www.mg-edinburgh.co.uk

April 2018

Credits: Helen, Martin, David T, Joan, Ernie

Visit toClassic Restorations

in Alyth

VISIT TO CLASSIC RESTORATIONS, ALYTH

A group of about 20, including club members, some old (or rather ex!) members and a couple of friends from Tayside and BVAC, met on a rather cold, and extremely wet morning at the premises of Classic Restorations in the probably delightful town of Alyth - but the weather did not encourage exploration of the surroundings to find out!

The company’s buildings themselves were of interest for having formerly housed a carpet factory, which until the 1980s had been the main employer in the town. As the restoration business has expanded over that period, it has now in turn taken over that role, with 22 people on the payroll.

One of the two men who were on hand to show us round was none other than the company’s founder, Charles Palmer, and the history of the company was interesting and unusual. Having an engineering background, Charles was teaching technology in the local school in the early 1980s, and working on restoring a car in his spare time. When the school closed, and now having the time to do more such work, he displayed the car in the town along with a notice inviting anyone else who had a vehicle they wanted worked on to contact him – and, as the saying goes, ‘the rest is history’.

The first shed we saw was mainly used for storage of cars awaiting work, either because the parts were not readily available, or because they were waiting for their owners to accumulate more funds before further work could proceed. In two or three cases work was complete and the cars were awaiting collection. The condition of the cars stored thus varied between the extremes of concours and total wreck. In the case of the wrecks, their potential futures were varied – for example, it was hoped that one Rolls Royce, the bodywork of which was beyond economical salvation, would one day donate its mostly sound chassis to a body in a better state. Evidence of speculative component and body panel storing was everywhere – some being kept for use as patterns should something similar ever be required in future.

Proceeding through this shed, we came then to workshops in which various aspects of work were carried out. Everything is done on site by dedicated craftsmen – from bodywork and painting, through mechanical and engineering tasks, to trimming in both wood and leather. Again, examples of work in progress revealed the high quality of what is carried out. Some cars were virtually immaculate when they came in, and required detailing to millimetre precision where the owner wanted to achieve perfection, while others were in a sorry state requiring years of work. The vehicles also ranged hugely both in age and value. There were several Minis, quite a few Jaguars, (E-types have featured prominently in the company’s work recently, with 14 through the workshop last year alone) and a liberal scattering of Rolls Royce, Bentley and Aston Martin models, again, of hugely varied vintage.

Most of us had our own particular favourite – not necessarily, though often, the immaculately presented and very original-looking re-shelled AH Sprite that appeared to be virtually completed. It was one of the three representatives of MG heritage present - the others being a 2004 TF (barn find?) lurking in a corner and a yellow Midget 1500 in for a head gasket - and when Tony shut the boot, the rear reflector fell off! I would most have liked to take home a beautiful dark blue Mark II Jaguar that was almost completed, bar some apparently hard-to-source over-riders for its front bumpers.

To finish, we decamped to the somewhat warmer Alyth Golf Course clubhouse where substantial meals were enjoyed, along with excellent company. Many thanks to Rohan Inglis (general manager) & Charles for giving up their Saturday morning and to Bill Niven for organising the day’s venture. David Turner

If you don’t want your newsletter just filled with pretty pictures or moans about the V8 Gremlin, then please send me some articles! Just saying.

Now, why do some people drive at 30 mph in a 40? No traffic (except what’s backing up behind them) and nothing nasty as regards the road conditions - so why? Just asking.

Of course, in the new 20s, they drive at 30! Do they think that’s the only speed their car’ll do? Just asking.

Also why, do they stop at a roundabout - which is clear with no approaching traffic? Just asking.

Is Audi the new BMW? How come nearly every time I’m driving up a one-way system in a retail park, I’m met head on by an Audi going against the arrows? Just asking.

Or why does an Audi dive across my bows to get into a parking space - when there lots and lots of empty spaces? Just asking.

Why does the Audi driver who drove straight through a junction on the late amber/early red feel the need to give me the finger as I’m sitting in the middle of the junction trying to turn right? Just asking.

And why do drivers feel the need to be aggressive when they’ve flouted the Highway Code and are quite clearly in the wrong? The not-Audi that was hammering up a one-way street (not just the one-way in a retail park, but a proper road) the wrong way, who meets me head on and then has a massive tantrum when she has to reverse out of the way. Just asking.

