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Before
(on the day Stephen bought it, outside the vendor's house)
Progress Report (17th January 2006)
After having driven the car back from Stockport following the small thrashing I gave it, there is so far no oil or water pools on my garage floor (which has to be a start). Having got back home I immediately then took it to my friend's house up in the hills around Glyn Cerioig. Needless to say I didn't let the revs drop for most of the journey and even braved one over taking manoeuvre...I won't be doing that again until I have some real power under my foot, I can tell you. All in all apart from the sloppiness going into and around corners and the body-roll it gives, things weren't too bad on the way there. (On the way back at 7.30pm it even started first time) God only knows what speed I was doing for the whole journey, it wasn't fast, I just couldn't see my dash, as Peter (the vendor) had said, the rheostat was broken and I couldn't see a bloody thing...wasn't really a worry as I wasn't in a rush at any point.
The next morning I again took her out, this time to Chester for rowing. I have started to notice the car run on a little once I've turned her off and the occasional rattle from the exhaust but these are things I guess I can easily fix?
Sunday evening I had my first proper chance to get to her. I spent 6 hours till gone after 12.00am fiddling. I started by inspecting the boot, taking out the rear tyre as before and having a poke about. I tried and failed to remove the fuel pump cover, it seemed the theme for the night would be rusted screws! After a while I decided to drill the screws out and then after it all I pulled out the hammer and cold chisel (no messing about there). Once I'd finished I found a rust hole beneath the wire cabling to the rear lights which I could stick three of four fingers through (once I'd broken off the surrounding crap and tidied it up a bit). Slightly disappointing but not too much of a concern yet, I reasoned. Having vacuumed and cleaned out the rust in the boot with my wire brush I looked into the rear n/s panel where we'd earlier found a rust hole. Again, it was something to fix at a later date. Earlier in the day I'd been to Halfords and stocked up on wire mesh filler rust paint primer etc so I feel quite prepared...
The front valance - having removed the seats and removed two carrier bags full of sweet wrappers etc and having gone to the trouble of cleaning down the inside of the car, seats, dash etc I moved to the front valance and my arch nemesis, the rubber bumper...spotting only two nuts to remove, I duly grabbed for my socket set, perched the car on the axle stands and started buggering around with rusted and worn nuts. Having tried imperial and metric I eventually found something near the correct gauge and started to remove the fixing nuts and bolts. As I said, I only found two, maybe three fixings and couldn't understand why the rubber bumper wouldn't shift when I asked it to. So getting mightily pissed off and thinking that rust was somehow fixing the bumper on I reached for my 5' iron bar to prise it away...surprising how soft the front of the car is...anyway, having started swearing and sweating like Satan's armpit I reassessed the situation and found two more 'hidden' fixings. Once removed the bumper fell away easily until it swayed on the wires connected to the indicators. Not such a good thing! Having mused what to do with the orange fairy lights for 5 minutes (I would have removed them but the screw heads were rusted and rounded) I cut the lights.Having removed the bumper I laid into the valance...I literally laid into it... and now passing 10.00pm I was fooled if I thought this item would be off in 5 minutes...for a start each side of the valance had different sized hexagon heads, some imperial and some metric...noticing the thing was rusted anyway I again grabbed for the iron bar...for the second time that evening, it's surprising how soft the front of the car is'. Cue some more swearing! Having totally lost the plot I grabbed for the hacksaw and duly cut the wretched thing off, it finally giving up the ghost in 7 pieces! My oh my! I now have a big hole in the front of my car...
So having felt triumphant I left it, tonight's operation (after training) is sanding and cleaning the Sebring valance, priming it, and giving some attention to the rust spots...
Progress Report (19th January 2006)
Tonight the headlamps were removed to reveal, surprisingly, that there is not as much rust as first thought. In fact the metal is still solid enough to be able to stop the existing rust and then do a localised repair with a skim of filler and a respray to blend in.
The photo shows the work done to prepare the Sebring valence which is not a good fit as yet, and the work undertaken so far to sort out the rust from the old valence. The new valence is already prepared in a cream primer which shows a nice contrast with the green, and could work for both the front and rear.
