Newsletter - Comments on

Caledonian
Volume 3, Issue 1
News
www.mgcaledonian.org
January 2009
Organising the Caledonian Three Day Tour
(Or how to arrange your Own Heart Attack)
by Keith Middleton
Many of you have attended
our May two day and
latterly three day runs. I
have since 1993 and
thoroughly enjoyed every
one of them: wonderful
scenery, good hotels and
excellent company –
brilliant! Doesn’t everything
seem to run smoothly on the
day! Certainly! However,
this hides the happenings in
the planning stage.
The suggestion was
“Let’s got to Skye”
Great idea!!
So how does one get started
– believe it or not, it’s at a
committee meeting
eighteen months before the
event – yes, next year’s
hasn’t taken place yet both
are being arranged and
discussed at the same time.
The key questions are: WHO
will organise it and in
WHICH area should it be
held – West Coast, North
East, Borders, Islands?
Fortunately, there are
always a good percentage
of masochists on the
committee, not least the
Chairman, who actually
volunteer for it. The
committee discussion rolls
far and wide: “let’s try new
ground”, “we went there
two years ago, too soon to
return”, “can’t go there,
there’s no scenery there”!!
Eventually, it comes down
to one maybe two options
which need further
investigation. Problem over
- no chance!!
Take 2009. The suggestion
was “Let’s got to Skye”
Great idea!! Davie wants to
break new ground!
Everybody’s enthusiastic!
Hang on a minute, that’s a
long way from the Central
Region, and where are we
going to start from? Forget
that, “are there hotels on
Skye that can
accommodate up 120
people”? Maybe we could
use two or three hotels?
The internet gives up some
info – Portree seems a
likely place having several
hotels, but what about
seating 120 people for
dinner? Telephone calls to
hotels give bad news – no
one restaurant big enough
– one hotel volunteered to
do the catering maybe at
the Community Hall, or the
Gathering Hall? Davie and I
will have to go up there and
investigate. So off we go
with wives – the female
perspective is essential! !
Bad news – the Community
Centre is a shambles, not
only cold but scruffy and
unwelcoming. Perhaps the
Gathering Hall – better and
a distinct possibility. Car
parking difficult in Portree visited the police station for
advice on protecting 60 plus
classic cars on the street and
in the public car park. They
would patrol but only twice
through the night - we
aren’t happy. Skye is
looking doubtful. Last resort
– visit the Tourist Info – they
recommend a hotel in
Broadford – we could look
at it on the way home!
First impressions of the
outside of the hotel not
good, but wait a minute,
the restaurant overlooks the
Inner Sound and has great
views across the sea to the
Torridon Mountains, and
what’s more can seat 140
people no bother. The hotel
has 70 plus bedrooms things are looking better! ! A
word with Tommy the
manager - he could see no
problems – the hotel was
not booked on our dates,
Welcome
Continued on page 3
Welcome to this bumper edition of the Caledonian Centre
Newsletter, which is due to the overwhelming response we
received from Members when we asked for contributions.
Not only have we had to increase the number of pages to
ten we have also had to go from A5 to A4 format to
include all the contributions and photographs.
1932 MG F1 Magna Salonette
We hope you will find it of interest and give you an insight
into what’s planned for 2009 along with some of the
Members experiences over the last year.
HAPPY MOTORING IN 2009
1
The Future
Looks Bright
by Ross Hastie
When planning this edition
of our Newsletter we
contacted several people
and asked if they would
like to make a
contribution. One person
we could not omit was 10
year old Ross Hastie, who
most of you will know from
the one day runs and static
shows he has attended with
Dad Chris. His knowledge
and enthusiasm for MGs
will help guarantee the
future of the Car Club.
Here’s Ross’s contribution.
I feel honoured that I have
been asked to contribute
to the annual newsletter,
but I know my knowledge
is becoming vast! Well, I
have always been slightly
interested in MGs as I have
been brought up alongside
the BGT. I used to love a
run in it every fortnight or
so.
Back when we lived in
Bridge of Allan, I have
been told that Jim
Henderson had spotted us
regularly and took note.
One day my father had
worn out his boots and
walked into Jim's shop. He
brought up the matter and
took my father's telephone
number. Many months
later, Jim phoned again
and invited us to the Early
Bird run in April 2007, we
accepted. We turned up,
and that very moment, a
new, very big door was
opened in my life.
From then on it has been a
hobby, and I have spent
lots of time researching. I
enjoy, researching the older
cars and felt so privileged
getting asked to ride with
Colin in his P-Type. And I
would have to say the 1932
MG F1 Magna Salonette is
my favourite. It has a
lovely 1271cc in line 6cylinder engine, with a
stunning 4-seater Salonette
chassis. I know MGs are my
future and I cannot wait
until I can drive.
