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4 December 2011It was a cold grey December dawn as we pointed the 71GT Westwards to the Lake District again. This time it was to the
Rheged Discovery Centre to join
Wigton Motor Club
for their annual Christmas Cracker Run. This is a tremendous run of
about 75 miles in some beautiful countryside, which we didn't see much
of because of the weather, but we still had a great time. Thanks to
Graeme and his band of helpers for such a good day.
As there is a
prize for the best decorated car, we spent part of Saturday afternoon
doing the B. I'd bought what I thought were stickers, but they turned
out to be the sort of plastic that tax disc holders are made of. We
stuck them on regardless but on arrival at the start we discovered that
quite a few had vanished on the way across.
We didn't win and the prize went to a superbly turned out Subaru.
There was also a prize for the best dressed crew and keeping in the spirit we dressed for the occasion and won!
After
coffee and biscuits and time to study the route, we set off and soon
ran into snow. This turned to rain at lower levels but snow again as we
climbed the passes. All went well until on the approach to Honister Pass
we met some cars coming towards us and they told us that because of ice
the road ahead was impassable. We did consider giving it a go, but as a
rally prepared Mk2 Escort and a Mini had failed to make the climb, we
decided againt pressing on and turned back to head directly to the
finish where a super lunch awaited us.
This short video shows the conditions.
After lunch we travelled back in convoy with good
friends Don & Eileen in their GT. On the approaches to the Pennines
was saw cars coming towards us covered in snow and we became a little
concerned about what lay ahead. The Stainmore area of the A66 is quite
often closed because of snow, but we were lucky and we got home with no
problems.
All in all we put 230 miles up and used 7.9 gallons,
which by my reckoning is just over 29 to the gallon. I was well pleased
with that considering that I don't hang about.
12 November 2011The
alarm went off at daft o clock as we had an early start to be in
Whinlatter Forest by 0830 to assist with marshalling the Broom Fell
section of the
VSCC
Lakeland Trial. A quick breakast, packed lunch made and flasks filled,
we loaded the 71 BGT with all that plus wellies, waterproofs and extra
layers of clothing (well we were going to the Lake District where wet is
pretty much assured) and set off in darkness. It was lovely as day
broke as we were crossing the Pennines and the hills came into view.
The
BGT ran well and we made good time only to lose it in Keswick. We
pulled off the A66 into Keswick for a comfort stop and found that the
road out was closed so we had to backtrack the way we drove in which
cost us some time.
I didn't turn the minicam on until we reached
Braithwaite, the start of Whinlatter Pass as the early part of the trip
was pretty boring, mostly dual carriageway.
When we arrived in the middle of nowhere we found that
some cars had already started the section so it was a quick sprint to
sign on and get to our posts. Thankfully we were positioned on the
easier part of the section as most cars cleared the section once they
got past us. This gave me a good chance to get some video.
Thankfully it didn't rain and we had a great day despite the cold.
23 September 2011We took the 71 GT to meet a good group of members of the
Tees Valley MG Owners Club at Yarm Station for a run to
Thorpe Perrow Arboretum.
Shades
of 'Take all the trees, put them in a tree museum. Charge the folks a
dollar and a half to see them', only it was a lot more than a dollar and
a half. It was a very pleasant run to Thorpe Perrow and we had a
pleasant afternoon wandering through some lovely woodland.
Thanks to Mal & Mary for organising a great day.
18 September 2011Middlesbrough and District Motor Club
did us all proud by organising the Saltburn Historic Motor Gathering.
Thanks, guys & gals, we had a great day. This is a non competitive
hillclimb on a closed road and a great opportunity to have a more
spirited drive than normal.
The weather started off cool and dry but warmed up a bit by lunchtime.
It stayed dry until mid afternoon when we had a couple of short sharp showers, but they didn't stop the fun.
A wide variety of classic cars and bikes in the paddock and many climbed the hill.
Here's Numbum in action.
All in all, a wonderful day. I met some people I haven't seen for nearly 40 years. Jeez! That makes me feel old!
12 September 2011Wow, what a weekend!
I
think the TA decided to try to teach me who is boss. It all started
late on Friday afternoon when after filling up with petrol for Saturday I
decided to adjust the clutch. I had barely put any pressure on the
adjusting nut when the operating rod snapped."Oh dear, this is not
good", I said to myself. My poor attempts at welding some more threaded
rod to the shaft failed miserably and I was facing not having the
planned driving weekend, or going in the 71 GT. I made a couple of phone
calls to see if I could find a friend who might have a spare rod, but
no luck. Desperation was now setting in and I was standing in the garage
looking for anything I could cobble up a clutch operating system from
when I looked at a Morris 10 gearbox lying in the corner.
