As you can see, cars other than Triumphs and MGs also completed runs at the recent Autocross.  It must be FUN if drivers cannot resist taking out the old Cadillac, early Mustang, or Volvo!

lesser.pdf

 Last year the MGs brought home the MG/Triumph autocross trophy.  In the Spring 2025 match held last Saturday, the Triumphs won the competion.  All the details are posted below. 

The 17 competing Triumphs had the better of the Individual Average Times on the course at the Houston Police Academy with 77.757 seconds.  The 16 MGs averaged 79.038.  Each Driver was allowed 4 runs.  The MGs had Fastest Average Times of 75.8988 seconds.  They were bested by the Triumph Drivers by only .0001 Second!!  (electronic timer).   Well done MG Drivers!

Drivers often say that Autocrossing is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.  

Autocross Results.pdf

From the Octagonal office:

It was refreshing to see 15 men, applying their skills and experience to assess the 1980 MGB donated to the Houston Club.  On Saturday (01 March) they came to my house, and attempted to get the car running for the first time since 1992.

HMGCC Bill Sysman brought a battery, and we completed the 12 volt circuit to the starter. 

On first turn over, we verified that we had oil pressure on the gauge, and that oil was lubricating the rockers.  The gauge read 50psig.

We then ran a cylinder compress, we achieved 115, 85, 105, and 30 psi on cylinders 1 – 4, respectively.  Low pressure was expected, as two of the valves have been in the open position since it was last run.

It was found that the ignition was not working….no spark.  Jumpering 12V to the coil, and replacing a faulty relay resulted in spark.  I was holding the lead, and jumped two feet when the key was turned.  Didn’t see the spark, but definitely felt it.

We also found that the fuel pump wasn’t working, which would have been a real issue had the car been equipped with its original carbs.  A little gas into the Weber caused the engine to cough, and then she ignited.  We will try this again, hooking up a facet pump to supply a steady stream of fuel, and let this old motor warm-up.  I am fairly certain that the cylinder pressure will prove satisfactory after the engine comes to temperature, and the sticky valves begin to operate as expected.

There was plenty of beer and snacks around, helping to keep our members hydrated and happy.

Two members brought over their cylinder heads, and I performed a wet fluorescent magnetic particle inspection on both of them.  Both were crack free.  This brought Pete Sandy a smile, as he was told that his racing cylinder head had a crack in it.  We verified that this was not the case.

It was particularly pleasing to see members turning wrenches, jumpering wires, and applying their skills to get this car running.  We have a car club!

If you are in the market for a 1980 MGB, a car with solid metal, and a usable engine, come to the April meeting and bid on her.

Rich Colwell

It is interesting to see how a simple gathering of MGs and their drivers, can provide the greatest enjoyment and insights.  

Such was the case on February 26 when 14 of us shared a noon-time meal at the Senate Brewery in Jersey Village.  On the sun-dappled patio, attendees explored outrageous stories along with intense problem-solving and helpful tech suggestions and internet referrals.  

These low-profile, minimal-planning events are so easy to arrange.  Anyone can select a location, note the address, set a date (mid-week) and send it all to our Events Coordinator.  We call these a Pop-Up event; if you allow a notification two weeks prior, the mileage to and from can be awarded for applicable club awards competition.  Give a try at a place near you…you may be amazed at who shows up.  A Facebook message can invite non-members too.  

While in New Zealand last year, Candy and I had the opportunity to enjoy a few hours at the Southward Car Museum. Among the many spectacular automobiles we came across was an MG we’d never even heard of… the R Type.  

If you are ever in New Zealand, be sure to include this museum on your itinerary.  It is on the North Island, near Wellington.   It is the most comprehensive we’ve ever seen.  We thank fellow Member Michael Shouse for getting us there. 

Some of you have heard that the club has an MGB Overdrive Transmission that we will be auctioning.  Well, it is true!  If you have an MGB and are tired of running at 3,5400-4,000 RPM or more  to cruise at highway speeds, this is your chance!  MGB Overdrives reduce engine speed by 18% for any given road speed which is significant.

 

This is a BLUE LABEL overdrive transmission that club member, Rob Ficalora, refurbished (with a lot of guidance, phone calls, & email support from MGB transmission guru Dick Morritz).  It has been disassembled, cleaned, inspected, worn parts replaced, reassembled, and bench tested to operate correctly.  All 4 synchros (the main wear components) were replaced in this refresh as were all gaskets and seals.

 

Auction details:

• Date:  April 5th during our monthly meeting
• Location: Spring Creek BBQ in Shenandoah TX (near The Woodlands)
• Must be a club member in good standing no later than April 1st to participate in the auction.  If you are not a member and want to participate, you can join at www.houstonmgcc.com/join-us.
• Must be present to win.
• While it is believed to be in excellent condition and has been bench tested, it is being sold as is/where is.  The transmission being auctioned carries no warranty.
• Starting bid will be $1500.
• The winning bidder must collect the transmission at the auction on April 5th unless otherwise coordinated with Rob Ficalora at or before the auction.  If not collected at the meeting, the winning bidder will need to make arrangements to pick it up at Rob's home in Willis, TX.

NOTE:  If you are interested but not sure about compatibility for your car, email the club @ HoustonMGCarClub@gmail.com and we will send you the compatibility information we have.

In our February Monthly Meeting, Rich Colwell will give a presentation on how to extract horsepower from your engine. Tactics were taught by Carl Heideman and John Twist in their "Tuning for Speed" Course in Grand Rapids Michigan.  See the events page for location details.

