The Dark Wob

Weirdly the same clips used on the OMGMGBGTBYMG tailgate for attaching the cladding are used for the R16 door cards, so imagine my surprise to be able to obtain suitable spares for my car across the street at Moss's.

Just come back from a trip out to Newark Park National Trust with Mrs SiC. Lovely drive over and the car performed fine. About 40 miles round trip or so if you are wondering. Longest journey I've done in it, apart from the original drive back from buying it.

Hurrah finally you say!



Most were 30 or 40mph roads, so pretty sedate. Actually tended to be a fair bit slower as getting stuck behind bloody slow Sunday drivers. Including up a hill where a nearly brand new Disco was doing 25-35mph, causing a hold up for a TR4a and myself stuck behind it.

On the way up there the front discs were at around 75c (passenger side always ~5c hotter but there is the exhaust manifold that side) and the rear drums were 30c and 38c. Back home it was a different matter. Fronts again around 70c, rears this time though are 35c and 78c. Looks like I didn't whack the handbrake lever in well enough before setting off on the way back.

Definitely need that side sorting before I go on any longer or faster road journeys.

Junkman wrote: ↑Sun May 19, 2019 2:46 pm Weirdly the same clips used on the OMGMGBGTBYMG tailgate for attaching the cladding are used for the R16 door cards, so imagine my surprise to be able to obtain suitable spares for my car across the street at Moss's.

People whinge about the MGB and Minors being a clique classic car but they are great starter classics and not bad cars. Having nearly full parts availability makes running one (especially as a daily) a lot easier than something rarer where if something breaks you have to pay some idiot well over the odds for something worthless or send it off to be rebuilt for a lot and have it break again shortly after...

Having a Moss nearby has been invaluable in getting the little bits sorted on this. Stuff like those rubber wiper washers, which are pennies, I can pick up on a lunchtime and not have to pay postage.

Just in time repairing.

Junkman wrote: ↑Sun May 19, 2019 1:48 pm Use a different approach: What would make the boot not get wet when it rains?
This school of thinking has often helped me when investigating possible causes for water ingress.

Parking it in a garage?

Nice to see it being used regularly now.

With water leaks spray it with a hose pipe start low and work up. Run the hose for a few mins on each spot and check after to see where spraying water causes it to leak. They can be right buggers to find.

captain_70s wrote: ↑Sat May 18, 2019 12:27 pm Fuck, that looks like a fuck about and a half...

The old wheel looks similar to the Dolly one which isn't exactly great for gripping during spirited driving, not aided by the cover detaching from the metal and being a bit twisty in places.

I want to replace it with a Toledo one, which is even bigger, narrower and slippier. For extra giffer points and lighter steering for parking....

It's made a massive difference to driving. I wish I fitted it earlier. Gives a much more reassuring and heavier feel through the steering wheel - especially in the corners. As it's nice and meaty, it's easier to clamp your hands round and wrestle the car around. Like you said about yours, the original was starting to come detached from the metal inside. So you could twist the outside around.

I nearly didn't bother changing it when it really wouldn't budge. But my stubbornness would probably have resorted to cutting the hub off a few days later.

I don't even like the original wheel that much. The older ones with the knuckle breakers are much nicer. Or even the ones like mine but where they had cut outs in the infill sections.


I think the Midget had a similar history of wheels to the MGB. Small amount of info here on them: https://drivetribe.com/p/mg-steering-wh ... lODurt_e2A

Good to see it's starting to behave in use, the more use it gets the better it'll behave. Old cars tend to sulk when left alone.

SiC wrote: ↑Sun May 19, 2019 5:10 pm About 40 miles round trip or so if you are wondering.

...............................................................................110 miles!

If it makes you feel better, I can has done over 500 miles this weekend, mostly at 80+

fried onions wrote: ↑Mon May 20, 2019 8:17 pm If it makes you feel better, I can has done over 500 miles this weekend, mostly at 80+

Hopefully it wasn't a car over 50yrs old as apparently "I do want to use it as an everyday car, and 50 year old oily bits weren't going to make that either reliable or pleasant."


I'm finding the brakes needing work quite frustrating as I really up for going on much longer journeys in this. However I don't want to fuck over the bearings by roasting them with the dragging rear brake. However I can't really moan too much as it was always going to be a thing needing work on a car that has hardly moved for at least 18+ years.