My old Mini Pick-up had finally given up the ghost and it just wasn’t worth spending anymore time on it. So I purchased a 1971 MGB Roadster as I was in need of a small runabout. My intention was to use the MGB just as a small secondary vehicle to complement my main vehicle, a large estate car, which could carry radio controlled model aircraft, which at the time was my main hobby (this will become significant later). I quickly found my MG was a joy to drive and brought a new dimension to driving I had never known before. It was fun! As my interest grew in the car I began to notice, after about 18 months that she was beginning to bow somewhat in the middle. After further investigation, to my horror, I discovered it was only the propshaft tunnel in the centre that was holding it together. The door sills, inner and outer and floor pan were nothing more than a cobweb of rust with very little metal left. I was in a quandary, what should I do? It was too late I was in love, my little MG had to be restored and my model flying would have to take a back seat for a while.

So, in September 1984 I decided on the engine first, as I have worked on many engines before (when you’ve been driving old bangers all your life you have to learn a good deal about engines). I was lucky enough to have a lifting tripod and some tackle and so was able to remove the engine and gearbox in one piece. Now with the engine and gearbox in my modelling room (which incidentally was the pare bedroom) I could comfortably set about working on them. Whilst stripping the main bearings I found the bolts were very tight so I gave a good heave on the socket spanner and pulled the engine off my workbench. It landed with a resounding thud onto the wooden floor almost going through, breaking two floor boards missing my feet by inches (fortunately we lived in a bungalow). I soon fixed the hole in the floor with a plate of aluminium. Replacing the engine on the bench and muttering some naughty words I continued to strip the engine. I decided to go mad and spend some pennies making a decent job of it and so that I would have a cracking good engine at the end of the work. Which meant the engine would have to have a re-bore, new pistons and rings, new con rods, new bottom ends and mains. Also as a special treat it would have the bottom end dynamically re-balanced by an engineering firm in Hertfordshire. I thought this would be a good time to fit a performance camshaft for fast road use. By now I had really got the bug! Of course once I got this far it meant a new clutch water pump, distributor, alternator, starter motor, radiator oil pump, an electric fan and stainless steel exhaust system with performance manifold. The list of new parts fitted to the engine was endless.

Having at last finished the engine I decided to take a look inside the gearbox. When I started to strip the gearbox I made the decision it would be easier to purchase a new one rather than to rebuild as this was not too expensive an item. To keep things simple I purchased a new four speed gearbox without overdrive, as I was told that after the engine was dynamically balanced it would be as smooth as silk at motorway speeds – and they were right, it was. So to the body. By this time it was summer 1985 so I set to work and removed everything possible from the body including suspension, back axle, brake piping, brake drums and discs which were all stored in my poor model room.

It was at this point that I thought I would like wire wheels, which of course meant a different back axle (slightly narrower) to accommodate the splines for the wire wheels and different stub axles with splines for the front wheels. At the same time replacing rear leaf springs, new steering joints and kingpins and re-machined rear brake drums, skimmed front discs, renewed brake pipes with copper and fitted a vacuum cylinder. Much to the relief of my model room I was now able to fit all the suspension back onto the MG and then it was time to fit my nice new shiny wire wheels. The last big job was to refit the engine and gearbox but first I fitted a new cross member for the gearbox mounting and made the car, once again driveable, although illegal, with no lights of any kind, no windscreen and a wooden box for a seat.

Having decided that I am good at fitting parts and rebuilding engines, I am useless when it comes to welding new parts and spraying. So one morning, very early, I drove the MG along the back country lanes to a workshop just outside Bishops Stortford, much to my relief not meeting any of the local constabulary on the way.

I had arranged with the body shop for them to change the colour from blue to British racing green plus completely rebuilding the lower half of the bodywork from the propshaft tunnel through the floor to the door sills. Now everything on the lower half of the vehicle had new body parts and panels. Front and rear wings were sound and did not need replacing. I gave instructions to the body builders not to replace the inner shields behind the front wheels.

