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MG MGA - How Do You Veteran Drivers Do It?
| I just don't see how yu veteran MGA drivers do it. I took my "A" out today. It was a beautiful sunny day, with the temp in the upper 30's. I put the top up, clipped the side curtains on, turned the heater up on high,drove the 2 3 miles to my office,.....and alomost froze to death!!! Wind was blowing in under the ehader bow on the top, the side curtains billowed out and was scooping air inside, and the top to side curtain seal was non existant. How did people dribe these cars back when they were modern transportation, when they might be driving in 0, 10, 20, to 30 degree temps in the rain and snow? Am I missing something? A simple jot like I did today is fine,...but how did you drive them everyday, way back when? |
| Danny T |
| Hay Danny, "Way back when". I don't feel as old as the invention of dirt, but I do remember brushing the snow off the seats that would blow in through the gaps around the side curtains. That was High School 1963 and if I only could do it all over again. Jim |
| James Wiebe |
| Danny, You if you install the center fastener on top of the windshield like the MK-II has, it holds the top down tight to the windshield. There is supposed to be a clip on the front of your side curtains that goes behind the flange on the ends of the windshield frame when the door closes. This keeps them from blowing outwards when going down the road. Even with everything in place, it can still be a chilly ride. We were out yesterday, (40 deg. and sunny) and managed to stay somewhat warm. There is a noticable difference in temperature closer to the doors. Why do you suppose they all had "Lap Robes" in their cars? Plug the big holes, bundle up, and enjoy the ride! |
| Ed Bell |
| HaHa!! I have been driving MG's my entire driving life. My first car was a 1967 MGB, and there has been some type of MG in my stable ever since. However, the wind chill difference between an MGB and the MGA is very noticable. I have owned 2 or 3 MGA's in the past, but never seemed to have had them running and driving during the winter months. I just accquired this MGA last month, and it is a very nice car. The coldness just seemed to catch me by surprise. I had a very nice Triumph TR3A that I sold just prior to last Christams, but it was much warmer and much more air tight than this "A". Are the MGA's supposed to have a weather strip seal between the windscreen and the top bow? This one doesn't have one, and my parts catalogs don't seem to reference one either. (All the MGB's and even the past TR3A had one). Ed Bell mentioned a "clip" to hold the curtins to the windscreen. How does this work, and where can I get them? How do you open and close the door with such a clip in place? I will continue to drive her, but I wish I could get her a little warmer. DT |
| Danny T |
| My remedy for dealing with the cold day drives is to recall how frigging hot it was driving this summer enroute to GT30 in my 60 Roadster. The car ran consistently at 210-212 and the heat thru the firewall and floorboards was enough to near blister my legs and feet. I soon learn to relish the chill surrounding me !!!! |
| Michael Hosier |
| Hi Danny. I live in Ontario Canada, where winters are extremely cold. I drive my mga top down ALWAYS, from the time the snow melts in the spring, until just before the snow flies in the winter. Temperatures I drive in range from -10 degrees Fin the late fall and early winter to 90 degrees + F in the summer! For cold weather driving, I wear a goose down filled ski jacket, scarf, and touk. For summer driving when hot, a T-shirt, shorts, baseball cap and sunscreen. Ya just gotta dress for the weather! lol. Cheers! GLenn |
| Glenn |
| The factory realised the problem with the top bow and modified it with a centre clip that helps enourmously with stopping both wind and rain entering above the windscreen. As said the side screens do have a bracket to stop them being pulledout when traveling at speed and is neccessary. Finally most of the hoods I have seen fixed to MGAs are hopeless. They are never tailored to fit and so do not. On my hood when I fitted it I had to remove it completely and have it resown so that it matched the profile of the sidescreen correctly and is now a good seal. If you get all this correct the ride in cold wet weather can be a lot better. |
| Bob (robert) I used to own a Morris Oxford |
| Danny Buy a Coupe !! |
