It's The Day For Newbies! :thumbup:

Anybody else notice all the threads being started by new people here? Now how cool is that?

Welcome aboard, all of you!!!!

There seem to be a lot more international folks on here now, and that is a good thing too.

:thumbup:

T

I am glad to see that I am not the only one to notice all the new comers. Maybe our sickness is contagious like these flu’s.......

Few (or rather a lot) of words of advice. I had rebuilt several motorcycles, a 1970 “Cuda, and a 1968 Corvette before I got my MGB. I never had any intention of ever owning one of these cars. I still had bad memories from when I was in high school in the late ‘70's and a friend was given a brand new, gold, MGBGT for a graduation present from his parents. The problem was that it always leaked oil from the day he got it. So, after about the tenth time in the shop, the dealership finally fixed it - they welded the oil pan to the block - and sure enough it stopped the oil leak!!! Ever since then I never had any interest in our cars.

Then, about ten years ago, I was offered my car for free. My friends even delivered it to my door. Great friends.

The point of all this, is that when I first got my MGB I was very apprehensive about it. I mean, it’s British of all things. It has some weird wiring that I heard horror stories about - King of Darkness and all. Positive grounding - what the &#$@ is that all about? Two batteries? Plus, I had always heard that the reason the British did not make computers is that they could not figure out how to make them leak oil.

What I am trying to say to all new comers, is do not be afraid or intimidated by your cars. They are very basic and actually easy to work on and understand (except for replacing the heater core and trying to work under the dash - unless you are a midget or a contortionist). The wiring is actually easy to understand - but invest in proper manuals and wiring diagrams for you car. (One important element is to keep the connections clean and solid. Plus, I suggest adding several additional grounds around the car.)

As for the mechanical aspects, if you read these threads, most of the issues come from when we get bored or decide that we need to change out the distributor or add a super charger, etc.. The basic car is actually very sound and when you maintain it, it runs well and will bring a lot of joy. My car has never left me stranded or not started on the first crank.

Get to know your car - inside, outside, underneath. Do not be afraid of it. This site and others like it have unlimited information and resources, and as you learned when you were in garde school, there is no such thing as a dumb question - we have all asked them many times and will do so again in the future.

I look at my car now and think, “Why was I scared of it and scared of working on it?”

As I think most everyone will agree, these are great cars and will bring a lot of joy to your life. It is fun to see people smile and wave at you when you drive by. Plus, I belong to several organizations - personal and professional - and I have to say, hands down, MG people are a great bunch. Strangers will go out of their way to help you. I had one person who did not even know me at the time (Ray, in Samoa), send me a brand new distributor for my car and told me to try it and see if I liked it and if so we would work out a deal sometime in the future, which we did. Such trust - and I have found this to be true across the board. This is a great group of people.

In closing, I just want to say that when you get into this, you will be amazed at how happy you will be spending all your money and free time on your car.

Good luck and be sure to wave when pass a fellow MG .....

Robert

Welcome newbies!
Just letting you know you're supposed to buy the first round.
;)

I made this very observation to my wife yesterday. There's also a new crop on the Midget forum. Welcome all, I say. Pull up a chair...

Cheers,

Glen

Welcome all...plenty of room in this pond!