When the cat's away......

With Jennie in the UK visiting her sister and me having made excellent progress on the "honey do" task list, it was time to chill and do some stuff that I've been wanting to do for ages.  One of the jobs was to properly adjust the clearances in the MG differential.  I knew it needed doing as bits of  the shims were visible in the oil when I changed it in late 2021.

Not what you want to see in diff oil!

I only have an automotive trolley jack and axle stands which would make the job difficult in terms of access, compounded by my slowly healing femur, which makes grovelling on the floor somewhat uncomfortable at present.  The decision was made to do an overnighter in Auckland and let MG specialists, Paul Walbran Motors do the job properly on a hoist.  The plan was once the job was done, to do a solo road trip for a few days and catch up with old friends. However, the weather has been pretty dire this winter with another deluge forecast to start late in the day after the repair and last for several days.  The latter part of the plan was wisely abandoned as it's pretty ugly outside right now.

Driving from rural Coromandel to Auckland was straightforward but getting to Walbran Motors in Grey Lynn out west was a real trial because of the volume of traffic on non-arterial roads that hadn't been upgraded in decades. Driving with a manual gearbox in horrendously slow start-stop traffic is a real pain.  Fortunately, the MG engine runs cool which is a blessing.

I was met by Andrew, Paul's son and his team and given an MGF courtesy car until the BGT was ready the following day.  It was actually good fun to drive but a milky plastic rear screen on the soft top meant more than usual reliance on the rearview mirrors, plus masses of shoulder checks!

Paul Walbran Motors in Grey Lynn

My courtesy car at the motel

Diverting from things automotive for a moment, Grey Lynn wasn't an area of Auckland that I was familiar with. However, the ethnic mix of the local population meant that there was an amazing variety of eateries within a 5 minute walk of the motel. I chose a Chinese takeaway where no English was spoken but coped just fine with hand signals and pointing. The lady running the show made the noodles from scratch and the spiced pork dish was divine.  About twice as much as I could actually eat for NZ$14 (USD 8.50 and GBP 6).

All manner of boiling stuff, including my noodles

The size would be fine for 2 people!

The next morning, I got a call saying the car should be ready around 1pm, so that I could make the 3-odd hour drive home in dry weather and daylight before it got too challenging on the twisty Coromandel roads.  I then got another call saying that they'd discovered a leak on the rear brake hydraulic cylinders, plus worn rear shoes so they were fixing those too.  I arrived whilst they were still working on it, so took the opportunity to take a few photos in the workshop.  Outside MG club events, I've never seen so many MG's in one spot.  Here's a selection.

Our GT on the hoist

The grey MGB on the hoist in the photo below is apparently powered by a MX5 Miata motor and the white GT is an automatic.  Pretty rare I think.

MGB Roadster and automatic GT with sunroof

What you call a busy workshop

MGB GT set up for competition

A couple of very nice 50's MG T series cars

Instrument panel of the green T series MG

A corner reserved for Jaguar V12 XJS Cabriolets

There was a photo behind their reception counter of an MG record breaker which I knew nothing about.  A speed of 204 mph in 1939 from an 1100cc engine is phenomenal!

MG's record breaker

I buy parts through Paul Walbran Motors but this is the first time I've used their workshop and was really impressed.  Andrew, Jade and Nick all went out of their way to make me feel welcome and shared information with humour and good grace - sincere thanks to the their team.  I love working on our MG but for some jobs, expert assistance makes perfect sense.  Logistics from Coromandel to their premises takes some planning but their expertise and customer focus was well worth it.  Traffic getting out of Auckland mid-afternoon was terrible but I had a dry run to within half an hour of home when the heavens opened.  Made it just on dark too. The proper diff clearances have made a big difference too.  No more clunks and jerks when I get on and off the throttle.

Just out of interest, the fuel consumption on the return trip was 33 imperial mpg as I could maintain constant progress on the open road, using the overdrive. Overall fuel consumption over 4 years of ownership has been 24 mpg.  It would have been better had I discovered corrosion pinholes in the top of the fuel tank before last year!

