My Saturday
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:50 pm
There has been a lot of discussion recently about how Minors fair with modern traffic and if they are capable of being used as a daily driver. I just wanted to share my experience from this Saturday just gone as a testimonial.
First some history: My Saloon is a 1958 2 door and has therefore had a 948cc engine up until the August bank holiday weekend when I swapped the engine with another. Initially I had intended to swap it for another 948 unit but I had some issues so had to use a 1098 unit I’d been given instead. I changed the rear plate, flywheel and clutch to match the smooth gearbox as this is just a temporary fix until I get around to re-building the 948 unit.
Now for Saturday: I got up at 04:00 as I was required in Haywards Heath at 10:00 to complete the sale of my MG YB. I filled up with fuel, checked water and oil and set off at 04:45. Paused at Warwick services to check the levels, all well, and continued to Haywards Heath reaching it at 09:30.
The transaction went well and I left there at 12:00, after filling up the fuel again, to drive to Sheffield to pick up some parts for my Spitfire by 17:00. I got to Sheffield at 16:30, picked up the spares and set off again at 17:30 for the final leg back home, with a top up to the fuel tank.
I finally got home at 21:30, after stopping off in Wrexham for something to eat.
All in all a long day, 95% of it spent on a motorway, 90% of it spent at 60mph and above. Some people hooted, some cheered and some waved but most smiled. I drove on the M54, M6, M42, M40, M25, M23, M1, M62, M60, M56 and the M53 and covered in excess of 600 miles in a little over 13 hours.
Her engine never missed a beat. I stopped on the hard shoulder two times, both where for a recurring fuel issue – I will get that small piece of crud in my tank one day – and all I needed to do was back blow the fuel line with my little portable compressor. I also paused once, on the run up to Sheffield, to sort out my GPS device that had become unpaired with my TOMTOM – inconvenient but not anything to do with the car – I was however tooted by a nice black spit-screen that passed me as I was trying to fix the GPS.
All in all a lovely day, we made all of the stops in time and made some people smile along the way. More importantly she took on a challenge many would have only given to their ‘modern’ and accomplished it with flying colours on an engine that, up until a week ago, was under an old plastic sheet in my shed.
I LOVE MY MINOR…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First some history: My Saloon is a 1958 2 door and has therefore had a 948cc engine up until the August bank holiday weekend when I swapped the engine with another. Initially I had intended to swap it for another 948 unit but I had some issues so had to use a 1098 unit I’d been given instead. I changed the rear plate, flywheel and clutch to match the smooth gearbox as this is just a temporary fix until I get around to re-building the 948 unit.
Now for Saturday: I got up at 04:00 as I was required in Haywards Heath at 10:00 to complete the sale of my MG YB. I filled up with fuel, checked water and oil and set off at 04:45. Paused at Warwick services to check the levels, all well, and continued to Haywards Heath reaching it at 09:30.
The transaction went well and I left there at 12:00, after filling up the fuel again, to drive to Sheffield to pick up some parts for my Spitfire by 17:00. I got to Sheffield at 16:30, picked up the spares and set off again at 17:30 for the final leg back home, with a top up to the fuel tank.
I finally got home at 21:30, after stopping off in Wrexham for something to eat.
All in all a long day, 95% of it spent on a motorway, 90% of it spent at 60mph and above. Some people hooted, some cheered and some waved but most smiled. I drove on the M54, M6, M42, M40, M25, M23, M1, M62, M60, M56 and the M53 and covered in excess of 600 miles in a little over 13 hours.
Her engine never missed a beat. I stopped on the hard shoulder two times, both where for a recurring fuel issue – I will get that small piece of crud in my tank one day – and all I needed to do was back blow the fuel line with my little portable compressor. I also paused once, on the run up to Sheffield, to sort out my GPS device that had become unpaired with my TOMTOM – inconvenient but not anything to do with the car – I was however tooted by a nice black spit-screen that passed me as I was trying to fix the GPS.
All in all a lovely day, we made all of the stops in time and made some people smile along the way. More importantly she took on a challenge many would have only given to their ‘modern’ and accomplished it with flying colours on an engine that, up until a week ago, was under an old plastic sheet in my shed.
I LOVE MY MINOR…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