And my all time absolute favourite. Why do some drivers approach a set of traffic lights with two lanes (for going straight on and left or right) stop in the right lane with no signal so traffic backs up behind them, then as the lights change to green, put on their right turn signal? Just asking.

1. AT&T fired President John Walter after nine months, saying he lacked intellectual leadership. He received a $26 million severance package. Perhaps it's not Walter who's lacking intelligence.  2. WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS: Police in Oakland, CA spent two hours attempting to

subdue a gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home. After firing ten tear gas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing beside them in the police line, shouting, 'Please come out and give yourself up.'

  3. *WHAT WAS PLAN B? An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines, wherein the kidnapper proceeded to withdraw money from his own bank accounts.   4. *THE GETAWAY! A man walked into a Topeka, Kansas Kwik Stop and asked for all the money in the cash drawer. Apparently, the take was too small, so he tied up the store clerk and worked the counter himself for three hours until police showed up and grabbed him.   5. *DID I SAY THAT? Police in Los Angeles had good luck with a robbery suspect who just couldn't control himself during a lineup. When detectives asked each man in the lineup to repeat the words: 'Give me all your money or I'll shoot', the man shouted, 'that's not what I said!'   6. *ARE WE COMMUNICATING? A man spoke frantically into the phone: 'My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart'. 'Is this her first child?' the doctor asked. 'No!' the man shouted, 'This is her husband!'  

7. *NOT THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHED! In Modesto, CA, Steven Richard King was arrested for trying to hold up a Bank of America branch without a weapon. King used a thumb and a finger to simulate a gun. Unfortunately, he failed to keep his hand in his pocket. (hellooooooo...!!!)  

8. *THE GRAND FINALE! Last summer, down on Lake Isabella, located in the high desert an hour east of Bakersfield, CA, some folks, new to boating, were having a problem. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get their brand new 22 foot boat, going. It was very sluggish in almost every maneuver, no matter how much power they applied. After about an hour of trying to make it go, they putted into a nearby marina, thinking someone there may be able to tell them what was wrong. A thorough topside check revealed everything in perfect working condition. The engine ran fine, the out-drive went up and down, and the propeller was the correct size and pitch. So, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath. He came up choking on water, he was laughing so hard. Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer!   *Now remember, these are all true stories, these people vote and most have children!*

KOMIK KORNER from Across the Pond

TAJ 288R: BRIAN’S DISASSEMBLED V8 or MY NEW PROJECT part 7

Whinge mode this month! Since I couldn’t find TAJ’s fans, I had thought of getting a Revotec fan system, but they are £280 and clearance might be marginal. So I decided to keep TAJ original and having bought 2 new fan motors (£28 each), 2 new fans (£35 each) and new connectors as the new fan motors don’t come with them (why the H*** not??) plus blagging a supposedly rarer-than-hen’s-teeth V8 fan motor bracket from Chic Doig - guess what I found lurking in the deepest recesses of the Roslin lock-up? Absolutely correct - TAJ’s two fan motors with fans (complete with rarer-than-hen’s-teeth V8 bracket still attached to one) plus Boris’s old fan motor complete with fan. This, for those of doubtful numeracy skills, is THREE fans and TAJ only needs two!

I was under he impression I’d searched the Roslin lock-ups thoroughly but there was a gas heater that I thought went right to the back wall - which it did, but when I moved it to reach something else, I found the three fans all snuggled up together underneath it. Words fail me.

Anyway, thinking positively, I decided to remove the fans - the decent pair could go on TAJ and the slightly beaten up one from TAJ’s own motor could be a spare, then I could return the new and unopened fans and get my £70 back. The motors I would have replaced anyway - two were seized and the third was a possible, but with V8s you want a decent airflow at all times. Of course I needn’t have searched t’interweb for connectors, and got DB to fit them, need I?

Anyway, back to being positive - I successfully removed the scruffy fan from the best motor but the other two wouldn’t budge. Recruited Dave Mac after the carvery lunch to remove them for me. One fan ended up irretrievably damaged (don’t ask) but the other was removed OK, so I still have two fans for TAJ. I also had two new grub screws that I ordered at the time, just had to find them - which I did eventually, in a plastic bag in with one of the new motors. Who knew I was that sensible?

