Reflected Rivalry

I shot this photo during the February Mugs & Motors - Continental Classics tour and I thought it caught the rivalry between Triumph and MG pretty well. 

The MGA and Triumph TR3 were contemporaries when they were new and, as it is today, each had its own devoted following. The MGA is owned by Robb Ogletree and the TR3 belongs to Keith Jarvis.

It's a Stag Party Now

I spent a pleasant Sunday with SABCC'ers Stuart Waddington and Richard Cunningham. Stuart purchased another Triumph Stag, this time a local car.

Readers of these humble scribblings may recall that Stuart purchased a 1972 Triumph Stag located in California through an Ebay auction. I had the thrill of seeing the car not long after it was offloaded from the hauler that brought it to south Alabama. The car was complete and, as expected of a California car, largely free of the dreaded tin worm.

Photo courtesy of Stuart Waddington

Richard and I, no strangers to buying up unloved old British cars, looked at a 1972 Stag about six months ago with an idea of either parting it out as we did with the 1969 Jaguar E-Type or selling it on to another enthusiast as we did with the 1972 Triumph Spitfire. We could not reach an agreement on price with the owner - she had a serious emotional attachment to it as it was one of her late husband's cars. We left it promising the owner that we would try to help her by passing word of its existence on to others.

Stuart's recent return from an overseas work assignment meant that he could strike into the disassembly of his California Stag. Richard happened to mention to him that the owner of the local '72 Stag was ready to deal on her car since she was making preparations to leave the area. Stuart inspected the car, made an offer and became the owner of a second Stag. 

The car was going to require some pushing and heaving to get it out of its garage of the last four years so it could be hauled up on the rollback that was hired for the occasion. Since pushing and heaving are two of my long suits, I offered my services. The Stag was duly delivered to the Garagemahal in Daphne where it joined joined its brother. 

The new Stag is a pretty solid car, too. It spent all its life in the Mobile area - it was likely sold by the late, lamented Freeman Sports Cars on the Beltline. Unfortunately the car was the victim of an engine transplant - a not uncommon fate for a Stag - but Stuart's first car has the original Triumph V8 engine so he has options. 

Stay tuned for more news on this project as it develops. 

Watch the Cat Go Back Together

Richard's E-Type Before Disassembly

I don't own a Jaguar E-Type. Well, I do have a half-ownership of a pile parts (some pretty good ones, actually) that used to be a complete E-Type that has since given its soul to other E-Types around the world, but its hasn't been a driver since Bill Clinton was in office. I do have a friend that owns an E-Type that I've written about from time to time here and he's starting the reassembly process of his long term restoration.

Richard Cunningham's 1964 E-Type coupe has it's own web site and now it also has a blog to keep all and sundry interested parties up to speed on the progress of the restoration. He has posted a number of photos there and will be keeping Jaguar lovers around the world up to date on his work. You might even see a photo or two of yours truly doing his best to stay out of the way while real work is being done on the car.

Check out his blog often - the cat could be on the road sooner than you might imagine.  

Two Homecomings and a Trip Back to High School

Saturday marked a major development in SABCC'er Richard Cunningham's Jaguar E-Type restoration: he brought the painted bodyshell back to the Garagemahal in Daphne. 

Getting the body back from the paint shop in Fairhope was going to take a couple of trips with a trailer since the main body was on a dolly and the expansive bonnet was on a rotisserie fixture that took up a lot of real estate. There wasn't going to be any loading help from the bodyshop so, Mike Darby and I volunteered to help with the effort. Mike would also help give the final paint finish a quick inspection and I would, well, try to stay out of the way.

Mike Darby at the Wheel

I arrived at Richard's just before Mike drove up in his near-as-dammit-finished MGA roadster. Mike offered me a lift to Fairhope in the MG and I couldn't resist. The lovely red car was just striking in the bright sunshine and it would be first time I've ridden in an MGA since 1973. Sign me up!

My best buddy in high school - Tony Barone - had a '62 MGA roadster and we spent a lot of time in that old car. The yellow paint was faded and chalked, it didn't have side curtains and first gear sounded like rocks in a coffee can (a common malady, says Mike). In short, it was perfect! I can remember the view from the shotgun seat very clearly - the center mounted and horn button and the starter knob were just cool. The top was never up unless it was pouring rain and even then, the use of liberated gym towels for side curtains didn't do much to keep us dry.

Riding with Mike brought back a lot of those old memories, but his MGA is light years nicer than the beater I knew. Mike is also a top-down guy and temps in the low 40s (Fahrenheit) didn't mean that the soft top needed erecting. He cranked the heater up to high and set out. I was in heaven.

The Glowing Body Tub

We got the project E-Type back to Richard's home in two trips with the trailer. We handled the beautifully painted body with the awe and caution that the expensive work demanded. Mike and I followed Richard as he towed the body home and there were more than a few double takes and pointed fingers from those in passing cars. The E-Type is a showstopper even in a disassembled state.

The new Opalescent Silver Grey paint is stunning. In the sunlight, the metallic paint simply glows, almost as if it was lit from within. I'm excited about the progress made on the Jaguar and I don't even have a dog in the fight! 

