The MGA With An Attitude
MGA Guru Is GOING MOBILE - (November 1 - November 15, 2026)
Sunday November 1, 2026:
Programmed to caravan with some cars from British Car Club Midlands Centre, Columbia, South Carolina. Meet 10;00-am at BP gas station, exit 27 on I-77, Blythewood, SC, for departure 10:15-am. Intention is for cars to arrive at Polo Grounds in Camden, SC about 10:30, do be parked before 11:00-am start of a polo tournament. We arrived with our MGA in Blythewood a bit early at 9:45-am. At 10:00-am, no other little British cars in sight, including no lead escort vehicle. Problem is, the trip from Blythewood to Camden is a half hour, by either the longer fast route or the shorter scenic route, so after ten we are already late. Organization broken down, and we think we know where we are going, so we set off on the scenic route at 10:10-am. A few miles out we smile and wave and honk at a AH-3000 going the other way. No idea if it is supposed to be part of the event, or might just live in the area. But if he goes back to the rendezvous point to wait for any other car(s), he would be more late, so we press on.
The road trip went well, arriving Camden fashionably late around 10;45-am. Best we can tell, a block or two short of Polo Lane, we were stopped by a few cadets in military uniform. Please turn around, go back to Green Street to find more cadets in uniform. I don't think it was Green Street, just a gravel road with no street sign, but the cadets said turn in here, and look for more cadets. A couple blocks on, more cadets said turn here and keep looking for a flagman on the right. At a small break in the bushes, someone jumped out to wave and hand us a brochure, go in here. Other side of the hedge, sure enough some large short-grass field, and a couple small British cars parked near an orange boundary ribbon. Looks we found the right place.
By this time, 11:00-am, and nothing much happening. We might be two hours early,as the first polo match is scheduled for 1-pm. really? So where are we, what are we doing here, and why do we have conflicting information from four different sources? Oh well, time for some pictures.
This place dates back to civil war battle grounds, coming and going and returning of polo clubs and games, surviving some intent to turn it into residential housing development, being declared a historical site, and now under care of a charity trust.
After a while more cars were showing up, putting out tables and chairs .The cadets were all over the place, and after a while it was national anthem and time for the ponies.
I know nothing about Polo, and it was a big field, not sure what I was supposed to be looking at. But keep your eye on the little ball, and listen to the announcer, and begin to get the drift of it after a while.
the first match seemed to be novice, out for practice. Four short periods, 10 minutes or so. Change horses in between periods? Don't know if they are training different horses, or just giving them a rest.
Take a break between matches, play with the dogs.
Second match seemed to be the pros, playing for one of the trophies. These riders are more aggressive.
Break time again, check out some of the vintage stables. Not so great in back, better restored in front.
Don't know if any are still used, but some of it looks serviceable (like our old cars being restored). Some of the space out doors in front certainly being used by flea market vendors.
Food and drink available, so good time for lunch.
This nice MG 1100 sport sedan suck in when I wasn't looking, about 1966 vintage. Then it was time to get the ponies out again.
On with the aggressive pros again, going after another large trophy. This was getting to be fun. Something special I notice about the horses; when running fast and straight, heads may be bobbing, and rumps maybe rocking, and hooves are flying more in air than on the ground, but the back and saddle run straight and level like it was a skateboard on a monorail. The rider does not bounce, so they can hit the little ball with the thin mallet and drive it 50 yards or more like a stationary golf shot. Those phenomenal horses have to be specialty bred and well trained. I have a new respect for a polo pony.
Finish the day with another match with the novices,and they were getting better too. Not long to finish out the competition.
Down to a few cars, and they were bailing out fast. Then we were also off to find a near by WiFi spot, as it would be getting dark early now, having just cancelled Daylight Savings Time.
