Paul,

Nice idea on the first ride. Could evolve into a first ride of the spring string as well. Have to tell the story of my first real ride in this car. I trailered it about 10 miles to a friends garage in December. Worked on it on the trailer, got it running (first time since 2001) repaired the clutch cable and one COLD Sunday morning my son and I drove about 35 miles to my house. I wasn’t even sure the brakes would work although the pedal seemed pretty firm. The car rode great! The only problem was that the steering had really tightened from lack of use. A little scary because it took about the same effort to straighten the wheel as it did to turn. It has since been heavily lubed and now steers easily.

Had the top up, side windows zipped, heater on and felt like a couple of sardines. My son is a big boy and I filled the drivers seat pretty well also. It was still fun, considering that a few weeks earlier I really had NO idea what I had purchased and whether it would run at all.

I jumped in it that afternoon and drove it another 25 miles to where it has been stored all winter. The quick trip in the earlier note above was the first time since the maiden voyage.

Many more to come. I’d love to hear of other adventures. Loved Pauls story about the make-shift seat!

By the way, snowed about 8 inches here today

Rich

My First ride in my Fiber Fair MiGi    I have wanted one for 35 years It all started the first time I met my wife”s Grand father.

 He had one in his garage,A 52 MG A real one with 1200 miles on it ,he bought it in 53 when my wife was born .He drove in A ditch and towed it home and there it sat till 1979 I would see them once or twice A year they lived about 80 miles away I would look at ever time we went there one day it was not there when I asked where the MG was “I gave it away no one wants an old foren  junky car — ” It took me 28 years after that to find one I could aford A Fiber Fair TD chevy 1.4 L red. after 12 weeks of working on it I was ready for a drive up the road good thing I had to roll her home the fuel pump stoped working the next time the shifter broke and only had 2nd gear my wife and I drove home slow all she said her grand father was wright any thing that said MG was trouble , this was our third one ,Midgets ,and  a B .       We finley got it wright it is now a good dependable driver.

Wow, some great stuff here…I read a few time that we were all enamored with the TD at very young ages. That goes for me too. In fact, it’s how I got the handle “Pink MG”. That’s in another thread on the names of our cars.

I was born with 10w-40 blood. I never remember NOT being totally cativated by cars. Models Cars, Slot Cars, Go-Karts, Race Cars, Radio Control Cars…JUST CARS MAN!!!

When I was two in 1951, we moved to a new construction sub division at the Central Jersey Shore town of Neptune. The man across the street, John Ransom, work with my parents at Fort Monmouth. He was a sports car nut and worked part time at a place called Heinz Foreign Cars and Clinic. A rare dealership in 1951. Mr. Ransom drove home many different foreign makes, but mostly a new, red 1952 MG-TD. He gave me a ride aroound the block in it when I was just 3. That was it. I fell in love with British Roadsters.

I’ve owned Spitfires, TR-3’s, MGA’s and B’s, Sprites, Healey 3000 and even a Sunbeam Tiger in my early driving years (mid-late 60’s), but never a TD or my favorite, the TF.

Life has a way of passing us by quickly and before we know it, we’re closing in on 50. So, in 1998 I got my first TD replica, now belonging to Bill Collins. I didn’t do the initial build, but bought the unbuilt kit from a fellow New Jersey Replicar Club member and paid him to build it. I had no time or the space then. I was caretaker of my 88 year old Mom who was ending her 8 year long battle with cancer.

I hesitate to tell this story, but here goes: The car got built and I drove the 250 miles one way to the guy’s house to get it and tow it home. I drove it for about 3 miles around the south central PA country roads and then hooked it up to the tow bar for the drive back to the Central Jersey Shore. I quickly noticed a few problems with the shifter, brakes and power output, but expected a few small glitches anyway. So, I wasn’t too worried.

After sitting for a few days, I was able to get the car’s title transferred. It took about 6 weeks to get the plates and get it legally driveable. It was late November by then. A nice day came along Thanksgiving week, so I took off the afternoon from work and headed home it take it for it’s first “long” drive along the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers, then along the Ocean and back to my house, about 20 miles in all.

