On my first and only date with a particularly attractive coed at school, we took the MGB to a drive-in theater. (Outdoor movie theater for you youngsters.) It was a beautiful summer evening and we put the top down. It was idyllic for a while, at least until a squall line loomed on the horizon. The movie was excellent, so we put up the top and stayed through the thunderstorm to *attempt* to see it to its conclusion, the wiper blades doing a mediocre job at best. With the wind coming in on her side, she got soaked and didn't deal with it well. I never asked her out again--I couldn't stand rejection.
I bought mine just post divorce and in full mid-life crisis. I had a lot of one time dates driving the MGB in the Pacific North West where rain is a Feature. Your post recalls a particularly bad one where the wind was blowing rain in on her and the semis were blasting water in on me. Might have been better off with the top down. :o(
While this has been really funny, I guess that I am responsible for starting this OT meandering -- I'm sorry (but I'm really not). My point was that the availability of parts is not a function of where a product comes from. My Brit car needed an endless stream of parts and we had no trouble coming up with them while my American, mainstream car went begging.
BTW, I owned an MGC -- I'm thinking '69.
Now, if you don't want OT, don't read further but there's a story I need to tell...
We took our honeymoon (St. Louis to New Orleans) in the TR-3 in Dec of '64. Trunk space was even more limited than normal because of the repair book, tools, and parts.
On the way back, very cold, and the heater quits working. Those familiar with the car will ask how I knew that it quit working since it seldom made much of an impression even when working normally. When it worked, though, it did keep the driver's right leg warm and the passenger's left leg.
I pulled off the road and found the fuse to be ok. I pulled out the book, opened to the wiring diagram, figured out which electrical things were working and which weren't, found the intersection of the wires, cleaned up a connection, and all was back to normal. I never would have found it without the book so it was worth the space it took.
My new wife was mighty impressed since she had married a music major and who knew that he could do this kind of stuff. She was a good sport about the car and everything else so I've decided to keep her.
As time goes by my expectations of music majors increase. One of the sharpest techs I've known was a graduate of Juilliard and Hart. Fixed computers to put food on the table but her first love was the cello.
Reeves Callaway, the guy who builds special performance Corvettes and other cars for GM (that GM sells with a full factory warranty) was a music major.
Boot Space, Bill. Trunks are American cars. My MG had a wee rack on the lid of the Boot. I carried the luggage out in the weather and the parts and tools in the Boot.
After a point I began to believe that. I finally installed a tonneau cover and left the top down most of the time, even in lighter rain. Girls didn't like their coiffures to get blown, so I had to put the top up from time to time.
A friend of mine has a new 750 stubby, and I took a good look at it. Most of the reasons have already been said, what stood out for me was how quiet it was, and for the type of pieces that I like to make...it's a good size. I like to turn big, the stubby is alot smaller than my lathe, but my big lathe is a hassle to work on pieces smaller than 18" diameter.
You'll make a lot more money turning big than small pieces, in alot of ways, it's much easier to turn big. People with big houses like large pieces for their homes, if your the only guy in your area that has the capablity, you'll have the market share. Turning big is a serious commitment in tooling, but the upside is the bigger paycheck and satisfaction.
is this were I tell the group that I used to drive a Morgan +4, it's still here - I need to get it out and drive it again - it's fun if you don't have to get somewhere - but it's horrible to commute in - and when I drove it regularly, I learned to keep the top down rain or shine --- it's a lot more open than a TR3 (or 2) or MG except maybe the T series
The only thing Cooler is a low mileage Vintage Lotus. Of course they are All low mileage as they spend most of their time in the shop, or waiting for parts.
A few years ago, when competing in SCCA SOLO II events, there was a gent with a Plus 4 who competed as well. He had bought his car new and had kept it immaculate over the years. It was a superb example of the model and one all of us Miata and Corvette drivers loved to ogle. I never got the opportunity to drive it, but it looked like an entertaining automobile, provided you had a good back. The ride, with the live rear axle, was a bit rough, according to the owner.
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