So it has been a while since I wrote about my LBCs (Little British Cars); the MGB Roadster, MGB-GT and my Triumph Spitfire/Spit 6, which has been in restoration for a decade. Believe it or not it is getting closer to finalization as the exhaust is now nearly complete, all under chassis work is done except for the new clutch slave cylinder and the little bit of welding work needed in the rear is done.
Once those last few things are complete it can come down off the lift and the final bits for the interior can be installed and then the last major hurdle begins; doing the body and paint work. Some things need attention, but for the most part it needs a good sanding and a coat of primer before final paint; which will be the same American Racing White (current base color) and adding a blue stripe.
The Spit 6, Spitfire with race prepared 2.0 liter GT-6 drive-train, used to be a race car back in the days of SCAA Time-trials classification. I'm going for the street-able restoration, which requires things like...lights and turn signals. So a few of these things need attention as well.
Neither the Roadster nor the GT have been out of the garage for more than a few minutes over the winter, but now that spring is here I plan on getting them out for a run or two in the coming weeks. One of the things I need to do is top off the tanks with fresh gas and add BG-44K additive. My LBC Mensch, Barry, swears by the stuff and he is not easily impressed. I bought 4 cans from him, one each for the MGBs and one for my wife's Volvo C-70 Turbo Convertible.
I saved the last can for my 1985 Toyota pick-up truck; over 182,000 miles and the engine has never been apart! It's not much of a looker and I don't drive it a lot, but when you need a truck for something it's really handy. I took it out last Saturday, threw in the can of BG-44K and filled up the tank. Made a drive over to the local shopping center and a cruise around town and I swear, it ran better on the way home than on the way out without the BG-44K.
I think Barry is right, the stuff works miracles to clean fuel systems and de-carbonize the valve train. It's not cheap, but it works and you only need to add it about every 20-30K miles. I'm looking forward to adding it to the Volvo to see what extra performance and drive-ability might be reclaimed.
Later! --- SF
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Friday, February 19, 2016
And another thing.......
Well that didn't work...! Fourteen months later and my promise to post more yielded absolutely nothing. My only excuse is that the same hindrances that kept me on the sidelines in 2014 raised their ugly heads in 2015 as well. I am hopeful that 2016 will be different.
It is a bit in one way already. According to the federal government I have already turned 60 years old. Good for me that I've made it this far. Turning 59 1/2 on February 12th (an extra day because of the leap year) causes the powers that be to consider me to be 60, so I can now access my IRA & 401k funds without penalty. Yippee! I get my own money back.
On the writing front there is a strong possibility that I am the featured Op-Ed contributor to the Ellijay Times-Courier this week. The hospital there is in danger of closing and it is all because of the short-sighted Georgia government not accepting the additional Medicaid funding due to them. Since over 20% of Gilmer county lives below the poverty level and the median income is $10k below the state average there are a bunch of people with an eligibility gap that seek free care at the hospital ER as their primary source of health care. Free care which gets no reimbursement to the hospital, which they eat, but can no longer afford to do.
So I wrote a letter to the editor pointing these things out. He liked it so much that he asked me for a photo and background info to run it as an Op-Ed piece. Now this will not sit well with the Republican majority in Gilmer county as this viewpoint is farther left than they can see. But it doesn't change the facts one bit and the hospital will still close, which is bad for business. Which is a very Republican stance, so I guess I am screwed either way.
Anyway, thanks to my good friend D-Ray for pointing out to me that The Soggy Footwell needed to be updated with something a little more current than December of 2014.
It is a bit in one way already. According to the federal government I have already turned 60 years old. Good for me that I've made it this far. Turning 59 1/2 on February 12th (an extra day because of the leap year) causes the powers that be to consider me to be 60, so I can now access my IRA & 401k funds without penalty. Yippee! I get my own money back.
On the writing front there is a strong possibility that I am the featured Op-Ed contributor to the Ellijay Times-Courier this week. The hospital there is in danger of closing and it is all because of the short-sighted Georgia government not accepting the additional Medicaid funding due to them. Since over 20% of Gilmer county lives below the poverty level and the median income is $10k below the state average there are a bunch of people with an eligibility gap that seek free care at the hospital ER as their primary source of health care. Free care which gets no reimbursement to the hospital, which they eat, but can no longer afford to do.
So I wrote a letter to the editor pointing these things out. He liked it so much that he asked me for a photo and background info to run it as an Op-Ed piece. Now this will not sit well with the Republican majority in Gilmer county as this viewpoint is farther left than they can see. But it doesn't change the facts one bit and the hospital will still close, which is bad for business. Which is a very Republican stance, so I guess I am screwed either way.
Anyway, thanks to my good friend D-Ray for pointing out to me that The Soggy Footwell needed to be updated with something a little more current than December of 2014.
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