The drive started OK. Despite a chilly day, I was not going to let the cold bother me. As I cruised the engine seemed to labor more and more as if it was getting tight. After about 3 traffic lights, it would stall at idle. I figured it needed a carb adjustment, so I kept it revved at lights and made it home. I decided that the suspension had to be corrected before it got driven again though. It rode like a brick and pushed like a snow plow.

The next day, I took it to the Auto Hobby Shop at Fort Monmouth to make some adjustments. I never made the 2 mile ride…the engine seized just inside the main gate. I walked to the shop and a buddy and I rope towed it into the shop. I dropped the oil strainer on the VW motor and it was full of gray, metalflake muck. I pulled the cover off the oil pump and it was full of the same stuff. It had been driven less than 30 miles.

I wont get into the rest of the debacle, but the car got parked for about a year as my mother worsened and finally met her demise. Over the next year, I completely disassembled the car and installed a brand new 1776cc performace long block, a Freeway Flyer transaxle, all new suspension/steering/axles/hubs/bearings/wheels/tires, 4 wheel disc brakes and many other mechanical improvements. It became a great little car when I was done. I missed it for a long time after Bill took it home to Rutherford, NJ.

My current Chevette based BCW TD was bought not driveable in August 2004 and is still apart. It’s the Connecticut Schweppe’s Sweepstakes car. It’s restoration was interupted by divorce, but we won’t go there either. When I get it done, I’ll write about it’s first ride with me at the wheel…or my son! 

OK here’s the “Pink MG” story.

Back in 1952 the other person in my family enamored with the ’52 MG-TD was my mother. My Dad like big cars and could not fit into an MG, thinking they were ridiculous excuses for a car. He was 6’8″ tall and weighed 300 pounds. Although he sometimes car pooled with a guy who had several Crosley’s. Go Figure

I used to ask my mother, “Mommy, when I grow up, I’ll buy you any kind of car you want.” She’s always answer, “OK, you can buy me a pink MG.”

Although none of the 3 replica’s I’ve had since that first CMC VW based car were actually pink, they are all called the “Pink MG” in my mother’s memory. They all have used my New Jersey vanity license plate “PINK MG” too.

Geoff,

Ain’t it great??? I’m really glad to hear that it arrived safely from NY and you’re now able to enjoy it any time you want. Very well written too!

Your description of “staring down the boxy hood” was perfect! I think that look is one of the most fun things about this car. It makes the ride like nothing else you drive. Yesterday it was ~ 70 degrees here and sunny with only a few clouds. With that combination I also get this nice distorted refection of the sky in my chrome Headlight housings. Sweet!

Enjoy!

Rich

RichBelfay39953.3935416667

Geoff,

Great Imagery! You know, I think the V6 is an advantage because I find it to be very stable at highway speeds. I haven’t gone much over 75, but it’s a smooth 75. I have to be a little careful. Bright red sports cars going fast are a bit of an attraction to the State and Local “Serve, Protect and Make the Ticket Quota” brigade.

The weather here has been great this week. My car barely has time to cool off between rides.

Rich

Hey Folks

Just a quick note with the exception.  All you heros driving your new found toys home in the snow, rain, or with siezed engines.  Well, I saw my first MG in 1953.  I’ve never been the same since.  Dr. Cass gave me a ride around the block and I was done!  Never managed to own one though.  Well in 1985, I saw the BCW replica, which seems to be the most dimensionally correct of most of the replicas.  Well I’ve been looking, on and off since then for a BCW.  About two years ago, probably about this time of night, I google searched MG Replicas, and low and behold, found one on Craigs List, in Virginia.  I called the guy next morning, and bought it site unseen.  This was about the time gas was 4 bucks a gallon!  It must be 6 or 7 hundred miles from here to Virginia!  This is going to cost me a small fortune to truck down there from NH, and haul the thing back.  I’m thinking I must have had a major stupidity spasm.  I actually found a trucker who agreed to deliver it for 500 bucks, and the seller agreed to split the cost with me…  The guy arrives 4 or 5 days later, and says you drive it off, I don’t touch them Norm (the previous owner) drove it on the flat bed.  Started right up, needed a few minors, but passed inspection.  I’ve driven her to work frequently (about 30 miles).  Love putting the winshield down.  It’s been a long 53 years, but worth the trip!  We’ll get some pictures as soon as we figure out how..

Neil Flaherty,  Gilford NH