There's a bit more rust on the o/s which may indicate a more recent repair of the n/s.
And, it transpires that a bit of fiddling with a Polo grille with integral spots might be made to fit, and if not, the concept of integral spots in the new chrome grille may still look good!
However, until now, the logical thought process had not made the leap between my father's Rover 820 (currently about to be scrapped because of a faulty clutch) and my BGT! But I am assured on good authority that it is possible to fit the 2.0L engine into the BGT, it's been done before, and whilst this one isn't the turbo, it's still a useful improvement on the B's power output. Hmmm, much to think about!
Progress Report (26th January 2006)
Awaiting photos for the update:
I've just been to Brown Brothers (local paint suppliers) and got my paint! They used the paint trim code I gave them to make up aerosols. Great! Fitted in the integral spots and the grill so tonight I'll spray up the front of the car, fit two earth points for the spots, spray the grill and have a go with some filler on the bonnet - all good stuff!It might be back on the road by the weekend, then all I need to think about is a good service and some work on the brakes! Ever the optimist!
Having planned to wire in the front fog lamps, work on the body panels on the o/s rear of the car I scrapped all plans and worked on the body work and grille...
Earlier in the day I'd visited Brown Brothers on Sealand Road and picked up cans of (Brooklands Green, expensive but surely cheaper than Halfords. I've duly tested the colours and they seem to match quite well, I'll have to wait for a break in the weather or the weekend to wheel the car out and finish the front.
One of the first jobs I started tonight was checking the front Sebring style Valance. It looks like it'll be a nightmare to fit. I've already discovered that the air intakes are 1/4"' or more out from either side and will require shaping and cutting to fix a straight clean line (this is not unusual apparently, according to various people). I'm not sure if this is how these items come but it seems fairly shoddy! I've recently found some chicken wire in the back of the garage so I'll use that as a cover for the air intakes for the oil cooler- MG style on a budget!
Yesterday evening I successfully or so I thought, finished fixing in the front fogs off the Polo grille (the remainder of the grille had been binned). They seemed level enough. However, re-visiting them today they certainly seem out when compared to each other. The difference isn't great but I'll notice...I've fabricated aluminium fixings which hook over the original back grille from the r/b model and onto the front ledge of the car. All seems quite sturdy. However, the fine adjustment isn't quite perfect but will come with further refinement. Yesterday evening I also ripped off the tattered black sound proofing under the bonnet and removed the glue and paint with Nitromors...oh yes, I took the bonnet off!
I've decided that wiring in the fogs isn't too tricky apart from deciding where the driving light circuit is to feed into. However, one further problem is the proximity of the live terminal to the car...one wrong move with the socket set could lead into a nasty shock.
This evening, with the help of my grease monkey- the other half of my team, Rob, we removed the front grille and fog assembly for painting black...we still have an earth to find for each of the lights which should take a 8mm hole but apart from that the system seems to work. The finish on the grille won't be amazing. I have to confess to giving up on the time consuming agony of stripping off the old rust entirely, a quick rub with the wire brush should see me through until October. The main effort for the evening has been repairing holes in the bonnet and headlamp surrounds with ISO P38 body filler...so consequently we've been as high as kites all evening as the stuff is really potent. Little tip if you can bear the cold, keep the garage open otherwise the fume's knock you over! To fix a n/s hole that appeared in the front wing we placed the car on axle stands and removed the wheel...the brakes again are giving me a real cause for concern as they seem to be at least partly 'on', even at rest the wheel was finding stiff resistance- that surely can't help with fuel efficiency! Oh and we also found the o/s rear tyre quite flat so another good reason to invest now in quality tyres...its been suggested that 185/70 14 would work on the rims I'm running, hopefully that's the case! Again its something I can hopefully sort this weekend if the car is legal by then!
Summary, bonnet paint and glue removed, body panel primed...removed grille and radiator cover, painted (sprayed), bonnet, head lamp surrounds and n/s hole filled...problems to sort, radio (seems to have given up the ghost after the battery was disconnected!), paint and more paint, front grille assembly, fogs, front light housings, sanding and preparing all the filled areas!
