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Jean & John King 39 Ripley Avenue Minster Lovell Oxfordshire, OX29 0RP Tel: 01993 778597 Email: john@oxfordshiremgoc.co.uk

Or jean.king@outlook.com

Are you going to MG ERA at Brooklands, Weybridge? This great event is on April 2nd, 10am until 5pm

What a great turnout last club night. We almost filled every seat and table in the clubhouse.

There was a great buzz about the place and everyone seemed to be having a good old natter. I soon put a stop to that when I started my usual ‘spiel’. Not that there was a great amount to say as, really, the MG year had not yet started. However, I was pleased to say that things were moving along regarding the MGs IN THE PARK event and that the various clubs, forums and groups were being advised about the event as were some of the classic car magazines so that they could mention it in their events pages. So far so good. Traders have been invited although we do need a few more as at least two of our regular attendees cannot make it this year. I did advise everyone that it would be great if there could be as much assistance as possible from members on the event weekend so that the event is yet another success. Club member, Richard Wilcocks had brought in a rear interior trim panel for an MG TF and offered it free to anyone who wanted it. I believe Trevor went off with it. That was lucky! The registration raffle, the monies from which go into the charity fund, turned out to be more than interesting. When it was drawn, it was Jean’s car reg which came out. As she had won it the month before last, she put it back in to be redrawn. This time, Michael’s registration came out. What are the chances? Michael donated the prize money to the charity. Fine fellow!! As time moved on, Michael ( minus his £10 prize) set about exercising our brains with first, the picture quiz and then followed this with a couple of short rounds of questions which, I must admit, I was hopeless at answering. . It was a fine end to the meeting and soon we were all heading out to the car park and then home. I look forward to seeing you all on Wednesday.

Well, perhaps not plaice, but maybe cod. Yes, you may remember well that we all missed out on the FISH and CHIP supper which traditionally marked our birthday celebrations. The restaurant staff did a runner from the Lamb & Flag and we were unable to arrange an alternative at the time. Jean had suggested that we may be able to think about doing something by way of a belated celebration supper in April at the club’s AGM meeting.

Jean had a word with Adrian, The main man in the Clubhouse with the following result. She says…..

I have arranged with the Golf Club for our fish and chips supper to take place at our AGM – Wednesday the 5th April. As you will recall we could not do it as our usual at November 19th Birthday meeting. Please let me know if you are joining us. There will a choice between fish and chips or sausage and chips. As in previous years this will be subsidised by £5.00 per membership paid.

So, Jean will want to know next club night as to whether you will be there in April and if so, what your preference is. You can email her on jean.king@outlook.com should you not be at the March clubnight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, the question is...

What does a 320 pound woman look like? Now, before you scroll down to look at her picture, get a mental image of what you think a woman who weighs 320lbs looks like....

Got it? Ready?

Not exactly what you were expecting is it ??

The tallest and best proportioned woman in the

world lives in Holland. She is 7'4' and weighs 320lbs

What a relief!

Now we ALL know we aren't overweight; we're

just too short!

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Sunday the 19th

was the date set for this year’s MG and Triumph combined Spares Day at Stoneleigh.

I was going up mainly to spread around flyers about MGs IN THE PARK although I suppose many would fall on the deaf ears of the Triumph enthusiasts.

However, I got some out there and spoke with a few traders also while I had the chance. Tony Nash had joined me as he wanted to have a look around. It was good to have his company.

I must admit, I didn’t buy anything as I was not really needing parts for the MGs this time around. Tony did a bit of trading though and spent a few bob. Deal of the day for Tony was a used square metal brake master cylinder and while it was showing a little bit of corrosion on the outside, seemed ok and just needed cleaning up and a new set of seals fitted which Tony is going to do himself. It was all of £5, a bit of a bargain as a boxed, new old stock square metal master cylinder was on one of the trader stalls for the princely sum of £185. The show was quite busy with all three halls well populated although much of hall 3 was taken over by Triumph Club Stands with a few traders and a smattering of MG club stands also. Martin Smith had his usual very smart stand with his fabulous black, beautifully sign-written van as the backdrop. He was doing good business from what must have

been the best looking trade stand of the show. One surprise this year, however, was that

there was no MG Owners Club stand in evidence. They usually take up quite a big corner in Hall 1 with loads of MG regalia and bits and bobs on offer. Come to think of it, I don’t think I saw an MG Car Club stand either. We met up with John Watson and visited the MGF register stand but I am sure that the Car club itself did not have a stand there. As Tony and I went round, we saw Trevor, who had managed to get his fabulous MG TF parked just outside the front door of the exhibition building. Sometime later, we saw Barry and Tony and then bumped into Philip who had also been spending money on a few bits. Don’t tell Jane! Having done the rounds and been fed and watered thanks to Tony, we made our way out through Hall two into Hall one and out into the car park where I also had been lucky enough to get a ‘front row’ space. No doubt, we will make the same journey next year. Will MGOC HQ from Swavesey be there, I wonder.