Keeping in
Touch
The Chairman’s Comments
With the MGCC Caledonian Centre
David Reid
Many of us when we move
house or change our
telephone number, let every
one know. Strangely enough
when we change our email
address we don’t always let
people know especially the
MG Car Club.
The past year has seen some
significant changes taking
place within the Centre, the
main one being the
amalgamation of the two
Centres in Scotland, which
doubled our membership
overnight.
As most of our
communications today are
done by email it’s surprising
how many of the email
addresses supplied to us by
Kimber House are either out
of date or incorrect. We
would like to update our
records, so if you have an
email address and you do not
currently receive email
updates then we either do
not have an email address
for you or it is out of date.
The Scottish Centre
organised their 75th
Anniversary Dinner in
Edinburgh after which the
two Centres came together.
The success of that evening
we hoped would have
continued throughout the
year, as the event was well
attended by both Centres.
Alas this was not to be,
despite the best efforts of
the Committee to involve
the newly amalgamated
members, both through
invites to join in events and
by putting on new events
which might be of interest,
the response was poor to
say the least.
Please take a moment to
forward your email address
along with your Membership
Number to our Caledonian
Centre Secretary Willy Scott
at:[email protected]
Your email address will only
be used to forward monthly
updates on Caledonian
Centre Events.
compete for the California
Cup at Silverstone after an
absence of six years, to
come in a respectable third.
Thanks to the efforts of
Andy Baillie who organised
a PCT at Bonaly which
unfortunately had to be
cancelled due to the bad
weather, despite drawing
an entry of over 20 cars.
We could be faced with
what appears to be a
national trend, falling
numbers and the apathy of
the majority of members to
take part in, or interest in
the Centre. As in any club it
is a dedicated few who put
in the time and effort to
make the Centre accessible
to all. We are extremely
lucky that we have a
Committee and individual
members who have
introduced new ideas and
events to try and raise the
interest level, none more so
than the success of the static
shows held last year.
Some members did respond
and put together a team to
Dreadnought Visit
Sunday 8th February
11.00am till 2.00pm
To Book see the Web
Site or Telephone
0131 331 4135
This year the AGM is to be
held on Tuesday 7th April
please make a point of
coming along, several of
the Committee members
are due to stand down so
new members are being
sought. Included in this
Newsletter you will find a
nomination form for
election of Office Bearers
and Committee Members
please make use of it.
In closing, we again in
2009 hope to bring to you
a varied and interesting
programme of Events,
hopefully something to suit
all tastes. If you have any
ideas or comments then
please let us know.
Racing and Technical Day
In our quest to introduce
some new events to the
2009 calendar, we have
arranged a visit to
Dreadnought’s Garage in
Callander, owned by Brian
Luti who many of you will
know from their success in
motorsport.
New Event
As we enter a new year I
hope you will give the
Committee your support
for the work they put in, by
attending at least one or
two of the Centres events,
you never know you might
even enjoy them.
carried out by Dreadnought.
Timetable:
10.45 -11.00 - Arrival
11.00 -12.00 - Racing Talk
12.00 -12.20 - Q & A time
12.20 -12.30 - Break
12.30 -13.30 - Technical Talk
13.30 -14.00 - Q & A time
We have organised a high
tea after the event at the
Myrtle Inn Callander at a
cost of £7.95 per head.
The event will take place at
Dreadnoughts premises in
Callander meeting at
10.45am where we will
spend some three hours. We
will get an insight into the
Luti family racing history
and what’s planned for the
future. There will also be
plenty technical talk on all
things MG.
Dreadnought’s History
Brian Luti started
Dreadnought Garage in
1982, when he decided he
wanted a change from the
Café he owned in the
middle of Callander. Brian
loved cars so it was the
logical thing to do to keep in
with his main passion.
Today, at Dreadnought,
Brian has both his son Paul
and daughter Claire
working with him to create
a truly family owned, family
The Racing part of the day
will mainly be taken up
with the development and
building of the new spec
MGTF LE500 car for the
2009 MG Trophy Championship which is being
2
run business. Jimmy is also a
valuable member of the
team.
Two years ago they
invested in a brand new,
state of the art premises,
situated at the eastern side
of Callander where you can
now find them.
They specialize in working
with TVR and MG Rover
vehicles in which they have
had over 18 years
experience. Their
experience with motor
racing has given them the
skills to service and repair
most makes of vehicle to
the highest standards.
