And now, to serve me better, a brand new expanded facility to go with our new house.

Our "cover" picture (or signature picture) here on MG Experience is "Nettie", our first running Magnette. It was taken at Mount Hood Oregon, where we had driven her from New Castle Virginia for NAMGAR GT28 in 2003. Regrettably, we sold Nettie a year later to a buyer in Florida. Another year later, he sold it on Ebay and the car disappeared off the planet until it showed up at a Leake Auction in Houston on September 19th-20th, 2009. She sold at auction for a mere $1100 - less than 20% of her selling price for her three previous sales.

Nettie started her American life somewhere in Pennsylvania, having been one of perhaps four Manumatic Magnettes imported in 1958. It's probably a pretty good guess that her Manumatic was probably the source of her quick downfall. The original owner gave up on her and she ended up in a Northern Pennsylvania junkyard in 1960.

She was probably kept under some sort of cover as she was still sufficiently intact for the late Gerry Goguen to buy her in 1985. I understand she had but 7-8,000 miles on her at that time. He needed to represent the model in his museum, so she was given a quick cosmetic respray and a berth in the Westminster MG Museum for the next 14 years.

She was then sold to McLean's Brit Bits in Rye NH where she was given a bit more cosmetic work, and a new engine and transmission. On the road again, she was sold to Morry Cohen in Pittsburgh and Morry sold her to me circa 2001 or 2002. Since her original engine and manumatic were gone forever, I elected to equip her with a five-main 18GB 1800 engine, a Rivergate/Datsun 280Z five-speed transmission, and an MGB 3.9 rear end. So equipped, her cross-country trip was but a leisurely stroll. She was certainly in need of a full restoration, but about that time I did forsake her for Geraldine as the latter was even a better candidate.

Here are three pictures of her from the auction, and although she looks a bit forlorn, unless she's been abused, she should still have loads of potential. ' Wish I had been in a position to buy her back! Somebody got a real bargain...

I visited "Geraldine" in the 'hospital' Friday (and every day, currently). The 'hospital' is Russ's Body Shop here in Harbor Beach where Geraldine has been getting some dermatological long-term care. She's looking much better now and her "hulk" will be home soon for reunion with her engine, transmission, and a few other parts. Then she goes back for outpatient-care: fitting of wings, bonnet, boot-lid, and doors.

Following "The Brake Job From Hell" TeDdy finally hit the road again this month, and just completed his longest trip under my ownership: 260 miles round-trip from here in Harbor Beach Michigan to Detroit and return - for the Detroit Triumph Club's annual "Battle of the Brits" - Michigan's largest British car show. At such a large show, you can imagine my surprise and delight in seeing TeDdy judged 2nd in class! TeDdy got so excited, he started tooting his own horn on the way back. I had to stop, disconnect his battery and disconnect his horn wires in order to contain his enthusiasm.

Regrettably, TeDdy is now gone. He was sold to Barrie Carter and shipped to the UK on 22 October, 2010.

The main problem in converting a Z Magnette (ZA or Z from its original 1500 engine to a five-main 1800 is attachment of the Magnette 1500 oil pick-up brackets. The five-main 1800 not only lacks the attachment holes, it lacks the casting surface in which they were originally drilled in the original engines.

I solved this problem with a conversion plate which sandwiches between the block and the sump. It provides mounting surfaces for the oil pick-up brackets, while adding 1/4" to the depth of the sump, solving clearance problems with the MGB five-main oil pump.

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