Other Events:

Sunday 12^th May - Cwm to Coast: Sandville Court in Ton Kenfig (CF33 4PU) and finish at the Grove Golf Club in Porthcawl (CF36 5TA), a two course Sunday Lunch is available at £15 per person. Details Bridgend MGOC, contact: Stuart Taylor on 01656 662213 or email at mgguy62@hotmail.com

MGCC Midland Centre Welsh Rallye - 17^th to 19^th May 2019:This year's Rally will be based at the Hands Hotel in Llangollen and will again be a 2 night event. I'm told the run on the Saturday will be slightly shorter than last year and will have an additional short cut if required. Further details from the Midland Centre.

Saturday 7^th& Sunday 8^th September 2019 - The Peaks to Lakes Run: The Cat & Fiddle, Peak District to Wrynoes Pass, Lake District. Details from Norman Verona, email: norman@frenchblat.com .

Other Matters:

Those of you who read the Newsletter may remember the comment in Graham's 'What Have I done in My MG' that there was a Jeep pedal car in the background of one of his photos. He has sent a follow up message: "I found the picture of my jeep I was looking for . . .

The observant may notice the Austin badge. We had a few of these kicking about because at one time we made a plastic version of it as a safety feature for export cars to the American market."

Thanks Graham, who else had a pedal car like that when they were a child or did you buy one for your child, or even make one (have Liz & Chris got a photo of the Bugatti to share with us?)

Phil Bawn has sent me another of his devilish car recognition quizzes:

Here's another car recognition quiz if you want to use it as a filler, they are both from the same factory made in quantities but oddly the same car came out under two different badges, long before the badging of Nuffield products etc.

I have still got a bottle of Old Speckled Hen left for the first correct answer I receive.

What Have You Done With Your MG This Month:

This month John Philps has sent in this article:

What did I do this winter?

I changed the seats in my MGC. This is a tail of interesting advice and knowing the right people who know the right people.

The C seats are not the same as B seats as the floor pan in the C is different due to different front suspension and a rather large engine.

The reason for the change was to add head rests and also reclining seats, not available for the C (68/69) only coming in for the B in 1972.

What prompted me to get on and change the seats was an incident that happened to an old friend of mine Brian Rainbow. Some of you will know him as Chairman of the MG Octagon club and he runs the pre MG 1956 natter at the Blue Boar every month.

He was returning from an MG event in his B GT one Sunday and stopped at a set of lights at a temporary road works and was hit from behind by a white van, the driver was on his phone!!

Brian's B had head rests and these saved him and Rosie from the serious consequences of back lash

I have seen other Cs where the seats have been replaced. However they tend to be of two types either from a Mazda MX5 or MGB seats, usually from the Owners Club. If I was going to change them I wanted them to be as close to original looking as possible so I was not going the Mazda route.

I had great fun ringing around trying to find out if B seats would fit. I received some interesting and wonderful advice.

The Owners Club said their seats would be OK "they have sold many to C owners", in a later call, a different person, told me quite a few had been returned.

Other advice I was given was "only MGB GT seats would fit the C", and "post 1976 B cloth seats would fit".

Due to the difference in the C and B seats if you put in B seats you will have to change the C steering wheel so you can get your knees under the wheel. I had just changed mine to an original wheel so did not want to go back. Anyone want a wood rimed Moto-Lita steering wheel???

I decided to go the DIY route and went to Ebay and found a pair of 1972 B seats for £25 plus £15 postage. I stripped them down only to find they had different Head Rest holders. Single post and double post. Ugh. They sent me another free of charge, great. However it was a good job I had a spare as I found that the reclining mechanism on one was broken so I swapped the bases.

I measured the C seats and worked out the difference in the height was at the front and was 4cm. I took the bases to a man in Alcester (thanks Lech, knowing someone who knows someone) who cut them down and re welded them.

A quick rust proof and paint and they went off to be covered. In my research on good trim people the name of PJM Motors kept on coming up. Again a name from someone who knows someone. They deal almost entirely in MG trim and can provide just about any finish. Sandra who answers the phone but really organises the place went through everything, what sort of leather, sending me a couple swatches to compare with the current seats, what type and colour piping etc. Sandra said it would be 3 weeks and exactly 3 weeks later she rang to say they were ready.

Now they are fitted and the C is ready to go and yes just in case you did want to ask the tank is full. The only problem being I have had a knee operation and supposed not to drive for 6 weeks Ugh..

Before and after.

John Philps

Thanks to all the contributors, please keep sending me your stories, even better with a photo or two.