The Joys of Owning a V8
We now have the timing cover
removed - with five sheared bolts in it
(all removed later by John Hewat) and
the engine block has three sheared bolts
plus one bolt that was impersonating a
stud and had a nut on it - that one
must have given grief to someone in
the past! Brian consults David the
Ferrari mechanic, who recommends a
special chemical that is very good at
dissolving the interesting corrosion
between steel and alloy, thereby
helping the E-Z out thingy to remove
the remains of the bolt. (Aye, right)
by Helen Kirkness
There had been an annoying rumble
from the front of the engine for some
time and close inspection revealed a
rusty swathe of water running down
one inner wing and up the other, plus
an alarming wobble on the fan belt.
This made the diagnosis easy - a
knackered water pump.
I got everything stripped down and hit
the usual Big Banger favourite - every
large bolt absolutely seized. Not nice, as
they are 4 inch steel bolts into an alloy
engine block and I now suspect those
bolts were refitted without the benefit
of the correct sealant, Loctite or copper
slip - back in 1987 when a mechanic did
the main bearings and big ends. So,
give everything a good soaking in
WD40 and retire for the night.
Next morning, all still stuck - so more
release oil and still no joy. Retire to read
the manual on removing the timing
cover, which is definitely not for the
faint-hearted. Next day, get nowhere
again (apart from snapping off the thin
bolts into the timing cover) and have to
call in Brian. I suggested taking the
heads off the big bolts that run through
the water pump, timing cover and into
the engine block - so allowing us to
anyway after days of soaking the
thread in release oil - so that was a
flawed theory.
lever off the timing cover and get WD
40 onto the threads. Brian asks if I am
assuming that all the bolts will break
without trying them and I grumpily
point out that since we were dealing
with 30 year old bolts that haven’t
moved for 20 years, then that’s
exactly what I was assuming!
Brian manages to remove one bolt,
but shears off two - just at the engine
block, which is the scenario we all
wanted to avoid. Obviously, the
timing cover will have to come off
now and Brian manages to remove
another bolt but chickens out of the
last one - taking the head off it to
allow removal of the timing cover and
access to the threads. It sheared off
Organising the Caledonian Three Day Tour
(Or how to arrange Your Own Heart Attack)
but we should contact the Group
Booking Manager at Head Office.
Decision taken, hotel booked , 60
rooms in the first instance.
emails sent to Tommy at the hotel
which get no response. Panic begins to
set in as we get an unprecedented
number of entries (70 plus)
Alas, major problems were just over the
horizon and we didn’t see them coming.
Grey hair and anxiety were about to
befall us.
At last a written contract is received –
but only for 60 rooms ! ! More
telephone calls and emails to Tommy
3 months later – no contract received
from Hotel chain – and we had second
thoughts about numbers – we might
need up to 70 rooms. Group booking
manager asks us to negotiate directly
with the hotel. Up to Skye for a route
finding expedition and we talk to
Tommy about 10 extra rooms – “no
problem”. Also ask for table service in
the restaurant (normally a Carvery),
negotiate discount wine prices and
room rates, and extra staffing for the
Bar and Restaurant– “no problem”
A couple of months later, still no
contract, and the advert is about to go
in Safety Fast. Much telephoning and
3
Well, Brian got that special chemical,
soaked the engine block threads in it
and managed to drill out and remove
one bolt. Feeling encouraged, he went
to work on the second bolt - but that
one broke the E-Z out. Snap-On tools
should be renamed Snap-Off tools. The
third bolt he got out with the UNC taps
and helicoil kit from California - but
there is the tiny inconvenience of a
snapped off E-Z out lurking in the
engine block (see photo) and that will
mean a visit to the spark erosion boys.
Anyway, this saga is the reason you
haven’t seen my green V8 for some
time and the moral is - slather every
bolt in copper slip or Loctite if you want
to have any chance of removing them
later on!
the hotel manager. He doesn’t see our
problem – what problem?? A few days
later we try to get a written contract
with Tommy for the 10 extra rooms –
you guessed it – no response
whatsoever!!!
And now the “piece de resistance” from
Tommy – “Oh the 10 extra rooms I
mentioned are singles”!!!
Get me out of this madhouse!!
President’s New
Year Waffle
Secretary’s Report
I write this as
President of the
Centre - this is a
first! We are the
only Centre with
a Pressy Another first?
I have now come to the end of my fourth
year as the Secretary. I was “talked into”
joining the Committee on the 6th
December 2001 and it has been a very
rewarding job both as Secretary and
Committee member, I have seen the
Centre go from strength to strength in
these past years which is very satisfying.
As you have or will have read, we are
now coming to the end of our first year
since we combined with the Scottish
Centre under one name. It has been a
little surprising that not more of our
“new” Members have appeared at some
of our Events, but, I suppose that it is still
early days yet, as some members are still
not really sure what has happened. I still
get contacted and asked for information
on what the Caledonian Centre is doing.
