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31 December 2005
Friday 30 December 2005
The last working day of the year! George Will described 2005 as a "disagreeable year" and I certainly echo his sentiments. Gosh, right at the beginning of the year our birthday party, our 30th! birthday party, was snowed out. Business was slow compared to years' past. We're looking forward to a much more EXCITING and a profitable year in 2006! 
On this last Friday, Casey made great strides with the 1956 MGA.
Curt is nearly finished with the rear suspension on the PR 1974 TR6. You see, we have two TR6's in the shop. One belongs to PR, the other to RB. The RB 1974 Maroon TR6 is receiving the engine upgrade.
Mark is very nearly finished with the 1979 MGB LE, although "very nearly" is a relative term for a car to be painted in black!
Friday must have been exciting for Caroline found my lunch still in the fridge when she went there today to collect the mail. I do keenly remember sorting through replated nuts, bolts, washers, and little bits with Ken. Earlier the in the day Trevor took the wheels from the TF down to the local service station. They charged us extra because the tires were rusted to the rims (they are the same tires that came with the car in 1962!). Then, later, Ken and James took more plating to Midwest plating and dropped off more of the TF parts at Southwest sandblasting. My son James, who spent most of the rest of the day cleaning parts for his Austin America, was spellbound at the sandblasting shop. "How can I apply for a job THERE?" he asked me! We had an "emergency shop meeting" about noon when Tom Walters dropped off a large tin of "Holiday Cookies." The firm that Tom represents still has nudie calendars. I said, "Tom, if you have nudie calendars available, your company is not worried about political correctness. These are goddamned CHRISTMAS cookies, not holiday cookies." He replied, "I see your point." Very early in the day Mark stopped by to inspect the undercarriage of a 1967 MGB which has some perforation in the frame rails. He'll weld those sections this week.
This coming week portends to be a good start to 2006! SS is bringing her 1980 MGB LE to have us repair the "crack of doom" on both doors (she just had the car restored about three years ago); MD is shipping his 1964 MGB from New Orleans (there are no restorations shops working there right now); and JB's MGB is coming to us from Reno NV.
See you all next year!!!
John
29 December 2005
Thursday 29 December 2005
None of our young guys were at the shop today to work. Ken came in later in the day to work a little on his "new" 1972 Honda motorcycle which he was successful in starting, if ever so briefly.  Mark is almost done with the 1979 MGB LE bodywork  Curt worked away on the 1974 TR6 suspension.  Casey worked on the MGA restoration  I worked on the carbs on the 1937 MG VA Tech time brought about six enquiries in rapid succession -- so quickly that I didn't write them down. I remember one in which we traced an electrical malfunction to the ignition relay. Then I received several calls about the Technical Seminars -- one from a fellow in Napa Valley (or closeby) and one from a fellow in Chesaning MI who wants to restore a Ford Falcon. Earlier in the day Col J called several times to coordinate the collection of his TR3. This guy wears the same jacket that he did flying P-51s in the big WWII! Then, midday, Brandon DeHaan, a former employee stopped by. It's always a treat to see Brandon. He works for the police force at Grand Valley State University -- gosh, I'll bet he's been there for fifteen years. He last worked for us the summer of 1994, just after our move from Eastern Avenue. Brandon's 6'7", his wife 6'5" and their daughter is 6"7" at least. She has a full athletic (basketball) scholarship to MSU. Bully for her! Earlier in the day Tom B stopped by to collect his black TD. I had to provide a little more freeplay in the clutch and fit a clutch pedal stop so the clutch would not overthrow. My son James and his buddy Colin worked in the Boy Scout trailer, cleaning out some old food and washing some items. The troop stores the trailer at my shop.  If you've made it this far, you'll want to know about the poster hanging on the wall. In the very early days of University Motors I had a young man, Sonny, working for me. His girlfriend was (and, I expect, still is) extremely talented. She was attending Kendall School of Art. One of her projects was to make a pen and ink (is that right?) drawing, so she came down to the shop, sat for hours sketching. We were all REALLY excited about the drawing she was preparing. Finally the day came. She unveiled it. Man! It was beautiful! But - Classic Auto Restoration???? Why didn't it say "University Motors." She explained that she was a professional woman and we would have to pay her to include our name on her drawing. She didn't even leave a copy. This copy I gleaned from a customer who has hazarded upon it at a framing shop. This would have been the first "official" UML poster -- gosh, we'd be using it today! In the end, I doubt anyone ever paid the gal anything for the poster. Misplaced loyalties!
28 December 2005
Wednesday 28 December 2005
WEDNESDAY! Midweek! Longing for the start of the New Year! Lisa was examining the MG adverts in Hemmings today and found the following: 3-TC's; 9-TD's; 7-TF's; 18 MGA's; 22 MGB's; 1 -1100; and 1 Midget. Overall there aren't as many cars (or parts) listed in Hemmings as there used to be -- but it's interesting to note that the number of MGBs is the largest component. Once upon a time it was the T types, and then maybe the MGAs. The MGB is finally, finally coming into its own.  Curt continued today with the TR6, torch in one hand, spanners in the other.  Casey got the firewall of the MGA wired and the dash prepared. That will probably go in tomorrow.  Trevor and Ken worked away at the 1973 MGB, and with great success. I saw the taillamps illuminated towards the end of the day. Tech time included the fellow from Ann Arbor who is reviving a 1979 MGB. I'd given him some suggestions the other day regarding the carburetter and he called today to say that they had succeeded in getting the car running. Another owner called hoping I could make sense of a bill he'd received at another shop. We have our chromer back! He had to close up his larger shop but is now working from his home. This is good news for a good chromer is hard to find! I continued to work on a series of dash components for Moss, then turned my attention to the 1937 MG VA which is all but done. I'm just reworking the throttle discs on the car so the car will idle down to 600 or so. Peter A stopped by and we chatted for quite some time while I removed the carbs. Then, later, Tom B brought his very keen, black TD for a clutch adjustment.  If you've made it this far, you'll want to know about our assignment board. Lisa posts to this every day and keeps track of the cars in the shop -- when they arrived, what's next, the mechanic on the job, etc. In the summer the board is usually full, top to bottom!