Now for something entirely different which pleases me no end.  I'll probably receive eternal damnation though from any computer engineers who may read this. The desktop PC which I normally use for more complex tasks has been crashing not long after boot-up with increasing frequency. My knowledge of computer internals is close to zero but being a retired professional engineer with a decent knowledge of process plant condition monitoring, problem-solving is second nature.  Before it crashed a few days ago, I managed to run a diagnostic program which wasn't a lot of help on the face of it but I noticed that the CPU was running at well over 90 C with a light load, which I thought seemed a bit high.  Further research confirmed my suspicions and led me into the murky world of CPU cooling. This in turn steered me towards thermally transmitting jointing compounds which are used to join the CPU to the cooling fan, giving a uniform heat transfer.  Never heard of them until I found a chatroom discussion on the topic. The discussion might have been in Martian but I understood the gist of it as the laws of thermodynamics are pretty much constant everywhere.  Poking about in the internals, a quick inspection showed that the original jointing compound had partially vanished and the remainder had turned to powder which is hardly surprising as the computer is at least 10 years old.  

Internals of my Win 10 desktop PC - cooling fan attached to CPU

No normal or sane member of the human race has a tube of CPU jointing compound in their cupboard and living in the countryside only exacerbated my problem.  What I do have, however; is copper-based anti-seize compound for maintaining our vehicles etc. It has a high temperature rating and is thermally conductive. There was mention of this in the chatroom with opinions more or less evenly divided as to whether it would be an acceptable substitute - so much for expert opinion!  As the fan heat sink was copper, I figured that bimetallic corrosion was probably not an issue. Besides, my PC isn't upgradeable to Win 11 so its future might be limited anyway. With fingers crossed and sparingly applying the copper paste to the mating surfaces with a cotton bud, I reassembled it onto the motherboard. Hallelujah - the computer doesn't crash and the CPU is running below 70 C even when being driven fairly hard.  I think we can count that as a win for a computer ignoramus. Nice to learn new stuff to keep the grey matter active. 

 

Rehab and Adult Toys

For those of you with dirty minds, you're going to be disappointed!  In this instance, "adult toys" refers to classic cars and motorcycles!

The previous post outlined the circumstances of my mountain bike accident and surgery to repair a broken femur.  A number of people were involved with my rescue, several of whom I hadn't previously met.  I was able to track them down, thank them personally and give them each a gift for Christmas.  As with any small community, (population ~1600), news spreads fast so I've had to endure plenty of mickey-taking since the accident every time we go into the village.  Jennie has received nothing but commiserations for putting up with me but I have a plan in place to show appreciation for her not stabbing me to death during rehab.

Rehab has gone well but it's been painful and slow.  Use of crutches stopped a couple of weeks ago and exercises including pedalling a static bike continue to build leg strength and flexibility.  It will be a while yet before I'm back on the mountain bike, even simple road riding.  Confidence has taken a bit of a knock as the time draws closer but we'll get there.  I'm also somewhat anaemic from the surgery but iron-rich food should help in that respect.

Sincerest thanks for your notes of support, comments on the last blog post and also Facebook.  It genuinely means a lot when you're fighting what feels like an uphill battle in terms of recuperation.

The opportunity to do anything interesting has been a bit limited.  Driving our modern vehicles has been ok but actually getting into our MGB GT has been impossible until recently.  Even now, some minor contortions are required.  It so happened that the Coromandel Classic Car Club held its annual car show last weekend for bikes and cars of all shapes and sizes so it was into the MG to see what was on display.  Perfect weather, good food, a ukulele band and line dancing demonstrations to complete the country atmosphere; plus a stunning array of vehicles.  Here are some of the photos I took, with some narrative where appropriate.

If I remember correctly, the registration sticker said a 1934 F series Morgan 3 wheeler.  It's powered by a side valve Ford engine of either 8 or 10 hp.  The vehicle on the background is a 1933 Essex Terraplane.  

Morgan 3 wheeler and US-made Terraplane

Rear view of Morgan and Terraplane

A modern "classic" this time - a 2002 Ford Thunderbird.  It clearly has a European design influence compared with earlier Thunderbirds but in my humble opinion, looks a bit bland. Apparently had a reputation for transferring road vibrations throughout the car.

2002 Ford Thunderbird

The rear end of a 1964 Ford Thunderbird, complete with streamlined headrests.  All the excesses we've come to expect from a convertible of that era.

1964 Ford T'bird

The next 3 photos are of my favourite car at the show, despite all the wonderful exotic hardware on display.  It's a 1950's Borgward Isabella manufactured in Germany.  One of our UK neighbours had one for years.  What makes it my favourite is that it's a genuine recent barn find from the Auckland region. The paint is original but time and UV has reduced it to an odd brown-pink colour. There's the slightest dusting of rust in a few places but no serious rusting or rot at all.  I hope that it's left "as-is" because that's what attracts attention.  