New owners Allan & Evelyn decided they wanted the pretty alloy radiator at £250 - over twice the price but four times better than a standard radiator. I had a slight huff that I’d paid £450 for my ‘pretty’ radiator, but when the £250 one arrived I could see why it was £200 cheaper. It is half an inch narrower, so a couple of cores short of my one and it has no fixed nuts for attachment. Now, my pet hate recently has been that when you buy a radiator, it comes with metric fixed nuts and you may or may not be supplied with the metric bolts to fit. So, now my bigger beef is that you don’t even get fixed nuts!!! Not catastrophic, but fixed nuts are handy when you have limited access and/or require arms like an orang-utan. DB handed me what was left of the petrol tank clip-on nuts - so hopefully they’ll do for the trickier bottom bolts.

DB has fitted the bonnet, OS wing and OS door, plus the pretty stainless bonnet catches - progress!

The radiator’s fitted, the fans are working, the hoses are on and so are the labels to make it look original. The rebuilt Lucas distributor has arrived and awaits Dave Mac to fit it and get the car started.

The difficult-to-prime oil pump with the larger gears picked up no problem and the engine started and sounds good - just a bit spitty and poppy. However, a petrol leak and an anti-freeze leak need to be addressed. Mrs Grumpy

INTERESTING CAR

FOR THE BIKERS

1949 Talbot-Lago Type 26Grand Sport Franay

MEMBERS’ CARSMartin’s MGB GT

Yellow Peril to Black Beauty

THE V8 GREMLIN NEVER SLEEPS

Having decided to fit the Mazda 5 speed box to TAJ and since Brian had snaffled its gearbox for his Roadster, I sent off the Roadster box to Brown & Gammons to be rebuilt for my V8. They’d requested it be sent on a pallet as otherwise there was a good chance the bellhousing would get cracked. Not a problem - I just popped it in the pallet box that the Mazda one came in. It took a couple of weeks and several phone calls for B&G to organise an uplift, but by the end of September it was away. I sent a covering letter saying please do what was necessary to the gearbox and fit a recon O/D plus new reverse light and inhibitor switches.

It was hopefully to be ready by Christmas (when Causewayside garage would be quiet), but no it’d be the New Year. Then it’d be the end of January. By this time I’d decided it’d be best to cancel the V8’s slot at the garage and just book it in when the gearbox had actually arrived.

Then I get a phone call from Malcolm Gammons asking if I’d like a gasket - ‘What gasket?’ ‘The O/D gasket.’ ’You’re supposed to have fitted a recon O/D.’ ‘Oh, we’ll send it off now, it’ll be 3-4 weeks.’

Three weeks later I get the phone call saying the gearbox is ready for dispatch and I remind them it’s to go to Causwewayside Garage. The next day I have a burly pallet delivery man at my door, asking where I’d like him to put the pallet. Causewayside Garage I say. I won’t repeat the pallet driver’s comments, but credit to the man, he dropped it off at Causewayside on his way home.

The V8 was duly booked in but the rear ramp reserved for lengthy jobs involving Might Go Bangers and their ilk had just packed in, so she had to be put on one of the normal workaday ramps - no pressure to get it finished then! The gearbox was then unwrapped and found to be missing the remote housing - it had a gasket but no remote housing. Now I’d sent a complete gearbox away and expected to get a complete gearbox back - with the recon O/D and new switches as requested - but that didn’t happen. Not impressed.

Unruffled Jim transferred the remote housing from my old gearbox with its isolator switch (which had been working fine) and I ordered a new reverse light switch to replace the slightly mangled one on the rebuilt gearbox. New clutch and starter motor fitted and the gearbox attached to the engine and it’s all ready to go back in when their hoist packed up!! The V8 was transferred to the repaired rear ramp to await the arrival of the new hoist - a bonus was that it came with a tilty thing.

The lump was put into the car and the engine mountings gave some grief but the gearbox ones didn’t, which is unusual IMHO! Then I get a phone call saying Jim’d need the slotted ring to hold the gearstick to the gearbox. I’d had the (not-so-bright?) idea of fitting a new gearstick with the O/D switch on it as I prefer that to having the O/D switch on the wiper stalk. This gearstick requires the slotted ring and the V8 gearstick has the ring with just a hole so it won’t fit - I’d completely forgotten they were different! In my defence, I’ve not had the engine out of the V8 since 2009 - but excuses aside, we didn’t have the appropriate slotted ring. Quick phone call to Chic Doig and he popped one in the post and it arrived the next day. Impressed.