27 December 2005
Tuesday 27 December 2005
We had a full house today with lots of activity and much progress.  Casey finished the complete lubrication on a 1977 MGB and returned to this extremely early MGA. Curt worked throughout the day on a 1974 TR6 front suspension. Trevor and Ken worked on the MGB  I did a variety of little projects including preparing a number of dash components for Moss to use as examples for the duplication of some Lucas items, as Delphi, now caught up in some high finance trouble, has seemed to eschew the British car owners even though they own Lucas. I also fitted some rings onto pistons of Mark O's MGA.  Around noon a fellow came into the shop and told me he'd brought his doors for re-skinning. Gosh, I replied, it's not possible to skin them off the car (well it is, but getting the alignment right is nigh impossible). I suggested he bring his whole car in. Little did I know that he'd already spoken with Caroline and Lisa about the project. "Where're you from?" I asked. "San Diego!" was his answer. I could see that any further discussion about bringing his whole car to the shop would be for naught. In the end I told him that Mark would hang them on another car and that would allow him to get the lines very, very close. The doors and repair panels were in three larger boxes. I asked him if he'd driven here. He said that he'd flown and checked the parts as luggage. And I was going to put him off! He was originally from GR -- we'd sold him parts 25 years ago! Tech time didn't bring too many calls -- just one from a fellow enquiring about the components in his 1979 MGB brake master cylinder.  If you've made it this far, you'll want to know about the poster. I quit college in the summer of 1968 and joined the army. Within the year I was stationed at Army HQ in Long Binh, then I moved to the HQ of the 25th Infantry Division. I continued to correspond with the editor of the college yearbook. He told me that if I sent a picture from Vietnam, he'd print it. I did, he did, and this is the picture. I've wanted to run this in an ad with a line "He defended your country, now he'll repair your MG" but I've never got the wording correct.
Monday 26 December 2005
A Federal Holiday, but you would have found us hard at work during the morning. Both Curt and Casey had the day off, but Trevor, Ken, Andrew, James, Lisa, Caroline, and I held down the fort. The young men continued to work on the TF; Andrew worked on the Goldstar Distributors, and I tuned up a TR3, as well as repaired the choke cable by soldering in a new inner cable. It was so very slow, the phone rang twice, so at about 1:00 everyone was out of the shop except for me. I left about 3:00 pm. Tomorrow portends to be a more productive day.
Friday->Sunday 23->25 December 2005
Friday morning was our Christmas Party. Lisa brought a lot of treats, as did Casey, Curt, Trevor, Andrew, Ken, and Caroline. We brought a VCR/television set from home and pushed in "Scrooged," which wasn't as good as "Caddy Shack" but much cleaner than "Used Cars" and certainly a good fit for the season. Then, we watched "Muppets' Treasure Island" which I was sure I wouldn't like -- but was pleasantly pleased at the humor! The phone did ring several times throughout the morning, but by noon we'd shut down the lights and we were all off for our Christmas Holiday!
22 December 2005
Thursday 22 December 2005
Thursday! Tomorrow is our shop Christmas party! Both of my sons came in to help out today but Andrew called in sick with the flu -- and he had a Calculus III exam at a local college this evening. I sure hope it went well for him! The young guys were successful in getting the TF right down to nearly nothing. Only the dash remained as I took this picture. The petrol tank and radiator went out for cleaning/repair this afternoon.  Casey finished witht he 1964 MGB overdrive project and turned it over to me. He then began a complete lubrication on the 1977 MGB which has not had a complete lube in 13 years. We performed one of our production restorations on this car about 15 years ago. It still looks pretty good.
 Curt spent the day with the TR6 and is, here, remove the cam from the engine.
Mark contined to make progress ont he 1979 MGB LE. Note that the RR dogleg is removed in this picture, as well as the entire RH sill.
 I worked, on and off, all day on this rack and pinion for a 1959 MGA Twin Cam. It has turned out to be a very nice looking, and very fine working piece!  At technical time I had quie a flurry of phone calls. One fellow was chasing a 1962 MGA Mark II Deluxe about which I had some knowledge and was happy to provide particulars. Another owner called from Ann Arbor asking for some hints on what to do to start up a 1979 MGB from Texas which he wants to wake from a 10 year nap. Another fellow who claimed to be 6'2" and 300 lbs was interested in buying a 1965 Midget and wanted to know some things -- but I tried to talk him out of the deal because of his size -- Look at an MGB! I told him. A fellow member of the BMTA called enquiring after windscreen glass and fitting. I referred him to Bruce who has fitted more MGB windscreens than anyone but the factory. Necessity is the mother of invention. Anything that can work silently, without human input is a wonderful thing. One of the guys told me he'd read about removing rust by reverse electroplating. So we make up this container with sheet metal about the circumference as the anode and an MGA master cylinder bracket as the cathode and tried to get that bracket clean. This thing bubbled and hissed all day -- drawing 25 amps for more than several hours. Conclusion? Use the sandblaster! 
Wednesday 21 December 2005
Another full winter's day at University! Casey worked all day on the 1964 MGB overdrive car, getting the engine back in, etc. The young guys worked on the TF, and now that's beginning to look a little more skeletal than before! Each of the body panels is destined for the sandblaster to remove the paint and road tar so the wings and panels will look as good on the bottom as on the top. 
