As I type, this is probably the only sticker on a UK car, and certainly the only UK ZR to wear one. I like to be different.
Oily Hand's Life with MGs |
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This lovely sticker arrived today and is now firmly attached to the ZR. The Canadian Modern MG Rover Car Club is an internet based group dedicated to post 1980 MGs and Rovers. As there are great distances between members, the internet is the best way of keeping in touch. As well as the website, which will grow in time, they also communicate through the MG Experience Modern MG forum.
As I type, this is probably the only sticker on a UK car, and certainly the only UK ZR to wear one. I like to be different.
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Only six cars, 2 MGB roadsters, 2 MGB GTs, an MG F and our MG ZR turned up at Yarm Station for a mystery run for a picnic. It was a cool, overcast start to the day, but it brightened up later and by the time we eventually arrived at Jervaulx Abbey it was very warm indeed. After a pleasant picnic & some good crack we had a wander around the old Abbey trying to work out what was what. We were pleasantly surprised to find later that we'd indentified some of the listed changes. As the afternoon progressed, somebody had the idea of going just down the road to Brymans for ice cream. What a good idea that was. Super ice cream. We could have spent a fortune trying out all the flavours. Thanks to Mal & Mary for organising the day and the thoughtful breaks while they worked out which way to go.
Crikey, it doesn't seem like a year since we last saw this great spectacle. This year we had to travel to Skipton to see them up close and personal during the lunch break at the Craven Heiffer Inn. Whilst it was cool, the sun was shining and it wasn't raining, so the crowds were out in force. Moving around was difficult, as was taking pictures & video. We decided to leave the ZR parked up as getting out was too much effort s0 I don't have any 'on the road' pictures or video. 106 cars started on Friday morning. This morning only 92 set off, and there were some more missing by lunchtime. One source said 10 didn't make it through the morning, but we weren't keeping count. One of the fallers appeared on a flatbed. Not all those still running were in the best of shape. I asked the driver what happened. His reply was broken spring, axle moved, brakes automatically applied (rod operated brakes) ooops. Thankfully nobody was hurt and the car was still running. This car attracted a lot of attention. By the looks of it, it is an unrestored example, or if it has been restored it was a long time ago. They're only original once. Some interesting themes on dashboards for rallying. More cars Good parking skills are essential We decided to have a weekend in the Lakes, just because we could. The ZR was the transport of choice only because the BGT isn't ready yet. Rather than the straight run across the A66 we decided to take a more leisurely scenic route through Richmond, Leyburn, Hawes & Sedburgh before crossing the M6 to our destination in Bowness on Lake Windermere. You wouldn't believe that I washed this car before we set off. I think I'll give up car washing. As there was plenty of the day left we decided to cross Wrynose and Hardnott passes. These are two great roads and I try to drive them at least once with every MG. I haven't managed with every MG but I have driven the TA, a ZA Magnette and a Y Type. This run wasn't the challenge that it has been with other cars. I suppose that's because of the advances in technology and drivability of more modern cars. These two videos show the great scenery up on the hilltops. Considering it's mid April there was still quite a bit of snow laid about. I hate to think what it must have been like in Winter. We took the ZR for a quick 60 mile blast up the A1 to meet other, slightly crazy, enthusiasts to try out the art of production car trials at South Bradford Farm. For those not familiar with PCTs, the idea is quite simple. You are presented with a slope in a field. This slope has a start marker and numbered markers going up it. The highest number is at the start and the lowest at the top. All you have to do is drive up the hill and score as few points as possible. Dead easy, isn't it? Well, er.... no it's not. We had great fun and at the end of the day we were the strongest team. Sat firmly at the bottom of the table we were supporting all the rest. The lack of low down torque and wide tyres were our downfall with the ZR. By the time I had enough revs on to get it to move, the wheels were already spinning like crazy and traction was poor to say the least. The Vauxhall Nova which won the front wheel drive class was brilliant. Skinny tyres helped a lot. An MGB GT was the best overall on the day. Despite the low temperature and brisk breeze we had great fun. A big thank you to John Brown for allowing us to rip up parts of his field, and to David Alexander and his band of helpers for setting it all up Thanks also to Lynda Alexander for these great shots of our ZR, which also show how steep some of the sections were. A hardy bunch braved the bitter winter wind to meet up at Yarm station for a run up the Yorkshire Dales for lunch. Not much top dowm motoring today. We were in the ZR which performed flawlessly until the comfort stop in Richmond. On returning to the car, the new remote wouldn't work. After messing about for a while we called the RAC.