Progress Report (6th February 2006)
Not written much in the last few weeks but progress is ongoing with the car completed at the front end, which includes the re-spraying of the areas affected by the surface rust.
With the bonnet completed, too, it was time to fit the front Sebring valence. What a pain! It was an awkward fit, and only by fixing it to the existing centre bolt holes, could we then work our way around to each end. Despite our best efforts to get it straight, it was only after fitment that it was realised that the top is not a straight edge! There is a definite rise and fall!
Probably not noticeable in the photos, but for now the number plate is going back on the front.
The plan to integrate the Polo spots has worked a treat and now the car is starting to become reality from what I had in mind. I fitted original style indicators and sidelights into the existing apertures.
Now, though, the real effort starts in getting the back Sebring valence fitted. We've removed the rear bumper to expose this rust, and to our surprise, the bumper was only held with a few nuts! However, at least the hammer method wasn't required this time!
The trial fit looks ok but we have yet to figure out how to fit the infill cones under the tail-lights.
Progress Report (22nd February 2006)
It's been a while but progress has been good until last weekend! The front was completed, although it now sports an inspirational centre coloured panel on the valence, and one of the indicator units is drooping, can you guess which?
The rear is also finished and sprayed, but it needs some more work!
Apart from the fact that the overdrive is not engaging, the dashboard lights still don't work, and the spot light installation lead to at least 10 blown fuses, I managed a trip up to Preston and back and it ran beautifully! Although, I was then told that's usually the case before the car goes bang! How prophetic that turned out! The one annoying issue was a loose exhaust mount that rattled itself into a state of further looseness probably because of the revs necessary to sustain entertaining speeds without the benefit of overdrive!
So what happened next?
The more observant amongst you may have noticed the serious negative camber on the o/s? Well, to cut a long story shorter, I had complained of a dragging brake, but we planned to give the car a good service before I set off for Stoneleigh last Sunday. However, about 5 miles from Martin's house the car took a dive to the left, and then a dive to the right and ... I limped the last few miles at about 10mph with many sympathetic motorists giving me a honk! I almost sprained my wrist thanking them! Indeed, the o/s bearing had collapsed! So, with heavy heart, wallet and shopping list I coerced my brother into taking me to Stoneleigh so that I could gather all the necessary bits for my x-member rebuild - hang on, it's only a bearing! This sounds rather like someone I know that started a clutch change and rebuilt his entire BGT! Hmmm, this bears watching! Seriously, with the brakes and handling as it is on rubber bumper, I am only too happy to ensure it is all done properly. Anyway, what with the spots not working we at least sorted the problem but the less said about that the better as far as my apprentice is concerned, but shall we say that short-circuits do blow fuses! Still, I am happy with it all and although the engine swap will have to wait a bit, the car will be fitted with a new Mountney steering wheel, K&N filters with AAA needles and I am going for the EDIS system so that I can at least attempt to keep up with Martin's BGT.
Progress Report (2nd March 2006)
Well, last Thursday, we finally got Holly (as she is now known) into the garage, and proceeded to strip out the front cross-member, well, at least, by the time I got there, my able apprentice, Brother Rob, and coach, Mentor Martin, had done the o/s to reveal a severely crackered outer bearing. No surprises there, but it would appear it may have been over-greased at some point, and/or just worn. In their boredom waiting for me to arrive, they had also removed the original steering wheel and fitted the Mountney wheel - I felt much better! Once we had the front end stripped I sent away the callipers for overhaul as pre-arranged at Stoneleigh with the supplier, Bigg Red. In the meantime, I gathered together all my Stoneleigh purchases - braided brake hoses, discs, pads, bearings and track rod ends, along with my SuperPro poly bushes ready for the big re-assemble. Martin added some spare good dampers, wishbone arms, lowered springs and arms into the mix to save us having to prepare mine. Somehow or other I found myself at Welsh MG again, adding brake back-plates, rear c/b springs to go with my newly acquired brake shoes and wheel cylinders. As I said last week, I am not sure how a front and rear end rebuild results from a simple bearing failure, but, needs must!