| Terry Drinkwater |
| My original 56 roadster was used year round to commute to college,20 miles each way, in the late 60's. It always sat outside. After a snow storm I always had to sweep snow of the seats. Some mornings, after a sub zero night, I'd have to warm the oil pan with a torch to get it to turn over. The luggage rack was fitted with holders for skis. I don't remember staying warm as a problem. Often, my girlfriend (now wife) would go with me. Just let it warm up real good. Although the defrosters and wipers (ha ha!) were a bit underpowered. Drove my current coupe year rounds for many years. I found it quite comfortable in the winter. Many found memories of dashing thru the snow. Would do it again except for all the damn salt. Cheers, GTF |
| G T Foster |
| Amen to the coupe, but also modify the stock heater valve so that it actually opens wide - makes a huge difference! |
| Bill Spohn |
| Where does someone find the "clips" that have been referenced for the side screens / curtains? I have looked through all my catalogs, (Moss, VB, Little British Car Co, British Tool Box, etc), and no one references such a clip. I see the windscreen center clip that was mentioned, but not a clip for the side curtains. Any ideas? Any suggestions? Does anyine have a picture of what they look like or how they attach and work? |
| Danny T |
| You can get the clips from Todd Clark. He stocks many of the small parts that the big boys do not stock. 215 348 0595 He is located in Pa. |
| JEFF BECKER |
| Danny "Clark Spares & Restorations" carries these clips, plus a good amount of side curtain components. Web site is www.clarkespares.com Mike |
| mike |
| Danny - YOu have probably read the reports that the portion of the brain that is responsible for good judgment doesn't fully develop until a person reaches about 25 years old and is the reason that young people so often display poor judgment. Well, in older, MG owners, that portion of the brain has become frozen from so many drives, top down in the cold, resulting in reversion to our youth and bad judgement. Now mind you, none of us will admit to that, we call it "regaining our youth by driving MGs". In fact it is regaining our youth in the form of reverting to the days of bad judgment. We all suffer from it to varying degrees and it is a terminal disease - but it is a good disease :) Cheers - Dave |
| David DuBois |
| Danny mhen you get the side-curtain clips, make sure they have the rubber sleeve on them. If you don't they will soon wear the chrome on the windscreen supports leaving you with a section of brass showing.....JB |
| J Bray |
| Danny Contact me off board and I can send a picture of the clip. Kris |
| Kris Sorensen |
| Danny It is a question of getting used to having the air blow through you. You are obviously very used to always being in a fully air conditioned environment. Sure it will be cold and draughty the first time, but you must persevere. In a very short time you will wonder what all the fuss was about. I dislike the car with the top up. You can hear all the tappets, choke on the fumes and get irritated by the vibrations and buzzes. Get the top down, wind howling round your ears and who cares! My hood only goes up if it is hammering stair rods of rain and I know I am going to be stopping at lots of traffic lights. Otherwise, like Glenn, it's the open air always. Clothing wise, for the cold climes, plenty of layers of clothing is preferable to just one heavy outer coat - tip from my military flying survival days. I have been known to put my umbrella up at traffic lights rather than put the hood up! I also usually keep a towel in the cockpit to do a bit of mopping up while waiting for the green. Or I drape it across my lap to prevent losing the creases in my suit trousers. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| My A is warmer with the top down, or it seems so. I wrap a blancket around the heater outlet and up around my wife and me, wear gloves and hat, have so much fun that we forget about the cold! I have a'glass hardtop for my A which helps quite a lot, but it hasn't been down from the rafters for lots of years. Merry Christmas everyone!!! |
| R.A. Carnes |