Jean’s Firefrost Red MGZR 1.8, the replacement for her previous yellow 1.4 which blew an engine, was due an MOT and so it was booked in to a local garage last week

The car did fail on a loose clip on the steering rack gator although this was fixed while the car was still on the ramp. When I went to collect the car, the garage owner said that there was an advisory. Seemingly, the SRS -safety restraint system light was not coming on.

This dashboard warning light should show as the ignition is turned on but extinguish after about 5 or 6 seconds following its self-test routine. If the light stays on after the 5 or so seconds, a fault will have been detected by the self-test and the SRS system will be ‘switched off’ by the car’s system. In this situation…..

The car will fail the MOT.

If, however, as in the case of Jean’s car, the SRS dashboard warning light does not show as the ignition is turned on and continues not to light up at any point. Would you believe…

The car will PASS the MOT .

The rules seem to state that as the light did not show following the ignition sequence and did not come on and then stay on, then it’s OK. Don’t worry about it!

Hands up all those who think this logic is Barmy and dangerous !!

In the car’s current situation, the air bags and seat belt tensioners are inoperative. Not good ! On investigation I found that the fuse for the SRS system had been removed from the fuse board as there, no doubt, was a fault which would have caused the car to fail the MOT. The car is going into College Motors to have a replacement SRS box installed and programmed in. I’d like to speak to the wally who removed the fuse.

If you have not visited Brooklands museum yet then you really should make the effort to go there.

It is an amazing place full of interest. As mentioned on the front page of this newsletter, the MG ERA event takes place there on Sunday, 2

nd of April

and it is open from 10am until 5pm.

So in addition to seeing the outside display of British Aircraft Corporation passenger aircraft including Concord, the fabulous London Bus Museum, various hangers with aircraft under restoration, veteran, vintage and classic cars on display in the various original ‘garage’ buildings, a section of the famous steeply banked Brooklands racing track, the colossal Barnes Wallace stratosphere chamber and much, much more, you would also be part of a huge display of attending MGs.

Please have a look at the Brooklands website. www.brooklandsmuseum.com/whats-on/brooklands-mg-era It will be a great day out for sure.

April Club Night is the date set for our Annual General Meeting where you get the opportunity to find out how your club is doing and how the finances are at this time. It is also the chance for you to nominate individuals or

put yourself forward for election onto the Club Committee. The positions are as follows…

Area Secretary (chairperson)

Membership Secretary

Finance Officer

Events Secretary (vacant position)

We would be pleased to hear of any nominations on the night or even prior In addition, the evening of the AGM is also the renewal time for membership fees. The annual fee per individual or couple remains at £10 although £5 of that is given back to the member in the form of a reduction in the cost of their Birthday Fish & Chip supper cost in November. The membership fees are important to the finances of the club and help tremendously when it comes to purchasing or replacing club assets. You will hear how the monies are spent at the AGM where Sue will also hand out copies of the balance sheet as usual for members to study. The committee would be grateful for your continuing support of the club both socially and financially and hope that you will continue to enjoy the friendship and camaraderie for which our club is renowned.

Vera’s Kitchen

10 Burford Street,

Lechlade

Gloucestershire

GL7 3AP

Tel 01367 252677

Visit this cosy tea room in a 17th Century

stone building on Lechlade’s main street.

B & B accommodation is also available in

very smart courtyard rooms.

Trip advisor says…. “Vera’s kitchen … Best cafe in Lechlade”

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Abingdon Road,

Steventon,

OX13 6RW

Give Steve a Call on

01235 833970

Got a problem with your MGB, MGC, MGB V8, RV8 or Midget?

Could your MG do with a bit of a tidying up, an engine overhaul, a bit of TLC or even a fresh coat of paint?

Or, what about power steering fitted to your MGB? Now, there’s an idea!

Proprietor and club member, Steve Illing, will be able to help you with your treasured classic MG.

Steve’s knowledge and understanding of MGBs, Midgets is second to none and he holds the MGOC 5 Spanner accreditation. ACR

is also named as the official fitting station in the region for the MGOC Power Steering Kit.

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College Motors

YOUR LOCAL MODERN- MG - ROVER SPECIALIST

Unit 4

Sturt Farm Ind Estate A40 near Burford Oxon, OX18 4ET Call Simon on 01993 823560

MGF – ZT – ZS – ZR – Rover 75 – 200 - 400.

Spare Parts, Servicing and repair specialists

College Motors offer a highly reliable auto spare service and can supply excellent spare parts for

cars such as engines, gear boxes, wheels, tyres, alloys and more for ……………

Get directions on the website www.rovermgspecialist.co.uk

A Blast from the Past !