Finally, the 'new garage' moved to the top of the priority list. It replaces a 1930's one car garage (with the classic 'bump out' added on in the '50's), with an attached carport. The concrete floor in the garage had reverted back to the aggregate, and the carport roof had to be replaced after every good windstorm.

So, in July we had a new garage built - 22' x 26' (deep enough to store the MGB sideways during the winter). Wow! I was almost 46 years old before I experienced pulling into my driveway, pushing a button, and having a garage door open up for me. I could get used to this.

Now I can keep both my MGB and my wife's 2003 VW Beetle convertible warm and dry.

While perusing Hemmings Sports & Exotic Cars magazine early in the summer, I saw an ad for VBL's catalog. It showed 6 LBC's lined up. The one on the far left was a blue rubber bumper B, with the Rostyles painted blue to match the body. Aha! Just what I had been looking for to make my car stand out a little. I had 10 days before the Buffalo MG club show, so I had to move fast.

First, I located 4 used Rostyles from Mid-City Auto in Syracuse, NY - 2 1/2 hours east of me. I picked them up the next day on my way to Cape Cod for vacation. While on Cape Cod, I found an auto machine shop that could sandblast them for me asap. While on Cape Cod, I primed the wheels, and painted the backs in a nice 'hammered metal' black finish from Rustoleum.

After driving back to Buffalo, my youngest daughter and I set up a paint booth in the backyard using one of those cheap gazebos they sell for $20, plus a couple of plastic tarps. We painted the front of the wheels with Rustoleum's American Accents 'Sweet Tomato', which turned out to be a near perfect match to the original MG 'Flamenco Red'.

I had also ordered a set of Kumho's from Tirerack.com. They arrived in pairs of 2, but all 4 made it by the day before the car show. The local Goodyear shop mounted the tires on the newly painted rims that night, and we made it to the car show the next day with the paint barely dry. We love the new look, and we got many compliments from the other MG owners.

Sunday of Labor Day weekend, 2007. First time we showed The Duck with it's 'historic rally car' livery. Magnetic racing numbers from Eric Zimmerman at Visual Impact Signs in East Aurora, NY. The magnets on the fenders are the logo of the Buffalo Octagon Association. Roll bar homemade for $22 and is for show only (not even attached to the car!).

Result: 3rd place (our first trophy) in the Rubber Bumper class (11 cars). Great day!

When I got my car in April, it had been off the road for most of the last 5 years, being driven only a total of 500 miles by the previous two owners.

So of course, pieces started falling off and breaking down almost immediately. Battery sounded poor, and looked ancient, so I replaced that first. Then I started to run hot. By the time that was said and done, I had a new radiator, new hoses, new thermostat, new temp sending unit, etc. Also got new steering boots (can't remembering authorizing that repair...hmm). And, I made the conversion to electronic ignition.

The interior was in excellent shape, with just a few things that needed attention. Worst item was the rear deck carpet. Got a new one of those from VBL and installed the snaps from the old one. Looks great. Put down some soundproofing and fixed a crack in the dash.

Then I went with a new stereo - with a front input for my Ipod. That makes the commute even more enjoyable. Put in some soundproofing as well. Only other thing I did was put in a new set of 3 point inertia seat belts. Some prior owner had cut out the originals and put in 2 point belts. Given that I drive the car everyday on the highway, I figured going back to the 3 pointers was a good safety measure.

Let's see - then we did the rear cylinders and rear drums, new clutch slave, fuel filter, plugs & wires...detailed the engine compartment, etc. Got a new headlight trim ring to replace the one that abandoned the vehicle at 65+ mph and got run over by a semi-trailer. Also got nice chrome accent pieces that attache to the headlight ring.

End result? Car looks great, sounds great, drives great, and only cost me as much in parts and repairs so far as it cost to buy! Crimey, mate!

Was it worth it? Well, you should have seen the smiles on my face and the faces of my daughters when we won a prize in the Buffalo Octagon Associations Fall Classic - 3rd place in the rubber bumper division. Yep, worth every penny!

I call this my 'show car livery' - dressed up the B as a vintage rally car. The first time I brought it to a car show like this (Sept 2nd), I took 3rd place in the Buffalo MG show's 'rubber bumper class'. First time I ever won anything! More people stopped at the car than ever before. And when I'm driving it around town, people come up to me everywhere I stop to talk about the car.

One gentleman did say to me, 'I've never seen a race car with a luggage rack before'. My response was, 'Uh, well, when I do the 24 hours of LeMans, I like to bring an overnight bag!'.