Bingo!!.
Attached to the box was a short length of chain with a threaded rod
attached. It took some considerable time to remove this heavily corroded
adjuster without breaking it but it came off and was 'adjusted' to fit
on the TA. A short test drive showed that all was well and some four
hours after starting the job, I got cleaned up for a very late meal. It
was a lot of time and work, but maybe I dodged a bullet there. It wasn't
ideal at home, but that rod could have snapped at any time, possibly
stranding us in some remote place.
Saturday was an early(ish) start to drive down to Skipton (about 75 miles) to meet up with 60 T Types of all ages and conditions. The
MG Car Club T Register
held it's Autumn Tour this weekend. Two days of driving over some
superb roads in the Yorkshire Dales. We were keen to get there early
enough to meet people before setting off, but it was not to be. Breezing
along at around 60mph, with not a care in the world, we hit a bump and
everything died. After some checking it was found that the live battery
terminal had bounced off. it was quickly refitted, all the gear was
stuffed back under the tonneau and off we went. A few miles further down
the road it came off again. This time I made sure it was going to stay
on. Got all sorted out and back in the car and it wouldn't start! All
electrics were working and the engine was spinning over well but not
firing. Removing the distributor cap revealed no spark at the points,
probably because they weren't opening. How it had been running so well
up to now was a mystery. Setting the gap with the Mk1 eyeball, got us
running again. We were now well behind our planned time and probably
wouldn't make the event start time.
We carried on and saw Grant
& Barbara (the organisers) leading a group towards us. Assuming that
they were the last away. we did a quick 180 and followed them. Shortly
after that we got a route book from Grant and we were able to take a
break knowing that we wouldn't get lost. So after a hectic start to the
day we had a cuppa and then followed the route to
Bolton Castle
for the lunch break. This was the first chance I had to take any
pictures. Unfortunately my camera isn't designed for shots like this but
it gives a flavour of 60 T Types all in one place.
More pictures from Bolton Castle.
After
lunch and some great conversation we set off across the valley where
Numbum had one more surprise in store for us. On the climb out of West
Witton I noticed steam coming from the radiator cap. As this car never
overheats I pulled over to the side of the road. Whilst waiting for it
to cool down I took the opportunity to get the video camera out.
Checking the radiator indicated that
it was short of water, so I topped it up and off we went. Keeping a
close eye on things we carried on to the finish at the Coniston Hotel,
where the cause of the water loss was found, a weeping core plug. The
helpful hotel staff kindly refilled our water cans and we set off for
the journey home and made it safely with only one top up stop.
Thanks
to Grant & Barbara for their hard work in organising such a great
day. Sadly we wouldn't be with them all on Sunday but we hope they had a
good day with fine weather.
As we were once again later than
expected ariving home we picked up a fish & chip supper on the way
in. After eating it was back out into the garage to try to stop the
leak. Fitting another plug wasn't an option as I didn't have one
available. My first though was to fit a self tapping screw into the hole
but as I tried this the hole got larger and what was seepage of water
became a trickle. It was clear that the plug was worse than I thought.
Then
I remembered a product I'd used some time ago which I thought might
work. After a frantic search, Pam found what we were looking for.
Plumbers Mate, made by Evostick is a two part product, which when mixed
together makes a putty that can be used to seal leaking water pipes,
even when wet. It's designed as a domestic product but with no other
option I had to give it a go. I mixed a portion andpushed it into the
small hole. The leak stopped and just for good measure I spread the rest
of the mix over the whole area of the plug.
After another later than expected night, I closed the garage door. If it was leaking in the morning, we would take the 71 GT.
Sunday was the
MG Car Club Tyne Tees Center's
Old Speckled Hen Run. We were assisting with the signing on so had to
be there on time.There was no sign of leaking when I got the TA out of
the garage, so we set off early to refuel with the plan to return home
to get the GT should the leak reappear. Thankfully all was water tight,
so we set off for the start.
Sadly, a lower than normal entry for the day (probably a sign of the economic times), and all but two made the start.
A
wide range of cars, from our 1937 TA to a 2009 TF85 enjoyed the 45 mile
drive through some little known lanes to the lunch stop at the
Durham Dales Centre in Stanhope. After lunch it was another 47 miles over the wild North Pennines to
Seaton Delaval Hall where cream teas and good conversation prevailed.