We have tried to accommodate a wide
range of Activities and if your suggestion
has not been used please accept our
apologies, it is difficult to fit them all in
during the year, short of having an Event
each week which is a little difficult to
arrange. I hope that what we did
arranged was some source of enjoyment
to those that came along.
The membership is more or less static but
not because people are not joining only
because the “leavers” and “joiners” are
more or less equal, which is not the most
satisfactory statistic but better than a
steady decline. The membership is
presently standing at 330 much the same
as earlier in the year.
The Website is now being well used by
people both within the Centre and
out with the Centre, the Website hits
have now exceeded the Forum hits. We
have noticed a large number of Members
that have registered have never actually
made a posting, if you are unsure what
it’s all about and require some help,
either phone me on 0141 644 1882 or
email your query to
[email protected] and I will do
my best to allay any fears you have of
Ron Spinks
Since the demise of the Scottish
Centre (if only one person had
stepped forward and taken up
the reins and changed the type
of events, they would still have
been in existence today),
something which very nearly
happened to ourselves, when
the Committee resigned almost
enblock. This left Ian Lindley
and myself, Ian was going
through a relocation but
suggested a route in the borders
for the Two Day Tour. I was
determined not to let the centre
disappear and this started ten
years of commitment which
became a rewarding period for
me. Others came forward over
the years, the first was David
McLeod, we introduced the
system whereby any Member
could run a single event and the
Centre would meet any shortfall
- another first! As a result we
enjoyed new routes which
would otherwise have been
doubtful.
With the sad demise of the
Scottish Centre this leaves
ourselves representing Scotland,
does this make us an
International Centre?!!! Another first?
Our calendar of events matches
and exceeds many other
Centres. Motor Sports clubs
across Britain are experiencing
falling memberships. We have
bucked the trend with growing
numbers in attendance at
almost every event.
My message is enjoy the events
but don’t be shy of stepping
forward to help, if only in a
small way, it can be rewarding
and in my experience enjoyable.
Before signing off may I
congratulate the present
Committee headed by David
Reid plus our web site wizard
Willie Scott for taking us
forward to another level.
Willy Scott
this type of communication. If you have
not registered, please do, as this is where
we can get a bit of feedback from the
members and it gives everybody a chance
to join in by making additional comments,
good or bad, this will give us an idea what
the members would like to partake in
during the year.
The AGM will be held on Tuesday 7th
April 2009 at 7 for 7.30pm in the Garfield
Hotel, Stepps, Glasgow. The Chairman,
Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer
are all due for re-election. There are also
two Committee members not seeking reelection and two members seeking reelection, which leaves four places
available. If you would like to join the
Committee or know of someone that
would, please fill out the enclosed
Nomination Form with this newsletter and
return it to me by the 19th March 2009.
Willy Scott,
Secretary (& Webmaster)
45 Stamperland Gardens,
Glasgow. G76 8HQ
l
2009 Apri
Week 15
MO T M
6
Monday
GB
Tuesday
7
AGM
Centre.00pm
n
a
i
n
Caledo eld Hotel 7
Garfi
Wednesd
ay 8
Don’t Forget to put it in you Diary Today!
March Lunch - Buchanan Arms Hotel
Sunday 15th March -12.30pm
Following on to the success of the Chilly Willy we have
decided to return to Drymen for the Annual March Lunch.
The Lunch will be table service at a cost of £15 per person.
To book see the Web Site or Telephone
Willy Scott on 0141 644 1882
As normal for this time of year MGs are optional
4
Production Car
Trial
Racing Plans 2009
With the PCT planned for November
last year being cancelled, the
Committee has decided to bring
forward the date for this years Event
to either Saturday 4th or Sunday 5th
April with the venue still to be
confirmed.
For 2009 plans are to concentrate on
the 1961 Turner MG in the Wigton
Motor Club Northern Speed
Championship. The car won the Classic
class in 2007 and I intend to repeat
that in 2009!
The organisation will again be in the
capable hands of Andy Baillie, who
put a tremendous amount of work
into last years cancelled event due to
the field at Bonaly being flooded,
fingers cross for this year!
Robert MacGillivray
There are four events in Scotland, one
at Forrestburn Hillclimb in August and
three sprints at Kames, Ayrshire in May,
July and October with the other five
events being in the north of England.
It’s the best six results, which count
towards the final results.
The car has just been repainted (in
Porsche Guards Red!) which won’t
make it go quicker but it should look
better. Mechanically it is mostly
unchanged apart from removing some
weight and adjusting the corner
weighting which should help it corner
even better. A set of big brakes is also
a possibility if they will fit inside the
front wheels!