My MG:

As promised last month the story from Nigel who has opened his wallet and splashed out on another MG:

OUR OTHER MG

We waved goodbye to Stephanie's Mini, then began discussions on what we were going to do next in the way of cars. It was suggested by way of mutual consent, to look for an MGB GT giving us some cover on wet runs and as a second vehicle, we would be Tax free with cheap insurance and it would also increase in value. We went through all the usual channels such as Autotrader, Gumtree (etc) and on ebay found several likely cars but nothing seemed to hit home. That is until I found the advert which just seemed to click. I had a good feeling about this one. My first bid was rejected and several other bidders came on the scene. I left a message for the owner one Saturday night and disappeared to the pub. We had been there about an hour when my phone rang and it was the seller. We discussed what he wanted price wise, to which I made him an offer which he accepted on the promise to keep the vehicle until we arrived to see it and complete the deal.

On the Tuesday morning Stephanie and I set sail for Pontypool in South Wales. We eventually found the place and in dicussion with the owner who was an MG enthusiast found he had had it for four years but two of those it had been garaged and never seen the light of day. He was a Builder starting up on his own and had just moved from Bristol to South Wales and needed the money to help in the new buisiness.

We did the deal there and then and being a man of his word had refused a higher offer until we had seen it.

I drove it back home across the Brecon Beacons and we made it back safely, it ran quite nicely.

I then did some TLC on her and wrote to DVLA to find who the other owners had been, although I had quite a large piece of History on her I wanted a bit more. Having wrtten to the addresses of the last four owners one phoned me quite delighted I had the car and bothered to get in touch. I am very pleased I did for when he had it in 2012 he had a complete renovation carried out, Leather seats, Trim, New S/S Exhaust, a complete Engine overhaul including an unleaded Head, New suspension, New instrumentation, Respray, the list went on. On looking through the History I have found all the Receipts of the work carried out and it all matches. He sold it when his wife died, as they were active in his local MG club.

I have since found it started life as a British Leyland company car at Longbridge so she has come back to the Midlands.

Havok our Red Roadster now has a sister! AWK !

Footnote.

Stephanie was complaining of her mascots the two Dogs Winston and his mate Churchill kept falling off the back seats - they now have safety belts to keep them in place !! We look forward to some runs in her.

Nigel & Stephanie Hook.

Thanks Nigel, I look forward to seeing at this years events, although if it is the wet weather car hopefully not too many events!!!

Happy MG'ing

Paul

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Newsletter March 2019

Reports:

I think everyone who came to the Club Night enjoyed the talk by Patrick about his time in the RAF flying Hercules (Lockheed C130K) Aircraft (remember never call them planes!!), which was after working for the other Lockheed (Automotive Products). Patrick has a connection to MG having bought a 'B' new in 1969 (which he considers to be the best model year, still with leather seats but ones that reclined, does everyone agree?). The main advantage of the Turbo Prop aircraft is their short take-off and landing (STOL) ability, as well their low level flying capability, this was demonstrated with a short video showing the 'food relief drops' at Addis Ababa during Operation Bushel in 1985. He finished with some anecdotes about his time flying Andovers on the 'Royal Flight' but best to keep them to ourselves!! A great talk and we presented Patrick with the £60 takings from the evenings raffle but this was very generously increased to £100 by Mike Green and will be presented to Parkinsons UK as his wife is a sufferer.

Future Club Events:

Sunday 24^th March - March Madness Run:

We now know the details for this run, which will start at the Golden Cross from 10.30am and plan to leave around 11.00/11.15. There will be an interesting scenic run to finish at The Henley Golf & Country Club. Lunch will be available but needed to be pre-booked and paid for. The deadline for bookings was the March Club Night, please contact Alan Cleobury for any further details. The booking form is still available to download from the Club website.

Tuesday 2^nd April - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Sunday 7^th April - Malvern Transport Show:

Alan has been taking bookings for this show.

