The MGA With An Attitude
MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (May 16 - May 31, 2025)

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Friday - May 16, 2025:
Question from Germany in Portuguese language (I think) about how to replace or restore a Smiths heater control valve from a 1983 Panther Kallidsta. Can I attract strange cars, or what? This valve is different from parts of an MG, but similar in construction. I think the solution is to get a new heater valve from an MGA or MGB, drill out the rivet to disassemble it, and use the internal parts of the new valve to repair the old one.

Saturday - May 17, 2025:
There has been a BBS discussion for a few days about an inherited MGA in Virginia, long neglected, still in the family since new (or nearly new), about to become a restoration project. I have been making arrangements (appointment) to visit this car in October. -- Then another question on how to install a current sensing electric tachometer from 1965-1967 MGB into the MGA. This is already on my web site, but not perfectly clear how and where to install new wires to get it connected. So dig up an MGB wiring diagram,and write a few more paragraphs for instructions. I suppose this begs for another tech page.

Sunday - May 18, 2025:
Early morning question from someone about to rebuild a Twin Cam engine, trying to identify the existing pistons (currently low crown 8.1:3 pistons), and decide if the rebuild should be with 8.3:1 or 9:1;1 compression ratio. The answer is, only use low compression if you can't get premium fuel, or if you intend to drive it a lot and want to buy cheaper fuel.
Then we were off to South Barrington, Illinois for 10-am meet with Chicagoland MG Club for their annual Spring Chicken rally. Very nice weather for the cars to run with tops down.

Must have been nearly 40 people for registration, squeezed into a small room for Drivers Meeting.

By start time there were more cars staged. Below right is a Healey Silverstone kit car, wide body V8 (think Cobra)

No time for pictures while driving. Five gimmick questions to fill in the blanks, mostly words from signs. Five pictures of things along the way, need to identify the road where they were seen. So far competitive, but easy. Half way stop for fun and games. Four people get dealt 5-cards, turn them up, best poker hand wins 5 points, 3 out of 4 people guaranteed to get zero points. Cute lottery with 75% chance to lose. There was a ring toss game, flip the brass rings over the chicken, a lot like Frisbee.

All of the cars made it to he park, and also to the end restaurant at Pub 72 in Gilberts IL, and home gain, nobody broke down.


Monday - May 19, 2025:
Club meting with Chicagoland MG Club at Mr Beef and Pizza in Mt Prospect IL. We may have been a little early, only a couple of MGs here. Typical club meeting with about 25 people, discussion of upcoming events and who was working on their cars. By departure time there ere several MGs in the car park, but too dark to get pictures.

Tuesday - May 20, 2025:
Nothing special, day off to catch up photos and notes for the past few days. We did get a new compact digital camera ordered, not sure when it may be shipped or arrive, but hoping we get it before the NaMGAR GT on June 2nd. Got news that a nephew passed away recently. Beginning to run low on relatives.

Wednesday - May 21, 2025:
Still in town, so looking forward to Wednesday Night Garage Club. Been rainy and cold for couple of days, must have scared off a few of the regulars. This old camera is not going to do well in the dark atmosphere with poor contrast, so don't expect too much of the pictures.That's Tommy's Fiat 124 and Mustang moved outside for some maneuvering room. Just indoors a few of the guys were lifting a Jag E-Type 2+2 Coupe body shell off of a hoist onto a rolling dolly. Four more cars inside, two up and two down.

One or two of the new guys need to sign the members canvas. Then moving the portable hoist and getting the Fiat inside.

Took a while to get the Fiat loaded sideways onto the portable hoist, and rolled back a bit farther to clear forecourt space. Finally the Jag body and the Mustang found enough space in front to get in out of the rain. Then time to pull the front wheels off of the Fiat to check the brakes, since it had been pulling to the left with application of the brakes. Nothing notable found wrong with initial inspection. Likely to get new brake pads as first move before tearing anything else apart. Then a half hour of social before the party was breaking up and letting everyone back out into the rain again.


Thursday - May 22, 2025:
Still raining, all day, so good day to hide inside and catch up with the photos and notes. Couple of incoming phone calls and some tech questions, normal for day off.

Friday - May 23, 2025:
Stopped raining mid morning,even got a little sun and cool breeze to dry things out. Time to check on the new camera ordered from Amazon, but no email no news, no charge to my debit account, no shipping notice. Three days since order, and I'm concerned, because we wanted the camera before heading to Michigan for he GT. Only old news, expect email notice when they have an estimated delivery date. This is not traditional service from Amazon.

Saturday-Monday - May 24-26, 2025:
Mostly killing the weekend to turn calendar pages. Getting PO'd about no news on the camera.

