Is Your Car Right?

By Chris Nowlan

Everyone knows sports cars are fun to drive but few sports car owners really enjoy the full performance their cars were designed to provide.

XKE’s, Bugeye Sprites, and everything in between were designed with driving pleasure as the first priority. Sports cars are meant to be driven. The styling that we’ve all come to love was kept as simple and functional as possible and was a secondary consideration on the part of most sports car designers.

All British sports cars should have excellent road manners, smooth even-firing engines, good brakes and no shakes, rattles, smoldering wiring, or overheating problems!

The MGTC is surely one of the most attractive and desirable of all British sports cars. Although they are frequently seen at the most prestigious Concours d’ Elegance events they are rarely seen on the open road. TC’s have a reputation for miserably vague steering, non existent brakes, and spindly wire wheels that can disintegrate without warning!

This writer has driven a significant number of beautifully restored TC’s and can confirm that many examples are not even safe much less fun to drive. TC’s that are in good tune and state of repair should give the driver complete confidence in his ability to safely and effortlessly maneuver his car over any stretch of road. TC’s in good tune do steer and handle very well and should never make the driver feel he is about to roll the car over. Brakes are more than adequate and the complete car should not feed the least bit flimsy or fragile. The T-Series XPAG engine was renowned in its day as being extremely strong and long wearing. These engines should run smoothly throughout the rev range with minimal fuss and clatter. Valves were not designed to be noisy nor was oil pressure intended to be erratic.

The MGTC is widely known as “The Sports Car America Loved First”, a reputation it earned at the hands of fast drivers on race tracks, and of enthusiasts delighted to find a car which offered handling and braking capabilities sorely missing from the American car of the era. If your restoration is truly to original standards, the car should perform as original as well as looking original!

All British sports cars are apt to develop peculiar annoying qualities after high mileage and neglect. Within a given model many of these problems are common to a great many cars.

MGID’s and TF’s develop clutch judder that requires ever increasing amounts of skill to drive away smoothly in first gear. MGA’s wear out second gear synchro rings to the point where many MGA owners think only 3rd and 4th gears are really supposed to be syncromesh!

TR2’s and 3’s develop vague steering due to accumulated wear in the steering box and the multitude of fulcrum pins and tie rod ends. TR4’s through TR6’s also develop similar steering characteristics due to mushy rubber steering rack mounts.

The point to be made is that all these problems are correctable and elimination of annoying faults will make any sports car more enjoyable to drive. Many problem areas are not overly difficult to repair nor require replacement of costly components.

Although we at Moss Motors are not always able to supply every cosmetic part you need, most mechanical parts are available You can usually restore good handling, positive braking, and a nice, taut feel to your car without major surgery. You just need to believe that your car can work well!

Why not make an objective list of your own car’s shortcomings and implement a weekend tuneup program to correct at least the most annoying faults.Your car may be safer because of it and will certainly provide greater enjoyment. After all aren’t pride of ownership and driving pleasure the most significant reasons for owning a British sports car?