Am I unfaithfull to model A's

Gerard

Gerard

Well-known member
Absolutely not, but after about 40 years playing around with A's I thought it was time for something else a bit more challenging. Well at first I have to say : nice, but quickly come to the conclusion how lucky we are with our suppliers. Moderate spare part prices what they sell, compared to the British car stuff. Di I regret my purchase NO ! But if you guy's see a parts car ( MG td ) some where PLEASE give a shout.
 

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Very nice, I've always wanted one, And am still looking. I have wondered about parts for those type cars and how hard they were to get.
 
Every time I get frustrated working on my Model "A" I take a minute and recall the frustrations of working on either of my two concurrently (but no longer) owned MG "A"s, the thrill (?) of bouncing along, flimsy steering wheel in hand, with various parts of my anatomy mere inches from the road, notwithstanding.
 
I've owned an MGTD and an MGA, and they were fun at the time (when I was much younger). But now getting in and out of them would be a real discomfort. And I haven't forgotten the arcane wiring systems, the unreliable brakes, the leaky tops, or the impossible to synchronize dual carb systems. But they are beautiful and fun cars!
 
My parents always wanted a MG TD until they messed with a couple Triumph TR3's. they said never again with the overseas cars.
 
"... arcane wiring systems, the unreliable brakes, the leaky tops, or the impossible to synchronize dual carb systems."

Among some of the saddest automotive experiences is coming across an old British sports car that's been cobbled up by somebody with no mechanical skill.

If you were unfortunate enough to get involved with an MG that had been "worked on" by some nitwit down at the local service station, then your impression will be the above quote. However, those of us who have owned MG's, Triumphs, Austin-Healey's, early Volvos, etc. usually have a different view.

My first car was a 1960 MGA ... beautiful, excellent driving car. No problems with the excellent disc/drum brakes, top, or wiring. The twin SU carburetors became a point of tuning pride. I never had serious carb problems with any car that had SU's. Once bought a P1800 in Savannah (at a service station where the "mechanic" couldn't get it to run), towed it to Jacksonville, and found that Einstein had installed the float needles upside down.

MG's were designed to be true sports cars, at least until US smog laws bogged them down.

Gerard, stick with it. MG parts are out there, but certainly not as easy to find as Model A parts. My neighbor, Greg, routinely shuffles MGTD parts through his garage ... and doesn't seem to have much trouble.
 
Gee, I thought the MG TD was the reincarnation of the Model A.
Shocks use the same technology twenty years later.
Didn't the Brits learn about airplane shocks during the war?
1930s technology throughout.

Looks like a Model A :)

MG TD is one of my favorites !
 
Gerard, you may want to check into the MG Club and its various regional clubs. I imagine there is a message board or two on the Internet.

I would be lost without my contacts through MARC, MAFCA, Fordbarn and Ahooga.
 
Having owned a Healey and a Triumph I understand the charm and frustration.

I'm reminded of something noted automotive author and Anglophile Richard M. Langworth once made available many moons ago to like minded souls. A bumper sticker that read: "The parts falling off this car are of the highest British craftsmanship".
 
Most of us at one time or another are abit unfaithful to Model A's. I have my eyes on a 53 Plymouth convertable. I seen it 4 years ago and was not able to buy it then due to a family dissagreement. Time has gone by and I still have the urge to own it. It needs a full restoration and is little more than a partailly dissassembed carcus. The front clip needs replaced and it will need alot of patching in the floor. No drivetrain at all so it is a blank slate as far as what the possibilities are. I really like the body lines of that car. Maybe in the next couple of years I will be able to purchse it. Rod
 
The British cars, for the most part, had electrics from Lucas. That is one reason Lucas was called the Prince of Darkness. Or another --- Why do the British drink warm beer? Ta-Da ... They had Lucas Refrigerators. There are many more - but enough is enough. I had a baker's dozen MG's over 35 years and loved them all.
 