Tuesday - May 27, 2025:
One week since ordering the camera, which was supposed to be shipped to brother's place in northern Indiana. No more time for fooling around. If it isn't shipped today we're screwed. While I was on the Amazon web site trying to make contact with Customer Service, navigator was on line looking for another source for the new camera. Since rain had stopped momentarily, it was a good opportunity for laundry day, so we took a few hours to get that done. The forecast was for more rain tonight and tomorrow, so in the evening we drove to Countryside, IL, to be close to next appointment anticipating less driving in the rain.

Wednesday - May 28, 2025:
Starting with a decent WiFi connection, we were back to the camera problem immediately after breakfast. We then received an email from Amazon, eight days after the order, with updated delivery information. Expect delivery in northern Indiana on June 12. Yeah, sure, another two weeks, after the Michigan car show has come and gone, screw that. Then the the WiFi connection was failing without recourse. We moved to another WiFi spot, which was not much better. But then navigator found another camera on Best Buy web site. Not available in any store,but could be shipped to a store for pickup. With a bit more mucking about the new camera was ordered to be shipped to a Best Buy store in Traverse City, Michigan for pick up, scheduled to arrive on Tuesday June 3rd. One mile from the hotel we have booked and scheduled to arrive on June 2nd. That will have to do. Get back on line and cancel the Amazon order. Then the second WiFi spot had a seating time restriction, and we got booted out, so back to the first place. WiFi still dead there, and management could care less with no intention to fix it, so put this place on out s-list and take that opportunity to check out another possible WiFi spot not too far away. That one was okay, but we only had another hour to kill before our evening appointment. ---
Wednesday Night Garage Club,for the last time this month. One mile before arrival we were poking along in heavy traffic waiting for a red light, when the trailer was struck in the rear again by a new Ford P/U truck. We may be slightly ahead of the odds this time, as it has been nine months since it was smacked twice in 24 hours in California (always a P/U truck). Not too bad a hit this time, so we only gave the truck the middle finger and drove on when the light turned green. Must have done a pretty good job of glassing it back together after the last incident, as it seems to be unscathed this time. -- Three of Tommy's toys were parked outside to allow working space inside.
BR> The "kid's BGT" was on the hoist, and after some encouragement and friendly advice it was running briefly. Later in the evening the right side door was removed,and they were grinding some rust on the body sill.

Tommy's MGA as on the other hoist, just parked and needing nothing. the club project car BGT had been pulled out from underneath for tinkering. Looks like it should run, but it only starts if you choke the crap out of it by mostly covering air inlets with your hand, and more of that required to keep it running. Ignition side looks okay, and the alternator seems to work. I notice which I am personally not enthused about. Carefully checking A ll the plumbing

. Fuel supply line connections okay. Float chamber vents left open, not connected,should not be any problem. Front tapped cover vent connected with Y-connector to two hoses in turn connected to correct low level vacuum vents on the carburetors. Looks okay initially, but should check the function later. Small hose for distributor vacuum advance is connected on top of the intake manifold (wrong vacuum source?). Vacuum unit on distributor has vac connection on top, so it would be max advance at idle with manifold vacuum signal, and vacuum goes away when you hit the throttle. That makes it a vacuum retard distributor set-up which I'm pretty sure is wrong. But if you disconnect hose from distributor and plug it to disable the vacuum function, it should start and idle okay. -- Valve cover r has rear vent normally connected to vapor recovery canister, but no canister here, so the cover port is tapped over to plug it. Oil filler cap is vented type with internal filter, which should be okay with light crankcase vacuum. No PCV valve, so crankcase vacuum can only come from the carburetor connections to front tappet cover. -- Only running with abnormally high choke implies fuel flow restriction, but I'm not going to remove the HIF carbs or open the bottoms to check float level. Chore for someone else at another time. -- My best advice for now is that someone (project manager) needs to decide what model year this engine should be built up to, so they can install a full set of matching components and plumbing. there was Dino Perez (hadn't seen him for a while) grinding on a new heat shield, which I think was for the project car. And not a revival meeting, just some social chat after the barbecue.

Party breaking up a bit early, around 8;30, so we hear back out to the western suburbs for a known good WiFi spot.

Thursday - May 29, 2025:
Finally a bit of a respite. Call brother in Indiana to tell him no camera coming, and we re heading to Michigan and will return in ten days. Made a call to get my car insurance policy renewed, and another call to oldest daughter to let her know to expect the letter in a week or so. Then the rest of he day catching up on photos and notes above, some of which was a full week in arrears. That seems to bother some of our followers, as they tend to leave messages inquiring about our welfare if there are no posts for a few days. Rest easy folks, we're still here. -- Heading east tonight, expecting to hit the Michigan Welcome Center about midnight, EDST if you watch the time zone changes.