The
bullet cam was suffering problems, mainly lack of battery power. I
cannot say who forgot to pack spare batteries as I don't want to
incriminate myself. Pam did a remarkable job with the hand held cam in a
bucking TA with me driving.
Thankfully, the rain mainly stayed
away but the bleak wind took the edge off things a bit, especially on
the run home down the A19.
Barrie and Sheila Hope deserve a great pat on the back for organising such a great day.
Today, the TA ran as well as ever, but I've now got some work to do on it before our next outing.
7 September 2011The
rust bug had attacked the exhaust on the 71 GT. It has a two piece
system with the join at the back box. Of course the hole had to be at
the worst place, on the bend just before the back box. The rest of the
system was in pretty good nick. Getting the whole system replaced would
have run to around £140 by the time incidentals such as gaskets and
clamps were included, so was a last resort.
A friend told me about
Exhaust a Fix
so I gave them a call. "No problem", they said, so I booked the car in.
About half an hour later and £50 lighter in pocket I drove away with a
new section of pipe, from the front box to the back box and bent to
match the original. Result! I have no connection with this business but I
am a very satisfied customer. If you need an exhaust making up, they
are the boys to do it.
6&7 August 2011I love the smell of Castrol R, otherwise known as
Croft Nostalgia Weekend.
Pam & I owe a great thank you to Don Dalton for the introduction
and Alan Donowho of the Northern Midas Group, for the invitation to this
super weekend. Despite the heavy rain on Saturday afternoon, which
stopped the racing we had a great time with a friendly group of
enthusiasts who also had some pretty cool cars.
The
tent was a great idea, and I made full use of it after most had left on
Saturday, by parking the TA in it to put the hood up. It was the first
time since 1982 that I had driven with the hood up.
Sunday was a better day for the weather. It was cloudy and windy but at least the rain held off.
We
had a chance to drive round the circuit, which was great fun. When I
had the space, I gave the old girl some welly and thought I was flying,
but it doesn't look like it on the video.
Alan snapped us on the way round and agreed to me using the picture here. Thanks Alan.
The
afternoon's racing was phenominal, and it took me back to the 60s when I
used to marshall at Croft. Cortinas, Anglias, Minis, E Types, Mustangs,
and many more. Oh the memories!
It's
just short of two weeks since the 71 GT was pressganged into service as
my daily driver. I'm pleased to say that it's performed well, and seems
to be more economical than the Audi.
One
small issue came up, a light tinny rattling sound from under the
bonnet. Investigation revealed the grommets on the fan mounting were
past their best. Replacement was a fairly easy job despite the lack of
space between the fan and the radiator.
31 July2011Another great run with the
Tees Valley MG Owners Club.
The Tees Valley Trail was about 90 miles through some great
counrtyside, with some treasure hunt questions thrown in. Starting and
finishing at
Roots Farm Shop
in East Rounton, the route took us through leafy lanes and across
rolling moorland. The weather was kind to us with bright warm sunshine
all day.
It was a relaxing run with no time pressure and some took the opportunity for a pleasant break in the sunshine.
Whilst we were stopped by the roadside for a quick cuppa, Mark & Mandy flew past in their lovely restored TC.
This event is run on a charitable basis and this years charity is
Northallerton & District Diabetes UK who will benefit to around £650. Well done to all who contributed.
Some video clips from the day.
At the finish were were very pleased to collect the trophy for the oldest car on the run.
We
appreciate that an event like this takes a lot of time and mileage to
plan and get right. John & San did a great job and we owe them a big
round of applause.
It was almost a sense of Groundhog Day as we set off in the TA to head for the Ripon Old Cars
gathering at Ripon Racecourse. The route we followed was the same as
last weekend as the racecourse is only a mile or so past Newby Hall.
Thankfully the weather was better and we had a dry if chilly run down
the A19.
This event attracts a lot of entries and, unless you are
attending a club stand, you are parked up in the order you arrive. This
means that there is a great mixture of different cars in each row and
it keeps the interest alive.
The sun soon rose high in an almost
cloudless blue sky and the temperature rose too, and it turned out to be
a very pleasant day.
A wide range of cars from the beautifully
restored, to the rough but running (our TA) and some pretty cool custom
jobs made an eclectic mix of motoring history.
As usual I took too many photos to put here, so here is a slideshow of some of them.
As
well as the cars, there was children's entertainment and good
refreshments, and an autojumble. This time I found what I was looking
for and the 71 GT will soon have a door mirror on the passenger side
again.