| Danny I have driven MGA's in all weather conditions and used one as my daily transport for many years. As indicated above, a center clip is really useful but you may need a new top rail for the chrome windshield surround unless you are willing to drill for the bottom clip, the clips on the sidecurtains are mandatory as they do blow out when driving at speed and then check that the heater valve is working properly. The heater in an MGA is not as bad as many make out, as long as it is getting a good flow of hot water from the engine. Obviously it is not as efficient as a modern car but then that is not why you are driving it. When the heater is working properly it is great to run around in the winter with just the tonneau in place and the heater on full! The head may get a little cool but you are surrounded by warm air blowing up around you. (It's also fun to see the expression on the faces of cars that pass you or you pass;-)). I have found that an MGA will negotiate roads in the snow that other cars are not able to butyou will need some additional weight in the rear. We tend to pamper them now but when they were new they were meant to be used and just look how many are still with us. Brian |
| Brian Smith |
| Driving an MGA or any other open car in frigid weather is not a matter of good or bad judgement, but of desire, I think. As for keeping warm? Either get a coupe or get a catalog from LLBean or some other cold weather outfitter. When I drove my MGA in the winter, I had on warm clothes, a heavy parka coat and fur lined "mad Bomber" artic hat and thermal gloves and socks. The heater in the MGA was at best an afterthought, and the old quip about a mouse breathing through a straw must have gotten it start with the first cold weather road tester of open British cars. More heat came through the firewall than the heater, and once that summertime problem was fixed, the real "value" of the Smith's heater became even more apparent. |
| Bob Muenchausen |
| Thanks for ALL the input guys. As I had said from the start, I have been an MG enthusiest since I was 16 years old, and it just amazes me the difference in the MGB and the MGA in creature comfort of winter driving, (or lack there of). I get the whole issue of loving the marque and driving them regardless of the weather. Driving in the cold doesn't "bother" me all that much, especially since I only get the car out on pretty days, and never venture very far off. It was just a suprise I guess. Again, the 1958 Triumph TR3A that I sold a year ago is in the same time frame and desgin as the MGA. Therefore, I guess I expected it to be some where near the same feel. But again, there is NO comparision between the 2 cars. The TR3 was slighlty more drafty and colder than the MGB, but the MGA is MUCH worse. I was just afraid I was doing something wrong or missing something. It appears I wasn't. I took my MGB out for a drive today, and then took the MGA to the store this afternoon. It's just amazing at the difference. Thanks again for all the input!! Safety Fast, Danny |
| Danny T |
| Buncha pansies! I had a Royal Enfield as my only transport in Pittsburgh PA for a couple of years - OK, but the damn thing would fall over if it was snowy and warmer than about 10F. Then I got an XK120 sans top and heater - pure luxury. The leather jacket and heavy wool sweaters and gloves, and especially the helmet and wool scarf, made it toasty. For long trips in blizzards, we would fill up the cockpit with down sleeping bags. Forget the modern synthetic crap - leather, wool and feathers is what works. There is nothing as nice as driving an open car in zero (F!) weather on a clear winter night! Well, after I learned not to let the Jag seats get soaked and then frozen into rocks - finally learned to put the cushions up under the dash, or take them in the house. Then I got rich and had a tonneau cover made. FRM |
| FR Millmore |
| My 1500 doesn't have a windshield center-clip so for years I have used a 3" 'C' clamp that does the job just fine on the rare occasions I have the top up. I have also run foam weather strip or wet suit matterial across the bottom of the top bow for a better seal. How can I relate, let alone get any sympathy, here in So. Cal. You North Easterners are the Real men! Merry Christmas and God bless you and your famlies this season Steve |
| Steve Meline |
