Rich Mackey / Blog » auto

MG Update

Rich Mackey — Sat, 02 May 2009 19:51:00 +0000

Just got off the phone with my brother, who you’ll remember is restoring my 1974 MG Midget for me. (I have helped, btu he’s done 90% of the work).

We’re getting close! It might be ready to come to Colorado by June 1! On the docket to get it complete:

Front brakes need replaced (in progress)
Master cylindar needs rebuilt (in progress)
Muffler needs replaced (have the muffler, shop will replace)
Need to put the top on
Need to replace the center console and mount the stereo

That’s IT! Then just some tuning and we’re good. I’m dying. Trying to see if I should head back to Iowa over Memorial weekend to check it out (and maybe bring it back?).

New info on my car color.

Rich Mackey — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:40:00 +0000

So apparently “Barbera Red” on my new car is not a reference to a cult movie classic or former first lady (obviously), but instead it’s a booze reference.

Yes, shocking as it may seem, I subconsciously chose the color for my new car based on a variety of grape used to make wine. I’d never heard of it before, but I guess it’s out there.

I guess “vodka-tonic white” wasn’t available from BMW anymore.

New Car

Rich Mackey — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:40:00 +0000

While I’m on the car thing, we went up to Gebhardt BMW this weekend to get a “pre-turn in estimate” on my car for wear and tear. Overall, it came out pretty good.

Ding in the rear bumper where someone tapped me WAY too hard – $400
Scrapes on 3 of the alloy wheels – $100 ea – $300 total
Scrape on the front bumper – $50ish to buff it out

While we were there drove a GORGEOUS blue 328xi coupe – it drove well, but getting people in and out of the back would be tricky – unless they were small children or little people.

We also drove a maroon 335xi with black interior (pictured above). The car drove like a dream – and was essentially my old 330xi with a different color, bigger engine and lacking navigation – otherwise it was all the same features.

At the end of the day, they forgave the damage on my car due to the low miles (they decided to keep it and sell it instead of send it back to BMW), forgave the last 3 lease payments (this is very common of BMW) and gave us a great deal on the 335xi. So now it’s in our garage – and I have a new car.

Update on the MG

Rich Mackey — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:27:00 +0000

I totally forgot to post this – even though I have a Picasa & Flickr album up for the thing. I spent a week or so in early August home in Iowa working on the MG Midget with my brother. We got it SO CLOSE – almost close enough to bring back to Denver. But… when we were testing the brakes, the master cylinder popped it’s seals and *poof* no rear brakes. Front ones worked so we drove it around a bit, but it’s still in Iowa. Hoping to get the brakes done and bring it back here soon. Here are a few pics once we got it out of the driveway.

For those keeping score at home, we’ve made a lot of progress:

Complete:

New Wheels & Tires
Paint/Body Work Done
Carpet installed
Gas tank installed
New seats installed
Windshield installed
Trunk carpet installed
Lights rewired & finished
New Dash Cover installed

Remaining to do:

Finish Top (got part way done but were missing snaps, so had to stop)
Finalize stereo install (part way done, but need a new center console)
Fix Brakes (top on the list)
Door panels (tricky with the windows/etc.)
Tune Engine

That’s really it. So close, yet so far away (darn brakes). More to come when it’s complete!

Back from the body shop!

Rich Mackey — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:35:00 +0000

My brother called the other day to say he was picking up the car from the body shop.

There were some issues with the fuel lines/gas tank ($249.99 later a new gas tank is en route to my brother to replace it).

I’m so excited seeing these camera phone pics he sent over. The body looks amazing. The color is perfect. It’s truly flawless.

For those who are curious, the paint job was ~$1,400 all in. We did choose a custom color which drove up the cost a bit, and had some body work done at the same time (though that fender you see in the foreground is brand new – ordered from the Victoria British catalog).

For a quick look at what the interior might look like, check out this second pic my brother sent. Now I REALLY want to drive it!

1974 MG – Body Work Nearly Done

Rich Mackey — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:23:00 +0000

Got a camera phone pic from my brother last night. It appears the body work is nearly done on the MG – they just have to put the fenders back on (you can see them in the back waiting patiently).

