Meet Callie

On arrival

So far I have spent most of this year a little obsessed with my "new" car. Callie arrived in my life back in January, like most cars over 40 years old she did not have an MOT, but I was assured that she ran and stopped and went round corners. I knew she had not been on the road for a couple of years but had been driven up and down a drive so all should be OK, or thereabouts.

My initial assessment was that everything was there but needed refreshing, the only real problem was that the wipers didn't work. The switch was OK but wiring was a bit of a mess and I assumed this was the problem, oh if only it had been that simple. A total swine of a job but in the end I had to fit a new motor and a new wheel box ~ but now I could legally drive her on the road. So far I have

• Full Service with new engine oil and filter, new plugs, points & condenser.
• New fuel filter
• New gearbox oil
• New Horns
• refreshed reversing lights
• Fitted sound deadening (carpet underlay)
• Cleaned out and adjusted carburettors
• Adjusted rear brakes
• Cleaned overspray off windows
• New mirrors (inside and out)
• New heater control valve
• Flush and replace coolant
• New hoses, thermostat and housing
• Tighten up steering wheel mounting
• Replace bonnet catch spring
• New clock and cigar lighter unit (for phone charging)

Visiting friends

I am currently engaged in trying to replace the front engine mounts before she goes in for an MOT tomorrow, and then a trip to France on Sunday ~ only four days from now, when I plan a round trip of around 1,200 miles.

My rational in buying an MGB GT was that there are loads of them around so there's no need to be too precious, I want a useable car not a show pony! Spares are readily available, indeed, you can buy everything needed to build a complete new car, and, I thought it would be reasonably easy to work on. Well two out of three isn't too bad, but just about every job I have done so far is way more difficult than it should have been, too much is virtually inaccessible, things are at stupid angles and often there isn't space to use the correct tool. But all in all I am having fun with it.