Oily's MG Blog - Oily Hand's Life with MGs

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Goodbye ZR, hello ZS+

1/7/2014

The ZR was developing problems. The head gasket was on its way out, it needed rear discs and pads for the next MOT and a few other minor things were cropping up.

While we were deciding what to do about it, I drove past a local garage with a Trophy Blue ZS on the forecourt. I was in like a robber's dog. After some negotiation the ZR was accepted in part ex (all faults declared) and the deal was done. It cost me about the same to change cars as it would have done to get the work done to the ZR so that was a win in my book

The ZS is a lot nicer car with non of the scabbiness that the ZR has round the wheel arches.

We picked it up today and it's lovely to drive. From boy racer to grandad mode in one go.

Tees Valley MG Owners Club run to Eden Camp

22/6/2014

Having our grandchildren with us meant that the ZR was the charriot of choice for today, it being the only four seat MG in the stable. It was a warm day but with the sun roof and all the windows open we managed to keep quite cool.

It was the usual start time of 10am at Yarm Station and we were there in the company of members of the Teesside Yesteryear Motor Club who were meeting for a run to Alston.

After the usual chinwagging we set off for an interesting drive to Eden Camp. On the way we managed to lose some of our group so there were four of us moving on. We had an impromptu stop along the way for a condenser change on a misfiring Midget and eventually arrived at Eden Camp to find that the lost souls had gone direct and were there long before us.

Once we got parked up it was time for a picnic before exploring this great museum. There is so much to see that we couldn't do it justice in the time available. It would probably take a week to take it all in.

We had a great time apart from my feet which were feeling worse for wear trying to keep up with two ankle biters. It was almost closing time when we got back to the car to find that we were on our own. A leisurely drive home with a stop in Whitby for fish & chips rounded off a very enjoyable day.

Just a Drive out for Lunch.

12/4/2014

The last few weeks have been spent getting things ready for the season's driving. The TA is ready to go. The BGT has always been ready but has now had a quick service.

As a treat we decided to take the ZR to the delightful market town of Helmsley and grab a bit of lunch. The B1257 road from Stokesley to Helmsley is a superb driving road and I enjoy it on the odd occasion when there is little traffic. Today there was slow traffic in the early part of the trip but once we got past him it was plain sailing nearly all the way.

MG Car Club Tyne Tees Centre Visit to Shildon Rail Museum

16/2/2014

This was a social day out to see the last six remaining A4 Pacific locomotives together for probably the last time.

We took the ZR to Shildon and found a very long queue of cars slowly getting down the road to the car park. We eventually got parked and found even more queues to get into the museum. The social aspect of this part of the day didn't turn out too well as the meeting point was the cafe inside the museum and it was impossible for us all to get in together.

We did wander around outside and managed to get a few pictures and some short video clips of 4464 Bittern under steam.

We then headed off to a nearby pub, where a goodly number of us enjoyed some good pub grub and great conversation

Fell Side Auto Club Northern Classic Trial

16/2/2014

It was a more civilised start to the day as we headed in the MG ZR towards the Lake District to marshal on Hill 8 of this classic trial. We didn't have to be on the hill until 10.50 so we got a lie in compared to other visits.

We were surprised to find little snow on the ground but that soon changed and it snowed quite hard for over an hour before it turned to very cold rain.

The cold & damp had a bad effect on all our cameras. Both mine & Pam's still cameras showed flat battery very quickly despite being fully charged before we set off. The video camera also showed the same problem. The in car cam also didn't like the cold and wouldn't record our journey out of the forest. We got what we got and it's here for you to see.

The event was quite good but a little slow which made the day drag a little and we were glad to see the closing car and get packed up to head for home.

Most of the competitors cleared the section with the bikes doing better than the cars.

Thanks to Pam for these pictures.

All in all, not too bad a day. We were glad to get the heater going in the ZR and we were well on our way home before we felt warm enough to turn the heat down.

To all the competitors who thanked us as they passed - you're welcome!! To those who didn't, consider this. The marshals are all volunteers. You may only spend a minute or so on the section but the marshals will be there for hours, quite often in less than ideal conditions so you can have your fun. It doesn't take much. A quick 'thank you' makes a big difference.