Mark already made progress on the 1979 MGB LE, as most of the paint has been DA'd from the metal.
 Curt worked along on the TR6 as the head had to come off for porting/polishing. We found some bad news at the base of one of the cam followers. See the project notes for more pictures!
 I received a call from a shop out East regarding the ride height of a rubber bumpered MGB. They had already changed rear springs with no significant results. I suggested they trade the positions of the coil springs. The ride height should be about 26", from the ground, through the center of the wheel, to the bottom of the chrome strip -- and it should be the same distance at all four corners -- well, within 1/4" or so. This shop told me that had a very noticeable difference at 1/2". I suggested that perhaps the bumper was askew, exacerbating the problem. They have yet to report back to me.
Remember yesterday about the induction heaters? I could not get continuity at 28F, the temperature outside the rear door in the morning. So, I combined ice, anti-freeze, and salt, just as Dr Fahrenheit did, and reached about 5F (he got zero). At that temp the bi-metal strip in the induction heater trips and the heater works. It does not work at 28F. Because the gaskets are not perforated correctly, few, if any, work anyway!
 If you've made it this far, you'll want to know about the Superlative MGB poster hanging in the shop. This poster, with the MG1100 poster, were used as packing behind a painted photograph. I saved these and had them re-framed. Now an interesting story about this poster. One always wonder's, "What's it worth?" I purchased an MGB from an avid MG enthusiast, an Inca MGB, into which we fitted a supercharger for a customer. I had to pay for the whole project up front and could not afford the car, so the enthusiast allowed me to make montly payments. I had $2,000 left. He eyed that poster. "I'll trade you the balance for the poster," he offerd. I considered his offer. But you'll see it's still hanging at the shop!
 And so another day closes at your favorite MG shop!
Tuesday 20 December 2005
On Tuesday we had the same staffing size as Monday! Only this time, I was there and Casey was recovering from the flu! Stan brought up his late model MGB (seen under with the bonnet open). The young guys continued to work on the disassembly of the TF.  During tech time, Lawrie called from California asking about the manifold induction heaters fitted 1975 through 1980. "When do they work?" he asked. I told him I throw some in the snow and check their continuity in the morning (see tomorrow post for results!). Mark brought back the 1973 MGB all painted and striped. It is MUCH straighter and looks very much nicer now! His trailer was not empty as he collected the 1979 MGB LE to take home. It was as cold as it looks in the pictures! 
Early in the day, Carl Heideman from Eclectic Motorworks came over, collected a 1974 TR6, and took it to Baker Engineering for a dyno test. The HP curve was very, very steady and it made 74.9 hp at the rear wheels at the top of it's range. We are making some dramatic changes to the power plant -- and hope to increase that figure considerably! Here, Josh Strohm, Carl's employee, assists in getting the TR6 strapped down.
We left Roger's 1979 outside for a late night collection. I was pleased that it started up, at 9pm at 20F in the dark and got him home! Another winter's day at University successfully concluded!
Monday 19 December 2005
A full day at University Motors, I'm sure -- but me? I spent the whole day in bed recovering from a bout with the flu (or food poisoning, I'm not certain). I was down for about 36 hours. It's not often that I sleep for so long!
17 December 2005
Friday 16 December 2005
 Friday was a full day at the shop! Trevor, pictured above working on the TF, worked during the morning after performing some necessary shop maintenance. He left at noon to go to his job at the Cannonsburg Ski Lodge. Ken worked on the TF nearly all day. About noon, the owner, her husband, and the owner's brother came by the shop to go over the estimate. When we were done discussing the work, the costs, etc, he turned to her and said, "Merry Christmas, Happy Anniversary, Happy Anniversary." She queried, "For the rest of my life?" We all had a good time with the car, talking about it's history (she drove it home on Route 66), and their time with it. Casey was working right along on the 1964 MGB, but his girlfriend called late in the morning complaining of a swollen neck and face -- so he took her to the med center. We all thought she might have mumps, but the docs figured it was a combination of this and that, and perhaps some sort of allergic reaction. She's in her third or fourth week working for the local Humane Society. Casey was back in the afternoon and made progress on the project. Lisa left at noon to drive out to the body shop to take some pictures of the 1973 MGB -- although it looked very much the same as it had the day before. Caroline spent the day preparing statements to send out to our customers. We've adoped a weekly billing practice which we were first introduced to by Carl Heideman of Eclectic Motorworks. Money is the blood of our business. Without it flowing through our checkbook our ability to command parts and services is impaired. Winter is always a difficult time for us as we lose our daily, in and out, business and must rely on regular, swift payments from the owners of the projects in the shop. Andrew came in later in the afternoon and assisted, too, with two checkouts and some with the TF. My day started early -- at 5:15! By 6:30 my son James and I were at the Panera Bread store to have coffee with a couple of other guys from the Boy Scout Troop. I worked through the morning to add to and to correct the estimate for the MG TF -- then later in the afternoon I assisted on a couple of projects. I know several people called during tech hour, but that was over 24 hours ago so I've forgotten where they were calling from or what the questions were. My hard drive is very nearly full and trying to recall information continues to get more difficult! We are all getting eager for our Christmas party, planned for Friday. We'll bring in a television set and watch "Scrooged." At least that's the plan now.  If you've made it this far, you'll want to know about the MG banner. That hung in the original University Motors in London, probably at the Piccadilly address. This, too, was saved from the damp storage shed. I've never seen another like it.
