I went to AAA which handles some DMV biz last week. I went to get temp tags for my 1974 Stag. This car was brought to America from the UK in 1989 by a previous owner but never titled or tagged in California. I have UK MOT title with crown on the top of the page. Registration at AAA went kinda of like this:

So do you have a title on the car?
Yes but not a California title.
What is this paperwork?
It is a British car. This is a MOT title, see the little crown on the paperwork.
I know Triumphs are British cars.
No I mean it was registered in Britain- see the last owners address was "Middlesex".
What is a middlesex?
It was a county encompassing suburban London.
London?? Yeah see the little crown on the Title?

Daisy passed her smog cert and I've been running all over San Diego in the Midget. Funny how I get all types of people smiling and waving at my LBC.

I drove Rose around the neighborhood, no insurance, no plates, but I did have the UK title in the glove box(no California Title yet). Many tweeks are in store for the future, but after 2 and half years in my garage can you blame me for driving her around the block at least once?

Make note to self: get stronger throttle return spring at Pep Boys Auto tomorrow. Runaway acceleration in a car with no clutch (Auto Trans) is a frightening....

Now back to working on the Midget (Daisy): replaced the Water Choke with a manual choke, and took the free flowing AIRSPEED filter off and replaced with OEM filter housing (restrictive). Starting up issues are now gone, she doesn't like to start warm but starts on the first try when she's cold and even better on a cold and foggy San Diego morning> GO figure, she must miss the UK. I guess I need to pass smog test and get a richer needle for the carb and install freer flowing air filter later. This little Midget has great heart!

Last night my mechanic Terry came over and we put the new Nippondenso Starter in Rose. The old starter's ratchet gears were going so why not do it now I thought. Rose has a Rover 3.5 transplanted back in the UK by a company called "Peak Performance" located out at Heathrow, the sticker is still on the windscreen. With a transplant things are always dicey. The steering box with the power assist hard lines etc prevented us from getting the Lucas M45G starter out....by 1/2 inch clearance. Terry had to undo the steering box, drop that down, unbolt the front right engine mount and jack the engine up an inch just to get the starter out. The new Nippondenso starter (smaller, faster better....must be japanese) went in a treat.

After that we played the "What do you do with this extra wire game".

The current to the coil was weak and we figured it has something to do with that. After extrapolating between a Haynes (STAG) and a Haynes (Rover 3500) and still not being able to trace this errant wire, bundled with the postive leads for the coil.....we decided to snip it. Coooey...full current to the coil and Rose fired up.

How BL...I know just do the same thing the the temperature warning light.....

Engine sounds great!

No smoking except for the crap silver paint baking off that a pervious owner had sprayed on the Headers.

I have wrapped the exhaust headers with fibreglass wrap to keep the heat down in the engine compartment.

This saturday morning I drove Rose 10 feet out of the garage and turned her off. And even tho' I had re-done the brakes I put a big rock under the rear tire.

Daisy, my midget is watching all this work with smirk. Her efficient 4-banger will give me 40 MPG and you know who will get driven daily.......

Just because. More to come.

Rose got her disk brakes overhauled, wheel bearings repacked with grease today (30 May 08). Tomorrow, she's going to get her drums redone and then new tires.

The new Crane Optical ignition was an easy install and it looks like after 2 years of being stripped down to bare metal she's getting ready to roll in the California sun.

You have to admit: there is delicious irony in my Canley built Stag having a California made Edelbrock manifold and Edelbrock 4- barrel carb and Florida made Crane Ignition on an engine designed by GM but elevated to lofty status by the lads in Solihull.

Of course the the weird thing is the steering wheel sticks out on the Right hand side. I can't wait to put the dog in the front passenger seat (left side) and drive on the freeway freaking people out thinking the dog is doing the driving.

We do get awful fog in Coastal CA so I decided to get a rear fog lamp for Daisy, like you see on cars in the UK. Got the lamp thru Ebay UK and looked up the MOT guidelines and on she went. Now wiring it up and I'm really glad to have it on because we do get some nasty fogs in SoCal and I don't want somebody plowing into the back of my LBC. It messes up the black bumpers.

This weekend I'll have fun trying to top up the Armstrong shocks.....

Ok success on the topping up the Right Front shock- just a little oil and what a diffencence in the damping and handling. It took 12 inches of socket extensions enble me to get the filler cap open. Well duuh no room to turn the handle. Now for the left front- I guess I'll have to move airpump.