Sunday 28^th April - Drive-it-Day Run:

As will all know by now, Drive-it-Day is a nationwide activity arranged by the FBHVC to encourage all classic car owners to take their vehicles out to show that they are used and of importance to the history of the country. For many years now we have organised a run on this event and this year is no exception. Richard Avery has again stepped forward and offered to organise the day for us, so for the run he has booked us into The Southcrest Manor Hotel, Southcrest, Redditch, B97 4JS, where lunch will be available, however Richard needs your menu choices and payment in advance. The booking form is available to download from the Club website but the details are as follows:

Starters

£4.50 Soup of the day with Roll & Butter

£5.50 Confit of Duck Leg (Shredded Leg of Duck, Caramelised Orange Chutney, Orange Jelly)

£5.00 Chicken Liver Pâté with Red Onion Jam, Ciabatta Croute

Mains

£11.95 Roast Topside English Beef with Roast Potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding, Veg. & Gravy

£11.95 Roast Beef, Turkey & Gammon with Roast Potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding, Veg. & Gravy

£11.95 Vegetarian Nut Roast with Sage & Onion Stuffing, Yorkshire Pudding, Veg. & Gravy

£11.95 Oven Baked Scottish Salmon Fillet, Baby New Potatoes, Buttered Greens, Chive Hollandaise Sauce

Desserts

£5.50 Lemon & Lime Cheesecake with passionfruit Coulis, Lime Jelly

£4.95 Warm Chocolate Brownie with Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate Ice Cream

£6:00 Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream

£6.95 English Cheeseboard with Crackers, Celery & Fruit Chutney

Please make cheques payable to Arden MG Club. Completed forms required by April Club Night (Tues 2^nd).

The start point will probably be from the Golden Cross but Richard confirm that in the near future

Tuesday 7^th May - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Monday 27^th May - Bidford Wings & Wheels:

Sunday 2^nd June - Quiz on Wheelz:

Tuesday 4^th June - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Friday 7^th to Monday 10^th June 2019 - Weekend Away to Devon Valley Holiday Village:

Sunday 23^rd June - Sunday Lunch Run:

Nigel is not content to be just organising the weekend away and has offered to arrange a run out for lunch as well, details will be available soon but put the date in your diary/calendar.

Tuesday 2^nd July - Show Night:

A social evening where you can show off your pride and joy and win some prizes, so make sure you have cleaned, polished and waxed your car.

Sunday 7^th July - BMC & Leyland Show, BMM, Gaydon:

Saturday 20^th July - Badsey Flower Show:

Tuesday 6^th August - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Saturday 10^th August - Brailes Show:

A regular event on our calendar.

Sunday 25^th August - Broughton Castle Transport Show:

Monday 26^th August - Pershore Plum Festival:

This will no longer be a 'Club Event', however anyone can book to attend, Alan will have bookings forms nearer the time.

Tuesday 3^rd September - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Tuesday 1^st October - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Sunday 13^th October - Malvern Festival of Transport:

One of the last outdoor events of the year, lets hope for better weather than last year.

Tuesday 5^th November - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Other Events:

Saturday 7^th & Sunday 8^th September 2019 - The Peaks to Lakes Run: The Cat & Fiddle, Peak District to Wrynoes Pass, Lake District. Details from Norman Verona, email: norman@frenchblat.com .

Other Matters:

Club Branded Clothing:

I have found a new supplier for Arden MG Club branded clothing, which is reasonable quality at an acceptable cost. I will be collating a bulk order to place with the supplier and we should then be able to save the carriage cost, in the future it should be possible to order individual items direct from the supplier, however the carriage costs will apply. The 'branding' will be the Club badge as used on previous clothing (not the shield) as per the photo which can be in a contrasting colour to the garment. The range will consist of Men's Polo Shirts, Ladies Polo Shirts, Sweat Shirts, Fleece and Woolly Ski Hats. Attached are the full details, which are also shown on the Club website. If you would like to order any of the items please let me know and let me have the payment (cheques to 'Arden MG Club'). Please note the prices are the cost to the Club and the set-up cost will be funded by the Club funds. I would like to be able to place the order just after the April Club night.

New Club Banner:

More good news we have decided to buy a new banner to advertise who we are when we are at events. The new one will have a rectangular frame that the banner will attach to with bungee straps and will be much easier to put up and carry around. Look out for it at an event soon.

MGCC: As some of you may know, for some time the Midland Centre has been looking for a site to run an Autosolo. This is a forward only version of an autotest ideal for unmodified road cars, they must be driven to the event and have an MOT, although this can vary depending on the regulation. The rules allow for a passenger as young as 12 and a driver aged 14, though not in the same car! Curborough is the venue we have in mind, and the MGCC already has an invitation from the Cannock and District Car Club to compete there. If you want a fun day out then visit http://www.cdcc.org.uk or see them on Facebook. An ideal opportunity to exercise your daily driver and still get to work on Monday morning.

These are the dates which are open to MG Car Club members. Entry fees are around £30 per driver:

22 April - The 'Easter Bunny' PCA

3 November - The 'Guy Fawkes Revenge' PCA

28 December - The 'Stuff The Turkey' PCA

Other events may be open to MGCC members, but may not be held at Curborough. Anyone interested in taking part in any of these events should contact the Cannock & District Car Club directly. Their website contains details of entry forms and regulations.

