Matt Drayer's Journal

"Dad, I see yellow!"

"Yellow?"

"Yeah, in the wheel well. I'm scraping off the black gunk and underneath the gunk it's black and brown, but underneath that it's yellow."

I put my wire brush down and went over to look at the front passenger wheel well. Sure enough, there was a bit of yellow paint showing through the grime.

I scraped at the wheel well and exposed more yellow paint. Yellow? The OEM color of this car was Russet Brown -- the engine bay, interior, and trunk were all Russet. Was the body repainted yellow at some point before being repainted white? But the yellow was actually showing from under the original brown paint, which had been further spraypainted black. Could the manufacturer have put a yellow fender on during assembly, then painted the car brown? That seemed unlikely...it was most likely a repair.

"How about that? Talk about odd. Well...we don't know much about the car, but we do know that it was painted white by the second-previous owner. Not the person we bought it from, but the person who owned the car before him. So this is probably a replacement fender pulled from another car, maybe one from a junkyard. This car is almost fifty years old, so it's not surprising that it's had at least one repair in its past. I'm sure we'll uncover more history as we continue digging. I call it 'Carchaeology'."

Looking closer, I could now see that the sheet metal inside the passenger wheel well wasn't smooth and flat like the drivers side. There were wrinkles and bends. Where clean straight lines should have been, instead there were a few twists and turns. I tried to visualize what would have caused all of this distortion, all of this...crumpling. That was it. This wasn't a simple replacement of a rusty fender. This was an impact.

"Interesting..."

"What?"

"Well, do you see all of this bent metal? On the driver's side it doesn't look like this -- everything is smooth. And under the brown paint there's no yellow paint from what I can tell. I think this little car was in an accident at some point in its life. Maybe the driver hit a telephone pole or something. These MG's didn't have airbags, but the front ends were designed to crumple on impact. And it must have happened before the car was painted white, because whoever installed the yellow fender painted everything to match the car's original color back when it was still 'Russet Brown'. So this must have been a pretty long time ago.

And look -- if we scrub more here with the wire brush we can actually see where they welded parts of the car back together. This is a welding technique called brazing. It's basically gluing two pieces of metal together using a different metal. Lots of auto body shops do it, although I think a shop would have made better repairs than what I see, so this was probably a DIY job. Yep, here are some more brazes. And here. And here... (Oh man...)

So this poor little car was in a pretty substantial accident at some point years ago, and someone cared enough to go through all the trouble and expense to fix it and make it look new again."

"Whoa. How do you know all this?"

I didn't really know how to answer her without sounding overbold. I wasn't a professional body repair technician or a certified insurance adjuster, I was just a DIY hack that had adored cars since my very first Matchbox. I grew up watching the Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, Speed Buggy, Herbie the Love Bug, and Cannonball Run. My favorite TV shows were Top Gear, Overhaulin', and Formula One: Drive to Survive. I'd consumed thousands of hours of YouTube restoration and tuning videos, and read a mountain of books, articles, and forum postings. I'd wrenched on bikes, cars, trucks, jeeps, boats, trailers, and more. I raced in a local adult karting league. My Amazon wishlist had a YesWelder MP200 on it. But all of that was just my foundation -- everything about this car was new to me.

"Well, sometimes you just have to listen to what the car's telling you. Let's keep going, I'm sure it has a lot more to say."

One more good shove and the clutch should clear...YES!!!

The engine separated from the transmission bell housing and swung freely on the crane's chain.

Holy moly, I did it, I pulled the engine! How cool is this

I pumped the crane a few more times to clear the body and then slowly wheeled the apparatus around to the engine stand. Three bolts later it was on the stand and now I could take a really good look and start prepping the block for paint.

No engine number plate...hmm, that's odd. I wonder why that is. There's supposed to be a number stamped on the block/head interface surface...but I can only make out a very faint "7U". Maybe the block has been planed?

Well, I guess I can clean the carbon off these pistons. They don't look too bad, actually, compared to what I've seen online. what are these numbers? "040"...I'll have to look into that. Also I thought the tops were supposed to be dished, but these are flat. Weird. I probably should have done a compression test before I took everything apart -- I guess it's too late for that now. But that coolant sat for a while on top of the pistons before draining into the block...so hopefully that means the rings are still good. I guess only time will tell.

Man this block is DIRTY -- it's absolutely covered in oil and grease. I didn't think I'd have to tear it all the way down, but maybe I should. Well, let's get that timing cover off. Wow, the bolts are just barely more than hand-tight...aren't they supposed to be tighter than this? Maybe that is why the fan sprayed oil all over the engine bay. Ugh, look at this gasket/RTV mess...who the heck did this? This timing chain is super loose -- add another item to the list. Maybe I should install one of those cool looking double chains, I'll have to check.

The crankshaft looks...really good? Shiny, even. It doesn't move at all when I try to shove it forward/backward. The thrust washers don't appear to be worn at all. "040" flat head pistons, nice looking crank, unworn thrust washers, planed block...this engine has already been rebuilt once? Number plate missing...possibly a replacement engine?

[Fast forward after multiple hours of scraping, cleaning, wirebrushing, torching, and taping]

Now THAT's a clean looking engine block! Just like the Uncle Tony's Garage video. Okay, time to paint the block. I think they were all painted black -- at least I can see this one was. But I'm going with red. Maroon, actually -- POR-15's "MG Maroon". It's the car's heart, after all...

"Good luck!"

"Thanks!"

I hopped in the Jeep and looked over my shoulder. With the back seats folded down the engine crane and stand just barely fit. I got them for a great price from a guy who had used it once to replace the engine in his Jeep XJ. Not a scratch on either one.

As I pulled away from his place I contemplated where I was going with this project. Am I really going to remove the engine and tranny? I couldn't see another way. Every interface is leaking oil. There's sludge covering every inch of the engine bay and tunnel. I can't let my daughter drive this car without knowing it's good, and considering the lack of vehicle history if I don't know for sure that the engine and transmission are solid, then as far as I'm concerned it's not driveable. So yeah, everything needs to come out.

We've already removed most of the auxiliary components from the engine bay. The front bumper and wheels, too, and put it on jack stands. The easy stuff.

Last night I removed the cylinder head, which I thought would be hard, but it was easy as well. I drained the oil from the pan and the coolant from the radiator, then pulled off the head. Bright green coolant poured everywhere -- whoops. Yeah, I'm definitely not a trained mechanic -- but I'm learning a ton of cool stuff and I'm having a lot of fun. If I can get this engine out, cleaned up, and painted I'll be really happy.

The car is covered in grease, and oil, and dirt. The garage floor is covered in grease, and oil, and dirt. I'm covered in grease, and oil, and dirt. She's covered in grease, and oil, and dirt. The starter is out, and confirmed dead. We've been scraping away at the engine bay, the underside, the front wheel wells, the front suspension, and the steering gear.

I was out here last night for a couple hours, taking a really good look at the engine and the transmission. I haven't really gotten into the technicalities yet, the manuals, the forums, I've just been going on my own experience working on previous rustbuckets. I know what I'm seeing, and what I'm not seeing. I also know I can handle this, mentally, but it's going to require going deep into the suck for hours, for days, maybe for weeks.

"So, at this point it's looking to me like a teardown."

"Oh..."

I can tell she's realized this project is now way more than a busted starter -- and as a busy teenager with homework, sports, extracurriculars, friends and (grrr) a possible first boyfriend entering the picture, availability was looking tight.

"We're going to need to pull out the engine and transmission, remove all the parts, and take a good look at everything. We're going to need to remove the suspension components, too. It all needs to be cleaned. We'll keep what we can and do a parts order for what we can't. It's going to be a lot of work, but it's going to also be a lot of fun putting it together and you WILL be driving it before school ends."

"You're going to pull out the engine? How???"

"With an engine crane, of course! It's just removing a few bolts and a couple of wires/tubes on these cars -- trust me, it'll go. I've already found a guy a few towns over selling a like-new crane, leveler, and stand for short money. Just think of all the new tools we'll get for this project! And then we'll already have them when it's your brother's turn."

"Haha, Mom's gonna love that!"

"Look, cleaning this little beast is going to be a nasty job. Really dirty work using chemicals and solvents that I'd prefer you are not exposed to. I'm going to be hyper-focused on getting it done by the end of the year. I'm going to be swearing...a lot . You can come out here anytime and help me, but I don't want you to feel guilty if things come up and you can't. Besides, the fun part is going to be putting everything back together when she's cleaned up and we have all the parts ready to go, anyway. We'll aim to start doing that after the holidays. Sound like a deal to you?"

"Deal!"

"Alright, let's begin removing parts. Everything comes off. Everything goes into ziplock bags with labels written on them. Ready?"

"Yes!"

"Okay....pop it!"

It was the fifth time I had rolled the MG down our driveway, prompting my daughter to engage the clutch and use the gearing to coax the engine to fire. The car quickly ground to a halt, the engine continuing its hibernation. So frustrating. I had booted up my Jeep Wrangler this way just a year ago when my nephew had arrived to trailer it to his place in New Hampshire. It's not black magic, it's science, and it works...most of the time.

When we looked at the car, the previous owner had said it had started up just a couple months before, yet wasn't currently turning over due to a possible starter issue. He had recently replaced the battery, which was great, but the starter remained dormant. I didn't care, though -- I was all in on the proposed father-daughter project experience. So we bought the Midget, loaded it on a U-Haul dolly, and towed it home.

"Let's take five, sweetie -- I need some time to think."

Something wasn't right. I opened the airbox -- dirty looking filter, could it be original? Seemed fine enough from an airflow perspective, though. Maybe that ancient looking Zenith carburetor is clogged up -- hmm, not ready to get into that just yet. Fuel? Gauge says 1/2 tank. Maybe the fuel pump is dead. Where IS the fuel pump on this thing?

"Press the clutch in and turn the key again?"

Yeah, nothing. No solenoid click, no starter whirr, no fuel pump hum, hmm. Battery dead? Multimeter reads fine. Maybe it's the starter solenoid. Interesting, this starter doesn't seem to have a solenoid...it must have a solenoid. Battery is connected to...oh, weird, it looks like it has some sort of separate solenoid-type device. Seems like it was attached to the body at one point, but now it's just dangling in space...maybe it's no longer grounded -- I'll re-attach it.

"Okay, give the key another shot."

CLICK!

"Dad, it did something!"

"Yep, the solenoid is now activating, but still no starter..."

What to try next? Maybe I should try jumping the solenoid. That always worked for my Beetle -- the starter would get stuck all the time and I'd have to jump it with a screwdriver. Did it this spring on an outboard boat engine, too. Worth a shot. Got the big screwdriver out, jumped the contacts annnnd...nothing. Sheesh.

"I think the starter might be dead. It looks like it's the original design, so I'm not surprised. Although I must say I no longer believe the car ran as recently as this summer. That 2017 inspection sticker on the windshield might be a clue." I don't know how I missed that sticker when we looked at the car. I guess I was already sold on the project at that point -- after all, it's just a car, and a simple one at that, right?

"We'll probably need to buy a new starter. I'll have to look around online to see what will fit."

"Alright..."

I could see the disappointment in her eyes. She had envisioned zipping around town with a friend in the passenger seat and the radio on, taking it to school, getting ice cream at the beach, and was now feeling that vision sliding into "maybe next year" territory. I was feeling my own disappointment growing, too, realizing that this wasn't going to be easy...or inexpensive....already envisioning a new engine hoist in our future.

"You did say you wanted a 'project car'. Well, this is definitely a project car. And, this is the fun part! We get to figure out what is wrong with it and then fix it up. Based on what little we know so far, it could be a total restoration project. It's definitely a total degreasing project.
There's a lot of gunk coating the engine, and the transmission, and the underside, and the suspension. I don't think I've ever seen a car so clean on the outside, and so dirty on the inside/underside. It's like someone has been spraying the engine bay with oil for decades. Hey, do you want to remove the starter and we can test it? I'll show you how to do it."

"Sure!"

Hadn't lost her yet...

"Hi Dad, I have a journalism project I need a hand with..." Sure, I'm thinking, some sort of diorama? Maybe a trip to a museum, a national park, or maybe a photo safari? We have what I would consider a wonderful relationship, but my 16yo daughter rarely leaves her room when she's home, and even more rarely asks me for anything at this point.

"What do you think about working on a project car together?"

I'm dumbfounded. She knows I'm a car guy. She'd better not be pulling my chain. "Are you serious? Because if you are, I'm in. We'll find a car, we'll do all the work, and when it's done, you'll get to drive me around town and it'll be awesome.'

"Yes, I'm serious!"

And so it begins -- I dive deeply into the rabbit hole of project car culture. I've always been a car guy -- I've owned a few at this point -- and a few I'd personally wrenched on 1974 VW Super Beetle (engine swap), a 1978 Mercedes 300D (diesel???), a 2000 Jeep Wrangler TJ (total overhaul). What would it be this time?

"How about a truck?" "Hmm...no."
"A old school Mini Cooper?" "No"
"Honda Fit? We could give it a fun paint job and snazzy wheels!" "Nope."
"Muscle car?" "Maybe..."
"How about this 1989 BMW convertible? It's red and in pretty good condition." "No thanks." (Yes, my teenage daughter declined an offer to buy her a BMW convertible.)
"1978 Pontiac Trans Am? Smokey and the Bandit!" "That's pretty cool looking, maybe." (Yessss...)

I begin watching Trans Am restoration YouTubes. Dozens of them. Not so bad -- I can handle that. Now I just need the project...wow there's a lot of beaters out there. Wait, $12k for a beater?!! What about a roller? $8k for a ROLLER??? The engine bay is full of hay!!! Who's buying these rustbuckets? "I know what I've got" says the seller. I don't think you know what you got, buddy...

To Craigslist..."project car". Hey, check it out, a little MG Midget, I remember those. It looks like it's in great shape. Seller says it runs, has brought it to a few car shows, needs a bit of work, engine ran as of a couple months ago, asking price seems excellent based on some quick comp research and leaves room in the budget for tools and parts. Oh man, this would be great! Of course, she'll never go for it....

"Hey sweetie, check this out. It's a 1979 MG Midget -- this could be a fun one." "Did you just say 'midget'? That's the name of the car?" "Well, um, yeah. I mean, I know the name isn't exactly PC these days, but the parts are cheap, it's easy to work on, there seems to be a great community, and it'll fit in our little garage. People also refer to these cars as 1500's, so we could call it that instead of a midget." (Please...)

"It's really cute! Let's do it!"