At present it’s away having some
attention to the paintwork, headlamp
cowls fitted and possibly the suspension
lowered a bit
Classes
Pre-war including T-types
Rear Wheel Drive
The car should also be back at the
vintage style Bo’ness in September
(12th & 13th) to defend (and improve
on!) its class 2nd in 2008.
One event worth mentioning is the
Kames doubleheader on August 1st &
2nd. This will be part of the British
Sprint Championship with a lot of ‘big
banger’ single seaters and a large
variety of other seldom seen cars
entering. If you only attend one event
make it that one -- and possibly
Bo’ness!
However the Turner MG now has a big
brother – I’ve fancied a big banger for
If you need info on any of these events
call me on 07870 407111
Front Wheel Drive
Limited Slip Differentials
OPEN TO MGs ONLY
For further Details
See the Web Site Events Page or
contact Andy Baillie on 0131 440 0799
Were all Doomed - by Dave Stewart
Like wow, that was totally awesome,
it was like amazing - wicked!
Fashionable youth speak. These words
have always been in the dictionary,
but were rarely used. For a while now,
all descriptive sentences have started
with the word “basically”. Again, an
everyday word, but it just became
fashionable to use it.
A bit like classic cars really. When I
was young, any old car was a
“banger”. You could buy a serviceable
MGB for £200. And as for old Fords,
you wouldn’t be seen dead in one. My
uncle had a very nice mk2 Jag, which
he couldn’t even give away in the late
60s. How times change, and keep
changing. Fashion drives everything
a while – something with grunt! Just
missed a V8 MGB roadster earlier this
year but now have a 1975 MGB GTV8
fitted with a 4.6 litre engine and a full
Sebring Body kit – its big, brash and
loud -- you will either love it or loathe
it! It was built about 10 years ago but
has covered only 2000 miles in that
time. It is a road and track car and
should appear on the May Skye run
but will also probably do a sprint or
hillclimb here or there with the
possibility of a full season in 2010.
we do, wear, drive, say, and indeed
think. For example a brown shag pile
carpet looked great in a bathroom in
1970, yet is disgusting now. The shag
pile carpet hasn’t changed, but our
perception of it has.
All the young lads around our way
are driving Honda coupes, what is
“totally awesome” about them?
Maybe I’m missing something. If I were
to park a well restored MGB in the
High Street, nobody under 30 would
even look in its direction, yet a Citroen
Saxo with stripes would have a crowd
around it! We have to face it, our cars
are not “cool” any more. So what do
we do? If we were rich enough, we
could pay a few pop stars to drive
5
MGBs then all the youngsters would
want one – they would be like
amazing and wicked again. But that’s
not going to happen. No, we have to
be realistic, we are not going to get
today’s youngsters interested in MGs. I
doubt if Chinese MGs will make much,
or indeed any difference. The “new”
TF is not exactly flying off the shelves is
it?
I believe our circle of friends in the
club will age, as we will. The average
age of an MG group will increase, and
ultimately, there will be less off us in
the future. That is my view, based on
the thinking of today, but who knows
what the future will bring?
In the meantime we will still enjoy
each other’s company, we will have
our outings and events, and the
centres will thrive on it. What of the
long term future? Say in 20 or 30
years? – Who cares?
Our First Year In The Club!
Caledonian Centre that is! - by Douglas & Tilly Arthur
The Regulations for Prevention of Collisions at Sea state that power should
give way to sail. In our house the opposite has occurred. The boat has had
to go. On the other hand it was she
who wrote the new rules, to prevent
collision at home that precipitated the
purchase of TFX 151. No time to think it
over or have a close inspection. It was
what you wanted she said. The colour
was right the general condition was
right and it appeared to drive reasonably well.
Our final tour of the year was the September Saunter. Another visit to Argyll,
our second home for many years of
boating, this time to the Loch Fyne
Hotel for the night.
Glen Orchy had finally done for the
exhaust and a new bandage was applied, in the car park, in the rain, on a
slope so no jack. The master cylinder
was topped up as it had been dribbling for some time. I’m told it happens
with age!
That was until it was transported to
Scotland. The first drive ended like the
1812 overture in a series of loud bangs.
New ignition leads and a new dynamo
sorted it all. The leaks in the exhaust
were bandaged for the season.
The season started with an excellent
Strathendrick Rotary run. That was
followed by a run round Argyll and
our first run up the ‘Rest and be
Thankful’. Later in the year this was
repeated but with a little more congestion as a queue developed. The
more sedate pace appealed to the
Finally at home a new stainless exhaust
is ordered, the new wiring loom that
came with the car is dug out and the
master cylinder is removed. It was bone
dry. It is amazing how well the brakes
seemed to work on compressed air!
Navigator who had expressed concern
for the ‘poor car’ on our first storming
ascent.
