New Top for the MGB

By 1996 I had owned the MG for 3 years.  I had rebuilt the motor with the help of my friend, replaced the rotting interior, and installed new carpets.  I decided it was time to get a new top.  I priced the tops out and decided to go with the Original style economy model from Moss.  Fergus from British Auto Specialists in Calgary was all set to do the installation.

The car had been stored in my Grandmas garage for the winter, so I needed to get insurance on it for the drive up to Fergus'.  I phoned the insurance company and got the insurance put on for one day.  I figured I didnt need a license plate as it was a short trip, so I borrowed the plate off my truck.

As I was travelling along 16th Avenue it occurred to me that it was rush hour.  I hadn't planned for that so needed to make a quick detour up to 22nd ave.  As I was trying to figure out where I could turn, I ran smack into the back of a Mini Van.  I was ok, and so was the lady driving the van, but the MG front bumper had been bent, not to mention the back of the minivan.  The crash was hard enough to trigger the safety fuel switch and the engine quit.  Had I known how easy it was to reset the switch, I wouldnt have called for AMA to tow the car to the shop!  

The police made it to the accident scene and charged me with a few things, but at least I had the insurance!  Driving without insurance in Alberta is a $2500 fine, it could have been a whole lot more expensive.  I phoned the insurance company and was put through to the same person who had just talked to me about 30 minutes earlier.  She was astonished, and told me she had never heard of this happening.  Lucky me!

I rode in the tow truck up to the Mechanic, MG in tow and helped them push the car into the yard.   They all had a good chuckle at my expense and then set to ripping off the old roof.

2 days later I got a call from Fergus to come and pick up the car, the roof was done.  He had also decided to have a look at the brakes and done a complete service on them.  Probably a pretty good idea.

I left work early and took the bus up to the MG shop and saw my car sitting out front.  The new top looked fantastic!  The car was really starting to come together, what really didnt fit into the picture now was those old worn out wheels.