Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) What Did You Do To Your Morgan Today?

Oh I had two incidents on Minis where the roll pin dropped out of the gear linkage, leaving me stuck in top gear. After that I added cable ties through the centres. There are two on the selector rod.

Both times required some high speed work at T junctions and a lot of clutch slipping. The second time was just after I left home to pick MrsW up from work. I figured by going round the block always turning left I could make it home. But the first left was a 90 degree onto a busy road and also uphill. And it was "rush hour". Anyway I committed to that junction, miraculously got a gap in the traffic then spent the next quarter mile kangarooing up the hill. The other lefts were easy-peasy. I got home.

I went to a job interview in Leeds in my best suit. At Woolley Edge, on the steep grade it went onto 3 cylinders. I stopped at the services, whipped the plugs out and number 3 was totally oiled. The A series usually screws up number 3. I cleaned it off, but no difference. So I had two choices. Make it home and swop cars, or carry on. I carried on, on three cylinders. Downhill was Ok, but uphill was a bit testing.

After my interview it started reluctantly. A series are great starters, even with two cylinders out. I made it back home on three. It was a bit rough but got me there. Turned out the exhaust valve had dropped a chunk.

There have been other occasions where I struggled to get home but they are the most memorable.

A scary one was total brake failure coming down MamTor into the Edale Valley ... Mum and Sister in the back of my new (to me... it was an old banger) Vauxhall Victor ..... looked across to Mrs Image in the passenger seat and could tell she knew right away .... ended up door-handling round bends far faster than was in any way prudent .... back seat passengers must have thought I always drove like that as their constant chatter never missed a beat 🙂

Was mightily relieved when a flat stretch of road allowed me to stop.

Turned out the previous owner had filled the brake master cylinder with engine oil and all the seals were mush !

One of my closest approaches to a big accident that never quite happened.

K

As you might guess K, been there done that too...though in a Lotus Elan, but I suspect dest risk not annoying folk by elaborating, given the length of my posts today...

I remember a time in my '61 MGA that I had a brake line fail. I had to drive about 20 miles to get home, ever so gently, using the parking brake for the last little bit of stopping for traffic lights, etc. I was grateful that my parents drilled me on that exact procedure as I was learning how to drive. They also taught me how to drive without a clutch, and I spent many hours in an empty parking lot, learning how to parallel park and perform other basic operations, all with a nearly-full and unsupported paper cup of water. Any spills triggered a reset of the exercise.

Descending the Tor in the old Three Wheeler on biscuit tin string brakes is 'concentration forming' in modern traffic, when the fronts are so hot and you're tempted to pull the handbrake in panic...if it locks the rear you can spin and then roll over

Rear wheels off for a good clean and inspection.

I popped over to Staffordshire to view a cache of 4/4 and Plus 4 spares including some from a very well known, very well put together racing Plus 4.

Came away with a complete TR4 engine with a nicely modified cylinder head, a steering column, a pair of SU's on a TR2 manifold and a pair of twin 45 Dellortos.

Also a couple of boxes of interesting spares to go through and sort out.

Can pass on the details......

Arwyn

....https://www.tm-img.com/image/LeNe6
https://www.tm-img.com/image/Le7DK

fitted led bulbs into the "T" shaped warning light cluster, and 2 lamda sensors and display gauges I could have got a single gauge to display both readings but i didn't realise they existed till i had bought the single ones, every day you learn something new.

David Byrne

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