What Have You Done With Your MG This Month:

Those of you who are local to Stratford may have seen this article in the local paper, however for those who didn't see it here is Graham Smith with his special MG TF Midget (Twin Cam) who has become 'The Face' of the Stratford Festival of Motoring. Well done Graham. The Festival is over the early May bank holiday weekend (Sunday & Monday) with scenic runs around the area and then displaying the cars in the town centre. Although this is not an Arden MG Club events, lots of us take part, it is great fun but you do need to book with the organisers; 'Stratforward'. I will be taking part on the Sunday and with the British Motor Museum on the Monday, hope to see you there.

Graham Robson has been busy giving 'Bumble' some TLC and sent this report:

Well - to be honest, all I did personally with my MG was drive it to Cotswold Motor Co just outside Long Marston for it to have bottom-half respray. It was obviously the end of a hard day there, as the staff gathered round my treasured little MG Midget and studied it, with slowly lowering brows. It's got a few bits of bubbly paint, and a seam on the front wing has developed a rather fetching "lace doily" finish.

Trust me. you could have successfully vacuumed the yard with the amount of sharply intaken breath they exhibited. They obviously have a repertoire of damning comments they draw on so that you don't go away with the idea their job is simple. Ones like "how big's your budget", or "which scrap yard do you favour" . . . "you never know what's going on underneath" . . . "hope we can get that wing off" . . . the trick is to let them run on until they realise the sun's going down and it's time to go home.

The following day, the gaffer, Dave, who is a hero in my book, rings and says "it's not too bad really. I'm afraid you'll need a new wing 'cause that's beyond hope, but we can do all the rest for you, won't be too bad at all". And he quotes a price which is well within the budget. Which means he's either cocked up his estimate or I'd just reserved too much.

Now is a REALLY bad time for any members to tell me they've got a brand new MG Midget 1500 front offside wing I can have for £30.

On the passenger's side pic there's a Willys jeep pedal car they are making, in the background. I had one like that when I was about 5!!

Thanks Graham, I'm looking forward to seeing the sparkling paintwork.

Whilst we were in Sri Lanka (yes we've been away again!!!) I saw several new MG cars but only managed these 2 photos of the new ZS. I saw more new MGs there in 2 weeks than at home in 2 months!! Someone said they were probably from the new factory in India.

Thanks to all the contributors, please keep sending me your stories, even better with a photo or two.

My MG:

Continuing on from Roger Phipp's saga from last month with the leaking wheel cylinder and re-shimming the rear diff and we left Roger with a small bill for the parts but a massive one for the labour time spent lying on the floor in the garage, here is the final part all about the 'Click':

Whilst I was under the car daydreaming, I thought that now I've got rid of the "clunk", wouldn't it be nice to get rid of the "click". You know that annoying "click - click - click" from the SU Fuel Pump on its last legs, I have in the past rebuilt these but as this one was a Jap copy, there wasn't a hope in hell it would have been worth it, so I fitted a new SU Fuel Pump as well just for good measure, and the by far the most expensive item at over £100, and just to be on the safe side new flexible fuel pipes as well.

Oh, and while you are the getting the car ready for the coming season don't forget to check Spark Plugs and Points (if you have them) and the oil and water and you should have a fit car for the summer. (Hopefully)

{And as your car is a 'C' perhaps you need to check if there is fuel in the tank. Ed}

"CLUNK CLICK, EVERY TRIP." (Not any more for me.)

That's all Folks, so far, Safe & Happy "MotorinG", and "C" you at the next meet.

Roger & Caroline Phipp

Thanks Roger, for next month there will be the story of Nigel's new MGB GT (don't forget to email me the photo Nigel)

Happy MG'ing

Paul

p.s. I received this message for help after I had finished writing the Newsletter, if anyone has any information I can forward to Terry:

"I was hoping that you could help me locate my old MGBGT, I was looking through some old photos and came across this photo Of me [with hair ha ha ] and my MG. I bought it new in 1975.

Because the MGB had been made for some years prior to 1975 they were well know for rusting out very quickly so I decided to have the bodywork injected with the, new at the time, Cadullac sealant [spelling] and the paintwork treated with Armarglaze [also new at the time]. this is the reason I would like to to find the car to see if the treatment worked all these years later, or did I waste my money?

