I am (very) slowly going through the electrics and mechanicals of my NG Ta while keeping it running and having some fun on sunny days. It had not been used very much by the previous owner and appeared to have been serviced on a 'needs must' basis.

So far I have wired new horns in, and as the old air horn relay had gone I took them out and replaced them with a new pair of Hi Lo horns wired to the MG diagram. At last I have a working horn.

The kingpins etc and steering box have had some grease, although I am having to get to grips with the fact that a kit car isn't necessarily the same as a stock MGB. A chassis member runs above where the steering box grease nipple should be, and the nipple housing has been blanked off, so I had to remove the end of the housing and pack it with grease. I will investigate putting a grease nipple into the housing unless someone knows of a reason why I should leave it as is.

I have been running the car two or three times a week locally, doing about 50 miles, and she seems to be riding better the more I use her. After an oil change this morning, I went for a run from Harrogate to Skipton and back, a round journey of about 50 miles. I was able to drive up the fairly steep hill and through the bends Of Kex Ghyll in top gear, the engine running smoothly all the way and handling surprisingly well for such a tall car. I loved it!

Next thing will be to change the seats as my wife can't get in the bucket seats currently fitted, and I have enquiries in hand at the moment to use the rear seats from an MPV. I will let you know how I get on.

Regards

John

Hello John - We notice that you are a recent new member to the Club, so as Editors of the Club Mag, ChangiNGear we send you a big welcome, and hope that you will be able to send us some 'input' for Mag - about yourself and your NG exploits.
Glad to hear that you are making the most of your TA and best wishes with refurbs and upgrades.
Chris and Su

The new seats arrived this afternoon - two outer and one centre rear seat from a Renault Scenic in dark grey leather. The outer seats are about 18 1/2" max width, and on placing the nearside one in the car seem to fit OK. Although taller then the current bucket seats, they fold flat without snagging the cockpit side when not in use, meaning the tonneau cover will fit without modification.
The runners are currently fitted with ISO fixings, which will need to be removed, and then the bottom runners will bolt directly to the floor. The seatbelt horn can be removed, but could be useful to prevent wear on the seat back.
I'd post a couple of photos showing the seat in position if I knew how.

Regards,

John

Hi John,

The seats sound interesting, would love to see a picture some time.

I have a TA too, it is a great car, goes well, and has been in my garage for over 4 years now - which is a record for me. I wish you as much fun with yours as I have with mine - despite this years weather!!

Cheers
Jeremy

I have now finished fitting fitting the new nearside seat for my wife, and new inertia reel seatbelts (I obtained 3.5 metre long ones from a seller who seems to specialise in MPVs, vans and trucks and who has an ebay shop). The seat needed quite a bit of alteration to the ISO fittings which were basically cut off. A cobolt drill came in handy here for removing the welds. The nearside now has 6mm x 100mm steel plate fitted to the chassis rails for securing the seat to the floor. I was able to use the steel bracket for the seat belt horn as a third point to make a 3 point fitted seat belt.
We had a short 20 mile run out this evening (making the most of the good weather)and Lorraine (my wife) found the new seat offered the support she needs with reasonable comfort.
I will need to do something about the driving seat next as although it hinges forward, it has no catch to hold the rear to the floor. It also has a fully collapsed seat base, so I am basically sitting on the floor. Surprisingly, I find it very comfortable!

Regards

John

Hi John, just wanted to echo Chris and Su's comments on welcoming you to the club. You seem to be enjoying your TA and adding your individual touches. This is what NG ownership is all about. Don't forget the national rally is coming up in June and it would be really nice to see you and your car there if you can. We are a very inclusive club and it is a great weekend to chat to other owners, pick up tips and relax in good company. You will be most welcome.

Regards

Paul B

Thanks for the invitation Paul, but I don't think I'll be able to make it this year. That old cliche I used to hear from retired people saying they don't know how they found time to work is true!

I checked the oil in the gearbox and back axle today and found they both needed topping up. I put a bit of PTFE tape on the back axle filler plug to reduce leaks, and will do so on the drain plug when I change the oil as it always seems to leak unless someone knows of a reason why not.

My gearbox has a dipstick/filler reached from a hole cut in the transmission tunnel, so I used a tip seen on another car forum and used an adapted pressure spray bottle with a length of clear tube on the end of the adapted nozzle. This made it easy to top up the gearbox oil, and is handy as it has graduations to indicate how much oil has been put in. When you release the trigger and stop the oil flow, the oil stays in the tube and so allows a clean fill. The gearbox certainly is smoother when selecting gear now.

Regards

John

Hi John, It was a shame you couldn't make it this year. However there is always next year so get it in the diary. You would be most welcome, see how Audrey and Richard got on in their post on the forum. It really is a good weekend and I would respectfully urge you to attend.

Regards

Paul B