Once all the weekend activities of rowing and family etc were done, Sunday evening saw the cross-member removed, pressure washed, Kurust treated, primed and re-sprayed in wheel silver that was going spare - I am still not convinced it looks galvanised...but by late Sunday night we were about this far:
I am assured red is sexy on a suspension rebuild! Monday night was a celebratory mood as we proceeded, after several hours, to finally remove the inner race of the outer bearing from the o/s stub. Hammer, chisel, flame thrower, and angle grinder later, it conveniently split and slid off, thus allowing us to retrieve the bearing spacer and oil seal collar! By the time I arrived on Tuesday evening, the o/s wheel bearings, hub and brake disc were in place, and looking good despite my not having got the Bling s/s back plates as I had been instructed to do! Welsh MG were out of stock! Never mind, next time! Unfortunately progress was halted owing to the fact that the bearing retainer washer for the n/s broke, the little peg that sits in the groove on the stub axle sheared. So with time in hand, we removed the carburettors in preparation of a rebuild, only to discover that the units must have been rebuilt as they no longer sported the emission poppet valves. As the carbs had been ok, we decided to leave well-alone, and just clean them up. I was introduced to the power of Shell Optimax! As a carb cleaner, I was very impressed! By the time I got to Martin's house on Wednesday evening, I was also very much aware of the power of Autosol, a metal polish that had been put to good effect on a cotton mop, with my dashpots gleaming like a mirror! We fitted the AAA needles and completed the refit of the n/s hub. With the late nights to date, and the weather having taken a turn for the Ice Age (it feels that way in a garage!) tonight has been a recess night with no further work. However, we hope to get the service done eventually (oil/filter change, tappets, points/condensor, reset carbs and fit K&Ns) as well as complete the rear end jobs over the weekend. Disappointingly, Bigg Red have not been able to fulfil their promise of a fast turnaround on the brake callipers so we are held up on that until next week. But it should be a huge difference driving Holly again - and time will tell what other modifications may be necessary such as a stiffer anti-roll bar.
Progress Report (6th March 2006)
After a recess night on Thursday, not a lot gone done on Friday bar fitting modified bumpstops - these will alleviate any banging if the suspension bottoms out now the springs have been lowered. How we achieved this will be written up in more detail as the site expands to incorporate suspension rebuilds and lowering. However, Saturday seemed like a marathon evening - the front suspension is now all tightened up with new split pins and the wheels went back on which seems like a major deal after seeing it in the air for nearly 10 days! Very satisfying! The front is now nice and low, and of course hot-rod dragster was on our minds as the back was still up in the air. This is where the marathon session began at 30 minutes past midnight! The rear springs were removed along with the rear anti-roll bar - an essential part of lowering the back, I gather, to prevent snap over-steer. My new c/b Roadster springs with 1" lowering blocks and Super Pro bushes went in, with the car being lowered back onto to its wheels with 90 minutes. I am told I was lucky as most of the back end had been rebuilt at some point as the springs we removed looked new-ish, so there was no unnecessary time delays grinding rusted nuts off! Fortunately for the neighbourhood, too! However, with gleeful anticipation I watched the rear slowly descend, and it would appear we have achieved a little over a 1" drop, but with new springs, this will no doubt settle further but suffice to say I am over the moon with the car's now purposeful stance. Photos will be added in a future update. Not much else has happened except the carbs went back on with new heat-shield and I spent a little more time today tidying inside the car.