Amongst some of the people we chatted to was a guy who was
parked up on his way to Newby Hall last week, thinking of heading for
home because of the weather. He saw us, cagouled up, blasting down the
road in the pouring rain, and thought, if they can do it, so can I, and
he continued to the event and had a great day.
It was a great day
all round and our thanks go to all the people who put in much work and
long hours to make the day so good. We also hope that a good sum was
raised for this year's charity Macmillan Cancer Support.
23July 2011
My
daily driver Audi has some serious issues and I've had to take it off
the road. What has this got to do with MGs? you may ask. Well, I need a
car to do my job and the only candidate is the 71 GT so it was press
ganged into service. I was pleasantly surprised to find that business
use was readily available on a classic insurance policy and at
reasonable cost. There were some issues to sort out with the car. The
horn ceased working which had to be done, the overdrive didn't always
engage and the tachometer would sometimes drop to zero whe running. The
last two were minor irritations that I'd lived with when the car was
only used occasionally but were driving me nuts using it every day.
I
decided they had to be tackled and got stuck in. The horn was an easy
one. The car has an aftermarket steering wheel and because there is no
horn push, a previous owner had fitted a spring loaded flick switch for
the horns. Investigation revealed that one of the connections was loose
and had dropped off. Easy fix.
As
I was already working under the dash I decided to look at the overdrive
switch. I always check the easy things first. Testing showed that the
switch was only switching about four out of ten attempts. A replacement
switch fitted and all was good there.
Next,
the tachometer. As I put my hand up under the dash to find the securing
nuts, I felt a wire move. Yes, another loose connection. I couldn't
believe my luck.
I'm
quite enjoying using the GT every day and what was originally planned
as a temporary solution whilst the Audi is being sorted, may well become
permanent.
17 July 2011
We
don't normally do static events as we perfer to be driving, but there
are two that we do and today was the first of the year. The North Estern Club for Pre War Austins host an annual event at Newby Hall near Ripon in North Yorkshire.
This
is a massive show and there were just short of 1600 cars, vans,
motorcycles and military vehicles on the entry list. There were a few
empty spaces around the field, probably because of the bad weather. It
started to rain heavily just before we set off so we had a damp drive
down. Thankfully it eased up later and apart from a couple of showers it
was dry. The rain must have had an effect on public visitors too, as
there weren't as many people about as previous years.
There were a good few autojumble stalls but I didn't find what I was looking for.
With the jump in and turn the keys cars of today, I wonder how many could cope with this. I'm not sure I could handle it.
Spot the odd one out.
Two different rears.
We
had a great day, and met up with some people we only see once a year at
this event. Even the torrential downpour on the way home couldn't
dampen our spirits.
10 July 2011It was a bright warm morning at the
Lord Stones Cafe where members of the
Tyne Tees Centre of the MG Car Club
met for the start of the 2011 Prince Bishops Run. 40 cars on the list
and I think all but two made it to the start. I'm not aware of any that
didn't finish.
After morning refreshments, I saw quite a few bacon & egg butties going down, we set off for the 89 mile run to Durham.
The
first part of the run was 40 miles to The Hardwick Park where there was
an optional break for refreshments. En route we saw some dark clouds
beginning to form so we stopped to don waterproofs. Whilst stopped we
were given some good natured ribbing by other cars with the tops down.
We got our own back when the heavens opened and we passed them all
frantically putting hoods up. Thankfully the rain didn't last long and
by the time we reached Hardwick Park, it was dry again.
The next leg was 15 Miles to
Auckland Castle, the home of the Bishop of Durham and some took the opportunity for a tour of the castle.
We had a quick cuppa there before setting off for the final 34 miles to
The Palace Green in the beautiful historic
City of Durham. It was a great honour to be able to park on the green, right next to the Cathedral, as normally cars aren't allowed in.
The cars attracted a lot of attention and many owners were deep in conversation with people asking questions. Great fun!
This
event was also very special as each of the T Types was represented. 1
TA, 1 TB, 1 TC, 3 TDs, and 1 TF. That has to be a rarity anywhere and
for a local club run, it was exceptional. We lined up the cars for a
photoshoot, and there were many cameras clicking away.
One
of the features of these runs is the selection, by an independent
person, of the car they would most like to go home in. Diane, the
manager of the Almshouse Cafe chose Numbum, much to our surprise.
This
is the second time, as we were selected on the Cobweb Run earlier in
the year. I wonder if we can make the hat trick on the Old Speckled Hen
run, later in the year.
