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So, BTW, did anyone else get out for a ride yesterday?
Here in Maryland, at 2:30 pm it was 65 degrees and cloudy. I donned my leather jacket and pilot’s helmet & fired up Bridget for a (possibly) last drive of the season.
Really, slight coolness & overcast is excellent cruising weather. Yet I was out an hour and did not see another person running with the top down. Can’t figure why. It is brilliant. Very comfortable too, even with no heat. Got lots of waves and smiles, as usual, during my leisurely spin up the “mountain” and down through Bel Air, finishing up with a one-exit blast down the highway.
Only bad news: somewhere along the way my littlest meatball flew off of my back fender. Total bummer. It had a bit of a wrinkle on it, so I knew I should’ve peeled it off before I left. So that’s $8 down the drain.
Live & learn.
Drive on boys.
Ed, I hope you don’t think me a copycat when you see me with my pilots helmet. I occasionally wore one with my TF1500 for 16 years. Sorry to see that you are putting her up for the winter. I still drive mine daily but got caught in the rain with 0% forcasted. Even my wife said “nah, it isn’t going to rain”. But, – I didn’t melt.
I’ve purchased an old leather helmet replica out of England, complete with the goggles I hope to get my prescription laminated to (and a silk scarf for dramatic presentations, should they occur).
I’ve yet to put the leather helmet on, but last night in Phoenix was a little chilly, probably dropping into the 60s or so after the sun went down.
I motored the Chevy red monster around the neighborhood for just a few minutes to warm her up, then put her to bed for the night. I left part of the engine cowling uncovered until she cooled a bit, but I fell asleep before I finsihed the job.
I awoke to find that it rained a bit overnight, so I’m glad that I had the cabin covered. This car still does not have a top or side curtains yet.
And to think that I was too embarassed to tell admit that I have always had a leather coat, white silk scarf and goggles also. Hey at anything over 120mph you need this stuff.
MGLondon: Let me know how you do with the prescriptions-into-goggles project. I made a few calls after I got mine (split lenses) & came up empty. Only reason I don’t wear them driving is I can’t see worth a damn & they are very uncomfortable when worn over glasses.
Didn’t get out yesterday, because while the weather was great my bad back wasn’t. A good night’s sleep and some TLC from my wife made all the difference today, though, so I fired up Percy and hit the back roads. The official reason was to mail some bills, but I told Kathy that if the Lafer was running good I might wander a bit. It was, so I did. Partly cloudy, high 70s. Like Ed, I saw few others taking advantage of this top-down weather. Ah well, their loss. Had one bad moment when a deputy constable pulled up behind me at a light and blipped his siren. When I looked back, though, he just grinned and gave me a thumbs-up. (Whew!)
1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 enginefor all the people that don’t live in sunny calif.
everyone have a good thanksgiving.
And yes I drive with the top down in the cold weather, But Cathy won’t let me drive hers in the rain
TDREPLICA Map
http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=7f9174ad614e43b680deba085b0abf48
Glad to hear I’m not the only one with a leather helmet. I got mine off of ebay a few years back but alas it was to small so I’m in the market for one that fits. I am also interested in the prescription thingy with the goggles. The silk scarf is a cool idea but with the back draft from the wind I end up with it in my face more than blowing behind me. LOL
You guys need to post some pics with the helmet and goggles on so I can convince my wife I’m not the only one out there.
Tom, If your aiviator helmet is leather, it is very likely that it can be stretched to fit. Fill up your sink with med-hot water and immerse it. Work it around a bit to insure that the leather is absorbing the water. Then, leave it in the sink for 15 minutes or so. Take it out wring and squeeze as much water as you can out and put it on. Here is the only hard part. You have to wear it for a few hours until it dries. After it is dry, you can put some leather conditioner on it if you wish. When you finish, it will not only be bigger but it will be a custom fit conforming to the shape of your head. (Notice my self restraint in not commenting on the size or shape of your head.)
I got my goggles, helmet and scarf from this company in England. They told me the goggles with the split lenses could have the prescription laminated to the inside of the goggle lens. The whole assembly comes apart rather easily. You might want to contact them before you order, just to verify you get the right model.
http://classicpartsltd.com/classic-car-products/classic-car- apparel/leather-helmets.html
More useless info from rjw
http://www.classicgoggles.com/goggles/merchant.mv?Screen=CTG Y&Store_Code=CG&Category_Code=spyder_rx
Not useless at all Wobby!
