Most people first learn about generators at night on a back country road in the middle of nowhere. (Actually, about 100 yards from a house, but the middle of nowhere is so much more depressing.) You have one of those “English sports car needs minor electrical work” from the classified ads. Oh, the man who…
Fall in Love With Dyno Tuning in 9 Easy Steps Modern technology is changing how we interact with classic cars, and sometimes we can’t help but laugh. After all, these situations can get pretty anachronistic. More and more, we rely on high-tech tools to keep our classics in tune. Static timing has been replaced by…
The Austin-Healey 3000 was designed by a racing legend, Donald M. Healey, and it embodies everything he wanted in an automobile: gutsy power that could win rallies, a sturdy chassis and mechanicals, and bold, curvaceous styling. For half a century this car has been the object of lust and envy. Top-quality cars have brought six…
Participating in some kind of motorsports usually requires specialized equipment ranging from special tires to a fully prepared race car. There is a way, however, to compete without any car prep: enter a road rally. This is an event held on public roads in which a driver and a navigator must follow a set of…
By Ken Swaggart Recently I had parked my 1974 MGB in the local shopping center parking lot. Upon returning I noticed the car had moved slightly forward up against a concrete barricade. Strange! When I pressed in the clutch pedal to start the car, it moved back and the engine turned over, all before I…
A Little History Back in the 1980s, we began receiving complaints about wire wheels that were “egg shaped” or so far out of round they could not be balanced. We wound up checking every wire wheel upon receipt using a jig mounted wire wheel hub and a pair of dial indicators. After 6 months, we…
Drew Alcazar is such a car nut that he has one on display in his living room. He admits he’s been crazy about automobiles since he was old enough to push a Matchbox car. As the owner of Russo and Steele Collector Automobile Auctions, he now gets to sample just about everything ever made. He…
By Peter Arakelian Re-upholster my seats! By myself! I’ve never done anything like this before, what have I gotten myself into? These and other equally disheartening thoughts raced through my mind as I looked down on the passenger seat of my TR6 sitting vulnerably on the back porch. I had already spent the last few…
New tires provide better handling and safety, plus vintage looks Old cars are a thrill…old tires are a hazard. While our beloved Austin-Healeys, MGs and Triumphs sit idle in the garage, the tires they stand on are hardening, cracking and crumbling away due to aging and the environment. Many purists want to keep their classic…
Hydraulic piping for British cars has undergone several design changes; with the result that replacement lines often have “flares” that do not look like the lines on the car. For example, if the flare on the old line looks like (1a), the new line (2a) will look incorrect. All of the lines Moss sells now…