The second Argyll run this time with
the Caledonian Centre, was slightly
marred by a traffic jam on the Loch
by Dave Stewart
Brake Fluid - My favourite subject.
For those of us not using silicon fluid,
the normal dot 4 oil is hydroscopic,
and does absorb condensation. This
condensed water will promote rust in
the brake cylinder bores over time, so
brake fluid should be changed about
every three years or so. Do this by
opening each bleed valve and pumping the brake pedal till the master
cylinder is nearly empty. Make sure
We have had four previous MG s but
for work, this one is for fun and we
have had that aplenty this year as well
as great company. We are booked in
for Skye and look forward to 2009.
A Happy New Year to All.
nator diodes, the car clock etc. and
you can open the bonnet boot or
doors without burning the courtesy
lights. It is an effective anti theft device
too. If you do have one don’t do what
I once did and forget it was there!
Winter Damage
It is amazing the damage that can
happen to a motor due to mice. I have
seen car seats shredded, plug lead
eaten, heater boxes choked with nest
making materials, and even an exhaust system so bunged up with fluff
that the engine wouldn’t run! I have
avoided most of it with a combination
of cats and mouse traps, but there are
some simple steps you can take to
minimise damage. Keep the heater air
supply flap closed – in the case of a B,
tape up the scuttle intake grille. Keep
the side windows closed, and don’t
leave any potential nest making stuff
– such as a travel rug – in the car or
the boot.
Long road where smoke started to fill
the cockpit whilst stationary for some
time. It appeared to be no more serious than the Waxoyl on the underside
of the floor board singeing. Amends
were made with the humungous meringues at Sheila’s Cafe.
you don’t allow the cylinder to become so empty that it draws air, and
make sure you close the bleed valves
only when the pedal is fully depressed.
Don’t be tempted to change to silicon
fluid if your system has been running
dot4 for some time. The two fluids
don’t mix, and any traces of dot4 fluid
around the seals [which there will be]
will ruin the rubber compound and
cause mayhem – make that expensive
mayhem!
If you are already using silicon fluid –
congratulations. The other advantage
to silicon fluid is that any accidental
spills will not affect the paintwork, as
opposed to dot4 fluid which is a very
effective paint stripper.
So there you have it – next time you
do a brake overhaul just go on and
replace all the seals then get onto silicon fluid.
Battery Kill SwitchesA good thing
to have is a kill switch, it isolates the
battery for long term storage so that
the charge doesn’t leak via the alter6
I had stored a B at my sisters while it
was waiting for a space in the workshop. After a few months, I went to
bring it home, turned on the ignition –
nothing! I thought flat battery, and
put the jump leads on. Now because it
was an old type B with a starter solenoid on the inner wing, I put the jump
lead on the solenoid under the bonnet,
started the car, left it revving on choke
while I disconnected the leads, shut the
bonnet, and set off for home. Warm
up, choke in and relax! Came to the
first stop at a roundabout, and it cut
dead! Wouldn’t even light the ignition
bulb, surely the alternator should have
put some charge into the battery in
the time it had been running? Investigation revealed that the car had a
battery kill switch and it was off! It
would run provided the engine was
turning fast enough for the alternator
to power the coil, but because the
switch was off, the battery was isolated, so no charge. As soon as the engine came to a slow tickover it
stopped.
There you go – nobody is perfect!
From the Archives
SCOTTISH SIX DAY TRIAL 15th to 20th MAY 1933
Photographs researched by Iain Wright
This selection of old photographs were supplied by Helen Kirkness
who acquired copies from a friend of Ernie Page.
Right -The MG J2 of Miss Marjorie M Dixon at the Edinburgh
Waverley Market start of the Scottish Six Day Trial organised
by the Edinburgh and District Motor Club. Behind is Alan W
Smith (J2) and in the background can be seen the Singer 9
team.
FS 5757 was an SMT demonstrator and one of a three car
team entered by the MGCC Scottish Centre, the other two
MGs being the J2 of H.Jardine Stuart and the J3 of David
Donaldson. ( FS 3609 and FS 6777 )
Miss Dixon, a salesperson at the SMT showroom in Lothian
Road, won a Silver Cup for no marks lost, the Best Lady
Award and the Best Performance in the Up To 850cc Class.
The previous month she had won the first ever MGCC Scottish
Centre event, a trial in the Abington area of South
Lanarkshire.
Stuart and Donaldson both won Silver Medals and the MGCC
Team won the Club Award.
FS 5757 survives today as does FS 6777. FS 3609 is thought to have been scrapped in 1947. Unsurprisingly, Miss Dixon enjoyed
many other competition successes in the following years.
