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1956 MGA Roadster

Me And My Classic

by Paul Cooper

Security had moved on a pace since car crime free 1956 and unfortunately not being able to lock the car was a problem. Locks are not fitted to the doors but the boot is operated by a pull rod arrangement from inside the cabin. I bought an MGB glovebox lock for £5.00 and installed it in the rear bulkhead near the pull mechanism. After welding a washer onto the rod it is now possible to lock the boot using this arrangement. When locked the bar on the lock simply passes between the washer and bulkhead restricting the rod movement. A simple engine immobiliser fitted to the low-tension side of the coil provides additional security.

We now started to use the car over the summer months for attending shows and lazy summer day picnics. Over the next year we travelled around 2000 miles, including attending our local MGOC meetings at Ranby Nottinghamshire. One slight concern was the oil pressure readings when Ronni got warm, dropping down to around 10psi at tickover. This was helped by the installation of a new pressure release spring, then Adrian arranged for the pressure gauge to be checked and it was found to under read by 7psi. Allowing for this misreading the pressure at tick over is now around 15psi, above that stated in the handbook.

With winter approaching we were able to plan some refinements to Ronni and spruce here up a little into the bargain. I undertook the service myself and took the opportunity to clean the sump filter, an extremely time consuming job and one that revealed a perfectly clean filter, but at least I know now. Details of the MGA service were found on the MGOC site. I also changed the oil filter housing for a spin on canister type from Moss to make changes easier in the future. The major job was re-chroming.

The windscreen surround was worn to brass in places so was carefully removed as well as the radiator surround and nosepiece. These were entrusted with Prestige plating at Wombwell Barnsley and returned two weeks later looking fantastic. To celebrate I invested in a complete window surround screw set and rubbers (such simple pleasures) together with new brackets to finish the job. The website of Barney Gaylord (MGA with attitude) was helpful in showing the installation process, and has lots of technical articles and MGA related links.

To summarise, Ronni (the roadster) is everything we expected of the car, it certainly turns heads wherever we go, and turns every journey into an experience.

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