Borgward Isabella

Isabella dashboard and steering wheel

Isabella engine bay

This is a 1942 Chevrolet Fleetline with an in-line 6 cylinder motor.  Production was deferred in 1942 because of WW2.

Chevy Fleetline

The BMW Owner's Club brought 15 classic BMW's along.  They were from the days when you could actually tell them apart and they still look great.

BMW classic mix

This 1955 Cadillac looks like something out of Toy Story!  The finish was nigh-on perfect. 

1955 Cadillac Series 60

A motorcycle for a change.  A Czechoslovakian Jawa CZ owned by a local resident.  Pretty sure that it's a 175cc twin from the late 50's or early 60's.  I was given one and got it going but never registered it for road use.

Jawa CZ 175 2 stroke

A couple of British 650's.  This particular BSA Lightning was from the early 70's when the British motorcycle industry was in decline.  Designed with American market styling, it was a decent bike but didn't have the good looks of the earlier A65 Lightning and sales were poor.  The Triumph Bonneville was what captured the public imagination in the early days and held a number of world land speed records (hence the name).  This model is probably from 1965.

BSA Lightning and Triumph Bonneville

The HRD Vincent is one of the most famous bikes of all time.  This one is absolutely flawless. It's a generalisation but any Vincent 1000 will probably sell for upwards of NZ $50,000.  Looking on British auction websites, prices vary considerably according to precise model and condition.  There are a few currently being advertised at NZ$130,000 or more - a good investment, eh?

HRD Vincent 1000

The 2 cars below were a mainstay of the 60's in Australasia, the '62 EH Holden Special station wagon and a '62 Chrysler Valiant.  The Holden in particular was a favourite on the surfing scene.

EH Holden and Chrysler (AUS) Valiant

A seriously large Ford Galaxie.  I saw them raced at Silverstone in the late 60's by Jack Sears and Sir Gawain Baille.  They took up a fair percentage of the track width and added another complication to getting past them!

Ford Galaxie, 1968 model with 7 litre engine

Another 7 litre job - a '75 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible.  Looks very presidential before armour plate became necessary.

75 Oldsmobile Cutlass

Some nice local machinery from different eras.  a '74 Toyota Landcruiser, a 1979 Mitsubishi Jeep and a 1936 Ford Coupe in metalflake cherry red.

A nice mix

Arty shot of a 1973 Jaguar E type V12

E Type Jaguar

A flawless finish on this Chevy truck

A Chevy work of art

Orange must be the new black!  '22 Corvette being driven by a local young lady.

Attractive Corvette, equally attractive owner

A V8-powered hot rod which started off as a Ford Prefect with an 1172cc side valve engine!

Originally a UK Ford Prefect

The Ford Prefect origins can clearly be seen from the rear.

The original is just about recognisable

A modern "classic" - a 1990 Nissan (C33?) Laurel.  It looks to be drift car inspired with lots of goodies under the bonnet including a big turbo.  Compliments to the person who engineered it and it was so clean that you could conduct surgery in the engine bay.

1990 Nissan Laurel Turbo

The vehicle below is a 2013 replica of a 1933 Ford. The owner would have had to jump through hoops with transport authorities to make it road legal.  Given the problems I had with the MGB GT for a minor discrepancy, I take my hat off to the owner for perseverance and craftmanship!

1933 Ford replica

The Australian-made Valiant Charger is a personal favourite of mine and only superficially resembles the US-made Dodge Charger.  I'd be very happy to own one but collectors have pushed it out of my price range!

1972 Valiant Charger

Our GT engine bay pretty much in its normal state - doesn't take much looking after considering that it's almost a daily driver.

1972 MGB GT

I hope that you've enjoyed just a handful of photos from the car fair. Exhibits must have been 200 or so, including our MGB GT which earned some nice compliments.  A large proportion of them are owned by residents of the Coromandel Peninsula.  Given our low population density and relatively remote location, I'm always amazed what people have lurking in their sheds.  I suspect this represents the tip of the iceberg!  I'd like to think that we're merely custodians of these cool vehicles and that they'll continue their march through time with future custodians who will love them as much as we do.

