John Simion

  • I’m going to keep this stuff until Monday the 25th.  Unless somebody wants it by then, it’s going to the garbage heap.

  • I sold my Fiberfab MGTD Replica almost two years ago but just came across another box of leftover parts that may be useful to someone.  Of primary interest here are two OEM Fiberfab seat bases that originally came with my car, but which I took off when I built my own seat bases.  Also included is a Volkswagen Beetle jack which is the same as t…[Read more]

  • Just thought the forum might be interested to know that my TDR now has a deposit for sale at $13,000.  I consigned it to Gateway Classic Cars in St. Louis and they sold it in a little over two months:  http://www.gatewayclassiccars.com/saint-louis/1952/mg/td-S7203.html.

    Even though the price seems fairly good, by the time I consider the cost of…[Read more]

  • Just thought the forum might be interested to know that my TDR now has a deposit for sale at $13,000.  I consigned it to Gateway Classic Cars in St. Louis and they sold it in a little over two months:  http://www.gatewayclassiccars.com/saint-louis/1952/mg/td-S7203.html.

    Even though the price seems fairly good, by the time I consider the cost of…[Read more]

  • “ASVE” simply means “assembled vehicle”.  That’s the way Nevada chose to title my car.  The title from Utah that I received when I bought the car referred to the make as “SPCN” — special construction, maybe?

  • My TDR is currently listed for sale on Gateway Classic Cars in St. Louis:

    http://www.gatewayclassiccars.com/saint-louis/1999/asve/1952-mg-S7203.html

    The ad, photos and video turned out really well.  They’re asking $14,995 for it.  At that price, it’s a real bargain compared to the cost of restoring it, both in time and money.  It looks great to…[Read more]

  • This may sound weird (no pun intended) but seriously, every time I activate the car’s battery and ignition switch, I hear a VERY faint kind of crinkling, ticking, tinkling sound from somewhere in the instrument panel.  It’s so faint, in fact, that I can only hear it if the garage door is closed and the engine’s off.  It’s not my imagination, thou…[Read more]

  • This may sound weird (no pun intended) but seriously, every time I activate the car’s battery and ignition switch, I hear a VERY faint kind of crinkling, ticking, tinkling sound from somewhere in the instrument panel.  It’s so faint, in fact, that I can only hear it if the garage door is closed and the engine’s off.  It’s not my imagination, thou…[Read more]

  • Amazing workmanship and creativity — but the shape just doesn’t appeal to me.

  • John Simion replied to the topic New Digs in the forum General Discussion 7 years, 3 months ago

    We lived in Wellington (West Palm Beach) for seven years 2000-2007.  We loved it.  The whole area is beautiful and there are lots of great places to drive, ride bikes, or walk, not to mention having a beach nearby.  No state income tax and we had coconuts, papayas, and bananas growing in the postage-stamp yard.  Makes me sick to this day to thi…[Read more]

  • Took the car out today for 30 or 45 minutes for a followup test.  Utter silence except for minor squeaks two times, and they were more like an emasculated mouse than a Screamin’ Eagle.  At the end of my test, I repeated the 50-0 panic stop exercise several more times, then drove a little further and the mouse remained silent again.  I’ll do ano…[Read more]

  • That looks just fantastic!  What a nice finish on the wood, and the chrome really makes the center “pop.”  Very professional looking.  I’m curious, though, what chrome you used.  It turned out great even with the corner joints … apparently you have both a sharp eye and a sharp knife.

  • I took some of Ed’s advice today:  “Take the car out and speed it up to 50 or 60 and jam on the brakes for a panic stop. Do it 5 or 6 times. Then drive slowly home braking as normal.”  I also did Royal’s test:  “Do the brakes squeal when you apply the parking/emergency brake?”

    First the parking brake.  I used only the parking brake to slow me …[Read more]

  • According to my research — and what my mechanic told me — the brake light switches in old VWs are pressure-operated.  When they get old, they tend to go bad and either fail or require an inordinate amount of pressure to operate.  If you were able to get yours to work with a reasonable amount of pressure, that’s fantastic.  If they work but yo…[Read more]

  • John Simion replied to the topic Tire sizes in the forum VW Based Kits 7 years, 4 months ago

    Royal is absolutely correct about “equivalency” and the consequences of the wrong profile.  I was only trying to address the OP’s question about determining the width of the rim that the 205/60s are mounted on.  The OP said he was assuming that because the 205/60s were wider than the 165/15s, they must be on a different (i.e., wider) rim.  Th…[Read more]

  • John Simion replied to the topic Tire sizes in the forum VW Based Kits 7 years, 4 months ago

    Some OEM VW wheels have the wheel size stamped on them in letters about 1/8″ high.  “4Jx15” as I recall.  There’s no guarantee with this.  All of my own wheels look alike but some of them have the stamping and some don’t.

    Also, according to Tire Rack, your 205/60s are actually equivalent to the 165R15s, so I’d bet the wheels are the same fro…[Read more]

  • The front discs on my car are apparently are okay now but the rear drums have re-developed the squealing/howling sound that is just unbearable.  I just got back from a 10-mile ride which I cut short because my car was so embarrassing.  I was driving through a residential area and had to stop for three nearby school buses.  My brakes were FAR lou…[Read more]

  • The front discs on my car are apparently are okay now but for the umpteenth time the rear drums have re-developed the squealing/howling sound and it is just unbearable.  I just got back from a 10-mile ride which I cut short because my car was so embarrassing.  I was driving through a residential area and had to stop for three nearby school bu…[Read more]

  • If I were you, I’d continue to use the Sedona Red because IMHO the other colors clash and look “wrong.”  What you COULD do to set off the instrument panel, however, is to wrap it in plastic chrome molding like this:

    http://www.brandsport.com/trmg-0301-05.html

    That is the exact stuff that I put on the entire perimeter of my dashboard.

    You could…[Read more]

  • There is no doubt that edsnova suggests the “best” solution.  However, according to my local mechanic here in Las Vegas, it’s not totally necessary.  I have a FiberFab and do not have my engine compartment sealed like edsnova suggests.  I have not experienced temps over 210 (since I fixed an exhaust leak).  This, despite 100% stop and go dri…[Read more]

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