Hey there Guest!
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
fordmstr
Freshman Member
Offline
Hi everyone, have been lurking around for too long. Its time to join in with your fun.
Found myself fixing things as a kid, been working on cars since my first one broke down. Have had many different makes and models, my first was a 65 Impala.
Started out delivering pizzas in our family 62 chevy wagon but after I blew the transmission my dad let me finance my own wheels. It wasn't long before something needed repair, at 16 I wasn't afraid to dive into anything, so started my journey with cars.
A year later went to work at a Humble gas station in the area, the owner was my boss and was very picky about how things were done, must have picked up that from him. After graduating high school got a job starting out changing tires at a well-known mass merchandise store with an auto center. Worked my way up from the bottom, learning everything along the way from suspension to electrical then being able to do most any job in the shop.
My first British car was a used beautiful British racing green 69 Austin Healy Sprite. Unfortunately, it was totaled after a few years, I was left with no wheels.
Thats when I first saw her, at the Sprorts Car Forum in Columbus Ohio, a brand new 1973 MG Midget. They had installed a silver stripe kit on the sides and at the back it had the letters MG showing. Probably made for an MGB but it fit perfectly. It was Black Tulip with an ochre-colored interior and wire wheels, even my girlfriend (wife to be) loved the way it looked.
We drove it everywhere we went on our honeymoon out west and out to Colorado many times on vacations. Always just tweaked the carbs a little lean when we hit the higher altitude. After years of rust best winters, she started showing signs of wear on the rocker panels and outer front floor side panels. By then I had already had the engine and transmission out of few times replacing clutches and overhauling the transmission, those 3 balls and springs came out on me more than once while reassembling it. My bodywork skills were not professional, and I only had a lincoln stick welder and could braze with acetylene torch. Did my best at the time but made many mistakes, not pinning the door jams and floor, using pop rivits and patches on the outer front floor side pannels. By then we had two kids and my wife stayed home with them, so our income was limited. I also did my own painting, learn something not to do on every paint job I've done. Did some side work for a guy who hooked me up with a new convertible top. The Midget looked good, but the doors were hitting in the rear, so I never was satisfied with it. By then I had built a 24 x 30 garage with the help of my brothers behind our house, so at least it has been under roof since then.
It was about that time I moved on in my career, went to work as a line technician at a local Ford dealership. A year later we moved to a new house with a better school system and a attached garage. The Midget didn't handle very well, so I ordered a complete front suspension rebuild kit from Moss and tore it apart only to find I needed a $500.00 reaming tool to do it myself. So she sit for a few years all apart before I found some help, he lived up in Delaware country not too far away, first name was Eric, he was an expert on British cars and had an awesome shop set up by his house. He helped me to get motivated again, making sure I had everything I needed to put it back together. Even pulled a used grille out of one of his storage bins and let me have it for $20.00. After paying him for the extra front-end parts he sold me and reaming I was $10.00 short. He said he would stop by where I worked to settle up but unfortunately I never saw him again. He passed away after that, wish he was still around. His shop burnt down a few years later.
The front-end suspension was back to specs, drove so much better. But after sitting for a few years the fuel system needed overhauled completely. More money! At least my labor was free. Got it all back together with a new tank and sender, aftermarket fuel pump (for now) and carburetors rebuilt. Was taking my grand kids for rides in it when I figured it was time to repair the doors hitting and the unacceptable body repair from years before. Ordered all new sills and outer front floor side panels, even new hinge pillars and cover plates. Found a place in England that had the rocker panels pre-drilled for the lettering, so I didn't have to mess that up again. Made a cardboard templet the first time but it was not perfect. I had purchased a miller mig welder a few years earlier so there was nothing going to stop me from fixing right this time. Two years later it is almost done, I'm mostly happy with my work, a professional could have done better but I wanted to do it myself, plus couldn't afford to build a show car, I want mine to be a driver.
I have many questions to ask over at the Spridgets Forum, not in a big hurry since winter is around the corner. I'd like to have done before spring.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story.
Fordmstr
Also have attended a few car shows this last summer/fall, put some of my pictures from those up at Flickr.