Left - R A Mac Dermid (J2) storming the Inverfarigaig
Corkscrew on Day 1. The J2 was being campaigned privately at this time but in the 1934/35 season "Mac" formed
part of the Cream Cracker MG PA team with Bastock and
Toulmin. The car retired on Day 2 with a broken axle.
Today the whereabouts of JB 859 are not known.
Below - Alan W F Smith (J2), like MacDermid, a seasoned
campaigner, climbing Amulree on Day 1. Despite catching
fire on the Fort William section, Smith won a Silver Medal.
He lost 2 marks on the last day test, the 1 in 2.8 Blackford
Hill . YY 4 is alive and well today.
Below - Alan Smith again on Day 1 this time on Sheriffmuir
with the Dixon J2 following.
7
Back in September of 2000, my wife
informed me of a large MG saloon that
was sitting neglected in a barn near
my home in Kilmarnock. I believe the
appropriate headline could have read:
‘rare barn find in need of total
restoration’. Some weeks later the
haggling was completed, and a
dilapidated 1936 MG SA saloon was
pushed slowly out from its home of
many years between two beautifully
restored Field Marshall tractors, and
carefully loaded and trailered to my
workshop nearby.
Having restored some previous MG T
types many years before, and knowing
what evils might lie beneath the paint
and filler, my philosophy is ‘expect the
worst and you will not be
disappointed’; similar to a blind date I
imagine. With the dismantling
underway, I was amazed to find two
fuel tanks, one behind the rear axle
and another in the large boot. This
must be a thirsty beast to need two
tanks, I thought.
The aluminium bell housing
had more cracks than Frank
Carson on tour.
Work was also started on the large sixcylinder engine, which had been out of
the car for many years. The engine was
completely stripped and was not a
pretty sight. Despite three small holes,
the sump had still managed to fill with
a sludge of water and oil, there were
twelve broken studs, the rocker shaft
and bushes were worn away, and the
aluminium bell housing had more
cracks than Frank Carson on tour the
list was endless.
MG SA Restoration
by George Rome
chat and ended up helping us to
remove the body. Before February
was over the chassis had been
completely stripped, sandblasted, and
painted with all components; springs,
axles, etc, back together again.
March, and sadly the spokes of the
wire wheels had sandblasted away to
a distant memory. Consequently,
these had to be completely rebuilt
and fitted with new Blokley tyres
before going back on the hubs.
By the end of March the engine was
transported through to Dave’s to be
installed into the chassis. Things had
come a long way during the previous
three months and the whole project
was looking pretty good. Dave and
Keiran started work on the body tub
for which they had made a metal jig
on a mobile cradle to wheel the body
around the workshop. When not
required at Dave’s, I worked at home
on the interior woodwork replacing
the inlay and varnish. Many a happy
hour I spent looking for small pieces of
inlay scattered around the room.
Keiran spent the next few months
repairing and welding the body and
wings. It emerged that a previous
owner had utilised a fence post to
support the boot floor, good to see
that improvisation is still alive and
well. The engine bay had also been
modified to fit a diesel engine, which
solved the riddle of the two fuel tanks.
The one in the boot had obviously
been for diesel fuel. Unfortunately
these modifications gave the team a
number of problems reinstating the
engine bay and bulkhead back to the
original specification. The rapidly
growing list of missing parts and
technical information were obligingly
sourced by Peter Ratcliffe of SVW,
Fast forward to December 2006 when
Dave Stewart and Keiran Boyle of
Couston Classics were called to the
rescue. Dave took the project to his
workshop in Fife for work to begin in
earnest. I frequently commuted
between my own, and Dave’s home to
help whenever possible with the
restoration. He must have been sick of
the sight of me over the next few
months. Towards the end of February
an unlucky Ian Lindley called in for a
8
with Gary Perry of the MG Car Club
also a great support.
Around mid October Dave phoned
me to report for work again, and all
three of us began sanding and
preparing the body and wings for
painting. As each day drew to a close,
we would patronise each others work
with good hearted banter that added
to the camaraderie surrounding the
project. In December, we hit a major
obstacle, finding that the right hand
top of the huge bonnet was beyond
repair. After a number of weeks we
were still unable to find an
alternative, or even anyone willing to
tackle making a replacement. Keiran
eventually decided to have a go at
this himself, and with a new piece of
sheet metal cut to size, he
painstakingly formed the curve, over
a scaffold pole I believe. He then cut
the original hinges off and welded
these onto the new bonnet. Thank
goodness for enterprise.
By the beginning of February 2008,
the body and wings were rebuilt and
back on the chassis to ensure they
were still a good fit. After that
everything is disassembled once more
and taken to the painter. While
waiting on the return of these, we
start the engine up. It runs beautifully
only to find that the clutch has stuck
on the flywheel. Oh well, gearbox
back out to free the plate. Then
another hiccup – the chrome rocker
cover is leaking oil very badly and is
found to be twisted. These are
extremely difficult to find, but again
thanks to Gary Perry who sources me
one from America.