From there, it’s on to the interior, top, tires/wheels and fine tuning and then it should be done. I really can’t wait. On top of how long the car has been in storage, just painting it has taken FOREVER!

The Neverending Car Restoration

Rich Mackey — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:12:00 +0000

I haven’t posted in a while, but figured I should. The image to the left is auto paint on a piece of metal – ahead of a full repaint of a car. But I should back up.

In 1991 I bought a 1974 MG Midget for $2300. I actually got a loan for it (kind of laughable for me these days) and within 1 year, promptly had an accident that smashed in one of the doors and then put it into storage. The car has shuffled around to 3 or 4 different storage sites in Iowa (including one out on a farm next to a barn) over the past 15 years and ultimately, had a lot of body damage, a bit of rust and the killer – rats had chewed through all of the wiring, upholstery and carpet.

While in storage (and before the rat damage) I had 2 new carburetors (yes, it has 2) and a new clutch put in. That was sometime in the late 90′s.

About a year ago, I decided it was high time to fully restore the car. A quick online estimator showed that it was worth about $14,000 fully restored (my insurance company confirmed this – as that is what they independently valued the car at). My brother, who is quite adept at mechanical things, has been working on it since.

We’re now at the point where he has everything he needs to finish the job – though it’s taken 3+ weeks to get the thing painted. Which is why I’m writing this post. The above image is all I have of the car. My brother swears he’s taken a ton of pictures, but they’re too big to email from his hotmail account, so here I sit.

The car SHOULD be out of the body shop and back at my brother’s garage having the upholstery and carpet put in, engine tuned, new exhaust put on, etc. But I haven’t yet been able to confirm that.

Here’s what it looked like last time I saw it:

More to come on this I’m sure. Hopefully I’ll be driving it soon!

Changing states.

Rich Mackey — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 23:30:00 +0000

I had the distinct pleasure of registering my car in Colorado last weekend. I intended to write about it then, but hey… I procrastinate sometimes.

Having registered a car in 5 states now (IA, NE, IL, CA, CO if you’re counting) I knew enough to find the DMV web site and figure out what I needed to do/have to expedite the process. In CO you need proof of identification (driver’s license), old title, old registration, emissions testing, VIN verification. Obviously the last two are the unique ones. Fortunately, the web site tells you where to go for your emissions test, and the VIN verification can be done by the same people who do emissions. Convenient. And a rip off. Why?

I have a 2006 BMW 330xi. It has 8,000 miles on it. I’ve had it roughly 8 months. I bought it new from BMW (was still on the boat coming to Los Angeles when I paid for it) and received it at a California dealership. So. The car is new. The car is efficient. The car is rated with California emissions. Given those things, you would think I could forego the emissions test. But no one can. You must pay the $25 to get the test. I can deal with that, it’s clean air, all good.

Now. The VIN Verification. This kills me. A girl at the emissions place looks at your license plate, looks at the VIN on your window (or inside the door in my case), and writes it down on a piece of paper. That’s your VIN verification. Follow me on this. I have a NEW car. Financed by BMW. I have the original title (with power of attorney from BMW Finance). The registration from the state of California. Yet, no one looked at those things as a piece of verifying the VIN. A girl looked at the car. Wrote it down on a piece of paper – and that’s more accurate and valid than anything provided by BMW USA or the state of California. For this, I pay $9. Granted, it’s only $9 but still. I would think the process could be a bit better.

So the car is registered. I’m legal. (If you have a Colorado license and do not have Colorado plates on a vehicle registered in your name, it’s a $1000 fine if you get pulled over. Per incident.) The rest of the process went smoothly, but oh what a joy it is to deal with the paperwork of getting ‘legit’ in a new state.

*********************
Caffeine intake: 4 cups coffee, 1 Dr. Pepper (can)
*********************
Days since last trip: 03 (Austin, TX 7/31-8/2)
Airline miles traveled year-to-date: 74,510
# of airline flights year-to-date: 79

*I have chosen to consolidate miles and not show individual airlines. Just easier that way.