Unfortunately I only got to own the car for about a year due to financial problems and sold it to a gentleman I believe lived in Wimborne Dorset, I have tried to find the owner of the car via the DVLA they of course and quite rightly wont give out the name of the registered owner, the car is still on the road and is MOT'd.

So if any of you nice people know of it's whereabouts or it's with your club, I would be greatfull if you could help me find the owner to see if I did waste my money. I was living in Bournemouth at the time I now live in Malta retired and enjoying the warmer weather and loving the classic car clubs with my Rover P5B Coupe.

The car Registration JJT335N"

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Newsletter February 2019

Reports:

No events to report on this month but we still had a good turnout for the Club night with over 40 of you there, however I did have the chance to present Graham with a token of thanks for the work he put in for the Club's 30^th Anniversary last year. As with Norman last month I presented Graham with a laser cut 'shadow' picture of his Midget and he was very impressed with the accuracy as it showed the rust on the 'A' pillar!! Thanks again to Chris Jarman for spending the hours on the design work to produce the 'shadow' format.

Future Club Events:

Tuesday 5^th March - Club Night:

Guest speaker: 'In Praise of the Turbo Prop', based on a life flying Hercules.

Sunday 24^th March - March Madness Run:

We now know the details for this run, which will start at the Golden Cross from 11am and plan to leave around 11.30. there will be an interesting scenic run to finish at The Henley Golf & Country Club. Lunch will be available but needs to be pre-booked and paid for, the booking form can be downloaded from the Club website but here is the menu:

Two Course Lunch Menu i.e. Starter + Main or Main + Sweet @ £15.50 each

Three Courses @ £19.50 each - Includes unlimited tea/coffee

Starters : Home Made Vegetable Soup (V)

Fanned Honeydew Melon (V)

Smoked Salmon and Prawns

Mains : Roast Topside of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding

Roast Breast of Chicken

Baked Fillet of Salmon (wrapped in crisp filo pastry)

Leek, Potato, Broccoli and Stilton Pie with dauphinoise potatoes (V)

ALL OF THE ABOVE served with Seasonal Vegetables

Sweets : Seasonal Fruit Crumble - served with Custard

Profiteroles filled with Chantilly Cream/ chocolate sauce

Soft Meringue Roulade -Filled with Fruit of the Forest Compot

Please make cheques payable to Arden MG Club, enclose with your entry form and send to Alan by March 5^th (Club Night) AT THE LATEST, however he will be happy to accept the completed forms at the Clubnight.

Tuesday 2^nd April - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Sunday 28^th April - Drive-it-Day Run:

Starters

£4.50 Soup of the day with Roll & Butter

£5.50 Confit of Duck Leg (Shredded Leg of Duck, Caramelised Orange Chutney, Orange Jelly)

£5.00 Chicken Liver Pâté with Red Onion Jam, Ciabatta Croute

Mains

£11.95 Roast Topside English Beef with Roast Potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding, Veg. & Gravy

£11.95 Roast Beef, Turkey & Gammon with Roast Potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding, Veg. & Gravy

£11.95 Vegetarian Nut Roast with Sage & Onion Stuffing, Yorkshire Pudding, Veg. & Gravy

£11.95 Oven Baked Scottish Salmon Fillet, Baby New Potatoes, Buttered Greens, Chive Hollandaise Sauce

Desserts

£5.50 Lemon & Lime Cheesecake with passionfruit Coulis, Lime Jelly

£4.95 Warm Chocolate Brownie with Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate Ice Cream

£6:00 Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream

£6.95 English Cheeseboard with Crackers, Celery & Fruit Chutney

Please make cheques payable to Arden MG Club. Completed forms required by April Club Night (Tues 2^nd).

The start point will probably be from the Golden Cross but Richard confirm that in the near future

Tuesday 7^th May - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Tuesday 4^th June - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Friday 7^th to Monday 10^th June 2019 - Weekend Away to Devon Valley Holiday Village:

Sunday 23^rd June - Sunday Lunch Run:

Nigel is not content to be just organising the weekend away and has offered to arrange a run out for lunch as well, details will be available soon but put the date in your diary/calendar.

Other Events:

Saturday 7^th& Sunday 8^th September 2019 - The Peaks to Lakes Run,:

The Cat & Fiddle, Peak District to Wrynoes Pass, Lake District. Details from Norman Verona, email: norman@frenchblat.com .

Other Matters:

There are four dates which are open to MG Car Club members. Entry fees are around £30 per driver:

17 February - The 'Windy Oak' PCA

22 April - The 'Easter Bunny' PCA

3 November - The 'Guy Fawkes Revenge' PCA

28 December - The 'Stuff The Turkey' PCA

What Have You Done With Your MG This Month:

David Harrison sent me this note about his Magnette, thanks David:

What I did with my MG .....I haven't used the ZA much, but as my 23 year old grandson is on the insurance (£3.50 a year!) he used it as his daily driver all over his Christmas University break. Not a scrap of bother,....but he now appreciates how good modern heaters are! And it proved to be a great hit with some of his friends' parents!

(memo to self :-must get it sorted out!)

David

Next John Saunders sent me a series of photos and this description:

Hi Paul, happy new year to you all, what's my MG up to? Not a lot, after a very reliable & enjoyable few years of motoring, the old thing was getting a bit tired ( the car that is ) rattles mainly, still drove like an angry wasp, with a sound to match. 93k on the clock the car looks great but the engine bay!!! It required rubber gloves, that's why it got a bit ignored? I have had a new engine waiting now for 5 years, ready to go in but the decision to actually do the Job, with all it entails was something l now had to face, however the engine is now out . The suspension is being rebuilt, steering, radiator, hoses & a brake upgrade, well if l'm going to do it, it's got to be all or nothing! If all goes to plan l will finish it March/April but if l get stuck my lads will be drafted in to help, if they want to use it they can do a bit. Oli has been driving it for 2 years and loves it! Jason has a GT, l passed onto him some years ago and he would never part with it. They both thought l was nuts saying MGs ha ha.

As you can see John has also sent a photo of the bike he has just finished restoring.

Andy Bourne has also been very busy and has sent some photos with this description:

Hi Paul -many thanks for the excellent newsletter this month (as usual I hasten to add!.) Despite having one of my now famous viral colds, over the Christmas period and beyond, I have started a number of jobs on my Midget, none finished, I hasten to add but at least it gives the impression I can multi task! I am trying to swap the rear overdrive gearbox mounting round, as I put the old one on the wrong way round last Winter (Being ill again was my feeble excuse at the time ). It only moves the box 4 mm to one side, but enough to stop the annoying rattle when the solenoid contacts the transmission tunnel, now and again. I did widen the tunnel when I fitted the overdrive and had no problems until last year (after refitting the engine,following painting the engine bay)!! My second job is a spark plug swap and check on the ignition - just to eliminate that from a rough running problem. Finally I'm rebuilding an old set of SU Hs 4 carbs as the current, refurbished ones are giving far too rich a mixture, despite having them set up by "an expert" (not me of course!). I shall put the old carbs back on when ready and send the refurbished ones off for attention. The old plugs are pretty sooty and the spares are a bit tired - so time to purchase some new ones, hopefully Champion N 12 YCs off Flea Bay.

Just to keep me from relaxing, my pals think I need not rest in retirement, so I'm doing roof repairs for one of them - at least it pays for the MG bits! No progress this week as still getting better from this bug that's going about around here.

I attach a few pics that hopefully illustrate my efforts thus far!!

All the best Andy

Finally Alan Cleobury nearly gave me a heart attack telling me that Maggie was in need of treatment!!! But he had delayed it until after some event last September!! Here are his comments:

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH YOUR MG THIS MONTH:

Well Not Me Really!- "MAGGIE" is in the Body Shop Hospital undergoing some Cosmetic Surgery

She's in the very capable (I HOPE) Hands of Richard Spriggs Nr Bidford assisted by his First Class Mate - Dave!. It's still work in progress & I will update as soon as more progress is made.( IF anyone knows next week's winning lottery numbers PLEASE let me know!!)

On another issue My Mate Steve has replaced the faulty resister on the heater switch on our TF - So now we can use the blower on No 1, 2, 3 & 4 !! - WELL done Steve & Thank You!

I have also followed his instructions of fixing the "Droopy / saggy" gear lever gaiter on the TF with the use of a jubilee clip & compression spring - So No more bare shaft between gaiter & knob!!

I'm Sure he'll be happy to pass on the instructions if yours is Saggy!!!! (OOH ER MISSUS !)

Happy MG ing !!

Thanks to all the contributors, please keep sending me your stories, even better with a photo or two.

My MG:

There was one more 'what have you done with your MG story' but it was so long and detailed I'm going to put it in this section and spread over 2 months. This is from Roger Phipp who has been very busy and has given us the full 'blow by blow' account, many thanks for putting this together for us:

University Motors MGC GT 1969

When I pulled the MGC out of the Garage to get it ready for the "Chilly Willy Run" I noticed a small pool of "oily fluid" about the size of a two pence coin where the rear wheel had stood. Not knowing what exactly was wrong I decided not to take it on the Run.