15 December 2005
Thursday 15 December 05
Thursday, 15th December! Gosh, only two weeks to go before 2006 -- and I still remember all the scare stories surrounding Y2K. Thursday mornings I stay home to answer emails and do paperwork associated with the shop. Oh, I go in early to help move the cars out, drink a cup of coffee, answer questions, but then usually leave about 8:30. Today Curt had to drop his Volvo at the dealer -- a warning light was flashing -- something more complicated that we could attend to with our knowledge and equipment. So he came in a little late.  Casey finished the Midget 1500 and ran that around the block a couple of times. I test drove it in the afternoon. It's all but finished -- we have just a bit more to do. Then he was on to the Aconite 74 MGB windscreen. He fussed and fussed and really hit a stalling point. So, I had to get all the bolts started for him. Really, he'd done the lion's share of the work -- but getting those bolts started -- well, that's quite a trick. You can see how he used Andrew, but in the end I had Casey move the screen while I started the bolts. Curt got the clutch operational on the MGA today. I expect he'll drive it tomorrow. The clutch really gave fits and we finally chose to power bleed it. The boys cleaned up the TF in anticipation of the owner coming down tomorrow so we can go over the estimate. It doesn't have an exhaust, so it's really noisy when we start it up! Lisa went out to the body shop to snap some pictures of the 1973 MGB, but the memory stick lock had been engaged on my digital camera and she didn't know what to do. We'll have pictures of that tomorrow -- maybe even back in the shop! During tech hour one fellow called from Uniontown PA about his MGA which he been rebuilding for a number of years. He was unable to get oil pressure before starting the engine -- and asked for some tricks. Later, a fellow called from Ventura CA to ask about 1976 Midget turn signals. Then, I organized the shipment of the Judson Supercharger to the expectant new owner in Florida. Later in the afternoon Tim Wolbert, a former employee, stopped by to say hello. Tim works for the Grand Rapids Public School system. He has six students in a year-round class. They are autistic, severely impaired. His job is to teach them to recognize their names, learn shapes and colors, plus some basic hygiene. Tim looked really great. Just at closing, Jason from Denco, our fastener supplier dropped off a bag of nuts -- the edible kind -- so we can have another "emergency shop meeting tomorrow morning." The one we had this morning was to consume the basket of popcorn, pretzels, and candies delivered yesterday from the Hilton. We received a very nice Christmas letter today from Ted in Kalamazoo who, this summer, completed his TC restoration. That, in itself, doesn't differentiate him from a number of enthusiasts -- but he began the restoration in 1966! I sold him a crankshaft for the engine in 1971. That made me think of all the letters, cards, and notes we've received this Christmas. There was a very cute card from Meg who has an originally owned 77 supercharged MGB which we restored; Christina who does our advertising; Patty, an avid, dedicated, and thoroughly octagonal MGA owner; from our Paint supplier; from Mike, Neil, John and the staff at British Motor Heritage; from Casey and Dave at CD's engine service; from Colleen, an MGB owner; from Dave and Linda, owners of T's, A'a, and B's; from David, Lori, Sharon, and Phil at APT; from Kevin, our insurance man; from Roche and Richard and staff at the MGOC; from Steve, temporarily without an MG, in Tennessee, a former employee; from Rick, from the Carolinas, a Tech Seminar graduate; from Dave and Sue from the greater Detroit area; from Hank and Carol from NC; from Doug, an MGA Twin Cam owner, and our accountant; from Tim and Sue, from Canada; from Ken and Don and Staff at FUN services. Christmas is such a GREAT season!  Moving the cars in tonight was a real hoot. It's rained and melted most of the day but the ground temperature must be 32F for it was very, very icy. Some of the cars just couldn't get traction!  If you've made it this far, you'll learn about our stained glass MG. This was soldered together by George DeVries, an electrical contractor from Hudsonville, MI. George, at one time, had a TD Mark II and a TC. I believe the Mark II was shipped to the Netherlands. I'm not sure about the TC. George did some wiring for us at the old shop. His brother, Carl, stays in touch, but I haven't seen George in, well, in years! Every time I look at that stained glass MG I think of him, though! You can see all that snow outside, and Casey's jacked up truck -- Big Blue -- through the windows. Caroline's plants have wound themselves up in front of the stained glass.
14 December 2005
Wednesday 14 December 2005
 The morning was wonderful! Our salesman at Engle sent along a package of crackers, cheeses, chocolates, teas -- so we called an immediate, emergency shop meeting to consume the delectable treats. 
I was impressed with the shortbread, which I love, and by the octagonal shape of one of the tins! 
Curt worked away on the MGA today and was surprised when he set the inside of the exhaust pipe on fire while heating up a stubborn exhaust gasket. The flames eventually extinguished and he was successful in fitting the engine/gearbox to the car. Casey got the Midget 1500 nearly completed. I test drove two cars today -- one was a 1977 MGB which ran very well, considering that it was about 25F. It had a top and by the end of the test drive had warmed on the inside to a tolerable driving condition. This was in marked contrast to the TR3 which I test drove next. No top. No side curtains. If there was ever any heat I certainly didn't feel it. Whoo-boy was it COLD! It took the next hour to regain my body heat. That test drive track is only about five miles long. I spent quite a lot of time with the computer program today drawing a site map by hand. We had a fellow stop in looking for a velocity stack for his 1952? Harley Davidson which carries an H4 Carb. During the Technical Hour a fellow called from Texas complaining that the heat in his TD engine bay had baked gasoline deposits onto the float and inside of the rear float bowl. I suggested the heat shield offered by Brown and Gammons in England. Moss doesn't have one available in this country. The Volvo P1800 left today for points east. It certainly was a nice vehicle! Later in the day Judith, from the Hilton Hotel came by to deliver a small package of treats, in thanks for our continued business with the summer party. but having consumed one already today, Caroline secreted it into the office -- I hope for tomorrow morning!  I worked with Andrew on the GOLDSTAR Lucas Distributors. These should be available in about a week or two.
