The wire wheels
were sourced
from MWS.http://www.mgenthusiast.com MGEAUGUST 2019 33
1934 MG PA Midget
and Denmark. So I said to her: ‘we’re
going to build another one’, got it
in the workshop, and pulled it all
apart. Well, it was mostly apart.”
He has a background in both
automotive and aeronautical
engineering, starting with a six-year
apprenticeship with a Rolls Royce/
Bentley dealer in London in 1959.
He knew he had to be methodical,
particularly with material that was
nearly nine decades old. “We set to it
step-by-step, you know. Lyall used to
come and help in the school holidays
and we slowly built the whole car.”
Starting with the 847cc OHC engine
block, years of paint were removed,
which highlighted the project’s first
stumbling block, as Bill explains:
“It had a massive crack all the way
through the water jacket. I did get it
assessed, and the guy said he couldweld it but couldn’t guarantee it, even
if they ceramic-sealed the water jacket
area. I thought: ‘what is the point of
that? If you rebuild the engine and find
it does leak you’ve done all that work
and money for nothing’. Amazingly,
I did source a new block, via Peter
Green, who is the well-known expert
for Triple-M and used to race K-types.”
The crank had similar issues, failing
a crack test, and was also found to