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MG MGA - MGBguru?

Is there a similar site to MGAguru for MGBs? I am aware of www.mgb-stuff.org.uk Hammer and Spanner pages but are there others?
http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/hammertext.htm#contents
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

Well, it is (technically) only a matter of registering a domain name, but it only means something if there is adequate technical content and support behind it for continuing growth. There are quite a number of web sites with significant technical content worth an occasional visit, but nearly all of them have a limited technical content, not all-encompassing, and few of them offer to answer questions on demand. To take advantage of such widely dispersed information you need a search engine and some patience, and if you don't find the answer you may be back to the BBS.

My web site has been MGAguru.com since 2002. It was on line under a different URL for four years before that, so it had a jump start, and MGAguru.com took root quickly with a lot of fanfare in 2002. I didn't really want that title for myself, as the web site was supposed to be all about my car with me being the silent caretaker in the background. Problem was, www.mgawithanattitude.com was too long to type as a web site URL, and I couldn't think of any other good domain name that worked, so I consented to the inevitable.

A few years ago an ambitious young fellow named Seth Jones in our local MG club (friend of mine) started SpridgetGuru.com as an infant web site with minimal content on the first day. He took a lot of ribbing for a while, being called "not a Spridget guru" and other less friendly acronyms. But he is determined and persistent, and his web site content has been growing by leaps and bounds with commensurate increases in web site traffic. Some people may still think he is not yet the guru (inexperienced), but his web site is definitely getting there, and he will go out of his way to be helpful when he can.

By definition a guru is a teacher, presumably someone who has answers to questions, and should be there for service when needed. If you don't have a good answer, you should be ready to do some research to find the answer in short order, sort of like a librarian or keeper of the FAQ's. Posting all the stuff on a web site is a pleasant side effect and a matter of efficiency, not having to answer the same questions over and over. It is nice when the content is cumulative over a period of time. Post the information on line once, and it stays there and grows with time, eventually becoming a definitive data base.

Anyone bold enough to call themself guru should be dedicated and ready to spend a LOT of time at the job for years on end. Today John Twist may be the closest thing we have to MGB guru. Start with a LONG viewing session with all of his technical videos on YouTube. If you don't find the answer to your question there, you can ask him, and he will most likely provide a suitable answer in short order. He provides a technical phone hour around lunch time, and will answer most email questions. Of course he does have a business to run, so there is a limit to the time he can spend on being guru, but so far he seems to be way ahead of anyone else in that endeavor, especially for MGB.

There are plenty of other people who know a lot about MGB and would be happy to fix your car as a profession, but will not provide much time for answering questions. They would not profess to be guru, and don't even like the insinuation. It is an interesting job, but man, it's time consuming!
Barney Gaylord

Barney,

I for one, have a great appreciation for all the hard work and dedication that is so evident in your web-site. You truly are a savior of the Marque.

Thanks.
David Werblow

Mike,
The closest thing is the MGB Forum on the MG Experience site. NAMGBR are redesigning their web site, so there might be some tech info on that in the future.
Peter.
P. Tilbury

Is there a better web site dedicated to any model/make of car than the MGAguru site? I suspect not.
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

I agree with David and Mike that it is unlikely that there could be anyone as dedicated to and as knowledgeable about any model of car as Barney is to the MGA.

Whenever I attempt to answer a question on this or the MG experience threads I am usually humbled when Barney answers in a much more full and sensible manner than I could ever do.

Barney, "I salute you!"


On the subject of MGBs, if any of you have ever read Steve Strange's "book" on tuning the MGB, you would maybe agree that he has an incredible knowledge of the MGB and could be a good candidate for the title of MGB Guru.

Not forgetting Pete Burgess!

Colyn
Colyn Firth

This thread was discussed on 29/03/2012

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