I knew there could be one of several reasons what the trouble could be, a leaking shock absorber, a leaking wheel cylinder or a leaking axle seal.

After closer inspection it was not the shock absorber as it was bone dry, and from the small amount of fluid on the inside of the rear brake drum it had to be the wheel cylinder or the axle seal.

When I removed the rear drum the evidence was pretty obvious lots of greasy oil on the inside of the drum and the brake shoes and although the wheel cylinder was also oily, when I peeled back the rubber seal it was quite dry.

So by the process of elimination the culprit was now pin pointed as the axle seal. A relatively inexpensive part but rendering the brake shoes useless as the contamination would not be possible to remove. As the wheel back plate has to be removed meaning the wheel cylinder has to be detached from the brake line I decided to renew the wheel cylinder as well.

The MGC rear axle is basically the same as the MGB, with a few subtle differences.

Now if you are changing one set of brake shoes it is a false economy (and quite dangerous) not to change the other side as well and the same for the wheel cylinder and also the axle oil seal .

Now while all this work is being done its worth checking the Half Shafts and the Axle Bearings mine were in very good order, and the axle straps as these are often forgotten and secretly slowly perish without notice and are also quite inexpensive. (mine were on their last legs or threads).

(What better way to While away the time?????????)

The Clunk

Also while doing this work I decided to do something else which had been annoying me since I first got the car but had adapted my driving to cope, namely a very annoying clunk when changing gear.

Anyone out there experienced that annoying clunk on acceleration or de-acceleration and when changing gear? If you have it's probably the cheapest repair that can be done yourself, the parts only cost around £8 although the amount of work will take around 8 / 10 hours and quite a strong nerve if you have not tackled the rear Axle or Differential before.

The problem is in the "Diff" and is the so called bearings (two domed copper washers and two flat fibre washers) situated behind the planet and pinion gears which act more as shims or spacers.

I also changed the Pinion Pin as it showed signs of wear and a new roll pin and diff gasket.

Invoice for the cost so far

New Pinion Pin £22

New Roll Pin £1

Brake Fluid, Gear Oil, Gasket Sealant, £40

New Brake Shoes £30 pair

New Wheel Cylinders £26 pair

New Axle Seals £6 pair

New Axle Straps £8 pair

New Differential Bearings £13 set

New Diff Gasket £1

Labour £260,000-00 plus at least

(10 hours laying on the floor of the garage in the miserable cold damp January weather wishing I was back in Barbados soaking up the warm sunshine watching the crystal blue sea lapping on the clean white sandy beach while sipping a cool beer).

Thanks Roger, final instalment about the 'Click' next month.

Happy MG'ing

Paul

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Newsletter January 2019

Reports:

Xmas Meal: This was reported on in the last Newsletter but went very well with the best turn-out for some years and enjoyed by all.

Chilly Willy Run: Good attendances are becoming normal for our events and this run was certainly no exception with over 60 people, the highest number of classic & MG cars, and some (acceptable) moderns. The start didn't go quite to plan, partly due to the more than 50% extra bookings than originally envisaged and the Potting Shed Cafe didn't reserve the whole room for us but the coffee was good. The large turn-out of MGs was no doubt helped by the mild weather but this meant we were able to enjoy a very pleasant scenic drive along some normally untravelled lanes, thanks as ever to Lech for assistance in setting the route. The Golden Cross were up to their normal high standard and the lunches were hot, plentiful and tasty, well done to Matt, Claire and their team and everyone remembered to pay for their meals!!

AGM and Club Night: The AGM was well attended with 39 signing the register and it was completed in record time, less than 10 minutes. Reported were a record number of Club events in the last year, substantial funds in the Club bank account and despite reducing numbers on the Club data base (partly due to culling after the GDPR exercise) we still attracted 12 new members. The Club is in good health, minutes will be on the Club website soon.

After the AGM we had 2 presentations, David had looked through the registers for all of last events (including Club Nights) to tot up who had attended the most and he found no less than 5 people with the same number of attendances, in alphabetical order: Fred Bury, Alan Cleobury, Paul Dunster, Steve Entwistle and Nigel Hook. In order to present an award it was necessary to have a 'draw' to decide the winner, so the five names were put into a pint pot and Dawn drew out Nigel, who was given the bottle of Champagne, well done to all and thanks for supporting the club so often. The second presentation was a thank you, which we like to do. A lot of work was put into making the Club's 30^th Anniversary go so well and one of those jobs was to come up with the idea and produce the coasters that everyone received. It was very difficult to think of something different for this recipient as he is in the field of PR but a friend of mine has a laser cutter and he was persuaded to spend a lot of time to produce an image that could be laser cut. The final image was made up of 3 layers laid over each other (thanks to Chris Jarman for producing it) and I was able to present this to Norman Large, with many thanks from the Club.