If you've made this far, I've got another piece of University Memorabilia here. This is a wonderfully stylized drawing of myself and Caroline in an MGA. It was a gift from Bill Karolkiewicz who is better known as Billy K around these parts. So many people have so many talents. My guess is that he gave this to us about twenty years ago!
13 December 2005
TUESDAY 13 DEC 05
   Another action packed day at University Motors! Please note the newest item in our GOLDSTAR re-manufactured line-up. This is the MGA remote control assembly. We'll have data on the GOLDSTAR pages in the next couple of days about this remote control assy and the other GOLDSTAR products. Casey worked nearly all day on the Midget 1500 and has much of that engine/gearbox re-installed. Eariler in the day he concluded the work on the 1977 MGB with the faulty servo and rear brakes -- as well as sorting through some very poor wiring. Curt worked along this morning with the hydraulics on the MGA so that when the engine/gearbox are reinstalled the clutch works properly. Then he finished re-assembling the Sunbeam Tiger. Right when I got to work I began a review of the work done on the 1952 MG TD. The gearbox was a little over filled, so I drained out some of that oil. I also lock wired the castellated nuts on the steering cloverleaf. Then I adjusted the clutch -- and by then the owner was in the shop. He looked over the bottom which Andrew had painted yesterday afternoon. I set the timing a little earlier and had the car running when the owner walked in. I helped him run the car up onto his trailer and off he went to reinstall the interior himself. Trevor spent some time today in our little painting area to make sure it was clean and picked up. James worked around the shop cleaning up. Andrew went right to work on our GOLDSTAR distributors. We should have those available in about a week. Lisa struggled more with our computer program. There is much we have to learn! Several months ago I nearly purchased a new bottom tool box, believing mine to be too damaged to repair. This afternoon I removed each drawer, one at a time, made small repairs, lubricated the slides, and now the box is working excellently! At the price of those new toolboxes, I figure I saved myself a couple of thousand dollars! I took a couple of technical questions -- and spoke with one gentleman from Connecticut for quite a while. He said he was an instructor, teaching mechanical engineering but admitted he was a klutz when it came to practical application. The Technical Seminars in February had caught his fancy -- and as the new owner of an Arnolt MG, he was keen to come to the gearbox rebuild class. Gunner sent me a note from Old Cars Weekly to say that a small article was in this week's issue about the tech seminars -- and for those of you who receive the NAMGAR MGA! magazine, there is an advertisment in there for the seminars, too. We should have the PDF of the 2006 seminars up soon. If you've made it this far, then you'll want to know about the green wood with the graffiti. In 1983 we purchased a building across the street from us on Eastern Avenue. I purchased the edifice, and old bakery, from an old resident of that city. He owed about $4000 in back taxes and I believe I offered him $3000 for the property. He told me to write it down for just $2000 and give him the $1000 in cash. So, at the bank, with his wife signing her name to the deed, I handed the owner ten, one hundred dollar bills, literally behind her back. He was in heaven. That grand bought him a girl friend for a couple months. He was about 75. He died June 27, 1992, three days before my second son was born. I told his widow that we named our boy, James, after her late husband. When you stop around, I'll fill in the blanks. Anyway, about the wooden sign. We had that old building torn down, but just before Courtade got there with a front end loader, Brandon cut these pieces from the front of the building. The graffiti says: Wilma Pearson is a hoe. She'll give it up. Brandon mounted the siding on a couple of supports and named the creation "Condemned Building 1983." We probably could have sold it to the City for thousands -- if we'd wanted to give it up!
12 December 2005
Monday 12 December 05
  We had a busy day today at the shop! After several cups of fresh, hot coffee to brace our bodies against the cold, we moved about a dozen cars into the parking lot. Curt finished the Volvo and then worked on the MGA for which he's just completed the gearbox; Casey worked on a 1977 MGB with a faulty servo and faulty rear brakes, along with a host of electrical problems. Gosh -- there is nothing wrong with the original wiring in the car. Why some owners or mechanics cut into the wiring, add wires (in a rainbow of colors), wire around and through switches, blinkers, -- well, it makes our job more difficult! I worked nearly all day fabricating the repair panel for the Sunbeam Tiger and welding it into place. Around technical hour I heard from the vet in Reno who was successful in getting his car started after 20 years -- but now has to be the brakes and clutch operational so the car hauler can get it from there to here by driving it on his trailer. They don't want to move "immobile" cars! A fellow from Tallahasee called to thank me for the work I did on his distributor -- and to tell me that I was right, it wasn't the distributor that was the problem with a high speed miss. After quite a lot of inspection he found the jet tube on his rear HS carburetter twisted -- restricting the free flow of fuel to the jet. Another fellow called whose 78 B would start on the "start" sequence but then quit when he relaxed the key to "on." He used an ohmmeter to diagnose the problem and missed it! A word to the wise here -- always use a test light! Don't use an ohmmeter or continuity tester. A test light carries current, an ohmmeter does not. Later in the day Jim and his friend Chris stopped by. Jim has an XK150 that he took all apart and is now in his ??? year of putting it back together. "This winter!" is his goal for completion. Bruce from Orion glass stopped by midday to drop off an MGB windscreen (which fits the Aconite MGB pictured above -- did you notice there was no windscreen?) and to pick up another. He returned by the end of the day with the second. Bruce has repaired more MGB windscreens than any glass man on the planet (well....). I hadn't heard from my good friend Bob Connell at Connell's MG Service in Indianapolis for several months so I gave him a call on Friday. They'd had eight inches of snow that day so he missed work that day. We discussed the Moss superchargers for some time. Bob hopes to stop around sometime this Christmas -- in his MGB! The best staff story from this weekend was from Andrew. He was out snowboarding at Cannonsburg. Trevor works there as staff. Andrew was on the slopes