Thank you!

Happy New Year

2/1/2014

I hope the new year brings you all that you want and many trouble free miles in your MG.

We started the year with a run in the ZR to The Squinting Cat in Harrogate for lunch with friends in the VSCC. It was cold & wet outside but warm & cozy inside. Good food and great conversation made it a super start to the new year.

VSCC Lakeland Trial 2013 Old Scales Hill

9/11/2013

It's a long time since we've seen two five o clocks in a day but that's when we got up, grabbed a quick breakfast and loaded the food & cold weather gear into the ZR for a trip to the Lake District to marshal at this great event.

An uneventful run across the A66 saw us arriving at Old Scales hill with enough time to sign on, grab a cuppa & a sarnie before heading up the hill before the nine o clock opening.

The morning was busy with a steady stream of cars and the hill got steadily muddier. Much to our surprise this was better for the contestants as more cars were clearing the hill as the day progressed.

With no lunch break we munched and drank on the hill which was better than having a dead period in the middle of the day.

Time passed quickly until about three o clock when it came to a dead halt. There were six cars that hadn't attempted this hill, but we had no idea if they were coming or not so we had to keep the hill open. Finally about quarter past four we were told we could close the hill, which was 15 minutes early.

By the time we cleared and packed away the hill markers and stuffed the wet muddy gear in the boot it was close to five before we left the hill.

We had a great day, and so did the contestants we spoke to. It wasn't as wet and cold as it could have been which was a bonus.

The other bonus of marshalling at these events is the chance to drive on roads that are normally closed to the public

We stopped off for a weclome hot meal on the way home and got home just over twelve hours after we set out, and put just shy of 200 miles on the ZR.

Weary, we took the essentials out of the boot and left the muddy gear for a Sunday morning clean up.

Tees Valley MG Owners Club run to Hawes

20/10/2013

Yarm Station saw 6 MGs and one Toyota join up for this run. One B GT, one roadster, 3 MGFs and our ZR set off not knowing exactly where we were going. Three different destinations had been mentioned and we'd packed up a picnic.

It turned out that the plan was to go to the Wensleydale Creamery for lunch. This wasn't our plan so we followed along to Hawes where ate our sarnies before meeting friends for a drive though some of the back roads.

Despite the rain, torrential at times it was a good day even though the sunroof decided that today was the day it would start to leak. Ho hum, another job on the list. The ZR is now under a car cover until this rainy spell passes.

We found some mucky roads

Some good, some not so good

10/7/2013

This morning we took the 71 GT to meet friends for coffee & chat. A great morning with a good turn out of cars.

This afternoon was the MOT for the ZR. Not good, it failed, but thankfully nothing too serious.

A worn track rod end, the centre rear seat belt sticking and the SRS light staying on. I wasn't aware the SRS light was an MOT issue, but I think I know where the problem lies and it shouldn't be too bad to fix.

Tees Valley MG Owners Club Nunnington Hall Run

23/6/2013

With the B GT still in bits after its repaint and the TA out of action with gearbox & clutch problems, the ZR was the only MG option for this run, organised by the Tees Valley MG Owners Club. Just as well really as we had our grandchildren with us.

The usual meeting point of Yarm station saw a good turnout of members.

Confusion reigned at the start as we didn't have a route map and were relying on following somebody who did. Unfortunately nobody seemed to know who was leading the run and at least one driver added extra miles to his trip by going round Kirklevington roundabout a few times. We thought we were following the wrong person and decided to turn round. I reversed into a gateway and found everybody else going the way we had been. Our grandson thought this was hilarious.

Eventually things settled down and we had an enjoyable run though Stokesley and Helmesley to Nunnington Hall where we had reserved parking to display the cars outside the hall.

Our first point of call was the tea rooms for lunch. Sadly this turned out to be a bit of a disappointment with a rather pricey limited menu, particularly for children.

We then set off to wander round the gardens and found an outdoor draughts board set up. we played a couple of games whilst dodging the passing showers, had fun trying to catch a frisbee, and enjoyed the gentler pursuit of Pooh Sticks on the river.

Eventually the rain became more persistent and it was time to head for home.

Thanks to Karen for this great shot from above.