mottrams2017

: MGs, Shiraz, Shamrock and Ginger at Wagga Wagga on a wet day.; “Ginger” was USA delivered (no rubber bumper GTs went to the US), then went to Sydney in 1981, then to WA. We came back from India on a Sunday in November 2015 and went off to a meeting at Herlihy’s about their next Big Trip. This one was planned for 2017 and involved driving 50 year old MGs across the Silk Road, Beijing to Longbridge, UK. Seemed a good idea to us, but we needed a car. Our previous GT had the roof cut off and turned into a racing car. Found this one advertised in Western Australia. Had it inspected and declared rust-free. Delivered to Spotswood, Victoria, we tested it out on the local rough roads. Seemed not too bad, with just general wear and tear. However when David was redoing the engine, a cracked bearing cap showed up, suggesting that the oil pressure gauge might not be too accurate! With Mazda MX5 seats, refreshed engine and suspension, we took it to Wagga Wagga on a (wet) test run. The main problem was the wipers not meeting the windscreen very often. We re-discovered Rainex! With new windscreen and wipers (and some other mods), it’s ready for the Silk Road. Still packed the Rainex. Ginger will complete its round-the-world trip in 2017 (begun in 1970!!).