| New Year!, New Century! | Ray's Ramblings! | Historic Rallying | Some Technical Tips |
Welcome to our very first newsletter of the 21st century!
I wonder what the new millennium has in store for us all? As technology moves on, many of us are still obsessed with the old technology of classic cars, and in particular MG's! With so many 'classics' still in daily use you must ask the question is old better than new? For many of us the answer is yes! Of course classics do breakdown, but modern cars, which rely greatly on electronics and computer chips, are also prone to breakdowns. For the ordinary man in the street he has no hope of ever fixing the problem on his driveway! (is this progress?) Somehow I cannot see some of todays modern cars becoming classics in the same way as our beloved MG's, maybe Im wrong, but only time will tell!
As webmaster for Cambridge & District MGOC I would like to wish all our visitors on behalf of all our club members a very Happy & Prosperous New Year.
Kelvin Fagan
Hello from Cambridge
Hope you all had a good time at the celebrations for this new century.
I hope you are eagerly awaiting the weather to brighten up so you can fit those new bits and pieces to your MG's ( you know those bits that you got for Xmas, bought for you plus the annual sigh. " Oh no not more MG bits") anyway hope they all fit ! which is not all-ways the way as I found out on several occasions during my restoration of Lulu my Midget.
Still as they say "where there's a will there's a way"
Visit toVeteran Car Club
Our visit to The Veteran Car Club HQ was yet another eye opener, so many valuable books and wonderful Trophies and paraphernalia, we could have stayed a lot longer but due to the time available unfortunately we had to drag ourselves away. Another Simply The Best visit.
Games Night
The next item was a 'Feely Bag' games night and once again we were eyed with suspicion by other drinkers in the pub, wondering what we were doing messing about gazing into the distance, muttering I've got something here but I don't know what its called. I'm also not sure what our two visitors made of it ( both Irish ) Doug & Georgie Hope to see them join our club in the new year.
If you own an MG or are about to buy one, come and speak to the Xperts at one of our club evenings or runs as we would be pleased to see you.
Dates of future evenings
Mon 3rd January Millennium Natter at The Green Man - Shepreth Mon 17th January AGM Venue to be agreed, phone to confirm Mon 7th February 20th Century Quiz: Boys v Girls. Green Man - Shepreth Mon 21st February Future dates to be posted by new committeeRay Bossom
Midget 1500 Clutch Operating Lever
Has the clutch pedal on your MG Midget suddenly gone slack and become much more difficult to engage gear.
This is a common problem with the 1500 Midget is to experience a sudden extra free movement when the clutch pedal is depressed. This is accompanied by an unusual difficulty when engaging gear. Although the clutch can still operate, it will be obvious that something is wrong with the operating system. This is caused by the loss or partial loss of the pin which retains the clutch operating lever where it pivots within the bell housing.
If you are lucky, you will be able to use a screwdriver or length of stiff wire to locate the operating arm and realign it, so that you can refit the pin.
Topping Up The Gearbox on MGB GT
Has the overdrive on your MGB GT been disengaging on its own. Perhaps there is not enough oil in the gearbox, so how do you top it up to the correct level?
On your car you need to locate the filler plug high up on the side of the gearbox housing. Remove the plug and check the oil level; the correct level is at the bottom of the filler level plug hole. If necessary, top up the level through the oil filler plug. Earlier cars have a combined dipstick oil filler plug, accessible from inside the car and located beneath a rubber plug at the front of the transmission tunnel.
Midget Sills
I have just bought an MG Midget which has had new sills fitted, I noticed that these do not have any drain holes fitted, would it be a good idea to drill some?
There were no drain holes fitted originally as the sills were supposed to be watertight. Sills are extremely vulnerable to rust and owners often drill their own drain holes. Drill 13mm holes at the front, middle and back in the lowest section of the sill. You can also use the holes to inject inside the sections with a quality rust inhibitor.
You you have any Technical Tips for MGs? Please let us share them!
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'Technical Tips'
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by Kelvin Fagan
mg.maestro@mgcars.org.uk
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