Classic exhaust sounds, a replacement muffler and an MG Christmas lunch

Some vehicles have such a distinctive exhaust note that you know what they are before you see them, irrespective whether they're bikes or cars.  My KTM 790 was like that, partially due to the 435 degree "big bang" firing order. Showing my age, Mike Hailwood's 1960's Honda 6 cylinder 250/350cc race bikes arguably had the best exhaust note of any i/c engine ever produced (HERE).  I've also read that the crisp exhaust note of the first and second generation Mazda MX-5 Miata was deliberately engineered to mimic the Lotus Elan, which allegedly provided the inspiration for the Miata.  Similarly, the 1.8 litre MGB and GT has a flat, distinctive burble.  Here 'tis:

I love the sound of our GT echoing off roadside cliffs and buildings, particularly on downshifts.  The human ear is a wonderful thing and a few days ago, it didn't sound "quite right" - call it a "gut feel" if you prefer. A quick inspection didn't reveal anything and I was left wondering whether it was my imagination.  The following day, we were returning home from lunch at a local beach cafe and the exhaust note was definitely louder and a little different - time for a proper look when we got home.

The problem was obvious when shining a torch underneath - a hole around 20mm diameter had appeared near the entry to the muffler.  A closer inspection revealed that quite a bit of the area around the hole was paper thin.  The external paint on the muffler was fine so clearly, it was internal corrosion which had caused the problem.  It was a regular occurrence on older cars with a lack of corrosion-resistant materials.  Short journeys also contribute to the problem where exhaust systems don't get sufficiently hot to evaporate moisture.  This was certainly the case with the previous owner (custodian?) of the MG.

Living a fair distance from major centres, getting replacement parts either involves mail order or a lengthy trip in one of our other cars.  A temporary fix was in order until a permanent solution could be organised.  A tube of exhaust cement was discovered in the shed and the recycle bin was raided for an empty aluminium can of alcohol-free cider!  Half an hour later, a patch had been cut and wired in place, and a gentle drive made to cure the cement.  A complete success and back to the typical MG exhaust note!

An alcohol-free exhaust repair!

Just in case the muffler was non-standard, I sent a sketch with dimensions to the MG specialist in Auckland.  Fortunately, it was the correct original and they had a replacement in stock which arrived a couple of days later.

A pristine muffler replacement

Being the eternal optimist with an hour before dinner, I set about changing the muffler.  What could possibly go wrong with just two clamps holding it in place?  Jack up the rear end to give a bit better access and slacken off the front and rear clamps.

Getting improved access, but not good enough

Unfortunately, Murphy's Law intervened.  The clamps were easy enough to remove but the muffler was stuck fast onto the exhaust system, a combination of underseal and carbon I suppose.  There wasn't sufficient room under the car for me to deliver a decent blow to the front of the muffler to break the seal.  No convenient underbody ledges to try and jack it backwards either.

Exhaust pipe well and truly wedged into muffler

Darn it!  The only thing to do was have a word with friend and near-neighbour Bruce, who owns a garage in the village and services our modern cars.  Bruce has proper vehicle hoists which give sufficient clearance to have a decent swing with a mallet to break the seal between the muffler and exhaust pipe.  My initial reluctance to ask Bruce for help was the amount of mickey-taking I'd have to endure about old farts in old cars.  Amazingly, he was quite restrained and within half an hour, the job was done.  Bruce's king-sized mallet did the trick!

New muffler ready for clamping up

Bruce putting the finishing touches to the bolt-up

There was further concern when Bruce spotted that the handbrake cable which runs between the rear wheels off hangers on the rear axle was rubbing against the exhaust pipe.  It clearly had the capability to damage both components although there was something at the back of my mind which suggested that I'd previously read about this issue.  When I got home, a quick search on the MG Experience internet forum revealed all.  Bruce's vehicle hoist lifts on the bodywork which meant that the rear axle and suspension were unloaded and dangled further down than normal, causing the cable to foul the exhaust pipe .  However, with the suspension supporting the bodywork in the normal driving position, there was plenty of clearance - phew!  I'd never previously noticed the condition as I jack the rear of the car off the differential, simulating the normal road-going configuration.  Every day is a school day!

Today, we travelled the 320 km round trip to Hamilton to attend the MG club's regional Christmas lunch. Our near-neighbours in Coromandel who own a couple of MG's also attended. Our cars were polished to within an inch of their lives so that we weren't regarded as the poor country cousins to the city members. Imagine our surprise when we found out that we were the only ones who bothered to turn up in our MG's - the rest were in their everyday drivers!  Poor show by the locals but our neighbours won 2 of the 3 raffle prizes on offer too - karma!

Another milestone

A bit of a departure from cars and bikes this time round but the timing is right for a bit of reflection on something special and more than a bit sentimental.

