Keys

• New keys!!
  

If you live in the mid-Atlantic region like I do, you'll have noticed that the only spot of sun we've had in the past week and a half was for a few hours yesterday morning. Naturally, for the gradstudent who doesn't have a garage, this is disastrous. As such I have now piled up parts I plan to install over the next few weeks, such as a brand new 2-inch straight-through exhaust (with accompanying manifold) and a carb rebuild kit. More on this as soon as the weather picks up.

One new part that arrived that I was able to test out was a set of keys I ordered. You see, when I got the car I didn't have any keys at all, so the car was left unlocked pretty much all the time, and I used a screw-driver to start the car (the key had broken off in theignition). In an earlier post I described how I had to drill out the lock on the gas cap. I really needed new keys but didn't know what to do.

Taking the trunk lock off and bringing it to a (Sears and Strosniders) lock smith, they told me they couldn't make keys for it. Of course, they were just being lazy as it's pretty easy to do. I gave up and started looking up new locks to install, but much to my dismay it seemed like I'd be putting down close to $100 for a new set of locks! Which is outrageous when you consider that I already have good locks, I just need keys. I left it at that and hoped nobody would do anything to my car.

Much later I finally realised that there's such a thing as a lock code, a number that defines what key combination you need. Further, depending on the model of your car you can look up what type of key you need, attach your lock number to it, and the locksmith can make you a brand new key. For the 1977 MGBs you're looking at an FS type key, with three numbers following it describing the combination. Ignition keys are of type AA. More info here.

Great, I found the key combination (it was printed on the door locks and on the trunk lock, see this), and now all I had to do was order the keys, which I did from here. I chose Keys4Classics.com because they have a more personal service, so despite being on the other side of the world your order will be correct. You can even send them a photo of your key (or part of your key) and they'll reproduce it. Keep in mind, though, that they are located in Australia (but shipping doesn't take much longer, about a week total for me).

When you finally have your new keys and are ready to test them out, keep the following in mind:

• Make sure the lock is sound, not completely rusted, and not loose. I didn't check my trunk lock, which was loose from the last time I had opened it, and ended up almost permanently locking the trunk. I was able to jimmy it open without drilling the lock, but I was freaking out.
• Use a lubricant on the locks and the general locking mechanism. If your locks haven't been used in ages, like mine, they will need some lubrication or you stand a chance of breaking the whole thing.
  

Gas cap and roofing

• Patched roof
• Drilled out gas-cap lock
  

A car is a lot like a woman. Pay daily attention to her, treat her to the finest accessories, jewellery, food and drink, tell her she means the world to you, and you'll have many happy years together. I haven't done any of that for a while, so it was no surprise when ole' Bonnie wouldn't start up Saturday morning. At this point I also realise I've probably alienated my entire female audience - all two of you.

The battery was fine and I had reattached the ignition switch properly, so the problem was elsewhere. I remember the previous owner forcing fuel into the carburettor by pushing a lever that manually injects fuel. Doing that for a while, then pushing the accelerator while turning the key, and with a lot of patience, the car finally started. I was relieved, and rubbed my sore head (from banging it against the wheel every time it didn't start). Photos will follow as soon as I remember to take along my camera.

One of the parts I received was a new gas cap. The old gas cap needed a key to be opened, which I didn't get with the car. So up till recently I was refilling the car by opening the hose leading right into the gas tank and pumping fuel there, manually estimating when I had to stop (very safe, of course). To remove the old gas cap I first needed to drill out the old lock. The theory is to drill through all the pins and springs, thus letting the tumbler move freely in the housing (using a screwdriver or something flat). Use a small drill bit to do this. I didn't, and used the largest one I had, which didn't do more than jam the mechanism. I ended up using a screwdriver and more drill bits to just break the whole thing and force it out using pliers. Not very elegant, but it worked. The new gas cap doesn't have a lock, so anyone could destroy my car very easily now. Lets hope none of my enemies are reading this.



The other thing I did was repair the holes in the roof. It seems that over time the vinyl/plastic/mysterious material roof has shrunk on one side. Because of this several stitchings have come loose and there are some tears around the back window. Amazingly the top is still very black, and hasn't discoloured.

Nobody on the internet seems to have any real solutions to fixing torn tops, other than to buy a new one. I currently don't have $500 for a new top, and the few convertible top patch kits aren't meant for the large surface areas I needed to cover. So instead I bought a water-proof dark green tarp cover (they didn't have black) from the local hardware store (~$10) and some Goop glue (~$8), supposedly the strongest automotive glue on earth. I cut rectangular pieces out of the tarp approximately the size of the tear and placed a spread a rather thick layer of glue over it. The Goop 'manual' recommended letting it cure for 2-10 minutes, but I found that it stopped sticking when I did that, so instead I immediately applied it to the tear. I stuck the patches on the inside of the roof and pushed the edges of the tear together, with the patch as support. Later I cut out the excess tarp. (Again, photos will follow.)

At this point the glue smell had given me a terrible headache, which along with the millions of mosquito bites I had acquired pushed me to leave the site and go home.


Lock image: http://www.amazing-planet.net/slike/pick-lock/lock_schematic.jpg