MG Sports Cars

I've evolved a lot. Back in the day my nickname was "Caveman". (How do you think I liked those Geico commercials?)

Please, let's not begin going off in different directions at this point. We have a plan, so let's do our best to stick to the plan and carry it through. The Sebring fenders can be fitted. We may need to set up some heat lamps and/or do some trimming, and maybe even some filling but let's not get carried away with doubts. Clearly attaching the panel inside that bolts to the body is one of the early things we'll need to do, plus build up the mating edge back by the windshield, but we're not that far off otherwise. Somebody is going to need to bring some materials. I have a few pieces of mat and maybe some cloth but the resin I have is old and likely to have gone solid. I'll check. Welding the tin will go pretty quick once the pieces are formed and several of us know how to use a mig so all of the welding doesn't have to be done by Pete. I think the tin work will go faster than the glass work so if we keep the glass work to a minimum I think it'll help our chances of pulling this off.

Terry wants to see the car back together at the summer meet so I'd expect him to get it back to us in time to reassemble. I'll get back in touch before next month's gathering to see how far he wants us to tear it down. Any time or people we have that's not required to prep the body should probably be devoted to tear-down. Any ancillary details such as small hoses and such may have to wait, but the lower radiator hose must be routed and the slam panel created. Steve needs to be notified so he can get started on the wiring kit.

Jim

I thought Steve already knew our needs for the wiring harness?

I am in the process of installing Sebring front and rear fibergalss flares and can offer some comments from my experience. Carl is right, they take a lot of fetteling to get them to fit properly but it can be done.

The front fenders do not have the piece that connects it to the side portion of the front slam panel. This needs to be removed from some steel fenders and then affixed to the glass fenders. I can send photo's of how they look once completed.

The rears require some metal cutting as well as removing the outer portion of the inner fender, adding sufficient new metal to extend it out to meet up with the edge of the glass flare. Then you trial fit and adjust and repeat and repeat and repeat until you get them to fit. I have spent many hours on this but am sure it would go faster with more hands to help. I can also send photo's of the rears as well if you wish.

Hope this info helps, see everyone in Indy this July.

Richard Woodley

Steve doesn't know about the accelerated time-line. Once back from paint we'll need the new wires.

Richard, anything you could send us would help. You can post it here so everyone can see or send it to me, Pete, or Rick directly.

I've fired off an email to Terry, will follow up with a call if I don't hear from him.

Jim Weise will be happy to talk to Richard about the carb. I need his email address to send him the contact info if someone can send me that.

Jim

"Terry wants to see the car back together at the summer meet so I'd expect him to get it back to us in time to reassemble."

That's an extremely ambitious timeline!

Yes it is. I didn't suggest it.

Jim

I don't want be the one to piss on the party, but 6 work weekends to finish the car? That's just not very realistic. My wife is the world's best at under-estimating a time frame for a job & even she wouldn't do this to me. In case someone wants to make the argument that more people equal more man-hours, I have observed that more than 5 or 6 bodies tends to start slowing things down.

Did I mention we all have our own cars to get ready for July?

Everyone understands what you are saying Carl, so what would you suggest?

My personal thoughts on the matter are that we should turn out for the Feb weekend intent to prep the car if possible. Finish the tin work on the front (slam panel and splash panels), at the same time make and install inner wheelwells and flares on the rear, set to work on the front fenders, and if there is any extra manpower begin disassembly, first of the interior and then as soon as possible pull the engine/tranny. Yes, that's a lot to do in one weekend, but it's a whole lot faster taking things apart than putting them back together and we have the advantage of knowing the fasteners will not be stuck. Also since we know where everything goes, the usual slow process of bagging and tagging does not necessarily need to be followed. Provided Terry gets it back to us a couple months before the meet, we may be able to reverse the process and have it together in time, although the wiring does concern me a bit.

By the work weekend I should know how far down we need to go and that will probably be a negotiation between Terry and me, balancing out prep work against time. At some point he's going to have to give one way or the other. On our side of the ledger, we can always take our time and paint it ourselves sometime on down the road. I'm not too worried about that, the real trick is in trying to keep everyone happy and sometimes that just can't be done. But don't worry, my loyalty is to this group. However I do feel that we can do this.

Philosophically though, is it better for the group and for the sport as a whole to knuckle down and crank it out in the shortest time possible and get on with the program? Or is a more leisurely approach better, where we have continued cooperation over an extended time period and more time to plan out refinements? I don't know. Both approaches have advantages. I for one have enjoyed the weekends at Pete's, where we have devoted more time to social niceties and by necessity therefore less time to actual work on the car. But, it would be nice to be able to set the rotation schedule into operation. I suspect that in the end the matter will be decided by how many people show up for the Feb. weekend and by how much actual work we get done. And either way we will continue forward. So it's not the worst dilemma to be facing.

Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/2010 08:03PM by BlownMGB-V8.

We also need to remember that this is all 'voluntary' and supposed to be fun...........

When we have difficult deadlines to achieve, the voluntary side of tasks becomes more 'strained' etc.

FWIW

Pete

OK here come a few pictures of the work weekend.

First pic is the Friday and Sunday crew L- R Mikel Moor, Carl Floyd, Pete Mantell, Rick Ingram, Steve DeGroat, Richard Moor & Jim Blackwood.

2nd pic is the Saturday crew L-R Tom Bowles, Merv Hagen, Tom Huber, Jim Blackwood, Pete Mantell, Steve DeGroat, Rick Ingram, Carl Floyd, Mikel Moor & Richard Moor. 2 others not pictured who also helped, were Dik Sleeth & Tom Lea.

Fiero seat install time, seats were re-upholstered by Rick Ingram and installed by Rick, Mike, Tom H & Carl.

More seat pics................

Hatch gas struts were installed.............

Radiator supports (Tusks) were modified for the new aluminum radiator.

Brake system was completed also.




Richard Moor worked on the Q-Jet



Well most of the time........... :)

Great pictures, Pete!

Wow, those really came out great!

Jim

"...so what would you suggest?"

Since you asked..... ;)

We explain to Terry that that is too short a time frame for this part-time project. We continue to work towards having it drivable by the V8 Meet. We deliver it to Terry sometime in the Fall for paint.

This a steady pace that keeps the project moving forward without wearing the group down.

Apparently a phone call is in order. I'll try to get hold of Terry next week and hash out a workable plan. At this point I think I have a pretty decent working knowledge of what is desired by the various parties and it should just be a matter of forming the right compromises to make it all work out. The biggest obstacle is that our rate of completion is an unknown. From my perspective I agree that paint after the meet stands the best chance of bringing the desired results, but we'll see what Terry has to say about it first.

Jim