Nice to know there are goggles available with prescription lenses.Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Very nice, Richard. Having bought the Halcyon MK 8’s I’m going to hold out for a prescription solution that works with them, if possible. If it doesn’t work I’ll go with something from those guys.
And another brilliant, lucky cruisin’ day here in central MD–nearing 60 degrees around noon I hopped in Bridget for yet another mindless spin around town.
Had the goggles up on my forehead for this one. Saw quite a few bikers on RT 7.
Later saw some neighbors in their Fiat rolling topless. By then I was in the truck though, out for groceries and gas after a long trip to see the in-laws.
Also got the boat buttoned up today: engine fogged and put away. Don’t know if I’m ever going to have time to get out on the water with this TD addiction eating up so much free time. But at least she should start up next spring.
I took my Red Machine out yesterday, the red MG TD with the Chevy V8. I haven’t quite settled on a name for my cars yet, but in time, something will gel.
We went to the Arizona International Auto Show and at the parking garage entrance, the attendant said my car should be in the show.
Later, I took it to a square dance and ran out of gas on the way home. I flagged down a motorist who let me borrow his cell phone to call AAA, and the Metro Rail maintenance crew stopped to make sure I was taken care of until the fuel car arrived. The whole ordeal set me back about 30 minutes, and I stopped for gas about a mile down the road.
The weather was clear but very chilly. I was only in a long sleeved shirt, but wish I had my sweater and a leather jacket with me. I’d taken the Interstate to get to the dance and at modern highway speeds, I felt the wind was going to rip my glasses off. I could have used my helmet and goggles last night.
No windwings on the Lafer, Mark, so I have the same problem with my specs — and flat cap — at anything over 45 or so. I have driven it to work a few afternoons, but traveling 60-65 and being the smallest thing on the freeway isn’t really fun for me. For the most part, I stick to back roads, side streets and two-lane county blacktops.
1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engineI traveled a bit last night along side a Honda S2000. We were not breaking any speed records, but I could keep up with him for a few miles, until he pulled off the Interstate. His top was up, so he had a comfortable ride, while I was getting whipped at 65 or 70 mph.
I decided it was too cold for freeway speeds going home, so I stuck to the surface streets. Unfortunately for roadster lovers, the Phoenix metro area is a grid – straight roads in just about all directions, and very few hills, as the area is a former sea bed from millions of years ago.
I had put mine away for the Winter until I woke this morning to 55 degree weather. I took it from off its stands and took it to work today. The mad dash at lunch somehow took longer than usual. Should be in the sixties when I leave to go home. Will probably go cross country and take in Duryea Drive up to the Reading Pagoda on the way. Love these fluke days.
Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"Southeast PA., near Reading
Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"To Bill (Gould) and any other Lafer owners out there, try driving your car with
all six side windows in place and raised, the difference is very noticeable. In
my case it went from my eardrums hurting because of the wind turbulence at
45mph without the windows to cruising at 65-70 on the freeway and being
able to have a conversation with my wife (although I must admit its actually
borderline shouting).
Ricardo: I’ll have to try that, although before I put them back on for real I need to find a source for some replacement rubber. Almost every piece on or around the windshield and the windows is pretty much a historical artifact at this point — no flexibility or water seal at all.
1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engineBill,
Try these guys…
You can search by the profile of the extrusion.
http://www.acmerubber.com/shape.htm
This is just one example. Google “rubber extrusions” and you will see a bunch of manufacturers. Most have some way to view the avaiable styles.
PMOSSBERG40882.4902546296
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Thanks, Paul. I’ve found a few sites online, and one shop here in Houston, that handle the gaskets for the cargo compartment up front and a few other parts.
The Lafer’s windshield folds, like the original TD’s, and the brackets look like them, but I’m not sure they’re the exact same size and I doubt the windshield itself — or any of the rubber bits — match.
In any case, mine has upright pieces to seal between the ends of the windshield frame and the front quarter windows (when installed), so I’m pretty sure I’ll have to source them in Brazil. I’ve contacted a guy down there, but he doesn’t read or write much English and I don’t do Portuguese at all, so our communication is in fits and starts through the Google translate function.
I was hoping Ricardo (Calafer) could tell me where he got his.
TexAg7140882.5867013889
1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engineWill the rubber for an original TD windshield work?
http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexI D=32879
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Thanks, Paul. I’m on the Moss Motors mailing list, and believe me I’ve pored over their catalogs. Can’t determine if the Lafer’s windshield dimensions are the same as the TD’s though. Ricardo (Calafer) came through with confirmation that the source I have in Brazil is the go-to guy down there, so maybe help is on the way from the Southern Hemisphere.
1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engine
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