May Update

Life has happened, and I have not spent as much time on the MG as I would like. The original challenge is that when I got it, my garage would not fit it. In addition to the collection of junk that it is imperative for every American to collect, I had a section of the garage that had been sectioned off long before I bought the place to be used as a toolshed. It took up a lot of room in the garage and really didn’t function too well. Therefore, I spent about three months tearing down walls and generally remodeling and reorganizing the garage. Included in this was not a little de-cluttering.

I was able to get Goliath into his new home and other than the fact that he hasn’t said a thing yet, he seems happy there.

I was able to spend parts of a few days two weeks ago when my father came back into town in early May to work on it. We didnt get it started, but we did make progress. Since its been sitting for so long, we didn’t want to just try to turn it on. We wanted to make sure that the engine moved freely and was not hung up. We started by pulling all the spark plugs and injecting the engine with “Mystery Oil” (availible at O’Reilly’s).

Our original plan was to hand turn the engine from the front of the car on the shaft that the fan is attached to. The problem is that it spins free and will not turn the engine. We weren’t sure what we were going to do until dad came up with the idea of jacking up the rear passenger wheel and turning it. Worked like a charm… the distributor went around happily and the engine moved freely.

We then attempted to start the car, but it didnt go so happily. At most, it would sputter three times in a row, and get no further. I suspect that its not getting enough juice due to dirty contacts. We cleaned all the contacts in the starting system that we could reach from the top, but still couldn’t start it. I need to get under the car and pull the starter and clean its contacts and take it to O’Reilly’s for testing.

In the process, my daughter again expressed her delight in Daddy’s car by trying to clean under the hood.

 

 

Unloading Goliath

Unloading Goliath on the day we got it.

 

Expert Car Wash Help

My daughter washing the car the day we got it.

 

Pictures from the day I got the car

Picking it up

My daughter loved the car…

so much so that when I decided to wash it, she decided that it was her responsibility!  She wouldn’t let me touch it.

Its washed, and the top is down.  We both think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

Car History

The following is the history of the car as best we know it:

1979: Manufactured.  Sold to an owner in New York.

1996: Original owner sells it to our relative who lives in New York

1998: Car moved to Texas

2003 or 2005: Car parked and garaged.  Exact date is unclear because the last registration sticker is 2005, but the last safety sticker was 2003.

December 2011: Car transferred to me. 

2012: Will be restored to original.

 

Introduction

Growing up, I always knew that I wanted a classic car.  Dad had a convertible 1965 Ford Mustang and there was just something about driving in it with the top down that inspired me. 

I’ve looked at several different kinds of cars over the years.  Of course, my first choice had been the 1965 Mustang because that’s what I grew up with.  I still love the car, but realize that its outside my price range and I don’t have room for it.  I also briefly considered a 1960’s Camaro, but came to the same conclusion: Too much money, not enough room.

Earlier this year I had decided to start saving for a convertible Volkswagen Kharmenghia and was hoping to save enough over the course of several years to afford one and then restore it.  Hot rods and modifications have never meant much to me; I prefer the original.

Then my folks came to Texas for Christmas.  My father was talking to a relative of my brother about his MG Midget.  He was asking if he had plans to get it back on the road and the man replied that he was planning on just giving it away to a charity.  He immediately asked Dad if he wanted it, and dad said he’d ask me. 

Of course, I agreed and this Monday we went to pick it up and bring it home. 

This blog will detail the process of restoring the car.