Progress Report (10th March 2006) Written by Martin
Well, there's a large empty space in the garage where the green BGT sat for nearly two weeks! And in that time much has been achieved. But, since the last report, where not much got done, things have progressed rapidly. The rear brakes were stripped out as the o/s had been binding a little, and the adjuster was seized solid. We had a new braided flexible pipe to fit, but as usual the connections on the old hose, which it transpired was split and no doubt an MOT failure, were impossible to undo. So out with the junior hacksaw, and then removal of battery (too big, so much grunting, sweating and cursing) to get more access and we finally got the entire axle brake line out where we could work on it more easily. Once we had freed off the handbrake adjuster and sorted the pipework, we were able to re-assemble the rear drums and adjust the handbrake. Wednesday morning was one of joy for Stephen, his reconditioned callipers were back from Big Redd, a little longer than had been promised, but nonetheless, they were back looking spick in their new polymer coating. Below is a photo of the newly installed lowering block, and yes, a common fault, the rusted out bump-stop which has been replaced.
In the photo above of the assembled front strut, you can just make out the tubing used to move the bump stop up. Also, the pads were not yet fitted but Greenstuff pads have now been fitted, and the brakes bled with the Gunsons Eezibleed kit.
Owing to a small oversight, one of the lock washer plates for the flexible hoses got lost in the various stages of cleaning up, so it was off to Welsh MG on Thursday to pick one up along with a few other items needed for the service. Stephen's brother, Rob, and I made steady progress on Thursday afternoon with the service and took a bit of extra time to tidy up things in the engine bay!
As you can see, the valve rocker cover looks good in matching Brooklands Green with Castrol sticker, whilst the water pipe polished up nicely, along with the polished dashpots mentioned further up. We have also added a K&N breather to vent the crankcase, and replaced the plastic plug with a brass one on the thermostat housing. The new heatshield is also visible. After this photo was taken, the inner wings and heater were polished up with MER and they came up beautifully! A couple of things were noted during the service and rectified - there was no earth strap, which might explain the stiff choke and accelerator cable as a result of acting as earth routes, as well as a rather sticky rubber bush pad on the gearbox-engine steady. The gearbox oil was looking a bit tired, but the refill has not cured the o/d or lack of, so this is likely to be an electrical fault - should be fun! In fact the car looks as if it could do with a new loom, there are various points where the wiring is a bit suspicious! Needless to say the car would not start after the service! I refitted the old points and condenser, and it fired straight away, typical. The banging exhaust (Report 22nd February) was fixed, it needed two sheared bobbins on the back hanger replacing and a loose bracket in the middle tightening up, although I suspect a Peco is in the offing to match the K&N's and AAA needles. Needless to say, Stephen is happy with the car, but we do need to tweak the mixture and timing, although again an EDIS upgrade is on the cards. But suffice to say the car drives much better, handles better and steers better!
More from Stephen soon!
Progress Report (11th March 2006)
Despite promising more from Stephen soon, I am writing again on his behalf...as he is too busy out there enjoying his upgrades, Stephen instructed me to write the following:
"The picture speaks a thousand words!"
For the not so observant compare with this below:
Ok, so a stick on number plate is yet to be fitted, but the new grille is the piece-de-resistance! The spots have been retained, but the car looks so much better for having the original style grille and badge. The whole effort took a little over 3 hrs to complete so time very well spent to get the finishing touch. Of course the car is also sitting a little lower which has improved the look, too.
Following on from Thursday night, we over ran with the service such that at close to midnight we didn't think the neighbours would appreciate any engine tuning. So, with a few comments regarding running hot, backfiring etc, we set to with the timing light and set the advance up correctly, as well as richening the mixture up slightly. It runs beautifully now, so a new exhaust is definitely on the cards as this remains the last restriction in the target for better breathing, short of a reworked head. A few test runs showed the plugs to be looking correct in colour, too. The overdrive managed to work for me on a couple of occasions which suggested a problem I am familiar with on my own BGT, a faulty switch in the gear knob. Sure enough once removed, it was obvious the mechanism inside is worn, and contact is not being made, although if the switch is operated gently with a finger nail rather than thumb, it works fine, so a new switch is on the shopping list.