As I had too many photos for this page,
here is a slideshow of some more.
You can get a flavour of the event in this short video.
All in all, a superb day, much enjoyed by all.
Heartfelt thanks go to Barrie & Sheila Hope and all those who
assisted in running this superb day.
I took the
BGT for an MOT today and it flew through with no advisories. While it was on the ramp I took some pictures. Here's a sample one.
The others are here. It's rock solid all the way.
25 June 2011Grrrrr.
It's not often that I feel the need to rant, but I do now. I got the
renewal notice for the TA insurance and the premium had gone up by close
to 20%, so I decided to shop around.
I found a company with a premium about the same as I was paying last year with key insurance included so I went with it.
I
got the paperwork yesterday and wow!, it was a shocker. The actual
insurance was only 55% of the total cost. The rest was made up of legal
cover and key insurance and policy fees. OK the policy fees are fair
enough but I don't want the legal cover and the key insurance is a waste
of time for a TA as there are no door locks and I could start the car
without a key in minutes.
It's my own fault for not asking the
question but I'm not too happy to find that things I thought were
included were actually optional extras.
With these uncertain
economict times, it's understandable that insurance companies will try
to maximise their income, but It's also understandable that customers
will want to minimise their expenditure.
It's not a great sum
of money, about the price of a tank of fuel, but that's not the point.
My advice from this is ask all the questions before you sign up.
19 June 2011Father's
Day and the day of the 2011 Beamish Reliabilty Trial. We had an early
(for us) start time of 8.38am. Factoring in getting ready, travelling to
the start with time to sign in and the trip to the toilets which was a
five minute walk, meant getting up at daft o clock. It was a cool but
dry trip to
The Beamish Museum for the start. There weren't many cars about, some had already set off and later numbers had still to arrive.
I'm sure I have some oil in here. Guess who forgot to check it on Saturday.
We
set off on time and had a good run, with no rain until we reached the
Stang. Then it got wet. It stayed wet until we were over the Buttertubs.
We were running in low cloud there and visibility was much reduced.
Whilst
Numbum was running well we had some technical problems with the video
and found we didn't have any video of the morning climbs.
With
the early start we arrived at the Bainbridge lunch stop well before noon
and had plenty of time for lunch and conversation with other entrants.
We
left Bainbridge just after 1pm and gave a cheery wave to friends, Don
& Eileen Dalton who were observing at Askrigg Bank. Sorry we
couldn't stop but you would have marked us down if we had seeing as it
was an observed section.
The TA was running better and better as the day progressed. Pity our ability to answer questions didn't improve.
The run back to Beamish was uneventful, and mainly dry and we arrived at the finish, happy but rather weary.
After some good chat with fellow competitors, we set off for home and arrived safely some 12 hours after we set out.
Later
that evening I received this super picture from David Bolton who caught
us climbing away from the Bollihope Quarry checkpoint. Thanks David!
I
also received some great video, shot by Oliver Bolton, David's son. The
first video of Numbum from the outside.. Thanks Oliver!!
You can hear us setting off from the checkpoint, heck it's loud, and it's working hard in 3rd as we pass the camera.
Four up in the 76 GT.
I fitted some lap belts for the rear seats (if you can call them seats)
so we could take our grandchildren with us today. They were quite
comfortable and really enjoyed the ride.
It was a bright sunny day when we met fellow members of the Tees Valley MG Owners Club for a trip to Ryedale Folk Museum
in Hutton le Hole. The sun and warmth brought out quite a few members
and it was topless driving for all who could. We had to suffer slightly
in the enclosed GT but it was worth it. A superb run of around 50 miles
took us across the top of the North Yorkshire Moors and there were
stunning views for miles around.
We arrived at the museum and were given pride of place on the green inside the museum walls.
The
museum was excellent and there was plenty to see and do to keep young
children occupied. Some good chat with friends, picnic lunch and ice
cream made a great day. Sadly the weather changed and by mid afternoon
it was lashing down with rain, but that couldn't take away the
enjoyment.
The GT ran well. In fact it gets better each time I use it which just goes to show, they are better driven than sitting about.
Thanks to Mal & Mary for organising the day.
6 June 2011
We shot a short video of the 1976 MGB GT.
30 May 2011It's a
while, over 30 years, since I last marshalled at a motorsport event so I
decided to volunteer to marshall at the Keith Pattison Memorial Sprint,
run by
The York Motor Club. The venue was
Teesside Autodrome which is only a fifteen minute drive from home.