| Was a little rushed when I posted the above, thought I'd add this. The key is that you are NOT indoors when driving these cars, so plan accordingly. For that matter, you should always regard any outside excursion as "Outside" - cars do die, and you don't want to! If you have neither top or heater, dress like you would for a bike or snowmobile. Degrees of protection get easier as paltry heat and wind protection is added. Big thing is your head; the helmet is great for extremes like no top, nowadays I have a wonderful hat for lesser requirements. It was the first Polartec thing I ever met, and has a windblock membrane inside and fits in my coatpocket - I go nowhere without it. Another thing to remember is that exposure to cold and wind requires fuel for you internal heater - ya gotta eat! SoCal types get little sympathy but lots of envy. FRM |
| FR Millmore |
| FRM makes a valid point. 50% of body heat loss is out of the head! Keep it covered in inclement weather. I also regularly wear a thick silk scarf on long runs. Stops the neck stiffening up and reduces chafing on collars from constantly turning head when pulling out in traffic - ever seen how useless the internal mirror is when you have the spare wheel mounted on the luggage rack? Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Steve, Do you have an old coat hanger insose the silk scarf in teue 'Biggles' fashion to remind you of your flying days?....JB |
| J Bray |
| John You are not the first one to suggest that!!!! Always getting my leg pulled at work about turning up in atrocious weather, top down, sheepskin coat, flat hat and scarf. I struggle with the goggles as they are not prescription! Good tip though (mentioned it before on this BBS) is to smear raw potatoe inside the lense (and back of windscreen) to prevent fogging up. Steve |
| Steve Gyles |
| Can relate. My first experience with LBCs was a TR3 that had the top bows but no top. I couldn't afford a top at the time and it was dead middle of winter in Virginia. I just got a lap blanket, knit top and coat, hunkered down and drove to work each and every day. The true enthusiast will say "we" are much healthier for the experience. Our body emune system is stronger then those who drive around in cliamte controled environments. |
| robert maupin |
| My first car back in 75 was a 58 coupe, great year round car. Put recaps snow tires on the rear and it got around in all kinds of weather. My MGA I've driven since 86 are all roadsters. The 57 had a top and in 10 years it was up twice once because of a downpour from a summer thunderstorm and once because the girl I took to dinner complained about her hair and wouldn't wear one of the scarves kept in the side curtain pouch. It was her last MG ride. The 58 has a repainted top frame and a new in box top never mounted it. When I sold my 60 The top was still in the Moss box. For winter driving a tonneau is all I ever used. Ski bibs, parka, gloves, a hat and scarve to keep me warm. A fullface motorcycle helmet if really cold, like below 0 f. |
| R J Brown |
| Hi RJ. You are lucky! You describe really cold as below 0 degrees F. How MUCH below zero? Here in Ontario Canada, the temperature can and sometimes does reach minus 40 or even minus 50 degrees F! In layman's terms, that is colder than a boss's heart! Merry Christmas, and enjoy your relatively balmy weather! Cheers! Glenn in frigid Ontario Canada |
| Glenn |
| Danny, You and I are the same age, so you can appreciate this. Back in the good old days, before the internet and before Ebay, if we didn’t have something, we did without. I can remember shopping for parts and trying to use anything that would fit. Now days, if it is not perfect, or looks like it is a repro, we won’t put it on our cars. We obtained our MGA in 1967 and I drove, or rode in it, until it was parked in the barn around 1976. Not one time did we ever have side curtains. I didn’t know they existed until I was given a set from a guy that sold his car and forgot to give them to the new owner. I still didn’t use them. I was in the car almost every day of the week, rain or shine. If it was cold, I put on a coat. If it rained, I got wet. You think it is cold now, wait until it gets warm weather! My car was just as hot in the summer, as it was cold in the winter. It reminds me of a poem by Samuel Ullman, where he says, “Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust”. You are as old as you feel! |
| Cleve |
| Hi Cleve, You're killing me!!! HaHa! if I'm as old as I feel,...then I must be 100 somedays!! Seriously, I can deal with the MGA's cold, (and heat), I was just suprised at how much colder it was than the TR3 and the MGB's. I was afraid I was doing something wrong. You know me,...I will drive the MG regardless. Just maybe not on the coldest days. The Jag may get a little more use on the cold days!! Thanks, DT |
