Mark,
Trust your A did the biz for you at LM.
The Commer will be there next year, so no need for a replacement just yet. My best estimate based on the half life degradation of it's nuclear powerplant is that it should be in need of replacement in about the year 2305, so she should see us all out. This, I would imagine, is about the same as a well pampered MGA, unless it has the twin cam engine, in which case will last till about next week.
Andy - thanks - well-pampered but well used - still got all the dirt and dust on it. Indeed the A did the biz very nicely, tooling along at 70 plus, 2 up with luggage
, no overheating, but suffering a couple of times with fuel vaporisation because the underbonnet temperatures rocket on hot days, with no forward motion, particularly when stopped at the umpteenth set of traffic lights in Rouen
The scuttle vents work beautifully above about 30 mph, but do nothing when stopped or in slow traffic. No solution to that really, as I don't want to cut louvres in the bonnet - just have to live with dancing on the pedals to keep the revs up at about 1500-2000 while braking and changing down. Mines a pushrod 1622, so like the Commer, I expect Lord Nuffield's best will continue to serve faithfully for a long time to come yet! Twin cams make a lovely noise but are soooo finicky on timing and fuel - mines just nicely blueprinted and flowed with a tubular manifold, so a few more horses are there above the standard - now a really nice step up would be the Derrington crossflow head and webers, but that's a grands worth of kit for which I can't stretch the finances - yet! Let me know when you need new fuel rods - I 'm sure the Navy will have some to spare somewhere!
Our convoy 'trundled' past Mark and his MGA on the M20 on the way down to LM. Hope we weren't too noisy Mark
Steve - and a grand sight and sound it was too, with those delightful V8s drowning out not only the sound of Mr Nuffield's best four pot, but also - thankfully, if momentarily - the sounds of garage/trance/house whatever the heck it was booming out of the ICE system installed in son's Ford escort following us to Le Mans.......
Mark