There are one or two small finishing jobs to do, such as sorting the o/s indicator unit, and fitting the number plate, but it is finally coming together. A quick guesstimate in the garage tonight revealed that in addition to paying the £1250 for the car, another £1200 has been spent on the suspension (new coil and leaf springs, lowering blocks and poly bushes), carbs (bargain second hand K&Ns and AAA needles), brakes (reconditioned callipers, new wheel cylinders, Greenstuff pads and shoes, discs and braided hoses), kingpins, bearings, track-rod ends, servicing, body work (Sebring valences, grille, side/indicator lights) and consumables. Obviously this is not going to have made a huge difference to the re-sale value of the car, but as an investment in improving the car for owner satisfaction, it is very apparent from Stephen's grin it has been well worthwhile! What's more, Stephen has learnt a lot about his car and how it goes together and now has a much better appreciation of running it, what with his skin still attached to various parts of the suspension! In my opinion, this is excellent value for a car now known to be as good as it gets mechanically, albeit with a bit of welding in the next year, although I suspect it would manage another Winter before major welding is required on the sills. It's certainly a car Stephen can enjoy on a daily basis and still have a good thrash when the mood suits!
Progress Report (17th April 2006)
As you can see, either Stephen has been too busy to write, or his ghost writer has been idle again! Very little to report apart from the usual small issues that raise their head now and then but suffice to say he's been a happy chappy since fitting the grille and completing the service, reporting that it now flies! Other than that, a scrap BGT donated it's black velour seats to the cause this weekend, so if you are very keen on some orange deckchair seats to complete the picture, then give Stephen a call! He has some spare!
Out with the old...
In with some more old...these came with the rather nice D-shape head rests!
In the meantime, a poor little VW Polo has given up not only its spotlights but also now its electric fan...
It is a very good fit although a small modification needs making to prevent the casing rubbing through the header tank, but apart from this it is wired to a dash switch, and is in addition to the standard unit in the front.
The dash switch has been fitted along with the spotlight switch on the dash ion place of the original rear window heater. The standard switch housing nicely accommodates the two new slim units.
Well that is it for now, until next time, but the car is indeed going well as I saw on today's run into North Wales.
Progress Report (8th May 2006)
It's all falling apart again! Well, it seems that way, but not quite! Although the car continues to amaze Stephen in its new found performance, the rebuilt brake callipers are being returned, one appears to be leaking a serious amount of fluid, sufficient to have damaged the paint work on his alloy. In addition, I messed up, too. The dash instrument lights have not worked for some time and when we investigated under the dash we saw some wires with melted insulation! This, I assumed, was a dodgy attempt to sort the dash lights previously, so on the basis that the loom behind the dash is a separate section we went shopping last week and got a scrap dash with loom. However, whilst it was largely the same, there were a couple of differences with one plug, so I suspect the loom was off a Roadster originally. We removed all the switches and vents and pulled out the loom section, only to discover that the main loom also has some damage, so on that basis the car is now standing again! Never mind, a custom dash beckons - watch this space! In the meantime, Stephen has written about his fascination with steam trains!
Progress Report (26th May 2006)
Some pictures of the dodgy wiring!
Suffice to say this is slowly being replaced by Stephen but it does mean Holly has been off the road for some time now. Add the faulty callipers, and a new boot floor and fuel tank into the mix, and it has not been good news. But it is getting better! Stephen has been beavering away with dashboard ideas that look nice (more to come later) and he has started work on his brakes - Wilwoods maybe? So watch this space!
Progress Report (26th June 2006)
Holly had been up and running again, although the electrics were still throwing up some mysteries, such as why the circuits seemed to be working in conjunction with the flasher relays!
However, as a weeks holiday was on hand, it was decided to use the time to fit a new fuel tank, fit a PECO HDR exhaust system and service the car. With the service completed, we drove to our friendly supplier of space on a 4-post lift, and set to removing the tank.
If you are getting fuel smells and petrol dripping on the ground, this is probably why - the front edge has rusted through, and fuel is leaking out of the cracks and from the sender. With the body work cleaned and new tank sprayed up, it went back in with no problems at all! Or so we thought!
With plenty of time left, it was time to fit the new exhaust. Removing the old system was easy enough, and surprisingly, the nuts came loose on the exhaust-to-manifold joint without shearing!