| Danny T |
| Danny, The reason the Jag is warmer in the winter than the MG, is that it catches fire more often. Be careful with that thing! You know the biggest lie ever told by a Jag owner, "I drove my brand new Jag from Leeds to Birmingham, and it only caught fire three times"! Did your TR3 have windwings? That might make a big difference on the MGA. |
| Cleve |
| Danny There's a picture of the clip on my website http://rutgerbooy.nl/MGA_Accessories.htm Go to sidescreens and then check the picture of the sidescreen for the A1600 taken from the original parts catalogue. Oh, and driving in winter is all about keeping your feet warm and your head cool! Rutger |
| Rutger Booy |
| Danny, I am thinking back to 1963, when I drove my MGA from Detroit to Tampa in a record cold snap (Temperature in Orlando was only 9 F when we got there). I remember stuffing socks into the crack above the windshield and finally stopping at a hardware store for a C-clamp. I don't think the top made much difference on driver's comfort at those temperatures. It was just as good to dress warm, unzip the toneau (sp?)cover half (driver's side) and turn the heat to max and drive. the heat was actually sensable that way, otherwise it seemed to disappear before it got near the driver. There was a good commercial on Super Bowl a couple of years ago, where a guy is driving a modern sports car in very cold weather with top down and enjoying it. He stops at a light in the middle of nowhere. Later a cop comes by and wonders why he is still there? Getting no response from the driver, who is just sitting there smiling looking forward, the cop taps the driver's cheek with his pen. It goes clink, clink. Yes, completely frozen stiff. HJ |
| Harley |
| Back in the early 70s I drove an A every day and commuted weekly from PA to VA. I can remember adding extra weatherstripping to the doors, stuffing cracks with rags and using small spring clamps to hold the side curtains to the top. I also found a way to use the tonneau cover over the passenger seat while the top was up. But the most effective weather protection was warm clothing. I used to wear a snowmobile suit for my midnight, winter runs down route 13 from Philadelphia to Norfolk. Bill |
| Bill Boorse |
| This time of year, We still take the A out for a drive at times (when the salt/sand is clear). Once the motor warms up, the heater will actually keep us warm. The top being up and the sidescreens in doesn't really bother us that much. We also use the top up with rear window down when travelling in the heat of summer, keeps the sun off. Marv |
| Marv Stuart |
| There's only one way to drive it, full tonneau half open, flight helmet and goggles, gloves, scarf, 3 sweaters, and a nice Irving flight Jacket. :0) |
| Stephan |
| I travel a lot so had the opportunity to drop in at Victoria British in KC recently to pick up some parts. Nice showroom and a beautifully restored MGA in it. I remember how cold MGAs were. One of the guys at the counter told me about some diehard types that run around KC in the winter on good days even with the tops down. He told me some of them have a vest of sorts that plugs into the cigarette lighter and helps keep them warm. I have no idea where they get it, but you might try Google or even call the guys at Victoria British. I can't recall a cigarette lighter in MGAs, but you could wire something in. |
| Rick Penland |
| Some of these wired to your battery should keep you toasty. http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/accessoriesandgear/electricclothing/ |
| Jeff Schultz |
| I drive a '60 coupe; it is nice and warm in the winter. My wife and i went for a ride yesterday. I told her that I read that the heaters in British cars are like have a little old lady sigh across your ankles. If you wear a hat, the coupe can get rather tasty. Ira |
| Ira Spector |
| Oops, I meant toasty. Ira |
| Ira Spector |
| I've owned my MGA for 2 years now so this is my 3rd winter. A drive in cold weather is great with top down and half tonneau on. It brings back memories of my 1961 midget which was my only form of transport from 1968 to 1975.It's weather equipment was virtually the same as the MGA. I had a permanent ache in my neck with the draft from the sidescreens and now I have the same ache it makes me feel young again! Cheers Cam |
| cam cunningham |
This thread was discussed between 10/12/2005 and 27/12/2005
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