and his girlfriend's sister came too close and whopped him in the shin with her snowboard. Andrew said it hurt but he kept on trying the slopes. After about an hour he said his foot felt unnaturally wet, plus his shin was really starting to throb. He went inside, started to take his boot off, only to discover it was full of blood! I missed the part about how he got to the emergency room or an immediate care center, but once there, and with his boot removed, he said they had to cut away the sock. He got five stitches on his shin. That's about the same number he got when he ran his finger into the end mill on our drill press last year. Andrew said they washed out his boot and it ran red for minutes. I'm glad it wasn't on workman's comp! He wasn't even limping today, so it would appear he's much better! If you've made it this far, you'll want to learn about the Lucas Service sign. Twenty years, or so, ago, Mark Kenworthy, Brandon DeHaan, Marty Boysen, and some of the fellows from the shop would travel down south, look through the automotive want ads -- in Nashville, for instance -- go out and buy a car to two, bring them back to Grand Rapids, clean them up and sell them for a bit of a profit. On one venture they were caravaning north, with several MGs, on some expressway when a fellow came up beside them and motioned them over. He was all excited! He owned MGs, wanted to talk MGs right there on the side of the road. "Where ya'll from," he asked the guys. They told him they were returning to Grand Rapids, Michigan. "Oh man," exclaims the fellow, "Do you know John Twist." They all laughed, "We all work for John Twist." The fellow was so excited he went to his car, pulled out the Lucas sign, and made the guys promise to give it to me -- which they did. I have long since misplaced the name of the sign's original owner, but there it hangs in our parts department!
10 December 2005
Saturday 10 Dec 05
 We are not open, officially, on Saturdays from after Labor Day until about the first of April, but I often spend several to four hours at the shop on Saturday mornings. Some times I simply clean the shop; other days, as today, I spend updating business records. While there, the phone rang several times. I discussed the overdrive project with the owner of the 1964 MGB, and I assisted a gentleman who was trying to locate a single connecting rod for an XPAG engine. I also re-shot a picture of a valve cover for an article I wrote for the MGB Driver. Several people have called recently enquiring after the date for our 31st Birthday Party. That will be on Saturday, January 21st, 2006, from Noon to 4pm. Last year, for our 30th party, it snowed so heavily that some of our employees could not get here. I trust the weather will not be so frightful this year! When I worked at the original University Motors in London, they had an older gentleman, George, who worked maintenance. One day he brought me a 1942 Mercury dime that he'd picked up during the war. He also knew more lyrics to "I've got a girl from Kalamazoo," than the title, which is my extent of the lyrics. He showed me this old storage barn in which was a treasure trove of MG memorabilia only one step away from the dumpster. The pieces I was able to retrieve and send back to the US will be revealed through this blog. The one today, the MG 1100, described in one advertising film as "suspensational" due to Issigonis' fluid suspension, was not framed at all -- it was simply packing behind another picture. The bottom edge, I believe, was folded for years, but now framed for the past 25 years, at least it has had time to nearly completely straighten out.
09 December 2005
Friday 09 Dec 05
   Today is my daughter Mary's turned 20. She's a chemistry student at Hillsdale College. Now I have only three teenagers! It snowed heavily last night and when I arrived at work, Dan, our MGB owner fire-fighter / snowplower had not yet cleared the lot. In fact, school was called throughout the area. So, today we just packed the cars along two sides of the shop allowing us free movement. No cold starts - no pushing. Now nice! Dan got there later in the day and now the lot is clear. Gosh -- it's supposed to be nearly 30F tomorrow! Casey has the TD all but finished -- I think we only have to fit the bonnet and test drive the car to ensure it no longer leaks oil. He brought in Joey (wasBob) again today. When my kids came by with their mother, before they drove to Hillsdale to take Mary for lunch, Casey entertained them with the small creature. Curt finished an MGA gearbox this morning and then, during the afternoon, fitted the gearbox to the Volvo P1800. This is not our normal type of work, but a dear friend called on me to assist him as the car was supposed to be done two months ago and he just couldn't wrestle the OD gearbox into place. We had four guys doing the job -- one holding the flashlight to assist the lineup of the first motion shaft and the clutch, and three of us holding the gearbox up underneath. Only one of us got pinched -- ME! I assembled the D type Laycock overdrive for the 1964 MGB during the morning. In the afternoon I worked cutting, shaping, and welding repair pieces for the rear frame of the Sunbeam Tiger. Trevor worked this morning but left at noon to go to his second job -- working at the local ski slope. He loves snowboarding and winter sports. Andrew arrived at the normal time. I was surprised because he comes to work when he can and there was no school. I'd forgotten that he has a Calculus 3 class at the GRCC and those classes were not cancelled. He worked on the very last pieces of the 1979 MGB LE. Now that's set to go out to Mark for painting. Another customer called from Traverse City. We have his wife's TF in the shop -- she purchased it, used, in California in 1957! He and his brother-in-law, an Austin Healey owner, are coming by on Friday to go over our estimate for mechanical and body repair -- it's pretty tough! I spent part of the afternoon cleaning and priming flywheels and valve covers for articles in the next MGB Driver. Say! If you're not a member of the North American MGB Register, please join! We started this wonderful organization in the shop in 1990. The NAMGBR site is easily found through the monster MG site www.mgcars.org.uk A gal called during tech time. It turned out she didn't want tech advice at all but wanted to sell me accounting services. I explained that Caroline keeps all the books on 24 column pages by hand entry. We've got to be the only business left with books like this! I did speak with an MGB owner from Fenton, MI, who was enquiring about the flange thicknesses of the inlet and exhaust manifolds on MGBs (9/16" through 1971 and 7/16" for the HIF carbs). Another enthusiast called from Des Moines -- he owns an MG VA and wanted to know about bearing inserts. I referred him to Northwestern Auto