Later this month, Jennie and I will celebrate being married for 52 years.  They say that time flies when you're having fun and that's the absolute truth of it. Mercifully, she doesn't read this blog or she'd think I've gone soft in the head but over all that time, I couldn't have wished for more support than she's given to all my peccadilloes and hobbies.  I'd like to think it's been reciprocated too and I'm just as crazy about her now as when we got married, even if I receive a well-earned bollocking from time to time for guy-type transgressions.  She once said that it was like living with a 5 year old for something I'd done.  Clearly demonstrated her past profession as a teacher!

When I first mentioned to my closest mates that I really fancied her, they reckoned that I didn't have a chance as she was far too classy for the likes of me.  Only your closest friends can get away with saying that!  I must admit that I was almost painfully shy at that time and nervous about asking her out. Pretty surprised when she said yes, although one of her close friends was in on the matchmaking too.  It could have turned to custard at that stage as my mates actually told her what they said to me.  However, she showed true class by ignoring them, although she does still enjoy winding me up about it if I need pulling into line.  When the time came later on, I botched THE PROPOSAL by getting hopelessly tongue-tied and she made me get down on one knee and do it properly, sigh.  We married less than 12 months after first going out which was a complete whirlwind.  Photo taken on our honeymoon.  Why such a beautiful and smart woman chose to spend her life with me remains a mystery.

Just after our wedding, 1972

Moving from the UK to NZ in 1975 was the start of our big adventure together and as we both enjoyed our introduction to sailing in the UK, we bought a yacht to race at the local NZ yacht club.  On reflection, partners sailing together isn't necessarily a smart move as a hastily shouted command by the skipper can be taken badly (and often was!).  Fortunately, this was solved by Jennie expecting our first child and stopping sailing.  A move to single-handed yachts ensued and a lot of weekends were spent trailing a growing family round to various regattas in scenic locations around the country. Little wonder that our kids have always enjoyed the water!

Our Frostply class yacht - 1976

Building a professional career and raising a family became the priorities but in the late 80's, my interest in motorcycles was rekindled.  Jennie already knew of my past biking passion so I got the green light, although there was a quid pro quo in her buying a piano which cost twice as much as the bike!  

Circa 1990 - big hair and big glasses very much in fashion!

As the kids grew older, Jennie and I did more 2-up trips on the bikes.  She was the best pillion ever - you wouldn't even know that she was there.  However, there was one infamous occasion where we rode to some street races with friends and their wives.  On the way home, my mates and I might have been travelling a little too fast for the comfort of our pillions.  We stopped for refreshments at a country cafe and received a massive telling-off from our wives.  This was done in front of other riders sitting on the outdoor deck which received thunderous applause and cheers.  It would have been fatal to smile so we just shuffled our feet and took the very public rebuke.

Jennie and the Blackbird - 2003

The early 2000's saw the last of our kids off to university and Jennie traded being a pillion for her first 2 seat sports car.  We toured the south island for a month in her first one and had an absolute ball in near-perfect weather with the top down for most of the road trip.  It also allowed me to buy bikes which were better suited for the solo rider!

Mk1 MX5 at Warbirds HQ, Wanaka

Jennie became quite a petrolhead and for her 60th birthday, the first MX5 was replaced by importing a special edition MX5 NB model which had been worked on by Mazdaspeed in Japan.  Only 3000 of them were made for worldwide sales in the metallic merlot colour and other enhancements.

Mazdaspeed - prepped MX5, Warbirds HQ, Ardmore, Auckland

On the aforementioned south island trip, we also took a trip into the foothills of the Remarkables mountain range on 2 stroke quad bikes.  On a tricky downhill section strewn with rocks, Jennie left me for dead and has been smug about it ever since.  I still maintain that she wasn't aware of the risks but she isn't having any of it!

Hooning on 2 stroke quad bikes - Queenstown NZ, 2001

Since my retirement from motorcycling, owning our classic MGB GT car and a boat for sea fishing have both helped to fill the gap left from not riding.  Both of these pursuits were Jennie's suggestions so she really is one in a million.  A lot of her spare time is spent as Chair of the local museum and I lend my support as being one of her army of volunteer maintenance people - helping out cuts both ways!

A spot of winter fishing with So-Fish-Ticated

Made the same year we got married - 1972

Getting older doesn't mean sitting around, it means new experiences and never saying "If only....".  Being able to do it with my best mate is one heck of a bonus.  Overseas travel together has been somewhat curtailed since Covid but that will shortly be rectified with an Outback adventure in Australia, followed shortly after by my second knee replacement.  Hopefully after that, we can settle back into a normal, but busy life with our extended family.  I'm a lucky guy.