Fitting the new manifold was not so straight forward, requiring some persuasion to fit, and some trimming of the inlet manifold, too. It pays to loosely assemble it all under the car to ensure a good fit with no knocking on the chassis. With everything assembled and tightened up, it was ready to start Holly up. Except that the engine seemed to be screaming itself to death! Nevermind, with a quick scan of the engine bay, it transpired that the one throttle was not seated correctly, and with this sorted, it started and ran fine.
With the evening beckoning, the car was taken to a Shell garage, whereupon it was filled...and then rapidly began relieving itself all over the forecourt! With the fire brigade and AA in attendance it seems the locking ring on the sender wasn't!
However, with an old locking ring offering a better fit, this is all now sorted, and the timing adjusted it appears the car is ready for more action. Hopefully Stephen will have some good feedback on the Peco soon, but next step is the EDIS to make the most of the K&N/Peco set-up.
Progress Report (7th October 2006) Written by Martin
Well, it's been a long time and I'd like to say Stephen was too busy to write because of huge amounts of progress on the car! Two steps forward, three back is what springs to mind! Well, he was immensely pleased with the Peco and the new fuel tank, and used (or should that be abused) the car heavily and all credit to Holly she took it well! However, a note of concern crept in as he'd also not fixed that &%! temperature gauge so his comments that the car was running hot were viewed with suspicion on my part! He mentioned that the fuel supply pipe between the carbs had also been leaking, so it may well have run hot if it had run lean on the rear carb. On investigation I was convinced that, despite the suggestion of HGF, all that was wrong was that the new Peco exhaust manifold was not properly seated so an evening fitting a new manifold gasket was soon on the cards. On going for a test drive Stephen wasn't convinced it was going too well, but having a seen a flame from his exhaust as he changed up I began to wonder, too. It transpired the next day that he thought he may have played with the timing, so with a quick re-set from 0° BTDC (yes, you read that right!) to a smooth 12°-14° BTDC, it soon took off like a scalded cat again! And Stephen was back in love with Holly!
However, a little before his trip to the Northern Wilds of England (aka Northumbria) he convinced me we should still go ahead and fit a new head gasket! A little under 4 hours later it all looked to be running well. In fact, we'd also sussed the temp gauge did work, the sender did not! Plus we noted a leak of coolant from his top rad electric fan sender unit, and so this was replaced along with the gauge sender (electrical on the later cars).
His week away went very well, having insisted on my part that he get Home Recovery on his AA. But, in the finest of traditions, just after we spoke on the final day of his holiday where he'd reported all being well, the car sprang a leak on the rear carb, a faulty float unit. So with his Home Recovery he was able to fix this and duly came round to show me his mayonnaise under his filler cap and on the dip-stick!
What ho! We used a copper head gasket as Welsh MG sell no other and swear by them! I was convinced the head was torqued down properly so it must be something to do with the channelling we saw on the top of the block when we had the head off. It was around a stud near the edge and didn't appear to be near a water passage, but I guess as it was a recon unit who knows what we need to be looking at now!
Nevertheless a good sensible chat one night and it was decided to stick with the original game plan when he bought the car! That was, have some fun this Summer, do up a few mechanical things and then take it off the road come the MOT in October. However, after a good long think, and a decision to stick with Holly and perform the necessary surgery to the bodywork, he went out this afternoon and bought another BGT!
Given the attractive price paid to include delivery, the wings and doors are alone worth that and more for use on Holly, but, the tight-fisted amongst you will have spotted the registration, a £190 a year saving! The car was bought as an unfinished project by a fellow BGT/Roadster owner and then abandoned when a better BGT turned up. Well, given the sills are done, and only minor welding is needed, along with the loan of a MIG unit to do it, what can go wrong! Sure it needs stripping down and finishing properly, but really the car was just crying for a new home! So watch this space! Needless to say, all the good mechanical bits will transfer over from Holly; the Peco, the fuel tank, the rear springs, and all the front end that we rebuilt in February! Start following the rebuild here!
Final word on Holly for 2006 - Holly is now tucked up under a cover for Winter, and apart from being stripped for the good bits, will eventually be restored as the track-day special!