MG Magnette ZA
Tom had some grand ideas for his MG, then… well, you know the rest!
Iwas looking forward to the garage not being so cold that any attempt to unscrew or unbolt anything resulted in numb fingers and working on the car on week nights with more than the sliver of light emitting from the energy saving bulb in my garage.
The Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show was on the horizon, and after that the clocks going forward would give me an excuse to drive Mrs McCooey for after-dinner ice cream in style (tea is upgraded to dinner with a car as well-appointed as a Magnette).
As it stands, a barbecue is currently occupying the space in my garage where the car should be (for clarification it gets moved into the garden before being lit – and it doesn’t currently serve anyone other than the people and dog in this household) – and I can’t get to where the car actually is at the moment to work on it.
The next big job on my list was to fit a wiring loom. Previous readers of this (very) long tale will remember that there are signs on the old loom that it has overheated at some point. Better to change it than watch my small efforts (and other people’s great efforts) go up in smoke.
Having made some good contacts through the MG Car Club at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show last November, I ordered a
OWNED SINCE February 2014
MILEAGE SINCE LAST REPORT 0 TOTAL MILEAGE 112,000 LATEST COSTS £280
loom from Magnette Register historian, Peter Martin. While I was at it, I also asked him to supply me with a new fuel pump. When my dad and I tried to start the ZA back in about 2001, the idea of a replacement pump was touted then, so for the sake of £85 I thought I’d better finally get it sorted.
Of course, I started to worry as soon as the loom arrived. It took me all of about 15 seconds to decide that this was not a job I should attempt myself to see how it goes – even though this approach has, on occasion, been useful. Perhaps I should rally around my group of knowledgeable friends, whom I bother far too much for help with car-related things beyond my capabilities. Or maybe I could add it to the list of final jobs that I would ask the garage to do – brake lines, plumbing in the engine and gearbox… things like that – before we can earn the status of ‘rolling resto’.
In the end I decided to lump the wiring loom in with the list of things the garage – Quest Classic Car restoration in Orrell – would do (and they’ve done a great job so far).
While I was waiting for them to collect the car, I decided to swap the fuel pump over – a simple enough job. Having already taken the old pump out, it was a simple case of fixing the new one onto the bracket (after removing the old one) and using the bolts I had sensibly put in an envelope with the words ‘FUEL PUMP’ scrawled on it and placed on a shelf in the garage. Anyway, the screws on the bracket needed a liberal dose of lubricating grease to get them moving, and in doing so caused me to very nearly lose my wedding ring finger. Okay, maybe holding the bracket in one hand and attacking it with a screwdriver held by the other wasn’t the brightest thing I have ever done, but it still ruddy stung when it slipped off the screw and skewered my finger. Ouch! With the bracket off, I then discovered that the fuel line attached to the top still had some old petrol in it – specifically when it spilled all over my new wound – but the main objective of the exercise was at least complete by this point. Luckily, the new pump went onto the bracket with no problems, though I was very quickly reminded of the decapitating capabilities of the boot lid as I clambered in to fit it. A few turns of a ratchet held on each side of the bolts while in some challenging classic car yoga positions did the job.
But there hasn’t been much for me to do since then. Maggie got picked
up ready for the jobs that would get her engine finally started, and then… in came the lockdown.
With the garage currently closed, things are standing still on the project, but it’s not like I haven’t had to be patient before where this car is concerned, and it is absolutely right that staff at the shop are protected. Let’s be honest – my project is nowhere near as important as people’s health, and I’m looking forward to meeting the brilliant group of people that have been working on it again very soon.
And judging by my to-do list ( below), there’s a way to go yet…