My Car

[MikePA]

The first car my wife bought was a 1974 MGB (late 73 with the 'normal' bumpers). We kept it after getting married and even after our first daughter was born. But buckling a car seat in the passenger seat didn't leave room for much else /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif. As much fun as the car was to drive, it was a money pit. Nothing major went wrong but I could always count on at least a $1,000 each year in maintenance, and that was with me doing all the normal maintenance chores. We converted it to a single 12v battery in the trunk which helped eliminate some of the electrical gremlins, but with Lucas some of the gremlins are permanent. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Replaced the top once, rear window twice, etc. Finally sold it and bought a sensible car..a Pontiac 6000 which made much more sense for a growing family but wasn't near as much fun.

 

[kiphorn]

MY first car, back in 1981, was a 1970 MBG (red) . I loved /w3tcompact/icons/love.gif /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif that car but it was tough on a teeneagers small wallet to keep dishing out the money on the regular problems. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif I eventually sold it and regret it to this day. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

When it ran, it ran great. It made two non-stop trips from Penn State to Ft. Lauderdale for spring break. The car had regular wiring problems (thanks to Lucas) /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif. While in Ft. Lauderdale, on one of the trips, I pushed the head light toggle switch and sparks flew from the switch and smoke poured out from under the dash. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

The switch was fried. I've got a 24 hr drive home and no headlights. For a couple of days, in between chasing the college women and drinking large quantities of beer, I located a partially smoked toggle switch.

Armed with the new switch, we were ready for the drive home. As luck would have it darkness fell, the switch was fliiped and more interior fire works. Now somewhere in norther Georgia its getting dark, we have little money and no lights. /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif

We decided to stop at McDonalds to eat and contemplate our options. As I was pulling in and hit the turn signal, I must have pulled on the handle and the high beams flashed. Amazed, I pulled it again and there was light. Why I don't know.

We ate at McDonalds and confiscated a straw wich was folded and wedged behind the turn signal switch. With the straw in place the high beams would stay on./w3tcompact/icons/clever.gif /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif I must have learned something in those engineering classes. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

The straw fell out once or twice but we drove through the night with the high beams on and made it home with no further problems.

As I recall, I had to have the enitre wiring harness replaced to correct the problem. I've often thought about purchasing another one. Nothing like a rag top and a drive though the country.

Kip

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I came home from Nam in January of 69. I seriously looked at three cars. First was a 67 Vette with a big block and a four speed. But it had been rebuilt already and I was afraid of repairs. The second was a 67 Datsun 2000 with the optional 150 horsepower motor, minlites, michelins, lights, and quicker than a mother in law's tongue.

But I purchased the last Triumph TR4A IRS in California new. It was black as only the British and cubic dollars can do.

I did love that car. The first set of tires, 590 fifteens, lasted three thousand miles. Volkswagens came with 560 fifteens if I remember right.

I was so proud that they were wore even, all four tires were gone equally. The reason that was so important to me was they said Jim Clark, the greatest driver alive at that time, was one of those guys who wore his tires out evenly.

So I put on Firestone recaps, F70 fifteens. They were made for eight inch wide wheels. The stock four inch wide Triumph wheels meant for me to have the tread on the ground I had to run fifteen to eighteen psi. That provided some real thrills doing high speed driving. It was quite unnerving to go into a turn hard and then when you were straight feeling the car weaving back and forth on the tires.

I finally figured out that my bolt pattern was the same as those on the Ford Falcon and Chevy Corvair. But with the big front brakes on the Triumph I had to run reversed slot type wide wheels. I then went to Dunlop radials and the real fun began.

I'm lucky I'm still alive today. And so are countless others who just happend to be on the highway between Crestline and San Berdoo when we'd do those races against the corvettes and jaguars down the mountain. I didn't have the power to race them up the mountain but I had the whatevers to whup them soundly on the way down.

Yeah, I'd like to have a TR4 again, just for grins. But, bite my tongue, it'd have a small block Ford with a five speed and a limited slip rearend. We found out back then we could transplant a 289 into a Triumph and pick up umpteen horses while losing a hundred and fifty pounds off the front axle minimum.

Of course I don't drive like I used to.

 

[billboe]

Very nice! I learned to drive a stick on a '67 MGB (it was white)... LOTS of fun!!! Unfortunately, my grandmother sold the car years before I got my license... /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif Of course, my mom sold the CJ-7 before I got my license also /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif, but, that didn't stop me from burying it in the woods a few times before that! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif