up coming trip

Dell (WA)

Well-known Member
Guys..........gotta make a health & welfare visit on my Alzheimer's dementia'd sister in Farmington, N Mex, 1200-mi from Seattle. I thought I'd drive my 1976 MGB midlife crisis sportscar. Since I have 3-brands of tires on my Rostyle wheels, I thought I'd be smart and gitt NEW TIRES for the trip. I gotta $400 quote from Costco tire, 70-miles away. I stopped at my local Les Schwab tire store 10-miles away and they quoted me $500 for 195-14 tires. I always thought 185/70-14 were the "proper" tire for my MGB. So before I go "ranting" at Les Schwab, I thought I'd check with you guys.

I was planning to go the first of May while it was still COOL and return thru DENVER (7-mountian passes, whoopie!!!) and visit my cousin. My non-working speedometer shows about 35K-miles, and I have 32/36 Weber carb. I have a GPS speedo designed fer motorcycles which works just fine on the dash of my 1994 Dodge Diesel pick'em-up. Mentally trying to envision a radar detector hung from the rear-view mirror; ideas? recommendations? One thing I found out, I can't wear my cowboy hat with top-up (no room) or top-down (wind). And NO, I don't think motorcycle helmet is the answer either. The other half of the reason for trip to N Mex, is to inter the ashes of our brother in her vault along with her husband's. I do have Power of Attorney to do this. It only cost me $1700 to gitt his ashes away from the funeral home in Texarkansas, Tex. ..........enny word of wizdom???........tnx, Dell
 
Yes......don't make (try to make) that trip in the MG!
Too late for this one, but: buy urn, put ashes from fireplace in it & save ~ $1600. :(
 
Dell....that's a lot of driving.....if you are flexible and can fly standby....I can get you there on my Airline....for nothing....glad to help out in your time of need....drop me a line if you would like to fly

[email protected]

All the best!!
 
Dell,I hope that you have a safe enjoyable trip.This time keep in touch us here and check in once in awhile.So we know that you are ok and not abducted by (Aliens) or diapered in that MGB off the face of the Earth.The FBI have enough to do searching for missing persons without searching for our pal Dell.
 
Ed........thanks fer offer of standby flight opportunity. I've flown SeaTac to Denver, then puddle jumper to Farmington. Nutther time, Christmas Day, flight to Spokane, then to Albuquerque, and rental car to Farmington. My son is concerned whether Hagerity will cover that much distance. Me? I got all the time in the world. ......tnx Dell
 
I love those MG's, but for a trip like that I'd take something newer.

Not that there's anything wrong with your car, but if it were to
break down, and we all know mechanical things break down,
who can fix it along the way? Not the snot nosed kids working
at most places now-a-days. Even an experienced guy would have
a delay on parts, no?

If gas mileage on the pickup is an issue consider renting a car.
It's really not that much money in the long run.

Or take Ed up on his gracious offer.
Just don't let that guy get you into a bar.
On second though, make him take you there. That was fun! ;)
 
Royse.........I gotta good bag of tools and will take a MOSS catalog fer parts availability. Gas/Diesel mileage isn't an issue ...but... tired butt may be (grin) .......Dell
 
Well as long as you have extra tools with you an maybe a few extra parts like an alternator you might not have any problems. Still remember a few years back when I saw a friend with an MG Midget on the side of the road and stopped to see what was wrong. Fuel line had a crack just before the fuel pump so it was sucking air and not pumping gas. Use a qt. lawn mower gas tank to get him home. Good thing I was on my Honda 175 at the time made it easy to fill that tank back up 3 or 4 times to get him across town
 
Well, if you really want to take the MGB I can't blame ya.
Enjoy the ride!

Here's a thought, make a list of all the YT guys along your route
and stop in and visit. It would give you a break from sitting, let
you stretch your legs and put faces to names.

Unfortunately I'm not along that route, but I bet others would
enjoy having you stop in for a visit.
Fair winds and following seas! :)
 
185/70-14 should work fine. I believe 165sr 14 was original equipment size.
Bring you tire chains if travelling thru CO in May. It can still snow.
Sounds like a fun trip.
If you belong to MG club ,bring along a roster, just in case.
 
You are a good enough mechanic to have a reasonable idea if the car will make the trip. So go and enjoy if that's what you want to do.
Course Ed made you a good offer. I would seriously consider that. Then rent once you get there. That would take the worry factor away.
What ever you do, KEEP IN TOUCH! You are needed here at this board. We wouldn't want to lose you again.
 
They may have quoted a 195-14 due to availability. May be a tight fit in the wheel wells on a B. Hard to find anything performance in a 14 inch wheel though, seems like all that's left is ment for old minivans. On a side note: I envy your bravery on driving a British sports car on a trip that long. Best travels to you.

Jeff- San Luis Valley (Alamosa) Colorado.
 
Dell,

According to Tire Rack, the proper tire is 175/70R/14. They have several options including some good rated tires for $228 for all 4 . May want to look at this link.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?tireIndex=0&autoMake=MG&autoYear=1976&autoModel=MGB&autoModClar=&width=175%2F&ratio=70&diameter=14&sortCode=33500&skipOver=true&minSpeedRating=S&minLoadRating=S&tab=All

I have had good luck going to a local tire shop with the Tire Rack print out and they get the tires from Tire Rack and install them for you. Usually takes em 2 days to get them.

I suggest changing the oil before you go.

Good luck and be careful.
 
(quoted from post at 06:47:30 03/30/15) Dell,

According to Tire Rack, the proper tire is 175/70R/14. They have several options including some good rated tires for $228 for all 4 . May want to look at this link.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?tireIndex=0&autoMake=MG&autoYear=1976&autoModel=MGB&autoModClar=&width=175%2F&ratio=70&diameter=14&sortCode=33500&skipOver=true&minSpeedRating=S&minLoadRating=S&tab=All

I have had good luck going to a local tire shop with the Tire Rack print out and they get the tires from Tire Rack and install them for you. Usually takes em 2 days to get them.

I suggest changing the oil before you go.

Good luck and be careful.

I just dealt with Tire Rack for the first time and I can reccomend them. Bought some rather pricey Michelin's for TOOH's BMW and got a great deal - 1/2 of what the local tire stores wanted. I always figured the shipping and finding a shop to mount "my" tires would be a deal killer. But the shipping was $35 total and they shipped them straight to my local garage. The garage is actually on Tire Rack's list of local installers - apparently they do Tire Rack jobs on a regular basis :D

If that deal was any indication I will be using Tire Rack for all of my future tire buying - excellent prices and a huge selection.

TOH
 
I owned a '76 Triumph Spitfire convertible. Fun car to drive but it broke down too frequently. British Leyland wasn't very reliable for me. I'd look it over real well about three times before I'd trust the one I had on a trip that long. I'd also repack the wheel bearings and check the axle bearings before departure. Mine also had two teardrop carbs that required proper oil levels. I don't know if yours has that. Only you know if it's mechanically sound. If in doubt rent a car. My 2 cents. Gerard
 
dell.do take the mg some of my best memories were trips in the mg.drove that rascal all over colo. top down cruising mountain roads. been awhile since i fired one up..health issues but still remember fun times..on my 65 the only problem i ever had was the wires on the selenoid coming loose they used spade connectors and would vibrate loose..still have 5 of um. cant drive um but enjoying looking at them and remembering..good luck and have fun
 

I like les swaub and here in the west where ever you go there will be a store, but the charts I see for the MBG state the 195 tires may be be too wide. I would check with a different les schwaub store and order what you want, not what they have in stock. They can get any size you want.

http://www.automobile-catalog.com/auta_details1.php

this like shows all the tires for an MGB.
 
Seems a bit steep to me for those tires.

165's

185's

Surely you could get someone to mount/balance them for less than $200

Make sure you take a spare set of Radiator Hoses, Radiator Cap, A good spare, make sure the infamous jack/tire tool are in the car, most of us take them out for whatever use somewhere else and forget to put them back. A new empty gas can, don't want to smell the fumes on the trip, but buying a can on the road sucks. A spare set of bulbs/fuses and at least one headlight. And the infamous roll of duct tape... you know the drill...

When I was in the Navy I made several trips from CT to IL in my 67' Skylark Conv. It was a good car, but the elevation, which is half what you will see, stresses on the older cars.

Just take your time, and give yourself plenty of time, stop often, and enjoy the ride.
 
Dan,
I had someone contact me about your sleeve tool. They tryed to get on your site but its under construction. I didnt have your number saved. If you can give me the number I'll pass it on.
 
(quoted from post at 16:12:24 03/30/15) Dan,
I had someone contact me about your sleeve tool. They tryed to get on your site but its under construction. I didnt have your number saved. If you can give me the number I'll pass it on.

301.655.0631 - anytime 8-8 EDT

TOH
 
IIRC going from one end of Britain to the other on the motorway takes about 12 hours and that includes stops at multiple pubs on the way :D . In other words they weren't exactly built with long distance touring in mind. But...we drove a midget with three people in it from Toronto to Florida once without any real problem. Just keep an eye on the temperature and oil pressure gauges and go for it. Good luck and have fun.

ps. You'll need one of these (the hat):


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Hey Dell, don't forget to pack "Extra Sparkies". You know how fast they get used up at highway speed!

I've been meaning to ask you ...Why do the sparkies seem to like me more than the engine block when I pull a plug wire to check for spark? Yeowch! :shock:

Wish you were closer to me. You could come by and see what some real sparkies can do on my '66 mustang with 5.0 HO/AOD tranny and EFI. Takes lots of sparkies to run the EFI but boy will it take off! :eek:
 
DELL,

You already know how dependable those MGB engines are.
Aren't they basically my Austin 1500 bored out?

The 1100's and 1200 Austins had too narrow a block casting betwen cyls 2 & 3 which saw many a head gasket leak there . . . but then along came Jones . . .
and the 1500's which is where my love of those engines begins. In the 1500 the widest point between cylinders is between 2 & 3 but with boring out the spacing got narrower again -- three compression ring pistons too.

Like a mechanic friend said to me once, "Yeah, they've got bottom ends in them like TRACTORS." :D

Longest trip I ever took in my TR3 was from Sault Ste. Marie to Montreal and back.

Have a safe trip!

Terry

mvphoto18385.jpg
 
Best advice I can give is to unfold yourself out of that cramped up position and walk around periodically. You don't want to risk blood clots at your advanced age!
 
Picked up my "mid life crisis in Sacramento CA in July of 2013. Drove it 3,200 miles home to MI in 4 days. Passed through: Yosemite, Grand Canyon (north rim), Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyon Lands, Arches and Rocky Mountain National Parks on the way home. I hope your MG is as dependable as the Audi was.
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