"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy)
10/22/2015 at 10:35 • Filed to: None
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"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy)
10/22/2015 at 10:35 • Filed to: None | 12
| 24 |
Last weekend I got to enjoy British car driving at it’s finest. 25 degrees in the morning, no top, no heat? No problem, at least it didn’t rain! Okay, it didn’t rain but it did SNOW. That wasn’t in the forecast! We got started at 8AM and it had warmed up to a balmy 28 degrees. It was much to cold to put the top up because high risk of cracking the back window more than it already is, so ski gear on and hit the road!
1st pic - rolled the MG out of the garage. There was frost all over my Volt but for some reason it doesn’t show in the pics. The left rear wheel is shiny because the axle seal leaks a little. “If there ain’t no oil under em there ain’t no oil in em” as the saying goes...
After meeting up with the MG club we drove some country roads to a farm known for their cider donuts and yummy goodies. (no goodies pictured, just the MGs)
Below (green car) is a 1933 MG Midget J. For some reason I always think I’m going to have the oldest car at these things, then I get wildly trumped.
MGB parking over there!
This shows the TR 6 that joined us on the drive. I followed him most of the day, the Monza dual exhaust sounded glorious! Although sometimes it was hard to hear my own engine over his, but still. Glorious.
Below: Yup, it was this cold. All day. For some reason in this pic I’m not wearing my second pair of gloves. Most of the day I had both pairs of gloves on!
Here’s a driving video through Oakland State forest in central Massachusetts: Turn the volume off - I was hoping to hear the TR 6 in front of us, but it was all wind noise.
Enjoy! And AMA about the MG.
A couple of times during the day I had to hit the brakes hard and when I did both right wheels locked up, so it was tough to keep tight as a group but we did our best. Had a few close calls, I know what I’m working on this winter! Pumping the brake pedal > ABS!
TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 10:50 |
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My dad had a MG TC when he was in his early 20’s. He put it in storage on a “friends” farm and the bastard ended up selling it for a case of beer. My dad still has the head lights though.
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deekster_caddy
> TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
10/22/2015 at 10:52 |
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I hope he shared the beer!
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TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 10:54 |
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Nope, the farmer was a massive douche bag.
AntiSpeed
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 10:57 |
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Beautiful! My dad restored a TF from junk when I was little. It won British Car Day at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix 4 years in a row in the early 90’s. We still have it and I drive it whenever I’m home, it feels kind of like a brother. Here’s a video I took last spring!
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deekster_caddy
> AntiSpeed
10/22/2015 at 11:09 |
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That’s great! My mother bought this one in 1968 and dad pulled the body panels off for paint in the 70’s, but it’s mostly original. I remember growing up going out for rides sitting in the back ‘shelf’ with my brother... I’m pretty sure I’d be arrested if I let me kids sit there. But we’ve kept the car in the family since then and it’s still a blast to drive.
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deekster_caddy
> AntiSpeed
10/22/2015 at 11:10 |
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Interesting - your choke and starter are reversed from mine. I wonder if it was a right hand drive originally?
Chariotoflove
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 11:21 |
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Outstanding!
64Mali
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 11:29 |
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So want the MGBGT, Some day got too many projects now. Last weekend was great we took the Mazda club up Mt. Greylock for the end of the year bash, it started snowing when we were up there. Glad to see old cars still out on the road.
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deekster_caddy
> 64Mali
10/22/2015 at 11:32 |
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My first car was a ‘72 MGB GT. Mine was in horrible condition, but was still an absolute blast to drive! I was totally jealous of that guy’s BGT. He and his wife have had that car for 30+ years and been cross country in it twice!!! They were a joy to chat with.
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AntiSpeed
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 11:32 |
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Huh, that is interesting. The only thing I remember is that it was originally red.
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64Mali
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 11:33 |
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I keep toying with the idea of finding one and replacing my daily Fiesta with it. But I still need to finish restoring the Malibu first.
banjo cat ghost of oppo past
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 11:37 |
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Those are some super classy colors. Tour it up to the Motor Racing Research Center and checkout some collections
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deekster_caddy
> 64Mali
10/22/2015 at 11:38 |
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Go for it. You can find one all done for not too much money, and just drive it/enjoy it. Unless you want a show-winner, those restorations can cost a bundle. But you can get a really decent driver with the electronic overdrive and have a fun car for not too much money.
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deekster_caddy
> banjo cat ghost of oppo past
10/22/2015 at 11:39 |
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Yeah, the turnout for the drive was a great group of cars and people! We didn’t have a single mechanical problem or people problem in the day. Rare for a gathering of car strangers!
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64Mali
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 11:40 |
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Don’t tempt me. Not having a car payment would be nice, but I drive 25k a year and a Fiesta just fits a car seat. Also I don’t know British cars that well. Only what I have learned from taking apart the Lotus my Dad is restoring.
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deekster_caddy
> 64Mali
10/22/2015 at 11:50 |
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Although they have earned their reputation for electrical gremlins (has anybody seen the lucas wire smoke refill?), overall they are extremely simple cars and you can fix just about anything that does go wrong with duct tape and bubble gum on the side of the road. Even with a few odd transmission issues (shifter came off in my hand more than once) and a bad clutch slave cylinder (occasionally would completely lose the clutch) I was never once left stranded by my BGT.
Yes you can drive it without a working clutch pedal, if you need to. Just turn the engine off when you are stopped, put it in gear, then start it up when it’s time to go. Ease the gas pedal off, rev match each gear and you can shift right from one gear to the next without any problem! Just don’t forget to pull it into neutral and turn the ignition off when you need to stop again!
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64Mali
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 12:11 |
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That so makes me think “Reliable”
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 12:14 |
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Fantastic.
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deekster_caddy
> davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
10/22/2015 at 12:40 |
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Thanks! And thanks for sharing to Oppositeblog! I keep forgetting about that.
desertdog5051
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 13:02 |
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I am so jealous. I have a 78 with rubber bumpers.
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deekster_caddy
> desertdog5051
10/22/2015 at 13:06 |
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Thanks. I’m really lucky to have it. My mother bought it in 1968, so I guess we’ve gotten our money’s worth out of it! Dad gave it to me about 6 years ago, he couldn’t work on it anymore.
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desertdog5051
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 13:15 |
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...‘he couldn’t work on it anymore’. How true. Anyone who has owned an MG knows there is always something to work on.
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deekster_caddy
> desertdog5051
10/22/2015 at 13:33 |
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Yeah, both physically and financially he couldn’t do it anymore. He was 72 at the time. It’s not an overly expensive car to maintain, but there are no cheap parts either...
Physically everything is pretty low, so it’s a bear to get down on the floor all the time or jack the car up for everything. The engine and underhood stuff doesn’t need much attention, everything that needs work it seems is underneath.
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> deekster_caddy
10/22/2015 at 13:45 |
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My pleasure. A decent number of OPPO posts get shared to the front page from there, so DasWauto and I do our best to keep it up.