However staff absence at Causewayside meant the Big Banger was put on the naughty step for a week and then Jim decided to work late to get her finished, but the Gremlin reared its ugly head AGAIN. Jim noticed the main alternator wire was hard and starting to crack, so he replaced it and got the V8 started. Being a conscientious chap, he checked things while she was running and noticed a ‘funny smell’ - a not-happy-battery sort of smell. He found the alternator output was 18 amps which is a tad more than it should be. This is the recon alternator that I bought at Stoneleigh for £80 and it was fitted last summer and has been to Beamish and back - so it’s done B. all miles. Not impressed. Again.

The new clutch master cylinder cap also developed an interesting crack - donʼt know how as itʼs only been off twice - when it was fitted and when the clutch was bled this time. These remanufactured parts are fairly poor quality - but not a problem as I have three original caps in varying states of grubbiness!

Next was the difficulty in engaging reverse - if Unruffled Jim found it difficult, then what chance has little old me? By removing the detente spring, it was possible to get her into reverse - especially when youʼre changing from first to second!!! Anyway, word has it that either the holder for the detente spring is too tight or the reverse light switch needs more fibre washers. The detente plunger was pretty scabby so I treated the V8 to a new assembly - no expense spared at 37p for the plunger, 28p for the copper washer and an extravagant £1.36 for the spring - the holding bolt is NLA, but I have two. The plunger arrived and it is the ball fitted to pre ʼ68 gearboxes according to the BL parts manual, but will fit a later gearbox according to Moss. Hmmmm. So Jim took the spring and plunger out of my old knackered gearbox and itʼs mint (after 116,000 miles) unlike the one from the rebuilt gearbox - which was surprising as the gearbox from Brianʼs roadster had only done 55,000 miles.

It was decided to fit the detente spring from my knackered gearbox with the new washer - the snagette being the Big Banger was home. I was happy to drop her off at the garage and head into town but Jim suggested popping round after work as it could be fitted quickly. He duly arrived, drove the V8 onto a pair of ramps (which he brought as TAJ is occupying mine) and fitted the detente spring etc. in two minutes and reverse is easy to get and first feels better! Impressed. Again. Mrs Grumpy

April 22 Drive It Day Run, with BVAC - start at Milestones Garden Centre, St Boswells 10am for 10.45 start.

May 10 Meeting & test drive the new MG ZS, a compact SUV

May 13 Stirling District Classic Show Bridge of Allan

May 27 Gymkhana at Vintage Bus Museum, Lathalmond

June 3 Thirlestane Castle Show

June 14 Meeting & Raffle

June 17 Run & Picnic

July 8 Glamis Castle Show with Tayside MGOC

July 12 Meeting & BBQ

July 14 Dunbar RNLI

July 22 Run & boat trip

August 4/5 Weekend Away to Aberdeen MGOC show at Drum Castle

August 8 Meeting & Raffle

September 9 Hopetoun House Show

September 13 Monthly Meeting

September 23 Gathering of the Clans

October 11 Meeting & Raffle

October 21 Last Run of the Season

May be of interest:June 9 Hamilton Classic Car showJune 10 Tayside Classic Car Club showJune 17 SRPS Father’s Day event June 23/24 Moffat Show WeekendJuly 1 MG Northumbria show at Bywell ParklandJuly 1 SAVE Wheels of Yesteryear run to LennoxloveJuly 1 Tayside Club Classic Car Day, Dobbies, DundeeAugust 12 Dundee Museum of Transport show, Baxter ParkAugust 12 Biggar Albion ShowAugust 26 Linlithgow Classic Car DayAugust 26 Ladybank ShowSeptember 1/2 Bo’ness HillclimbSeptember 16 Selkirk RallySeptember 23 South Queensferry Rotary Classic Car Show at Hopetoun House.Sept. 16-19 MGs in the Dolomites Pt. 1Sept. 19-23 MGs in the Dolomites Pt. 2 Contact Gary McCarroll g.mccarroll@btintenet.com 07710 223227

INTERESTING SNIPPET

New member Joan Sumner is getting her debut historical crime novel published on Kindle at the beginning of May. It is called The Thieftaker’s Trek and is available from Amazon and involves murder, abduction and an attic full of frightened children - set in London in 1810.