Glass is all there….

Getting her up on the trailer….24 degrees cold ….cold…cold.. 

 

All the Glass is present on this rare bird.A lot of love will be needed in order to fully restore her.I have to contemplate what to do with this coupe…it was too good to let go but I may grab the bare bones of what I need to complete my 59 coupe and then sell her to some lucky person.

58 coupe

This Dark Blue 1958 wire wheel 1500 MGA Coupe was the sacrificial lamb for Lazarus.I was able to not only finish my Roadster,but I was also able to ship off parts to Coupe owners who were very grateful indeed.One man in Canada got a much needed vent window.Another man got some wheels and window trim and door trim (Which I regret selling now)…But it’s all good.The man from Canada also threw in a lot of rubber grommets and nick knacks for my roadster.It’s all good!!!!In the process of parting out the Coupe I began to grow found of the body style and kept my eye’s on his little brother the Baby Blue 1959 1600 steel wheel that I am now restoring.

(To be continued)

Even rats need a home

So now I had the arduous task of cleansing and Decontaminating this wreck.I literally hauled three wheel barrels of rat feces out of this car (arrrgh).I put on a plastic suite,rubber gloves and face shield …got my pressure washer ready and warned all my friends to stay away!!!! Even with all the tools at my disposal it was a long and hazardous task.But I was a man on a mission…Singing my MGA mantra,I jumped in feet first.Took alot of pictures as I went for future reassembly references.

I still cannot forget the smell.

The only thing wrong with this car when it was first put in the bone yard back in the early seventies was a busted piston.The block was fine and the carbs were in the trunk.The head was cracked but I was able to salvage everything needed to complete my roadster.

Cracked #4 piston

Sin City Coupe

Well it was too tempting to pass,and for the price it was a steal.So I loaded up the truck and headed for Vegas.My friend came with me and we made a fast trip of it.There and back…and one trip to  In and Out Burger of course.It was good to see my old friend and shoot the breeze for a few as we loaded up the coupe. We missed a winter storm on our way back…right through Arizona….Man I was lucky.

Not as many rat turds as the last coupe my friend sold me.Arizona got the bulk of that deal on the way back to New Mexico!

Found out a lot about the aerodynamics of  the MGA coupes too.This little baby was smooth sailing the whole way back. A lot of original stuff still intact.It even had the original white wall spare..and it held air!All 5 baby moons present and accounted for,and the original piping in tact too.Upon further inspection it appeared to have painted red right over the original baby blue.I ran the numbers on it and they all match and it was sold as a 1960…but it is in fact a 1959.

Looked like the day she rolled off the line!!!My friend was shocked..he said for years he thought the original color was red.Told me that the lady he bought it from back in 1970 swore it was all red.

~To be continued~

Jan passed away in Las Vegas Nevada in 2004 and will be greatly missed by a lot of good folks.

We found her at a junk yard in Vegas right behind the race way.  Piles of junk on top of her.The junk man said he got it from a gentleman who said his wife told him that either the car goes…or she does. (He must have loved her)With no engine,transmission,rear end or top. I was now off to the races! I had no idea what I was getting into,but I was young and I had a dream with a mission.I did my research for about six months .I hit the books and learned as much as I could about the history of the Morris Garage and the old factory mentality.I then I hit it full throttle!!!! It was then that I found out (very fast) that when it comes to a frame off restoration what ever money you think you’ll spend???..Triple it …  life happens… (in periodic spurts)…..and you’ll either have no money and too much time..or no time and still no money.I also joined local car clubs!! Nice group of fellows,I got a lot of conversation….mostly empathy,but no sympathy.I went home and told Jan about my run in with the car clubs and he said…”Doesn’t matter what they think of you Gabe..You’re in the club my friend!!” Over the next decade I learned a lot on how to waste a lot of money  make a lot of coffee, lose sleep ..and how to live out of my garage.

A few life changing events forced me to periodically put off my restoration and put Lazarus into a storage unit… 9/11 had forced the economy into an entirely different direction and I had to go over the road at times in order to pay my bills.

Although she was in storage….I had electricity!  So I was still able to work and  I would mill away many a night with a single light bulb plug in,coffee pot and a bench grinder.

~To be continued~

702-306-6370 cell

MGABE58

This is for my son David…..

This first photo is  of my son David Reine Gallegos back in our garage in Las Vegas Nevada. He’s waiting patiently for me to say “Let’s call it a night son.”The exact meaning of this particular photo did not quite hit home for me, until  a year later when the time came for us to let Lazarus go.

This  first pick was the night before we left for New Mexico from Sin City.I was not able to paint the car yet.I had  gotten to sandblast and primer the entire body and all the panels in the weeks prior to our departure .I also  replaced part of the sills as well.I put the Body back on the frame cork and all for transport and bolted down all the fenders and doors.David watched me do this and asked me the normal questions that 6 year old boy would like “Can this car fly into outer space?” and …”Is it bullet proof?”

He thinks his dad is nuts.

Here is David again but a few years prior to the first photo. Enthusiastic, unsure… and his first day on the job.We had the frame tucked away for quite a few years before this and this is his first time to view the frame…I finally ran out of excuses.I realized that I had to quit dreaming and start doing.This frame was powder coated years before back in 2001by Carrol Shelby’s powder coat guy “Artistic Powder” and sat in storage and in my garage long enough.I had some old glue lams left over from a work site and I lifted the frame up on these large cross members.I also had put down some rubber mats so I would not have to worry about my knees taking a beating on concrete.With my box of nuts and bolts handy I started to fill any holes I found with the corresponding screws and bolts.With a large pot of coffee an oldies station and all Saturday to do this …I was off and running!

Let the games begin!!!

Poor guy …back then he was working swing shifts! His momma worked at night and I worked during the day.Here’s young David sitting in the driver seat. I had just got the car up on all four wheels yesterday.It’ coming along slow but sure.

Waiting for the engine to come back from the shop.

The Engine is in the shop at this point.I had it done at Universal Machine shop here in Vegas.Steve was a good man..no hurries though…Two people you always want to keep happy..Your mechanic and your cook.

The engine before rebuild...

After rebuild and delivery.

This was a good day,we began by mating the engine with the transmission.Unfortunately my computer had crashed and I had my camera stolen from work which had all my photos of the engine and transmission being put back in the 58 roadster….but it was a grand sight.

Detailing begins.

Bench testing of the fuel lines,fuel pump and then engine start on slate for the late summer.(Remember it is a brisk 118 degrees right now here.) I have decided to wait for a little cooler time crank her over!….

Body and frame

~To be continued~

Goodbye old friend

"If you won't buy it?..I'm going to restore it anyways."