right here in Grand Rapids as they do a lot of pouring and scraping of bearings on the old engines, foreign and domestic. I couldn't get a fix on this man's accent. He said he was of German ancestry, born in Argentina. His folks escaped from Germany during the war with a single handbag (which his mother still has). For those complaining about $30 co-pays and having to wait for dial-up service, imagine quitting your home, leaving everything behind. Most of us have no understanding of deprivation or calamity. An MGA owner called from Florida wanting to purchase the Judson supercharger we have. He'll probably get it. Lisa left a little early to get over to see Carl Heideman at Eclectic Motorworks. We're about to do some mechanical work for one of his brilliant MGA restorations. If you've read this far you'll want to learn about the BMC Rosette. I found two of these at University Motors in London when I worked there in 1972-1973. I sent one to my former partner, Alan Lanphear, of British Motors Service in Kalamazoo. The other I kept for myself and it adorns our UPS door. It's of fibreglass construction. I'm not certain I've ever seen another round these parts! The gearbox? That's a prop we use at the Technical Seminars. My webmistress is about to have this site updated with the 2006 seminar information. Stay tuned! TGIF
08 December 2005
Thursday 08 Dec 05
   Our day started promptly at 8:00am when we moved most of the cars outside. They all start so easily in the relative warmth of the shop -- maybe 50F in the early am. But by evening, when it's time to bring them in, the oil is congealed, the batteries almost too cold to produce current, and today it was about 4F which is really, really cold. We had to push in the Alpine and one of the late model MGBs. Casey worked along all day on the TD -- it needs just a bit of attention in the morning and it'll be set for a test drive. Curt worked along on the Sunbeam Tiger, fabricating the repair pieces for the leaf spring. The high school boys worked diligently on the two MGB restorations we have in the shop. Lisa struggled with a new computer program we have -- changes are always difficult but this one is giving us fits. We'll eventually get it up and running. I had appointments this morning and returned just at technical time. We had a customer call from Reno, NV, who is trying to get his engine operational after a twenty year nap -- opeational enough to get it onto a car hauler so it can get here for much needed attention. Later a fellow called from Arkansas to enquire about a single battery for his 1974 MGB. Those take a group 26. Then I got to make two test drives! One was a 1976 MGB and the other a 1974 TR6. Both started and ran well around the test drive track (a circuit of nearly five miles). The test drive is a complement to our complete lubrication. Later I helped Trevor fit some 10-32 heli-coils to an MGB windscreen frame to more snugly secure the brackets for the sun visors, and then I fought the computer for a while, too. Casey brought in his white rat again today. It wouldn't stay still for a photograph until Lisa held him firmly -- or maybe it's a she, I'm not certain. Yesterday the rodent's name was Bob. But, Casey read that rats can learn their names if the name has two syllables -- so Bob wouldn't make it. I suggested "was Bob" which satisfies the two syllable requirement but he'd already chosen Joey -- or maybe it's Joe E -- I didn't ask him to spell it. If you've made it this far, then I have another paragraph about University Motors memorabilia. The red and yellow octagonal sign is from the MG factory! It was given to me by an employee when I toured the company in 1973 and I've treasured it since. It's hanging in our vestibule.
07 December 2005
Wednesday 07 Dec 05
   Pearl Harbor Day. Also my son Brooks' birthday -- he's 18 today. We all worked right along today and the shop achieved a great amount of productive work! Casey worked right along fitting the XPAG engine with a new Moss rear seal and a rebuilt gearbox to the 1952 TD. Curt finished the Midge 1500 engine and gave it a nice coat of paint. He then changed the brake hoses on a TR3. Finally, he positioned the Sunbeam Tiger on the hoist and removed the left rear spring shackle to expose the rotted frame rail. Lisa worked along today on estimates for dual sidedraught Webers and a special exhaust for a TR6. She also worked with Carl Heideman, Eclectic Motorworks, on some MGA mechanical estimates. Trevor worked a bit on the 1979 MGB LE restoration, but when Andrew arrived we all pushed the Sunbeam Tiger from the barn onto Curt's hoist. Then the both of them did checkouts -- a Sunbeam Alpine and a 1957 MGA. Tech hour elicited only one call from a local MG owner who was trying to determine the source of looseness in his steering. Earlier in the day a fellow called from South Bend enquiring about the removal and replacement of a camshaft in an XPAG engine. I was involved in a couple of projects. First, I boxed up some parts for Moss Motors -- original, factory parts they can use as examples for remanufacturing new parts. Then, I rebushed a kingpin for Carl Heideman's MG Midget project car for Classic Motorsport magazine. Once that was finished, I rebuilt the rack and pinion for the same car -- taking lots of photographs, some of which I hope are good enough for Classic Motorsport to use in Carl's article. When that was done I disassembled and cleaned up the thoroughly fubared overdrive from the 1964 MGB. Once that was laid out I attended to an automatic choke assy which was leaking some gasoline. So why the picture of the MG sign? These signs were part of the dealer package. Later illuminated signs had a simple "Austin" across the bottom instead of Austin-Healey. Then came the blue and white rectangular Leyland signs. Our local dealer had a sign on top of a tall pole. I drove by his place on a Monday and noticed the sign was missing. I immediately called! "Dave! Where's the old sign?" I asked. Dave, the dealer, told me the sign company took it away. I called them. "Where's that MG sign?" I pleaded. They'd taken it to the dump. So I called around to the other dealers. Ah ha! E&B in Muskegon had an octagon sign (they hadn't been so foolish as to let it go with the sign company!). I asked them what they wanted for it. $1000 he told me. This was about 1977. They might as well have said a million. About six months later they called me asking if I had a differential for a MGB. I did. What did I want for the diff, they asked. How about that sign? The deal was struck. It used to light up, but the ballasts are shot (I guess). I priced the ballasts and new bulbs -- it was something like $400 -- and that was ten years ago. So, it doesn't illuminate. The back side is plywood, painted white. It sure is a nice piece in our showroom. I've had it now for about 30 years!