2024 was a very good year for the Houston MG Car Club.  It is clear to me that the leadership during the last 5 years or so has been exemplary, and the club events exhibit a lot of vitality.  My thanks to the past leadership for leaving the club in a healthy status as we enter 2025.

It is my hope that the driving trend will increase in 2025, and that the driving events will be desirable and fun, enticing club members to come out and join in celebrating our shared passion.  I am going to attempt to run a funkhana during our club picnic, something that I have not done before, but would like to.  If you have experience with organizing such an event, please reach out and give me your two cents.

One activity that we will be doing more of is providing tech sessions and vehicle safety inspections throughout the year.  Additionally, if you are a club member, and your car is not on the road, please reach out to me.  We will come to your house and provide technical consultation/help so that you can benefit from those with experience in keeping these little cars running.

Another fun event will  be watching club member Pete Sandy race his little British sports car at  MSR (Angleton, TX) on 26 April.  More details on this to come.

The first monthly club meeting for 2025 is this Saturday at 11:00 at Lyndon's BBQ , 5320 Hollister just off Highway 290.  I hope to see you there.

Rich Colwell, President

Club Awards for 2024 were presented at the Christmas Party. The time and energy devoted to planning and coordinating driving and other events that generate these awards cannot be understated. Well done officers and volunteers!

(Detail about each award can be seen on the website tab ABOUT/AWARDS.)

500 MILE AWARDS

Dash plaques, recognizing 500 or more miles driven in an MG, were provided to:

SAFETY FAST AWARD (Most Events in an MG)

• Mike Craven, attended 18 events

KIMBER SPIRIT AWARD (Most Events in any Car)

• Dwight and Candy Dawson

MG DRIVER AWARD (Most Miles in an MG)

• Ron Redding, 1849 miles (many in his 1958 MG Magnette)

ALAN RAYNE MEMORIAL AWARD (also known as Broken Crankshaft Award

• Ray Holtzapple

RALPH DIEBERT AWARD

• Arnel Brown, 1953 MG TD

BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ AWARD

• Ron Redding

PRESIDENT’S AWARD for member who has provided exceptional leadership or service 

• Jim Goldmeyer

BACK SEAT DRIVER AWARD

• Greg Fleischer & Tony Galt

PRESIDENTIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

Bob Chalker was honored for his leadership and accomplishments as President in 2023 and 2024. This included recognition from the North American MGB Register for coordination of a most successful NAMGBR national convention…MG2024 in Katy, Texas.

The Worst Road Trip… Ever!! NAMGBR 2025 in Crystal Lake, IL

(NOTE:  Before you ask, Driver's Award miles are only accepted if 3 or more Members make the trip. This was decided by our Board of Directors.)

UPDATE: This trip is definitely a go! Surprisingly, we have managed to convince some otherwise responsible MG Owners that this trip would not be the worst decision they have ever made. How about you? Have you ever regretted not doing something wild and crazy with a really high potential for disaster? Well then, let your inner teenager make the decision for you and give us a call! Or read on and let us really scare you before you decide.

So you have been thinking that this year you would finally make it to a NAMGBR convention, and you figure that Crystal Lake, IL is a lot closer than Calgary was, right? You’d love to see how Chicagoland puts on a show, but aren’t sure you want to make that long trip yourself? You want to treat yourself and your MG to a nice, relaxing road trip? Well, you’re outa luck, because our planned drive to the Land of Lincoln will be THE WORST ROAD TRIP… EVER!!

“Why?”, you ask, “Why is it going to be THE WORST ROAD TRIP… EVER!! ?” Well, for one thing, you could make the trip in two days. Just hit the interstate and the cruise control on your MG and wake up in Chicago two days later. But no, not us! We’re going to take six friggin’ days! And those nice, comfortable interstates? Fugetaboudit! We’re going to take those miserable, slow, two-lane, twisty roads that will have your arms aching by noon!

What else, you say? How about the scenery? We could choose to drive through the enchanting expanses of suburbia, with their arrays of neat strip malls and outlet stores. But instead, we’re going out of our way to avoid buildings and expose you to endless vistas of fences, pastures, trees and hills. For mile after mile after endless mile.

But surely it gets better when it comes to food, right? WRONG! You will be dying for a chain restaurant by the time we hit Chicago. You better like those run-down local diners, with their “character” and “diverse” menus.

So if we still haven’t convinced you that this road trip is entirely underwhelming, just check out this proposed itinerary:

• Day 1: Meet up in aptly named Sulphur Springs, TX.

• Day 2: Bake in the sweltering Texas summer heat on your way to Hot Springs, AR. Where it also smells.

• Day 3: Fight off mosquitoes in the Ozark National Forest and seek cover in Eureka Springs, AR.

• Day 4: Get your kicks on sleepy Route 66 and celebrate tackiness raised to an art form. Overnight in a forgettable town not named after a spring.

• Day 5: Fight through traffic in St. Louis and overnight in Springfield, IL – a town that still celebrates log cabins. Really.

• Day 6: Try to not let the endless corn fields put you to sleep as you finally spill out of your car exhausted in Crystal Lake.

If you’re still thinking of going to NAMGBR 2025, and if we haven’t convinced you that our route there will be THE WORST ROAD TRIP… EVER!!, then you have our deepest sympathy. If you would like to further discuss this or your other poor life choices, please contact Scott Hardy at scott.b.hardy@gmail.com and we will be glad to offer you a consultation. Offer only available until the end of March, 2025.