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MG MGA - But, is it really better?

Maybe it's just the weather, or, perhaps, the season? I'm looking at the fresh coat of snow, knowing the reassembled (but not complete) A, with 500 miles on the clock for the newly rebuilt components, is tucked safely in a heated garage and wondering... Is a restored A really better than the tired old girl it replaced?
I think of my original '56 and, to a certain extent, my current '58. The look, the smell, the feel. All the great memories and all the great times. Sure they were rusted, the paint faded, the upholstery shot, but, safety aside, is restoration really a form of destruction? Maybe when the patina returns so will those feelings. Going to be a long winter...

GTF
G T Foster

I know what you mean. I recently sold my fully restored MGB LE. I spent 2 years and untold thouands of dollars restoring it. However, once it was finished, I was scared to drive it any more in fear that it would get a rock chip in the paint, or that someone would open a door into the side of it, or that I would get caught in a rain storm and get the underside dirty. Heck, I even was scared to wash it in fear that I would leave swirl marks in the new beautiful black paint.

However, when I drive my current MGA, I am not nearly as concerned. My current "A" is a nice looking "10 Footer" and it shows quite well, it's just not new. I am getting more useful enjoyment from the edgey "A" than I did the perfect MGB LE.

Go figure!!
Danny T

REMEMBER THIS!!!!
Owning a perfect car and not using it would be like having a wife like Marilyn Monroe and keeping her on the mantle shelf.
Sandy Sanders

Hi folks. I restored my MGA roadster many years ago. When finished, it was beautiful! Shiny new paint, fresh engine and tranny, sparkling new interior. I remember that I also had concerns about damaging the "perfection." But then I realized that 1: The car was meant to be driven, and 2: If the car got damaged it could be repaired or restored again. So the car was used hard, as my daily driver! It well tolerated the 25 years of hard daily use, although as of late, it looked decidedly "tatty." 25 years after the original rebuild, I am in the process of re restoring my MGA. Engine and tranny are rebuilt. New inner sills and rockers are installed. Complete hydraulic overhaul, and body and paint job are in the works next year, along with a new interior. When completed, the car will again be in pristine condition. And I have no intention whatsoever of babying the car! It will remain my daily driver when there is no snow on the ground, and will continue to haul passengers, car parts, computer stuff, building materials, groceries, and whatever else needs to be transported. It will continue to be taken on long and short journeys, and will continue to be driven hard and fast where police are not lurking. To do anything else with the car is in my opinion, simply counter to it's purpose and nature. Cheers! GLenn
Glenn

I think Glenn has made the definitive point: restore 'em, drive 'em until the wheels fall off, then restore'em again. These cars are the Energizer Bunnies of the automotive world.
Frank Nocera

I had a Jensen Interceptor comvertible I wasn't keen on using for long trips because it was so good. So I used another Interceptor saloon and did BC to CA trips several times and enjoyed the car.

I have a 62 MK 2 Deluxe coupe I drove all over the west after restoring it. Just re-restored it and will probably keep it looking really good for a couple of years before using it normally again, but I will use it eventually!

I'm all for using them, and if you need a concours car, keep a separate one for that.
Bill Spohn

I have a different understanding of what I think Gerry is saying. An original car, aged with a nice patina to the paint, interior, and chrome, is surely to be preferred over the restored, "perfect" example. If you have memories associated with that original car, so much the better. On the other hand, sometimes the only thing to do is to restore because of rust, abuse, etc. etc. For me, I would rather have that slightly worn original (given the choice), but, my completed (some day) restoration will be the next best thing.

George
G Goeppner

I agree with George, it's only original once. If I had one that was in nice original shape I would leave it alone, but mine was rode hard and put away wet. Case in point, I still have my 1969 Honda 50 Mini Trail I recieved for Christmas of 1969. Mine has been used, but not abused and when something had worn out or broken it was repaired. I have seen many super restorations on the internet,and wish mine was as nice, but repainting over the scratches and wear marks would be removing many fond memories of my youth. At least GT you can get cured, buy another and the whole process can start again - now that I think of it maybe you are now in the process of setting up your better half. LOL Gary
gary starr

George,
My friend, you have hit the nail squarely on the head. Now I owe you two beers!

GTF
G T Foster

Well...., I really don't see much difference. There is a lot to be said for an original car with all the scars of 50 years on the road. Alas, if it were only a few scars. 50 years has its way of really taking its toll on a car, especially in the Midwest where the rustworm is known to florish. Virtually, the only way to keep an original car in near original shape would to have been the original owner and put maybe 2,000 miles per year on the car. This would mean treating it like a breakable object. I know of such a car and I think that is great.

The other perspective is to drive it like it was built to be driven. When this or that piece wears out or rusts out, repair or replace it. Whether done piece meal over the years or restored in one fell swoop, the result is the same. The car will still have the same feel as you drive down the road.