Despite
the rain, quite heavy at times, it was a good day's sport with some
spins, thankfully without damage or injury. The weather did improve as
the day wore on and it became quite warm in bright sunshine after the
event finished.
The good news was that fellow MG Car Club Tyne Tees Center member, Peter Sewell, got a class win in his quick MGB roadster.
Some more video of the day. Keep an eye open for car
14. This is a 1935 Fiat 508s Balilla which can trace its competiton
history back to the 1930s. Thanks to Pam for her work with the camera.
Impressive, considering it's the first time she'd used it.
27 May 2011 The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs
has launched its latest survey into the health and worth of the old
vehicle movement. This survey can be completed anonymously and it will
be of great value to The Federation when supporting the old car
movement. I have no affiliation to The Federation, but I support its
aims.
Please spend 5 minutes of your time to complete
the survey.
15 May 2011
We decided to give the 76 BGT a run out in the country on a lunch run organised by the Tyne Tees Centre of the MG Car Club. This was a run with a difference as the two natters had different runs to end at the same place for lunch.
Starting
at Durham services on the A1M, the southern group, including us, had a
lovely 40 mile run to the coast and back into the country to Lanchester
where we had a good feed.
8 May 2011 We took the TA to join members of the
Yorkshire Dales Classic Car Club for their 2011 Dales Trail.
On arrival at
Kiplin Hall,
we signed on and collected our route book. We had time for a free tea
and coffee, and time to view the cars and natter with friends before
setting off.
It
was a very relaxed, informal event. Start when you like, do the run,
and try to be back by four o clock just about sums it up. Lovely!
The
run was superb, clear simple instructions, and wonderful roads. The
weather was reasonably kind too, some warm sunshine, some wind and rain.
Thankfully we didn't see the hailstones that some did.
After
about 120 miles through Swaledale and Wensleydale we arrived back at
Kiplin Hall. Just when we thought the day couldn't get any better, it
got better as we found we'd won a couple of raffle prizes.
Trimmed from over an hour of video, here are some clips that show the great roads and varied scenery.
Another refreshing cuppa, and a tour of the Hall rounded off the day nicely.
A very enjoyable day, so thank you goes to all who helped make it happen.
30 April 2011
Went
out for a couple of hours in the TA last weekend and shot loads of
video. I've been messing around with some editing software and came up
with this. The down the bonnet shots were taken with a small bullet
camera mounted on the dashboard, and the others were taken with a hand
held Panasonic as we thought the bullet wouldn't show enough scenery.
I'm not so sure that the hand held footage adds anything to the overall
effect. What do you think? I'd appreciate your comments either by email or the Contact Us page.
18 April 2011
I
just received this super picture of my TA near Hadrian's Wall on
yesterday's Cobweb Run. Thank you John for taking it and allowing me to
use it here.
I love getting pictures of my cars in action.
17 April 2011
Today was Drive It Day in the UK, a day to encourage owners of older cars to get out on the road. The Tyne Tees Centre of the MG Car Club held its annual Cobweb Run with the start and finish at Brockbushes Farm Shop
near Corbridge. As well as doing the run we were helping with the
signing on and marshalling so it was daft o clock when we set off from
home. Bright blue skies with not a cloud in sight, but sadly the great
heater in the sky wasn't working too well and it was a bit chilly. The
60 mile run to the start was uneventful but we arrived to slight chaos
as Peter Ebdon, our centre chairman and organiser of the run had
suffered a breakdown with his TF1500 on the way to the start. This meant
much rushing around by Peter and his wife, Lyn, to get everything in
place in time. Thankfully it all went well.
There were 55 cars
registered but I think only 53 actually turned up to the start. There
were some substitutions as the registered cars had problems, one of
which was Barrie Hope, our centre Secretary, who suffered head gasket
failure on his ZB Magnette just the day before the event and had the
ignomy of doing the run in an Audi,
There was an optional lunch break at around the halfway mileage where most of the cars took a bit of a rest.
The
afternoon part of the run was a bit warmer as the wind dropped a little
and we arrived at the finish having covered 100 miles. The run was 87
miles. The other 13 miles were the result of navigational problems.
'Discussions' are ongoing as to whether I was given the wrong
instruction, or I wasn't listening.
One of the features of the
Cobweb Run is that somebody not involved with the run, selects the car
they would most like to go home in. This year Jan Kidd, the Brockbushes
Tea Room Manager selected our TA. She said she chose it because she
likes things that look well used. I think she was talking about the car.
Thanks, Jan. I have to say you have impeccable taste, and the cheque is in the post. Thanks too to Peter for taking the picture.