To complete the event attendance story David has sent me the analysis of the stats:

Month/Event	People	Cars
Club Night January (AGM)	34
Club Night February	46
Club Night March	58
Club Night April	53
Club Night May	51
Club Night June	51
Club Night July (Show Night)	55 (World Cup Match Night)
Club Night August	43
Club Night September	42
Club Night October (30^th Anniversary)	60
Club Night November	52
Club Night December	49
Chilly Willy Run	32 (Arden MG Club)	31
March Madness Run	40	20
Malvern Classic Car Show	32	19
BMM 25^th Anniversary Run	38	24
Weekend Away St Audries Bay	47	22
Quiz on Wheelz	25	12
BMC & Leyland Show BMM	12	8
Joint Natter	2	2
Chilly Willy WARMER Run	25	13
Badsey Flower Show	25	15
Chairman's Picnic	34	16
Brailes Show	23	15
Birthdays Run (Nuffield Place)	26	14
Pershore Plum Festival	31	18
Heritage Re-Run	28	15
Hook Norton Brewery Tour	19	11
Xmas Meal	58

Future Club Events:

Tuesday 5^th February - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Tuesday 5^th March - Club Night:

Guest speaker: 'In Praise of the Turbo Prop', based on a life flying Hercules.

Sunday 24^th March - March Madness Run:

Alan and the 'Team' will come up with another exciting run out, more details soon, put the date on your calendar.

Tuesday 2^nd April - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Sunday 28^th April - Drive-it-Day Run:

Richard Avery is working on this and we will have more details soon.

Tuesday 7^th May - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Tuesday 4^th June - Club Night:

Social gathering at the Golden Cross.

Friday 7^th to Monday 10^th June 2019 - Weekend Away to Devon Valley Holiday Village:

Other Events:

Saturday 7^th & Sunday 8^th September 2019 - The Peaks to Lakes Run,:

The Cat & Fiddle, Peak District to Wrynoes Pass, Lake District. Details from Norman Verona, email: norman@frenchblat.com .

Other Matters:

Another interesting tale from Phil Bawn:

Teaching my son.

I was persuaded to part with £25.00 for this heap of rust when we lived near Chester but we had a decent garage, shot blasting and spraying equipment, so I thought I would teach my 16 year old what I know (self taught). He now, of course knows nothing, in fact he will have try to forget my way of doing things as he is a now a Chartered European engineer, working on major projects at International airports, however since I couldn't get him to give me £50 for the car (well one must try to make a profit in life) I had to let it go for the £25 paid and that was on the never never.

We took it apart found the wings were partly old oil cans cut up and all sorts of other bodges, worst of all were the sills of course, however we welded new sills in and repaired the rest of the body as best we could Not liking the original yellow colour we sprayed it blue, took the engine out to paint the engine bay (no engine hoist then just a trusty bit of rope strung up over a wooden beam in the garage) ground the valves in, stripped and cleaned the carbs, added new plugs and all the usual then put it all back together. With a new battery, away it went. My son drove it around for a week and then announced he and a friend were going camping, in Luxembourg!! They piled up all the camping gear into the boot with all the other odd available spaces and off they went. Naturally I was on tenterhooks, since he wasn't an experienced driver, with the new rebuild and not much testing, would it all be alright. Anyway the only problem was a minor leak in the petrol tank which a local garage fixed, would you believe this they welded a patch on the tank which was full of petrol! That lasted for a couple of months, however the day after they got back he started to drive away to go to work and the clutch release bearing failed so they were very fortunate that didn't happen on their trip.

My son continued to use the car which proved very good in the long term until it was MGB time but at least we knew how to deal with rusty sills by then and I think we did three of those as well as an MGC, when we moved down to Worcestershire.

Thanks Phil, I think we have all been there in one way or another!!

What Have You Done With Your MG This Month:

I have not done much with the 'B' this month except for a good wash after the Chilly Willy Run, the cover is back on awaiting warmer weather.

What have you been doing? Send me a photo and a few words.

My MG:

I have used all the stories to date but it is not too late to send me your MG story, if you have enjoyed reading the previous stories everyone will be interested to read yours, don't forget to include a few photos.

Happy MG'ing

Paul