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MG MGA - Breaking out the champagne

After 20-1/2 years, 61 MG EH is finally on the road!
It passed its Ontario safety this morning. I had no chance to do test driving as it was registered "unfit" so had to be hauled to the test. So the lucky mechanic got to drive it before me!
I had to help him find the headlamp posn. on the switch and had to persuade him that the paint blemish at the 4-way was not a current brake fluid leak, but during installation.
It's been 45 years since I drove an MGA and the lack of P/S and P/B are very noticeable. I'm hoping the brakes will bite a bit harder as the pads wear in, meanwhile I'm going carefully.
Oil is at 55 psi hot, water 170. I may be a bit advanced as it ran on a wee bit.
It starts first pull every time.
Now, where is that bottle....




Art Pearse

Nice job! Enjoy!
Steven Devine

Great license plate! Congratulations.
M. D.

Congratulations - great job!
Bayard
Bayard DeNoie

Good job safety fast. Bob
Bob Walker

Good for you Art, well done! I'm about a year behind you with my BRG '59 coupe. Last driven in 1996, so will be about 19 years for me LOL!
George G.

Well done ART! another green one!
John Gordon

Sorry ART,my download of my "61"is green too.BUT it will not come out.
John Gordon

Congrats.

-Del
D Rawlins

John, has to be < 1 MB to upload.
I used Starfire acrylic enamel. Still needs polishing.
Art Pearse

Well done Art, it has been a fun journey. I am glad to have been of assistance with some of your many queries en route. I have also learnt a lot from your experiences. Welcome to the 'Green' club.

Steve
Steve Gyles

It would have taken even longer if it were not from all the help I have received from this site!
Thanks all.
Art Pearse

Congratulations Art!

Looks like a great job, can't wait to see more pictures!
Neil MG

Congrats! And this has to be the first post I've seen that hasn't been taken over by someone else's photo of their car.
Gene Gillam

OK...So Art, when do I get to pass you on the road!!! Nice looking car.
C.R. Tyrell

Nice motor Art, I really like the colour. Enjoy.

Frank
F. Camilleri

Congratulations! Nothing beats that first drive. I'm sure the mechanic will remember it all his life. :-)
David Breneman

Art

I thought something was astray. You have still to put the MG emblem on the boot lid!

Steve
Steve Gyles

Nicely done; always good to hear that another A is on the road again. Like the plate as well; reminds me of the one I have on my car.


Nick Kopernik

well done Art

Nick, your license plate is a real mongrel: A mix of German and EU styles with a GB sticker - would never exist here. And in German it would sound something like Ar-sex-teh-teh-oe-oe-ey-ha, but that would depend heavily on the local accent of the person trying to make sense of it! Can I type the s*x word here without running could of the censors?

But kudos to Art for almost having his day without anyone else posting a picture! :-)
dominic clancy

Congratulations Art. You missed GT39 in Ottawa by a couple of weeks, but you should make GT40 next year as it is not far from you. See details on www.namgar.com.
Peter.
P. Tilbury

Dominick, fully agree that the Euro plate would not pass muster in Europe, but here in the U.S. I do get a lot of questions about which country my MGA was imported from: few people recognize it as vanity plate! I actually have two sets of real registration plates from Connecticut. While I like the "62 MGA" plates, the key drawback for me was the "Early American" designation on the plates. I changed over to what Connecticut calls "Year of Manufacture" plates. This allows you to install original period plates from the year the car was made, in my case 1962, but I also need to keep the "Early American" plates in the car (not attached as per the photo). As of late, I usually run the YOM plates as they have become a conversation starter as well and they do add that period touch to the A.


Nick Kopernik

Well done Art.

Been aware that your long term project is a similar timeframe to mine.
You beat me to it on completion but my i've pipped you on time taken (24 years so far).

Looks great and the in the best colour too.

Cracking on with mine now too and plan to complete next year for MGA 60.

engine test today, so must get going.....

Chris.
Chris Bond

It was supposed to be ready for my daughter's wedding using wedding cars sevenoaks, but now it might see service for my grandaughters'!
Art Pearse

Nice to see it finished Art. I took about the same time with mine and I know what the feeling is like when you've finished the final job.

I'd be interested to know how you feel when driving it now you're that much older. For me the thirty year interval has dampened my enthusiasm for the car and whether this is due to all the work I've done on it or just my age I'm not sure. I feel now that I need a quieter exhaust, a softer ride, more comfortable seats, easier to use seat belts, a gentle gear box, not having to worry about the weather, etc. I may just hang on to mine to look at every now and then!.................Mike
m.j. moore

Well, almost finished Mike.
Carpets, door seals being the main things left.
I was prepared for the different driving feel after 45 years, but its OK as nostalgia takes over! My main concern is the brakes don't have the bite that I remember from my 1500, and these are discs. Maybe its just a bit of bedding in. The noise will diminish as I get my carpets and seals fitted.
Ign timing is a bit too advanced. I set 10 BTDC static and I can feel a bit of pinging on acceleration using regular gas. I did not make a TDC marker on top of the pulley case so I can't use a timing light. I will retard it a bit using the A/R knob on the dizzy - anyone remember how many clics per degree of C/S?
It idles really low, if a bit lumpy due to ign timing, and loads of power.
The grandkids are really impressed!
Art Pearse

This thread was discussed between 08/08/2014 and 30/08/2014

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