With a waiting time of up to two hours, we popped across the road to the cricket club where we managed to get a table for a great carvery. Well fed and watered we moved outside to free up the table as they were very busy. Just as we left we took a call from the RAC man to say he would be there in a few minutes. Great timing! With the knowledge acquired from last week's episode, I was able to save him some time and we soon had the car opened. The alarm didn't go off, which was strange. The fault was traced to a blown fuse which was quickly replaced. Once started we headed for home. We had thought about going on up the dale to meet the others but as we found out later, there was no phone signal up there, so if the locking had played up again we would have been in more bother. I think we made a wise choice. Now I have to find an auto electrcian to find out what caused the fuse to blow. Thanks to Reg & Babs for their support, and Pam says big thanks to Babs for the loan of her scarf. They go wrong in a big way in this MG household. Firstly, the ZR head gasket, which had been replaced, hadn't been replaced very well, and had to be done again. While the head was off we found that the valves needed recutting so that was yet more expense. It's all sorted now, but what we hoped would be a cheap runabout is turning out to be something a bit different. On Friday I was out with the ZR and it was parked up for a while. When I returned the remote wouldn't unlock the car. No worries, I'll use the key. The key didn't fit. I messed about with the remote but still no joy. A call to the RAC brought out a patrol man who used all his twocking skills but still no luck. He managed to get the drivers door unlocked but it still wouldn't open. He eventually got into the car though the passenger door but despite his best efforts he couldn't overcome the immobilser and start the car. Finally he reluctantly had to admit defeat and call for a recovery truck. I eventually got back home about 5 hours later than planned. I found a guy who could make a house call to sort out the key fob. A new fob was needed so he supplied and programmed it and all is well with the ZR again.
My wallet is very sick though. The price was eyewatering. A gentle start to the season saw eight cars gather at Yarm Station for a short 34 mile drive to Kirkleatham Hall. We took the ZR, fully expecting to be the only modern car there, but we were upstaged by this beauty. For those who don't know, like me at first, it's an MG ZT 260. Rear wheel drive powered by a 4.2 litre V8. The owner said it's a bit of a handful in the wet, and I think that's an understatement. Some of the others there. After some food and good conversation we took a stroll round the grounds and a wander through the museum. All in all a pleasant afternoon in good company and some welcome warm spring weather. We headed North in the ZR to visit family and on the way noticed that the majority of cars on the road are either black, white or shades of grey or silver, Very few bright colours around.
Very bland & boring. As is normal with any 'new' second hand car, there are always some things to do to get it how you want it.
In this case we found a headlight out that we were sure was working when we bought the car. An easy but fairly fiddly fix. There isn't much room in there. The SRS light was lit on the dashboard. Research suggested that it could be electrical connections under the seats. I wiggled them about a bit but it made no difference. As my hands were cold I didn't fancy messing with wiring in confined spaces, so I left it for another day. We went out for a drive later in the day and the light went off after my wife had adjusted her seat. A good indication of where the trouble lies. This could be a LID job. (Let it develop) The rear seat wasn't sitting right so I decided to investigate. As I lifted the edges so see how it went in I noticed quite a bit of rubbish underneath, so out came the seat base. This had obviously been a family car with evidence of ankle biters occupying the rear. Sweet wrappers by the score and a half eaten Twix. The only bonus was the 77p I found. Once I'd cleaned that up it was back in with the seat base. Not a bad job but I've done easier ones. The last job for the day was to do something about the broken hinge pins on the inner tailgate cover so we could have it going up when the tailgate was opened. A bit of creative thinking with some silicone and some small diameter tubing has it working as it should. For how long is a different question. There will no doubt be more to do as we use it but hopefully it will only be minor stuff. Up to now, I'm impressed considering we only paid a banger price for this car. |
AuthorHi, I'm Owen and I've been having fun with MGs since 1970, starting with my 1937 MGTA. Since then I've had three Y types and a couple of Z Magnettes. I now have a 1971 MGB GT along with the TA and my wife and I are still having fun Archives
September 2020
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