A Justifiably Proud Richard Cunningham

Richard offered to make a side trip over to Mike's shop in Silverhill, Alabama to retrieve my new-to-me hardtop that I purchased for my faithful MGB. It made the trip back from the seller's place in Meridian, Mississippi in Mike's pickup and I haven't had the time to fetch it home. We strapped it down on the trailer and brought it back to my humble garage in Spanish Fort.

As I mentioned, the gel coat has a ding or three and there are a number of scratches that might buff out. It needs new side windows and some of the rubber seals would do with a replacement. There is also a broken tab that engages the clip on the tonneau panel that I need to find or have made. But, for the price, I did very very well. I spent an hour or so this afternoon giving it a thorough clean up and I am starting the search for parts. If you've got factory hardtop parts that you would like to part with at a reasonable price, please get in touch.

The Ogletree MGA is Back to Rude Health

Regular readers of this blog may remember the post about the club's trip to the PBCA Brits on the Bay car show in April. I wrote about the breakdown of Robb Ogletree's beautiful black MGA on the return trip and the diagnosis of a connecting rod-created picture window in the engine block.

The MGA is now back in Robb's possession after a lengthy stay at Mike Darby's British car spa in Silverhill. Robb purchased an MGB 1800 engine from fellow SABCC member Stuart Waddington after a long search for a replacement 1622 came to naught. Stuart rebuilt the 1800 in short order and delivered it to Mike who handled the installation of the new power plant.

Robb is pleased with the extra power that the 1800cc engine provides and certainly happy to have his car back. We look forward to seeing him out in it again, soon.



Photos courtesy of Robb Ogletree

A Stag Joins the Party

SABCC member Stuart Waddington announced at the last club meeting that he was the successful bidder for a 1972 Triumph Stag. This 73,000 mile car spent its life in the western US. I had the opportunity to see the car this evening - just a few hours after it was dropped off by the car hauler.

It appears to be a solid, honest car - one that Stuart should be able to renovate easily and make a fine stablemate to his award-winning MGB. The Triumph V8 sounds awesome.

Look for it at an event near you!

Another E-Type Saved

It was good to see long time SABCC member Jeff Hearndon at the Harbor Freight Tools event. Like the rest of us, Jeff was looking for good deals on tools and accessories for his own projects. Those of you who know Jeff probably associate him with some very nice Triumph TRs - especially his green TR3.

It turns out that Jeff is the recent buyer of a 1970 Jaguar E-Type roadster that is in need of restoration. Like the '69 coupe that Richard Cunningham and I bought last year, Jeff's is also a victim of Hurricane Katrina. Although it suffered from the ravages of the storm, it is a low mileage car having been laid up for many years.

Jeff is working on the car with the help of his twin sons. It looks like it's going to be fun and educational project.

It Lives!

You may remember reading an entry is this humble blog about my brother's efforts to get his '76 MGB on the road after its lengthy slumber. I am pleased to report that it is not only running but it is drivable. It was treated to a fluids change, new fuel tank, new tires, electronic ignition, etc.

I drove it Saturday and it drives as nicely as it ever did.

It is still in Richard Cunningham's garage where it will be cleaned up and final details performed.

Hark! The Herald's Axles Swing

SABCC'er Mike Darby shared a story about a relative in England who nearly had a catastrophic end to a drive in a Triumph Herald. It seems that quick direction changes at speed can cause the independent rear suspension to come unstuck and make the car take a new, unplanned course. The swing axle rear was similar to that used in VW Beetles and Chevy Corvairs. At least the engine was in the right end of the Herald...

A Sleeping MGB is About to Wake Up

Many of you long-time SABCC members know my brother (and fellow SABCC member) Alan. Most of you know that he owns a '76 MGB. Those of you that became SABCC'ers recently have not seen either Alan or his MGB. Wait no more - here it is. Alan's car is a late '76 in vermillion (orange to you and me) - mine is an early '76 in chartreuse (that would be yellow).

Due to a minor electrical issue, family and work obligations, Alan parked his 'B some years ago snugly in his west Mobile garage with every intention of making it right and driving it soon. More years than was planned passed and the old girl now needs more than just a quick fettling to get her roadworthy.

The ever-generous Richard Cunningham heard that Alan was about to begin work on the car and offered to house the 'B in his spacious Daphne garage. Since Richard found a gentleman to adopt his mid-30's Chevy pickup-hot rod project, there was more than enough room for an MG-sized car in his man-cave. Alan took him up on his offer and the rollback was dispatched with the slumbering MGB aboard.

The MG was dropped off today and a quick inspection revealed that the 'B is in better condition than originally thought. The clutch is free, the hydraulics seem to be fine and the engine turns. What fuel was in the tank has long since done its part for global warming - no sloshing was heard.

Alan is planning to mount a new set of tires (the ones on the car are at least 15 years old), install a new battery, fresh oil, coolant and hydraulic fluid. The fuel tank will likely come off to determine its ability to hold fuel. A new tank may be in the cards. Alan, Richard and I will do the work and I for one can't wait to see the car back on the road.