The only shame would be to restore a car and then let it sit because it is too valuable to risk driving. I wonder how many original owners, 50 years ago, put out the expense for a foreign sports car and then were afraid to drive it. If it can be restored once, it can be restored again. Go ahead and drive it. The MGA is a piece of art... Kinetic Art. Best appreciated in motion.

Chuck
Chuck Schaefer

What good is a painting if you can't look at it? Same goes for cars and driving. If your car's condition is keeping you from enjoying it the way you would like to then yes, the old car was better.
Steve Simmons

In the innocence of youth, I did stupid things like driving my newly painted roadster to a cowboy bar and parking it proudly in front. Of course, jealousy and drunken testosterone took its toll, there was a nice imprint of a boot heel in the fender from then on. It's a sad thing, and those memories don't leave me all warm and fuzzy. The same car got keyed in the KMart parking lot. My wife told me I had nightmares over that one. It's funny how your mind works, I even have a police sketch in my mind of what I think the guy looks like that did it, but I didn't see it happen.

Then there's the near as total restoration that I have done. When you do all the work yourself, it's like a part of your body that would get injured if abused. I never drove the car in the rain, I've had it insured for comprehensive damage for 30 years. Never made a claim. In its years where I neglected it in storage, it had more, or at least as much damage from rodents and moisture as it would have had using it. Seems like a waste today.

I have been driving a slightly tatty roadster for a few years now. I've found some paint that matches well enough to cover nicks, don't agonize over a door ding or 2, it's almost utilitarian. Still puts a smile on my face, but there isn't that superior feeling of a fresh machine, just completed. The lows aren't as low, the highs aren't as high. But the car is doing what it was intended to do. Motor around in a sprightly fashion. Some day, I may have to sell it to someone that wants to make it new again. I've got a couple others waiting in the wings, hope I learned my lesson this time. Or maybe age will change my perspective again.

Tom

Hi Tom. I agree with your statement that "When you do all the work yourself, it's like a part of your body that would get injured if abused." From my perspective, however, if you HAVE done all the work yourself, that means that you can repair the car if it does somehow come to grief. This provides (at least for me anyway) a real sense of freedom, and a certain psychological abandon to drive the car hard, use it to the max, and know that if it does get bent or damaged, that I have the knowhow to repair it. I can therefore understand how folks who opt to have their vehicles professionally (and expensively) restored, might be reluctant to really drive them. Cheers! Glenn
Glenn

You know this may well explain something I've been wondering about.

While at University Motors John took me on a spin in his Mk II deluxe. The car ran like a top, as you would expect, but its exterior was a bit run out. Well, alot run out.

I'm thinking if anybody can get a paint job in trade, John can.

So maybe he just didn't want the worry.
Tysen

My wife and I picked up an MGA in San Francisco that has been sitting dead in a garage for the last fifteen years. After cleaning off the dust and dryer lint, the bodywork showed the thirty odd years of daily driving that the previous owner put on. The bodywork is pretty beat with one of the driver's door hinges broken, but no visible rust that we can find.
We don't have the resources for a body off restoration right now, but do want to enjoy the car. So it's time for a Restowreck rebuild that focuses on getting the car drivable rather than having the car sit in pieces for years. The car may not look pretty, but my wife is dead set to get the car drivable as soon as possible. This way, she also gets to drive the car to work without worrying about parking lot dings.

The comment about John Twist, reminded me of my mentor, Steve Willis who drove an unrestored MGA for the entire time I knew him. The car had originally been black, but had faded to a midnight blue, that rubbed off on your pants if you leaned on the car. The car went like the clappers with an 1800 3M and TR6 wheels. His other car was a twin cam that he took years doing a full Concours level restoration. The first week after completion, a heavy object got accidently dropped on the right rear fender. I don't believe he ever got over that, as I don't remember it ever being repaired.

Kelvin.
KJ Dodd

Not too long ago I spent over two years restoring a 1957 TR3. It had the original hardtop, and I used leather and wool on the interior. I painted it myself and was pleased with the finish. It actually won a few national first place awards. Having said that, if driving down the road, a rock flew up and chiped the painted, I'd simply take it home, get out the detail brush and start filling in the chip one coat at a time until the chip was filled. A touch of wet sanding and back out on the road ready for the next one. All LBCs need and deserve to be used, seen by others and enjoyed. I like "restore and drive until the wheels fall off and then restore it again" philosophy.
robert maupin

I belong to the middle road. Drive it hard, and often, but give it the parts and TLC it needs to keep it running and in top mechanical condition. I don't like the idea of wheels falling off as I drive mine pretty hard :o)

If it gets dented, the insurance pays to fix it (then it gets a really good clean outside too!). It gets washed when really really dirty (about once a year) and cleaned inside when I can be ar*ed (about once every five years)
dominic

This thread was discussed between 28/11/2005 and 30/11/2005

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