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Diary

Last updated 06/12/2007, Jump directly to the updated page here.

Monday 27th November 2005.

Having seen CCH277T at Former Glory on the previous Saturday, and decided to buy it, I returned to drop in a deposit cheque today. The car needed a couple of small things doing to it before I could collect it and during the conversation with Nigel I brought up the subject of the large front spoiler. For a nominal sum Nigel agreed to have the spoiler replaced with an original style steel valance whilst the other work was being done, along with a full service and a fresh MOT. 

(01/10/06) In retrospect now I wish I'd had the spoiler left in place. It had a pair of Cibie fog lamps fitted to it which cost me £90 to replace plus I had to remove, as you'll see, the replacement valance to repair the bend in it, so I could have fitted one myself. I don't think it got a full service either, working on the car recently I found the plugs had way too wide a gap (and I've only done 1200 miles in it), the back axle was only half full of oil, the wiper blades were shot and the windscreen washers only half worked, amongst other things. Anyway, back to the story...

I'd made a few enquiries regarding the insurance on the car and got a quote, from the RAC, for £130.00, full comp and with my wife driving, not bad really. All I have to do now is wait.....

Thursday 15th December 2005.

I received an email from Nigel at Former Glory today, it seems the car will be delayed a bit as his painter was going away for Christmas and was unlikely to complete the work prior to that. I wasn't awfully bothered by this as I was pretty busy at work running up to Christmas and I wouldn't have had time to collect the car, and give some serious attention, before Christmas anyway.

Sunday 25th December 2005.

No sign of the car but MG's still dominated Christmas Day in our house. Apart from an excellent 1:18 scale Autoart MGB model I received a polishing mitt, a tub of TFF "Tough Wax" polish (I didn't have the heart to tell them I prefer Autoglym!) and a new chamois leather and a cigarette card style MG print. MG's definitely dominated my Christmas day!

Sunday 1st January 2006.

Feeling a little the worse for wear this morning, we had planned on going to the Brooklands Owners Club Day but I can't make my mind up. Around 11am my wife, Veronica, made my mind up for me, "OK, don't just sit there, get your coat on we're going" was her solution to my lethargy, I didn't argue....... In the end I was glad we went, the weather was cold but bright and there was a very good turnout of cars, probably 80-90 or so. We only stayed 2-3 hours, for one it was cold and two it was starting to get dark! By that time a lot of the cars were leaving anyway. Shame we didn't have the MG or I would have taken it.

Tuesday 3rd January 2006.

Popped in to see Nigel at FG today, just to see how things were going, not that I expected anything would have happened THAT quickly but you never know! Still, it gave me a chance to look at the assorted MG's there, that kept me going for a while.

Friday 13th January 2006.

Got a voice message on my mobile this morning from Nigel, CCH277T was, barring a quick wax, ready to go, that cheered me up no end! As I was working on the 14th I quickly rearranged things so as to have the afternoon free and then arranged to collect the car around 1pm the following day.

Saturday 14th January 2006.

Today's the day, but first I have to work. I know I should feel excited but I don't, I don't know why. I shrug off the thought and get out to work early so I can get back as soon as possible. Of course the job I was scheduled to do ended up being anything but straightforward. It should have been a simple heating pump change, but just about anything that could go wrong did go wrong. In the end I didn't get away until 12pm and home by half past, and I'm supposed to be the other side of London by 1pm! A quick wash and brush up, ultra quick bite to eat and we're ready to go. Both my wife and my son had decided to accompany me to collect the car, despite my warnings to my wife about the space (or lack of it) in the back of a B GT!

An hour's tube train ride from one side of London to the other was dull once the novelty of travelling on the tube (I hadn't done it for years) had worn off, but eventually we reach Perivale. As soon as we came out of the station we were greeted by a very dismal January afternoon, grey and drizzling, NOT exactly what I had planned....  By the time we had walked round to Former Glory I was feeling a bit damp to say the least, still, I perked up when I saw CCH277T sitting outside, complete with new front valance, this is more like it! I knew I should have brought the camera to record this moment but, in the rush to get out, I had forgotten it, too late now......

Nigel was there, cheerful as ever. to greet us, once the formalities were over we all trooped outside, in the rain, to go over a few things with the car. Nigel showed me over the few things that were peculiar to this particular MG then he backed it off the front and on to the road, we settled in, a quick wave to Nigel, and we were on our own..... I started the car and let it idle on choke for a while as I got acquainted with the cockpit. Do you think I could find the headlamp switch? I don't know why but, even having read the owners manual the night before, I couldn't seem to find it! Eventually it dawned on me it was on the right-hand side of the steering column, hidden by the steering wheel. I flicked it down, lights on, and we're ready to go. Slight problem, by this time everything had steamed up and, not having a cloth with me of course, we have to wait for a bit for the screen to demist. While all this is happening I notice that the fuel gauge is showing almost empty, almost but not quite, so I figure I have enough fuel to reach a BP station on the North Circular (A406), at least that's what I thought..... 

I ease the car through the little maze of streets and head out past the Hoover Building (now owned by Tesco but still impressive bathed in it's own green lights) and creep out onto the A40. I'm amazed by the car's pickup, it easily accelerates up to 40mph and, before we know it, we're moving left onto the Hanger Lane roundabout. The engine is properly warmed up by now so I close off the choke completely, all four of us (the three of us and the MG) negotiate the Hanger Lane Roundabout with no trouble and head off down the A406.

So there we are, cruising along, and everything seems to be perfect, apart from the rain. I play around with the overdrive and it switches on and off nicely, what else can I play with? It was at this point that we reached the flyover at Brent Cross and, as luck would have it, just as we're going up it the engine hiccups....... Having been driving for 32 years I know what's coming next..... A few more coughs & splutters and the engine dies, 50 yards from the top of the flyover, I can't say as I was very amused!

This definitely wasn't in the script, we're 50 yards from the top of the flyover, it's dark and it's raining and we're out of petrol. Cars are coming up behind us quite quickly, fortunately we're on the up slope so they can see the hazards flashing, it was at this point I decided it was time to bale out as it would be safer out of the car than in it. I supervise my wife and son's exit from the car and, just as I go to get out myself I look in the mirror, much to my surprise there's a Police BMW estate right behind us!

The two Police Officers aren't too impressed with our inadvertent decision to park the MG on Brent Cross flyover, in the dark and rain, but they manage to refrain from criticising my inability to recognise we should have filled up before taking it onto the A406. In no time flat they whip out a tow rope, hook up the MG to the back of the BMW and tow us to bus stop 250 yards away, at least we're off the flyover! My joy at being off the flyover is soon tempered with the realisation that I'm now going to have to walk to get some petrol, and I don't have a fuel can, and it's raining........

As luck would have it there is a Tesco garage 300 yards off, on the other side of the A406, time to walk. I managed to buy a fuel can in there for all of £2.50 and so, 1 gallon of Super Unleaded, a can of Coke and a Frys Turkish Delight later, we're heading back to the car. The poor little thing looks all forlorn sitting in the bus stop fuel-less but I'm more worried that, as the fuel lines will have been emptied, it will take a fair bit to restart it and I hope I don't flatten the battery. I needn't have worried, as soon as the Super Unleaded went into the tank the engine fired up immediately, much to my relief.

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