The
drive home was thankfully uneventful and we arrive home about eleven
hours after we set out and had been in the saddle for about seven. What
a great day!
Events like these take a tremendous amount of work to organise so as usual a big thank you to all who helped make it happen.
Time
for the first run of the year in the TA and the first run on the new
tyres. I set off with some trepidation as I'd heard some horror stories
about running radial tyres on a beam axle car. Thankfully they weren't
true as the TA handled beautifully, in fact probably better than on the
crossplys.
The
run wasn't without problems though but nothing to do with the tyres.
From start up it ran rough, but as it was never particularly smooth when
cold before, I carried on to see what it would be like when warmed up.
It didn't get any better so investigation was called for. It was running
very rich and pumping out black smoke. My first thought was weakening
the mixture, but as the car hadn't been touched all winter I discounted
that thought as there was no way the jets could have changed themselves.
My
next thought was stuck piston(s) in the dashpots, and that proved to be
the case. The front piston was stuck in the dashpot about 1/4" up. Just
enough to give the front two cylinders too much fuel. A quick clean of
piston and the inside of the dashpot soon had the old girl running well
again.
What was originally a short shakedown run turned into a 60 mile drive in glorious sunshine.
2 April 2011
The
TA ended last year a bit lacking in the tyre tread department and new
rubber was essential for future driving. I'm running 16" wheels with
600x16 crossply tyres. I looked for some replacements and nearly had a
heart attack when I saw the prices for crossply tyres these days. The
last ones I bought a few years ago were only £25 each, now they are
closer to £200 each. Ouch!!. I have heard conflicting views on the use
of radials on T Types but decided to give them a try and this morning I
had a full set of 175x16 fitted. A painful experience for the pocket but
much better than crossply prices. I haven't fitted the wheels back on
the car yet but I'm looking forward to seeing how they perform.
The Flying Scotsman Rally.
We
saw this event last year when they did some driving tests at Shildon,
there will be a report further down this page. Sadly there were no tests
in this area this year so we had to hit the road to go and see them
pass through. We met up with good friends, Don & Eileen, and they
showed us the way to The Ribblehead Viaduct, which provided a great backdrop for some of the shots in the video later in this report.
This
event is limited to cars that are either pre war of pre war in design,
so the youngest car was over 70 years old and the oldest was closer to
100 years old. It was superb to see so many classic icons of the golden
days of motoring being used as they were meant to be, not languishing in
museums. The roads they travelled are some of the toughest in the area,
with steep climbs and descents and many tight twists and turns. A real
challenge for cars of these ages. This was day two of a three day event
so they will have been driving hard the day before and have another
stiff day tomorrow.
Can you spot what's missing in this picture?
And what might be missing when this work is finished?
This is a 'press on regardless' event and I've no doubt they did press on. I just hope they weren't spotted by the boys in blue.
I took too many pictures to post here so I set up a
slideshow.Here's the video, a collection of short clips from the day. Apologies for the sound but it was a tad breezy up on the hill tops.
Pam
& I would love to do an event like this. The TA is eligible by age,
but we aren't as our pockets aren't deep enough and the lottery isn't
putting our numbers in.
27 March 2011
Some members of the Tyne Tees Centre of the MG Car Club
met up at the Baydale Beck pub in Darlington for a circular tour of
about 30 miles. Once back at our start point we all sat down to some
good food and conversation before making our own way back home.Thanks to
Steve and Richard for organising the day.
We took a scenic route home and shot some video on the way.
26 March 2011
Just
for fun we took a short drive out in the BGT to Saltburn by the Sea for
a bracing walk along the seashore and a quick coffee. The climb from
the shore to the town is quite steep and twisty as this video shows.
20 March 2011
18 cars and 35 memebers of the Tees Valley MG Owners Club met at Yarm Station for a short run to The Lamb Inn at Rainton for Sunday lunch.
Aa
well as some great grub at very reasonable prices, there was some great
conversation. Was this a discussion about who pays the bill.
A big thanks to whoever organised the day, Geoff, I think.
13 March 2011
We set off in the BGT on a cold wet Sunday morning and headed for Bedale to meet up with friends for a short run.
Unfortunately
the man with the plan was conspicuous by his absence, which was rather
worrying. A search party was sent out along the route he was expected to
take and they returned with the news that there was no sign of him and
he wasn't at home.
As it was now nearly lunch time we decided to head for Masham and take refreshments there. A group of us descended on
Suncatcher's Cafe where excellent coffee and great bacon butties were consumed.
