Tom Dimock's Journal

I like to have winter projects for my MGs to keep me motivated during the long upstate NY winters.

First up: Headlight and Horn Relays. I purchased this kit from Bits4Brits (www.bits4brits.net). This is one of those projects/upgrades that just makes sense. Wouldn’t you want brighter headlights and a louder horn? Nice quality kit ($60). Great instructions and holy cow, it works!

Also on my Winter list:
Convert my MGA from Positive to Negative ground. Long overdue ..
Replace the tires on the MGA this winter. I am embarrassed to say how OLD my tires are…so I won’t. Let’s just say, long overdue.
Replacement LED lamps for the taillights (and maybe dashboard) for both the MGB and MGA.

Nothing complicated here – First, I purchased a new battery ground cable from AutoZone ($7) and also replaced the connector on the positive side with a new (and larger) one. Swapped the leads on the coil and then ‘flashed’ my generator with a temporary wire from the positive side of the battery. I checked my fuel pump and discovered that it is a Hardi brand with a capacitor (as opposed to a diode) and therefore is not polarity sensitive.

Thanks to several folks on MGE who recommended these LED replacement bulbs on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/201019463787
These work great and are inexpensive - $8 for a bag of 10! Free shipping from China.
Below is a photo (poor quality) that shows the difference between the standard bulb on the right and the new LED on the left.

With the winter season in full swing, I thought it would be a good time to start a winter project on my MGA: clean, prime and paint the heater shelf/deck in the engine compartment. Over the years, it has become quite ratty and lost some paint due to brake fluid spills. Like many MG projects, this one is turning out to be of a larger scope than planned. Removing the heater, electrical bits and pieces, clamps, master cylinder, and wiper motor is a project in itself. To remove the master cylinder, I have to disconnect the lines, which requires that I remove the bracket assembly for easier access, which requires that I disconnect wiring to the wiper motor and to the headlight flasher, so that I can get the wiring harness out of the way.
Of course, like any project there are plenty of “might as well” moments. Might as well remove the engine and paint the entire engine compartment! Naturally, this means that I need to remove the radiator and hoses, carbs and choke and throttle controls, oil lines, oil radiator…this is getting out of hand.