Moving stuff around in the shop to get the Morgan back on the “working” side, now that I’m finished with my friend’s E-Type.
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A Mostly British Obsession
Category: 1954 BSA A10 (page 1 of 4)
A bit more is “done” on the rear body frame, though, as usual, I have made each of the sticks about 200 times…
Reg the MGB and the BSA just hanging out. I have not yet been out on the beezer this year, I should definitely do something about that. Reg has been getting regular use, but it’s about time to shake off another year of “benign neglect” and change fluids and what-not. At some point soon I really do need to see about the bodywork, he’s an old guy and it’s time, I expect.
Let’s see: Current projects include trying to eliminate the dent on the nose of the XJ6, which once again has demonstrated I don’t know much about bodywork. I also have been slowly working on the E-Type, but it has not been the focus of my attention. And the shot above shows the BSA slumbering in the shop. I need to get it sorted on the cold/hot start front so I end up riding it more this year!
I finally have sussed what was wrong with the Amal 276 on the BSA: The float was set too high (mind you, straight from the maker, but that’s not much of an excuse). Imagine my excitement when I kicked the machine to life and it idled, stone cold–which it has never done. The carb was absolutely full of crud, too, which I suspect is the remains of the old cork fuel taps. (I’ll check it again in a couple hundred miles, but the tank itself was sealed when it was restored.)
Alas. Back from a short “victory” ride, I discovered I was leaving a trail of oil. The photo above shows why: the return line from the cylinder head decided enough was enough.
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This may be the dorkiest thing I’ve done for awhile, but my life is essentially a string of dorky endeavors. I washed my wife’s car, which made me think I should wash the XJ6, which led to me washing a seagull bomb off the MG, which had me thinking the truck hadn’t been washed since last year…so everything got hosed down. (The bikes were out because I was moving stuff around in the shop.) Why not roll out the E-Type? Somewhere in that sequence it passed from “understandable” to “dorky”; in any case, this was the result.
Had the BSA out last week–nothing really new to report. But she started first kick after sitting for a few months (as we struggle through the rainy and occasionally snowy winter here).
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Here’s the inside of the shop, as you can see I haven’t done a whole lot with the organization of the space. (You can click for a larger image.)
I hope to build in some cabinets and what-not this winter, mainly on the wall where I have a couple of ancient Ferrari posters tacked up (I found a stash from ages ago…anyone for a 1980’s Testarossa poster? I managed to put that one back in the tube). I did get casters onto the metal work tables, they’re now handy for moving close to the action or allowing access to all sides of an unwieldy project.
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[flickr id=”5976930245″ thumbnail=”original” overlay=”false” size=”original” group=”” align=”none”] My friend Brent came over early Saturday morning to drive the GT to the All British Field Meet in Bellevue, and I rode the BSA down in convoy with him. The trip was relatively uneventful–only a couple of easily retrieved pieces fell off the BSA and the MGB seeped some oil from the oil cooler, but that was the extent of it.
The BSA took first place…out of two bikes. Can’t say I’m proud of that one. The GT, which took third last year when entered in the wrong category (MGB roadsters), this year was entered in the right category–and failed to place, out of eight GTs entered. It’s the curse of “shiny primer” and red wheels, by gum.
The shot above–featuring a slightly disgusted Your Correspondent–was taken by Peter Laurence (check out his photostream for great shots of the Vancouver ABFM) as I waited for my entry packet in the pouring rain…I had only ridden four miles from the hotel to the gardens, but I was as soaked as I’ve ever been. Friday was gorgeous, and I didn’t even think about packing leathers or rain gear. I didn’t dry out from this 9AM ride until I got back home 12 hours later!
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