Last of the Summer Wine, sprang to mind.
Thankfully
the rain had gone and the sun put in an appearance, but it was still a
bit nippy as we took a liesurely stroll round the marketplace before
heading for home.
Some digging around has unearthed some MMM parts, mainly K type ( the 1930s, not the later K series) and a couple of T Type air filters
19 February 2011
A year, almost to the day since our last visit, a small group of MGCC Tyne Tees Centre members were re invited to Heritage Classics in Middlesbrough where John and his team were willing to show us all the goodies.
Patiently
they answered all our questions and demonstrated the use of the English
Wheel and a super piece of kit for straightening bent wheels. There
were cars in all sorts of condition, from just started to almost
completed. The standard of workmanship was superb and I almost needed
somebody to follow me to clean up the drool.
From the traditional
To the more modern
And the unusual
As
well as full restorations the team are capable and willing to do
smaller jobs too. I must stress that I have no affiliation with Heritage
Classics, but I do recognise quality when I see it and I saw lots
there.
They have also added a powder coating facility capable of
taking a full chassis. This is a great idea as powder coating is more
durable than paint and cheaper to do as well.
Yippeeeee!!!
After a few hours of work, I nearly said sweat but it was too cold for
that, the BGT handbrake now works properly and the exhaust is fixed. I
got the welding done on Friday. Managed to get a retest and bingo, it
passed.
10 February 2011
BGT
MOT day is here! I set out with high hopes, and came away somewhat
dejected. No argument about the pink sheet, they were all fair. I was
more disappointed with myself for not spotting the small hole in the
inner sill, the slightly loose rear silencer and the fact that my
adjustment of the rear brakes didn't do any good, the handbrake wasn't
good enough. It's booked in for the welding to be done and I'll have to
revisit the brakes and sort the exhaust this weekend.
6 February 2011
The Stockton Motor Club
were running Rallye 177, starting and finishing at an hotel about a
mile from home. This event was a combination of autotests and regularity
road sections. Pam & I decided to go to the start for an hour or so
to see what was going on. We had so much fun that we ended up being out
all day.
Some great cars and some lively driving.
It was clean when we started, honest!
An enjoyable day despite the cold and occasional rain.
30 January 2011
One
of those Oh $%&£$ moments. I got the rear of the car up on
jackstands to adjust the rear brakes and to replace the two axle check
straps in preparation for the MOT. The brake side went fine and the
replacement of the nearside broken strap was a breeze. The offside strap
was still intact but looking a bit on the raggy side so I decided to
replace that while the car was still up in the air. The top nut and bolt
came out easily enough but the bottom one (yes the worst one to have
trouble with) started to turn but then snapped clean off. What's that
saying? Oh yes, if it aint broke, don't fix it!
23 January 2011
We
set off in the grey dawn of a Sunday morning and pointed the BGT
westwards to join the Christmas Cracker Run which should have been run
before Christmas but the snow put a stop to it. Organised by The Wigton Motor Club the run started at the Reghed Discovery Centre
near Penrith. We signed on and were presented with our pack, which
included a quiz. Coffee was provided but it didn't help with answering
any questions and we didn't do very well.
There were 46 cars entered, and it was quite a varied selection.
The
75 mile run over some delightfully tricky roads was broken by two
checkpoints with yet more, mostly unanswered, questions. As it wasn't a
timed event, we took an impromptu coffee break and the GT did duty as a
coffee table. What the best dressed waitress wears on a chilly January
day.
We
ended up near Braithwaite where a welcome hot meal awaited us. Our
thanks go to Graeme Forrester for all his hard work in organising the
day.
We also did some experimenting with a new cheapo bullet
video camera. The lack of an on camera review meant that we didn't know
what we'd got till we got home. Thankfully it wasn't too bad, but there
is room for improvement methinks.
Also on the run were friends Eileen
and Don Dalton in their smart 72 BGT. We saw them at the start &
finish but nowhere else. We travelled most of the way home together. It
must have been a rare sight to see two B GTs of similar age blasting
along the A66 together at legal speeds, honest Officer!
3 January 2011
Happy new year to one and all.
Brrrr,
it's a bit on the chilly side up here. Yesterday wasn't too bad and I
managed to get some work done on the GT's brakes outside. Today it was a
coat colder and even in the garage I didn't get all the work done on
the TA. I managed to change one rear wheel bearing before I lost all
sensation in my fingers. The other side will have to wait until it gets a
bit warmer, probably around June time.