Years ago I had a friend that owned a 47 TC with a flathead Ford V-8 installed. 2 2bbls and a cam. On hard accel it would pick up a front wheel (frame twist).One ride was enough for me.
 
I have two MG's. A TD and an MGA Coupe. They both are a blast to drive and once you get used to working on them they are easy to maintain and repair. Moss Motors has every part you need and really most parts are not expensive. I have had my 30 coupe for only a couple of months. It seemed complicated at first but the more I learn the easier it gets. I bet it will be the same with the MG's.
 
I've had a '72 Triumph Spitfire for about 20 years. I've done all sorts of work on it over that time, but the car has never left me stranded on the side of the road. For the next couple of months I am taking a break from working on my "A" to give my Spit a long-needed paint job.

Doug
 
Gent's I really enjoyed all your comments and or replies to my confession about being faithful to our beloved model A's. I also like to thank those who replied via a PM.
Getting more and more acquainted with the British way of engineering my conclusion is : those cars are not at all complicated they only needs a mechanic with skills , the right tools and some training and willing to study the books . The same as we all do or have done with our A's. I just returned from a 500 mile trip ( 30 miles to the gallon ) didn't loose a single part and without a missing beat.

Have a nice weekend ( Please keep me informed if you come across a parts car or a abandoned project )
 
Hey very nice Gerard...Hey if you need there is a British part supplier in Edmonton Called BRIT BITS....They have lots of MG and other British parts. They Even Had British Wit-worth Nuts for my friends 1910 Cadillac. Have a good one and say hi to Anneimeke for me
Ryan.
 
This has no direct bearing on Model A’s (and I apologize for the long post) but does have something to do with other vehicles driven by Model A owners. Recently, our club (the Napa Valley A’s chapter of MAFCA) finished participating in the 2nd Annual Shearer Charter School (an elementary school here in Napa CA) Car Show, put on by the Parent-Teachers’ Association to raise money for school supplies, field trips and such.

Inasmuch as the principal is one of our club members, and inasmuch as it gives us a chance to show off our Model A’s to the (very) younger generation, we gladly take part. This year, the 72 entries included not only Model A’s (including a dual in-line twin Model-A engined bullet-shaped racer), classic (and low-rider) late 50’s and 60’s iron, but Teslas (way out of my price league), Chevrolet (sorry) Volts, Fiskers, and everything in between. The principal’s husband Ron (owner of Soscol Auto Body here in Napa and in the middle of restoring his first Model A, a 1929 standard coupe) also owns an AC Cobra, so several of this mark were also included.

Now Ron and I go back a ways, having belonged to the same service club for a number of years, and for most of that time he has been after me to “experience” his Cobra. Following the car show, I finally relented and agreed to go for a short ride once I got my Model A back home, “home” being out in the sticks of Napa County, surrounded by vineyards and a couple of neighbors. Sure enough, as I was putting the car cover back on my coupe, I heard what sounded like death-and-destruction coming down the road, frightening the (elderly) neighbors and generally disturbing what passes for bucolic peace out here. It was the Cobra.

After having bid my wife farewell, I shoehorned my body into the passenger seat (“Don’t grab the windshield, Skip!”) and fastened the 5-point harness. Ron then headed out to Highway 29 and turned upvalley towards St. Helena. Leaving the last stoplight north of Yountville, he accelerated and the physical sensation was dramatic. My head snapped back and as I was compressed into the seat the blood drained from my head. My vision began to narrow and as the Cobra continued to accelerate towards warp speed, I sensed the classic relativistic color shift as the objects ahead turned blue and the objects behind (what little I could see of them) turned red. I tried to glance over at the instrument panel, to see how fast we were going, but couldn’t focus on the speedometer. I did notice Ron motioning to me and leaning over, heard him shout, “Hold on Skip, I’m about to shift into second!”

All in all, I prefer driving my Model A.
 
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Yes Rusty , I know that site, and you ae so right , some spares are very expensive.

Have a nice weekend,

Gerard
 
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