Monday November 2, 2026:
Mid term election day in the USA. My phone is ringing with political spam every few minutes, so can't use the phone today, don't even look at it. A few hours before noon processing yesterday's polo tournament photos. Near noon, back to Lexington, SC to do three oil changes on Dave Daniel's MGA, engine, gearbox and differential. By chance he bought the wrong oil filter, so he was off to NAPA for exchange for the correct filter. While he was gone, we swapped out the frayed throttle cable on our MGA. Thought we could just swap out the core wire, but it was a bit fatter on the new cable, would not fit through the old jacket, so we ended up swapping out the whole cable. Finished with that, Dave was back, and we proceeded with the oil changes on his car. Then navigator wass swapping in a new set of spark plugs on our car. A bit frazzled, so pack away the tools and take the rest of the day off.
Tuesday November 3, 2026:
Lots less spam calls today, so I can get some computer work done. Finish processing photos and notes for past days, and get updates uploaded to the web server. Friends will be watching election results,so no car work today. Good time to review and catch up service and inventory records. In the process, I was considering that various throttle control cables for MGA had different diameter jackets and draw wires, which are not interchangeable, some obviously not as original. So now my own self-assignment is to post new Part Numbers tech pages for all MGA control cables, and also speedometer and tachometer cables. More work load.
Wednesday November 4, 2026:
Elections over, many Republicans depressed. Couple of phone calls, couple of busy people, and waiting for parts to arrive, so back to computer work. -- Look up a part number for the Bail Handle Dzus fasteners I have been using to secure my MGA battery cover, D4-BJR5-45. The less expensive version will not be stainless, so append ZBCNA for Zinc plated and passivated. Spent hours searching for a source, only finding distributor warehouses wanting $3 to $5 each piece for boxes of 1000 pieces minimum. Retail should be $3-$6 each. Still searching for a retailer. I may have to request a sample pack (again).
Thursday November 5, 2026:
Getting a good start on half a dozen new Part Numbers tech pages for heater control cables and knobs.
Friday November 6, 2026:
Quiet day, finishing new Part Numbers tech pages for MGA Heater and Fresh Air Ventilation System, Air control and Demist control cables and knobs.
AHH5601 Air control cable and Knob Assembly -(heater),
AHH5602 Demist control cable and knob assembly -(heater)
AHH5786 Control -push-pull -air (Twin Cam)
AHH5787 Control -push-pull -demist (Twin Cam)
17H827 Knob -Heater control ass'y (1500, 1600, 1600-MK-II)
17H1683 Knob -Heater control ass'y (Twin Cam)
As a point of curiosity, someone found a 21-year old error on one of my "Electrical Restoration And Modification" tech pages. It was
ET-243 - Four Way Flashers My Way, MGA 1500. I had transposed a couple of terminal designations on the fuse box. Easy fix.
Saturday-Sunday, November 7-8, 2026:
More time to kill, so looking at more of the MGA heater control parts. Busy two days posting new Part Numbers tech pages for 17 more part numbers for the temperature control levers, cables, trunnions and knobs:
AHH5424 - Heater Lever control assembly, less cables (early)
AHH5432 - Water valve assembly -Heater (1500 early)
AHH5433 - Gasket for Heater Water Valve, 1500, 1600, 1600-MK-II
AHH5529 - Wire Cable Assembly -Heater Water Control -(all MGA with heater)
AHH5531 - Lever control ass'y -Second type (less cables)
AHH5593 - Screw for Trunnion - Heater control cable -(all MGA with heater)
BHA4132 - Water valve assembly -Heater -Com.(c)61160 (late 1500 -(was AHH5432)
7H1980 - Knob -Heater Control Lever, late
7H1981 - Knob -Heater Control Lever, early
7H1984 - Lever Assembly -Heater Control -First type (early 1500 only with no switch)
7H1985 - Lever Assembly -Heater Control -Second type (sans switch)
7H1986 - Lever Assembly -Heater Control - Second type (including switch)
7H1997 - Clamp for control cables - Heater (all MGA)
14A5753 - Trunnion -Heater controls -Com.(c)61100
14G6451 - Trunnion -Heater controls -all MGA not using 14A5753
17H518 - Escutcheon -Heater control unit
27H1660 - Valve -water -Heater (Twin Cam)
This is all posted, but may be more to do for additional information. Seems like the 17H518 Escutcheon has two slightly different parts with the same part number. Also puzzled why one of four cable trunnions changed part number, and what the change of heater valve was at the same point in production.
