SUMMER 2011
Welcome to the Summer 2011 issue of Moss Motoring. Immerse yourself in a vast range of stories that range from personal profiles, to technical advice, and more. We promise it’s a ride worth your while. Browse the articles below.
Sprites and Midgets: Cheap and Cheerful
The most amount of enjoyment for the least amount of money Cute, fun, and affordable are the key benefits that most MG Midget and post-Bugeye Sprite owners point to proudly. Pin-sharp handling and throttle response makes drivers smile. Vintage racers and autocrossers love the power-to-weight ratio and potential for hot tuning. In production for 18…
The Man Behind the Curtain
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Having been recently forced to subject myself to public scrutiny, at least among British Motoring readers, I feel it’s my civic duty to tell you all about the real puller of levers. You see, I’m just the apparitional talking head, with fire and smoke spouting from…
Ideas Welcome: Parts Greatly Needed or Entirely Innovative
In the back of the Moss Motors facility in Goleta, California is a 3,000 sq.ft. research and development shop referred to by staffers as “the toy shop” and “the skunk works.” Only a handful of employees have keys to this secret domain, and access is restricted to the engineers, mechanics, and research staff who are…
Touring In Your Classic Sports Car
With the summer season upon us, our thoughts turn to long motoring trips in our British cars. My “big trip” of the summer is a drive some 250 miles up the coast to the Monterey Peninsula for what has to be one of the most incredible automotive weekends on earth. It includes the Monterey Historic…
Wire Wheel Care
The second most frequently asked question about our cars must be: “How do I take care of my wire wheels? Should the car be off the ground to hammer the knock-off, or should the wheel be on the ground?” Well, that’s two questions, but the problem remains. Whether you call it a knock-off, a knock-on,…
Fuel pump leave you stranded?
SU fuel pumps have, perhaps unjustifiably, earned a reputation for poor reliability in spite of the fact that most original pumps function flawlessly for a great many years. Nonetheless, when they do get old and tired, and suddenly stop functioning, there may yet be hope! Try lightly tapping on the side of the pump with…
Steering the Ship – Upgrading Your Steering Wheel
It amazes us how many cars have steering wheels that are either in rough shape or are awkward to handle. If you think about it, every second you spend driving your car, you have your hands on the steering wheel. From that perspective, you could argue that your steering wheel is the most important component…
Adjusting Drum Brakes
Adjustment of most British brake systems is a simple operation that should be done regularly. The time-tested method is to turn the adjusters clockwise until the shoe comes up against the drum, and then “clicking back” until the wheel turns free. Most manuals recommend one click to free the drum, but two or more are…