News and views

Firstly, it’s that time of year again and Bill and I wish you a Delightful Christmas and New Year. Plans seem afoot for various MG centenary events for next year; already all the Clubs have got together and organised a meeting at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon in Warwickshire for the 27th May 2023 and they are planning a timeline for one of each model MG – I’ve signed up to produce a D Type for the day!

Also organising a timeline is MGCC Denmark as part of their European Event of the Year celebrations in August. As readers may recall I took D0311 there in 2016 and can recommend it as a driving country. Unfortunately, the direct North Sea route from Harwich was discontinued some years ago now so it would mean a long drive. Just announced to is the date of the MG & Triumph Spares Day at Stoneleigh on February 12th. Assuming the Triple M Register will have a presence there no doubt there will be the usual gathering around midday of fellow enthusiasts so do come and say hello if you attend. Also notified is a joint meeting with MGCC and Triumph Clubs at Silverstone on June 10th and 11th.

Apparently it is also Triumph cars centenary and I presume this takes the place of the usual MG Live event. Drive it day for next year is actually on St. George’s Day itself – the 23rd April so watch out for events for that too. Of course PreWar Prescott was confirmed some time ago as the 15th July and entries are already being accepted.

Let’s hope that 2023 sees the last of the co-vid etc. problems and we can get back to some sort of normalities at these meetings.

And now another super picture of D0430. This three quarter rear view is from John Emmett, who is a volunteer on restorations at the Brooklands Museum most Thursdays. He tells me he uses the car as his mobile tool box and that most weeks his is the only pre-war car there apart from exhibits.

Worth comparing this picture with those of the same car in Dispatch 18.
I know some of you are aware of a ‘big’ birthday I had at the end of September and forgive my self-indulgence but I thought it worth sharing this picture of the cake the family had made for me.

They had sneaked it into the hotel we were staying at so quite a surprise when brought in with all the ‘bells and whistles’ going off!

Bits and Pieces

Firstly, has anyone a spare starting handle they would sell! We have a restoration going on in the States in need of one. I can post from here.
Overall dimensions are approximately 15” by 6.1/2” and the bar is 16mm (sorry to mix imperial with metric!). Maybe one of our non D owner readers has one under his bench that he doesn’t know which car it is for?

Next, that oil pressure pipe route. On both my Ds I have the pipe going through a coupling in the firewall as per this picture.

I know some people have the pipe sharing the same hole through the firewall as the steering column and maybe that was the original route used by the factory; but not too satisfactory with the rubber gaiter in place.

Some maybe have the pipe sharing the wiring loom hole. A coupling through the firewall can be a much neater solution however.

The one on D0311 I fitted quite some years ago and I’m not sure that exactly the same are still available and in any case it requires a reasonable size hole in the firewall. However, there is a neater version readily available which only requires a 10mm hole. They are compression type and take the standard 1/8” copper pipe.

The Group have two of these spare, at cost, of only £3.34 each plus postage, or they are available on line at Cotswold Engineering Supplies under part number DC59/8/125. Worth looking at their other brass fittings too.