Monday, November 9, 2026:
After breakfast we wandered into Columbia, South Carolina to visit Elliot Cox to checkout few of his toys. In the first picture below left,the car on far left is a retro Thunderbird that used to belong to Ansel Gantt. We were working on Ansel's MGA in April 2018 when he bought that T-bird. Ansel now deceased (early 2023), the T-bird now belongs to Elliot. Time flies. To left of my MGA is a Jaguar V8 convertible that Elliot likes to drive. To the right of my MGA is a Porsche Cayenne. Step inside the garage to find a Jaguar XJS-V12 sitting beside Elliot's beloved E-Type. I have worked on that E-Type a couple of times in the past. It now needs a new speedometer cable (whenever someone might get around to it).
The XJS-V12 needed some attention today. The primary report was right front brake dragging, and there was a new caliper on hand (which we might install if it would help). We cracked the lug nuts loose and jacked it up to find the wheel would turn okay. A few steps on the brake pedal stopped it from turning, and releasing the pedal allowed it to turn again. Seemed like it might be working, so maybe a new caliper may not be needed. But the brake pedal was going right to the floor, whereupon we discovered it was very low on brake fluid. Large reservoir took nearly a quart of fluid, but the brakes would not get good pedal. Trying to start the engine to get the power brakes to work revealed dead battery (like 9.4 volts), so put a charger on it. There was some discussion about recent pro shop work on the anti-lock brake system, which might still have some problem. I dunno nuttin bout no Jag anti-locks, so that's where we stopped, re-tightened the lug nuts, and dropped it off the jack. This car may be about to find a new home anyway.
Running out of things top do here, so time to be heading more south. Fuel stop in Orangeburg, then continue south. Another hour to a Loves in Yemassee, SC, larger place looking friendly, so stop here for late lunch and processing some WiFi work.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026:
Dealing with a reoccursring head scratcher tech question. Just posted a new Tire Tech article TI-103A - "The Problem With All TIRE CALCULATORS" . They keep trying, but no one can can calculate the correct answer for "Turns Per Mile" for a pneumatic tire.-- The calculators do a reasonable job of comparing different tires to predict some difference in rolling distance. This can help if you want wider tires but need to get the aspect ratio right to keep the same rolling diameter so you don't screw up your odometer readings. But if you need to know exact Turns Per Mile, it is best to ask the tire manufacturer, or measure the rolling distance empirically for any given tire. -- And we rambled acros the state line into Georgia late night.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026:
Had to pass on a couple of non-functional WiFi attempts, stopping at a Loves in Richmond Hill, Georgia. Much of the day spent spiffing up the last 17 Part Numbers tech pages, mostly adding pictures of the parts, and some cross reference hot links. -- Heading south late night, crossing another state line to land near Jacksonville Florida.
Thursday, November 12, 2026:
Email and phone calls, making an appointment for a club meeting Saturday.
Friday, November 13, 2026:
Up early, heading back north several miles to a better WiFi spot in Yulee, Florida. A few miles up the expressway we straddled some small obstacle in the road, immediately accompanied by a rather loud "bang". Damn! Keep an eye on the safety gauge for any change of pressure or temperature until we were off at the next exit. All was well until we got parked. Then the hand brake was reluctant to pull, but it did come up after a couple yanks. Break for breakfast before jack up and check underneath. Problem turned out to be a somewhat distorted hand brake cable, not too serious. We straightened the cable a bit, pushed it back into place ,and applied a tie wrap to secure the cable to the battery carrier tray.Seems like the small P-clip and screw were lost in the fray. Something to trim up later.
In the evening, a chance to watch Space-X Launch Starship flight 15. On return the booster aborted to land in the Gulf while Starship continued into orbit to deploy 26 new Starlink satellites. Starship expected to return to launch site in Texas tomorrow afternoon.
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