April, and the body and wings are
back from the paint shop and fitted.
Glasgow and the workshop owner
was kind enough to allow me to take
some interior photographs to help us.
Meanwhile Dave is having nightmares
about the wiring. Unfortunately,
photos were not able to help here.
Keiran starts to trim the interior, and as
this had been removed previously I
need to find some information for him.
I find a similar car under repair near
By October, the car is finally ready to
drive. It has been my goal to drive the
car back home, and after a few days
of test driving around Fife and
enjoying the beautiful scenery, she
does the 60 plus miles home running
superbly on the first decent day
before the winter salt hits the roads.
Regalia News
Early Bird Run - Sunday 12th April
Tony Smith
The first Run of the year will be held in the East
Ayrshire Area starting from the Fenwick Hotel
just off the M77 Junction 8 at 10.30am
Now is the time to order you regalia for this season, we
have all the old favourites plus some new additions.
We can now supply Just Hoods Hooded
Sweat Shirts - JH001 in various sizes
and colours at £19,00 each. Active
Fleece Bodywarmer - RS37 at £18.00
each and Thinsulate Knitted Hats BB47 at £12.00 each.
We route will take us into the Lowther
Hills, Muirkirk, Leadhills, Wanlockhead
and Straiton
CLEARANCE STOCK
Also available at reduced costs are
one SS50 - Fleece in Navy size - XL at
£19.99
Bookings are now open via the Web Site at
www.mgcaledonian.org and navigate to the events
page or Telephone Willy Scott on 0141 644 1882
RS37
SS8 Raglan Sweatshirts one in Bottle
Green - Medium and one in Burgundy
large at £12.99 each.
To order any of these items, see the
Regalia Page on the Web Site or
contact Tony Smith on 07770 927803
Many thanks to all who helped with
this restoration: Dave, Keiran, and
Mary who kept us fortified with tea
and biscuits, the Car Club, and SVW
supplies. Also to my own longsuffering wife, who must have been
sorry at times that she mentioned the
car in the first place, but gave me
encouragement and inspiration
throughout the project. Would I ever
do it again? Who can tell? Something
not quite so large, perhaps, but then
again, why not when the end results
are so impressive.
SS 8
9
GLAMIS CASTLE 2009
11th & 12th July - by
Jim Henderson
such we have been
allocated some extra spaces,
which will be offered on a
first come basis.
Directions:- Glamis Castle
lies approximately 25 miles
north of Perth on the A94
some 6 miles south of Forfar
and is steeped in idyllic
countryside. For those
wishing to stay overnight,
accommodation at all levels
is available nearby with an
excellent campsite within
the private grounds of the
Castle. Further information
on the Visit Angus web site
or tourist info centre on
01382 527527.
The Annual Extravaganza
at Glamis Castle has been
running consecutively for 34
years and just gets bigger
and better each year. It is
arguably Scotland’s largest
and most prestigious Classic
motoring event and draws
an annual attendance of
over 15,000 spectators, 1,100
vehicles and 150 autojumblers! Glamis Castle is
one of the most significant
privately owned Castles in
the UK being the ancestral
home of Lord and Lady
Strathmore
During 2008 the
Caledonian Centre started
to fully participate in static
ex-Works MGA and a very
rare competitive MG single
seater. Such was the quality
of our cars, the response
from the public was
overwhelming and we were
surrounded all day by
spectators and enthusiasts
making it the most visited
stand at the show.
shows and for the first time
were in attendance at this
glorious event. The July
2008 show brought
together an exciting crosssection of MG’s ranging
from a rare 1932 MG ‘D’
Type right up to date with
a fabulous MGSV-R, both of
which are thought to be the
only examples in Scotland.
This year the MG presence
at Glamis promises to be
even better and we are
negotiating and hopeful of
attracting some very special
historical MG exhibits within
our stand. Our aim is to
achieve the largest static
display of MG’s ever
assembled at a show and as
In addition to the above,
we had ‘P’ and ‘T’ Types, a
ZB, Midget’s, MGA’s, MGB’s
and a RV8 as well as a
spectacular unprecedented
grouping of 5 Twin Cams.
MG’s historical motorsport
heritage was not forgotten
and featured a wonderful
10
Please note this is a two day
show (Saturday 11th and
Sunday 12th of July), albeit
the Sunday draws the
greater attendance. We
invite MG entries for either
or both days, whatever
meets with your
convenience. Details on the
Caledonian Centre website.
This is the show not to be
missed. Give yourself a treat
and experience this truly
unique exciting event…..You
will not be disappointed.