Introduction:
I purchased MG TC #0777 in June of 2017 from a gentleman in Pennsylvania. When the car was delivered it was in eminently drivable condition, so that is what I did all summer until it developed an oil leak somewhere in the engine compartment in late August. In conjunction, the power seemed a bit down as well.
As a first step, I decide to perform a compression check on the motor, during which, I assumed, the battery failed. Jumping and charging the battery had no effect. This led to my conclusion the starter was bad and needed replacing. It was on my "to do" list all fall and winter, but the task was kicked down the road and eventually put on the back burner during the super cold winter we had (super cold at least for here in Virginia). Not having a heated garage made it easy to rationalize putting the job off until warmer weather.
Recently; however, a publisher of a local magazine asked if our TC and I could be included in an article they were going to do about old cars in the area. I readily agreed and with that, I had the motivation to get to work on #0777. The following paragraph and subsequent blog entry will attempt to portray the story of MG TC #0777 while under my ownership.
I am currently trying to catch up with the past six months, so there may be some posts out of chronological order, or I may go back and add a little here or there to existing posts. Enjoy it or ignore it as you wish as this blog is as much for my own edification and enjoyment as it is yours.
BTW, you can follow more action on The MG Experience and on MG-TABC.
February 23, 2018
It’s been three days, actually, of 5 hours per day. It started with a simple starter and exhaust system replacement, which morphed into oil and coolant change while awaiting parts. I intended to change the cooling system hoses anyway because of the unsightly condition of the clamps and hard hoses. The coolant changed revealed some rather heavy corrosion in the radiator and in the thermostat housing and branch pipe. More parts required. I did manage to get the valve cover gasket replaced and retorqued the head along the way. Received the new starter switch today from FTFU, but I ran out of time to put it back in. I was hoping to get the car back together and running for a photo shoot this coming Wednesday for a local magazine, but I’m afraid it will have to be a static shoot as I have to go away for three days and I simply can’t get the parts and get it all back together in time. C’est la vie. I still have the cooling system to refurbish, install the starter, fit a new exhaust and speedo cable housing. Nothing too difficult, but now I have to remove the radiator to install the top radiator hose, something I wasn’t expecting to have to do. While I was looking at that job I noticed a few Grill slats broken on the bottom. One tied with safety wire! After that I hope the little bugger will start after sitting the winter. Oh, and a new battery is needed; one that fits properly as well. This is all on TC #0777 that I purchased last April. The TD/C (aka Mk II) is still in various stages of disassembly in the shop and has been since a year ago last November.
I purchased MG TC #0777 in June of 2017 from a gentleman in Pennsylvania. When the car was delivered it was in eminently drivable condition, so that is what I did all summer until it developed an oil leak somewhere in the engine compartment in late August. In conjunction, the power seemed a bit down as well.
As a first step, I decide to perform a compression check on the motor, during which, I assumed, the battery failed. Jumping and charging the battery had no effect. This led to my conclusion the starter was bad and needed replacing. It was on my "to do" list all fall and winter, but the task was kicked down the road and eventually put on the back burner during the super cold winter we had (super cold at least for here in Virginia). Not having a heated garage made it easy to rationalize putting the job off until warmer weather.
Recently; however, a publisher of a local magazine asked if our TC and I could be included in an article they were going to do about old cars in the area. I readily agreed and with that, I had the motivation to get to work on #0777. The following paragraph and subsequent blog entry will attempt to portray the story of MG TC #0777 while under my ownership.
I am currently trying to catch up with the past six months, so there may be some posts out of chronological order, or I may go back and add a little here or there to existing posts. Enjoy it or ignore it as you wish as this blog is as much for my own edification and enjoyment as it is yours.
BTW, you can follow more action on The MG Experience and on MG-TABC.
February 23, 2018
It’s been three days, actually, of 5 hours per day. It started with a simple starter and exhaust system replacement, which morphed into oil and coolant change while awaiting parts. I intended to change the cooling system hoses anyway because of the unsightly condition of the clamps and hard hoses. The coolant changed revealed some rather heavy corrosion in the radiator and in the thermostat housing and branch pipe. More parts required. I did manage to get the valve cover gasket replaced and retorqued the head along the way. Received the new starter switch today from FTFU, but I ran out of time to put it back in. I was hoping to get the car back together and running for a photo shoot this coming Wednesday for a local magazine, but I’m afraid it will have to be a static shoot as I have to go away for three days and I simply can’t get the parts and get it all back together in time. C’est la vie. I still have the cooling system to refurbish, install the starter, fit a new exhaust and speedo cable housing. Nothing too difficult, but now I have to remove the radiator to install the top radiator hose, something I wasn’t expecting to have to do. While I was looking at that job I noticed a few Grill slats broken on the bottom. One tied with safety wire! After that I hope the little bugger will start after sitting the winter. Oh, and a new battery is needed; one that fits properly as well. This is all on TC #0777 that I purchased last April. The TD/C (aka Mk II) is still in various stages of disassembly in the shop and has been since a year ago last November.
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