06 December 2005
Tuesday 06 Dec 05
   We had a full staff today -- and by mid afternoon, after the high school and college kids came in the shop was really humming with activity! Casey worked all day removing a difficult engine/gearbox from a 1964 MGB so I could service the overdrive. You see him in the pictures heating the exhaust manifold so he could change the six exhaust studs. Curt spent the majority of the day assembling the Midget 1500 engine (he's standing next to it). I fitted the timing gears, front cover and sump to an XPAG engine, then spent the majority of the day reworking a pair of 40048 Lucas distributors for a fellow's pair of TC's. They boys spent the afternoon removing and cleaning parts from a 1979 MGB LE that we're restoring. Casey loves animals. He found a lone field mouse in the parking lot last week and tried to nurse it to health. Marvin didn't make it, but that was after he'd purchased a cage. So, this weekend he purchased Bob, a white rat, who accompanied him to work (in the cage) for our enjoyment. Lisa was very proud of bowling a 565 last night with her league. One customer called about 8:10 this morning looking for factory Mini-lites to fit his factory Sebring MGB/GT. I wasn't able to help. During the technical hour I answered several questions from a fellow in Los Angeles who was timing his MGB to which he had fitted electronic ignition. Another fellow called from North Carolina asking about the costs involved with removing a TF engine (very expensive, as it's necessary to disassemble the front of the body!). If you've made it this far, I want to talk a little about our Gross Cabinet. I named it thus since it has 144 drawers. In this wonderful cabinet we keep nearly all of our US, BSF, and French Metric nuts, bolts, and washers. There are drawers for star washers, nylock nuts, brass nuts, tall nuts -- gosh -- what a wonderful piece. It was built by the Sherer-Gillett Company in Marshall, Michigan in about 1912 for my great grandfather's mail order firm. My father worked at Sherer from 1947 to 1979 (he was the president of the firm from 1964). It was bought out and moved (and renamed) to Atlanta. Sherer was a supplier of cabinets to grocery stores and eventually entered commercial refrigeration. But before all that they made these type of wooden cabinets. My grandfather designed the drawers to accept a specific sized card on which they kept order and re-order information. Several of the drawers are signed. The one holding 5/16 split helical lockwashers has "Ruth 1944" on the side. My g-grandfather signed one drawer -- over on the right side, down low -- I've forgotten which one, and dated it 1912. My cousin was running the family firm in 1975 and gave this piece to me. What a guy! We use it every day. It was about 15F today. All the cars outside started -- two needed a shot of carburetter cleaner to fire -- then they ran on their own. One 1967 MGB has a low battery so five of us pushed that one inside. All but one of us had gloves today!
05 December 2005
Monday 05 Dec 05
    After a very, very slow fall we are busy again. Lisa told me this morning that we have something like 23 cars in the shop along with a small number of bench jobs. At the doctor's office this morning a fellow in the waiting room remarked, as I walked in, "You look familiar." After I concluded my visit with the receptionist I turned to the guy and apologized for not recognizing him. Turns out he had once owned an MGC and I'd worked on the overdrive. But that was 1977 -- so it's no wonder I didn't have any hint of recognition. I got back to the shop and looked for his file but couldn't locate it. Now understand that we have files that go back to 1972 when I was trading as British Motors Service in Kalamazoo. In fact, just two weeks ago I pulled a file from that time. So it was very frustrating not to have immediately located this fellow's file. But, it might be that when he sold the car it was changed to the new owner's name. Curt worked today on an MGA gearbox which had snapped the layshaft. Very odd! And, it was the second time that gearbox had snapped a layshaft -- the inside of the sidecover was dated 1983. We changed the main case. Later he worked on the assembly of a Midget 1500 engine. Casey had the day off -- for what reason I haven't a clue. I worked in the morning on a RHD Mini whose owner collected it about 2pm and drove home (some 40 miles distant) in a snowstorm. Later I continued to work with a Moss rear seal on a XPAG engine. I got the seal fitted and was just about to fit the timing chain when it was time to bring the cars in. Three wouldn't start tonight -- and it was sheet ice under the snow in the parking lot. Curt and I had gloves but the apprentices, the two young guys -- well -- they haven't discovered gloves yet. But with the four of us pushing, those two MGs and one Alpine got back into the shop. Later in the afternoon we took in a Volvo P1800 to install a gearbox as a favor to RJ Blett of Coopersville. He and I shared the building on Eastern Avenue for a couple of years, 1975-1977. He does Volvos, I do MGs. But there are always exceptions. A new owner came in today -- he's assumed his father-in-law's Triumph Spitfire and was looking for assistance in getting the restoration started. At technical time I heard from a retired preacher from Illinois who drives his MG all the time. I also instructed a TD owner how to disassemble his windscreen and ignition switch for chroming. You'll note that the pictures are from last week -- but it looked about the same tonight!
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