Found myself fixing things as a kid, been working on cars since my first one broke down. Have had many different makes and models, my first was a 65 Impala.
Started out delivering pizzas in our family 62 chevy wagon but after I blew the transmission my dad let me finance my own wheels. It wasn't long before something needed repair, at 16 I wasn't afraid to dive into anything, so started my journey with cars.
A year later went to work at a Humble gas station in the area, the owner was my boss and was very picky about how things were done, must have picked up that from him. After graduating high school got a job starting out changing tires at a well-known mass merchandise store with an auto center. Worked my way up from the bottom, learning everything along the way from suspension to electrical then being able to do most any job in the shop.
My first British car was a used beautiful British racing green 69 Austin Healy Sprite. Unfortunately, it was totaled after a few years, I was left with no wheels.
Thats when I first saw her, at the Sprorts Car Forum in Columbus Ohio, a brand new 1973 MG Midget. They had installed a silver stripe kit on the sides and at the back it had the letters MG showing. Probably made for an MGB but it fit perfectly. It was Black Tulip with an ochre-colored interior and wire wheels, even my girlfriend (wife to be) loved the way it looked.
We drove it everywhere we went on our honeymoon out west and out to Colorado many times on vacations. Always just tweaked the carbs a little lean when we hit the higher altitude. After years of rust best winters, she started showing signs of wear on the rocker panels and outer front floor side panels. By then I had already had the engine and transmission out of few times replacing clutches and overhauling the transmission, those 3 balls and springs came out on me more than once while reassembling it. My bodywork skills were not professional, and I only had a lincoln stick welder and could braze with acetylene torch. Did my best at the time but made many mistakes, not pinning the door jams and floor, using pop rivits and patches on the outer front floor side pannels. By then we had two kids and my wife stayed home with them, so our income was limited. I also did my own painting, learn something not to do on every paint job I've done. Did some side work for a guy who hooked me up with a new convertible top. The Midget looked good, but the doors were hitting in the rear, so I never was satisfied with it. By then I had built a 24 x 30 garage with the help of my brothers behind our house, so at least it has been under roof since then.
It was about that time I moved on in my career, went to work as a line technician at a local Ford dealership. A year later we moved to a new house with a better school system and a attached garage. The Midget didn't handle very well, so I ordered a complete front suspension rebuild kit from Moss and tore it apart only to find I needed a $500.00 reaming tool to do it myself. So she sit for a few years all apart before I found some help, he lived up in Delaware country not too far away, first name was Eric, he was an expert on British cars and had an awesome shop set up by his house. He helped me to get motivated again, making sure I had everything I needed to put it back together. Even pulled a used grille out of one of his storage bins and let me have it for $20.00. After paying him for the extra front-end parts he sold me and reaming I was $10.00 short. He said he would stop by where I worked to settle up but unfortunately I never saw him again. He passed away after that, wish he was still around. His shop burnt down a few years later.
The front-end suspension was back to specs, drove so much better. But after sitting for a few years the fuel system needed overhauled completely. More money! At least my labor was free. Got it all back together with a new tank and sender, aftermarket fuel pump (for now) and carburetors rebuilt. Was taking my grand kids for rides in it when I figured it was time to repair the doors hitting and the unacceptable body repair from years before. Ordered all new sills and outer front floor side panels, even new hinge pillars and cover plates. Found a place in England that had the rocker panels pre-drilled for the lettering, so I didn't have to mess that up again. Made a cardboard templet the first time but it was not perfect. I had purchased a miller mig welder a few years earlier so there was nothing going to stop me from fixing right this time. Two years later it is almost done, I'm mostly happy with my work, a professional could have done better but I wanted to do it myself, plus couldn't afford to build a show car, I want mine to be a driver.
I have many questions to ask over at the Spridgets Forum, not in a big hurry since winter is around the corner. I'd like to have done before spring.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story.
Fordmstr
Also have attended a few car shows this last summer/fall, put some of my pictures from those up at Flickr.
A friendly reminder - be careful what links you click on here. If a link is posted by someone you don't know, or the URL looks fishy, DON'T CLICK. Spammers sometimes post links that lead to sites that can infect your computer, so be mindful what you click.