For those of you who read my last blog you would have realised that my fateful journey into the world of BLs started back in 2002. Little did I know, it would not be an easy path to go down. Here is a tale of how a simple plan went massively out of hand.
So, I had a brown MGB, with rubber bumpers and no real class about it. To top it all off the car felt like a boat on motorways with even a ferry going across the channel rocking less, in addition to an overdrive unit which would disengage most of the time the clutch was disengage, leaving one with no overdrive. Oh, and the exhaust was blowing.
After a polish however, the brown did not look quite so bad. It would not pass an MOT however if it looked shiny! Some would say at this point we should have given up and got a better car. But was is the fun in that? The car was £600 after all…
Overdrives were not cheap units back then either. However, with some luck we did manage to locate a working overdrive rebuilt by an ex-Laycock fitter for £195 ; not too bad I guess when most wanted over £300. Being in Bolton however did make things awkward. Simultaneously, an exhaust was ordered up in the form of a Falcon single box item, for £110. With these two items it went to the now gone D & S Classics garage based down in Stratford Upon Avon. After a week the car was way way better than before. It felt direct, it was safe to leave junctions and drove well! However, more problems became apparent even if the exhaust sounded great! The steering was vaguer than a vague thing. When the garage quoted us £140 to change the rack we figured why not.
The “why not” soon turned to cursing when we had a phone call to say that it took Dave (the prop of D & S Classics) over 3 hours to remove the rack due to the bolts being seized within the steering rack ; I recall him saying that it was one of the worst racks he had ever seen on the car. The price also went up to £300. From not spending alot on cars we decided to begrudgingly spend the cash and drive the car. So even though we were poorer the car did drive far better. With the Spax damper conversion on the back it really improved matters. If we really had any sense the car would have simply have had a little a paintwork here and there and simply enjoyed.
But, you know this is not how the story goes…
Leyland Legends 