Last report ended on a couple of sour notes in Indianapolis with a broken trailer spring, and the trailer being burgled with a bunch of tools and car parts missing. Having filed a police report, as expected nothing came of it, so had to begin restoring the magic for the trailer. Grounded over the week end to order springs Monday and install them Tuesday. Bought a new (replacement) aluminum floor jack to help with the spring job. The new springs are way too stiff, so removed the bottom leaf. Still too stiff but will consider looking for the correct softer ones sometime (if I find the time). Then we were on our way back south for warmer weather (temporarily).

Fresh paint for MGB at Tartan Automotive

Magnetic door panels for Z-Magnette

By Monday, March 4th we were hugging the Gulf coast in the eastern toe of Louisiana. Found a friend willing to let us use his garage for some service work, so ordered up a new exhaust manifold and windscreen glass for delivery to Mandeville, LA. Then took a mid-day trip to visit Keith Vezina at Tartan Automotive in Kennner, LA (very near New Orleans). He was just finishing paint on an MGB, about ready for reassembly. Another friend Allan Bradley from Harahan, LA dropped in to show off his magnetic door panels for his MG ZB Magnette. In the evening we ran 28 miles north across the causeway bridge through the middle of Lake Pontchartrain for a quick evening visit with a prior friend Cliff Hughes in Mandeville, LA.

Pulling MGA engine in Mandeville, LA

Next morning, we were back at Cliff's place to help pull an engine out of an MGA project car for another friend Dean Duplantier. Engine out, we removed the head and pan for inspection and appraisal as to what might be needed for rebuild (as it was very stiff). Then put it mostly back together for safe keeping and sent the car and engine back to storage.

Bat ground connection after restoration.

The following morning, we had a visit with Benny Stiegler in Madisonville for a bit of work on two cars. An AH Sprite had some minor electrical issues, like tachometer not working until we scraped off paint to get a good cable-to-body ground point. A TR Spitfire had a nasty oil leak whenever overdrive was engaged. It ran for a while stationary with no significant leak. Then we lifted the rear wheels from blocks so we could run it in overdrive, marking time in place. That finally disclosed a leaky seal washer between the OD solenoid and the gearbox case. Mystery solved, just a matter of grunt work to fix once the new washer is procured. Some discussion about how the anti-run-on system works, fixing a vacuum leak and tracking down some disconnected wires. Then back to Mandeville to attack an ill running MGA, turning out to be firmly stuck fuel jets for no choke. R&R the carbs to free up the jets but had to order parts because the float bowl seals I normally carry were pinched in Indy.

Overnight we ran around the east side of Lake Pontchartrain, finding our way to visit Jack Kennedy Jr in Metairie, LA. Then off again ten miles east the home of Jack's son, Jack Kennedy III in New Orleans where Jack Jr keeps his MGA project car. We diagnosed a bunch of restoration problems like incorrect boot seal, incorrect door seal, and too-tall rocker panels.

Broken exhaust manifold (multiples by now)New exhaust manifold inslled

This stuff will be fixed with upcoming resto work. Then we got a call that our parts had arrived, so headed north across the causeway bridge again. We had enough of the day left to R&R our carbs and replace the exhaust manifold and replaced the steering U-joint that had loose splines and get it all back together and running.

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