On getting the MG back home I set about making sure there was no rust lurking anywhere else. The reason for leaving off the inner shields behind the front wheels gave me access to the inner part of the wings so that I could give every part a heavy coat of liquid felt (this is more expensive but much longer lasting and does not crack like underseal). On replacing the shields behind the front wheels they were finally sealed with seal glass tape then also given a good coat of liquid felt. The rest of the underside of the car received similar treatment. Body cavities were given a good coat of Waxoyl. They in fact received three more coatings over a period of a year to ensure, when it dried and shrunk, there were no gaps around the edges. This treatment appears to be very successful in that over the last 16 years, that nasty stuff, rust, has not given me any serious problems other than small stone chips and little areas around the edges of the wings but these have been easy to deal with.

Having finished the bodywok it was time to purchase a sound proofing kit and new biscuit coloured upholstery for the seats, doors, all inner panels and carpets, including carpeting for the boot plus a few final finishing touches, new chrome parts, bumpers, door handles. Light surrounds, headlights etc. At last in October 1986 she was back on the road shinning like a new pin with a nice new hood.

From then on my MG gave me many years of trouble free motoring and I was able to go back to my hobby of model aircraft flying.

In 1989 I moved from Hertfordshire to Yorkshire and as time went by continued to make small modifications and improvements to the overall running of the car. I always said with the suspension this hard if I ran over a 50p piece I could tell whether it was heads or tails. So I decided to fit a new set of four Spax telescopic gas filled dampers which had an adjustable mechanism to vary the ride, plus a conversion kit which improved the ride making it a far more comfortable touring car for my old bones. My next modification which I did many years before they were available on the market, was a rear screen to fit just behind the seats. It was mounted in the hood iron slots and clipped to a small tonneau cover at the rear. This stopped those cold drafts down the back of your neck on a bright wintry morning when it’s nice to have the hood down. When not in use it is stowed in the back of the car boot taking very little room. As time went on and red petrol seemed to be coming to an end I decided to fit a stage 2 performance cylinder head with hardened valve seats for green petrol. To get the mixtures correct for the new petrol I had the engine retuned on a rolling road. The mechanic quickly tuned the SU carbs with new jets and needles and tested the performance of the engine. To my delight there was just over 100 bhp at the rear wheels which meant the engine itself was developing just under 120bhp and the mechanic was surprised at how good it was for emissions. He said it was one of the nicest MG engines he had come across.

Driving my MGB through the years has always been a pleasure and she has been good to me.

Now this is how the two stories come together – the Red Arrows and myself.

Back in 1978 with a friend of mine Jim Benn, we taught a young lad Andrew Offer to fly model aircraft on a farm in Debden, Essex. We were members of the Stanstead Model Flying Club. This young lad joined the RAF in 1984 eventually becoming a display pilot with Jet Provost in the 1989 season. He was then posted to a Harrier Squadron in Germany, he participated in sorties policing Northern Iraq following the 1991 Gulf conflict. He became a team member of the red arrows in 1996, 1997, and 1998 season and flew over 50 displays. After one year’s absence on staff duties he became the youngest officer ever to command the Red Arrows. Squadron Leader Andy Offer now flies No.1 for the Red Arrows.

My friend Jim Benn works for the Ministry of defence at BAE SYSTEMS, Brough. One of his duties is dealing with the modification standard of the Hawks that the Red Arrows fly and, over the years we have kept an eye on Andrew’s progress in the RAF. Therefore we were delighted when we were invited to join him as guests of the RAF Red Arrows at Cranwell for the day and to have a photo call with the MG alongside one of the Red Arrow’s Hawks. People say that MGs look well with old aeroplanes, they don’t look bad with modern one’s either.

It was also a sad time as this would probably be the last time I would use my MG for any special occasion. Sadly, due to a permanent back injury, making it almost impossible for me to get in and out of the car without causing a lot a pain and now I have to sell my MG. All I can hope is that her new owner will enjoy driving her and in return she will give back as much loyalty and reliability as she has given me. At least she is leaving in style. Captions Replacing the engine after rebuilding and dynamic balancing MGB well stripped and ready for illegal trip to the body shop Front drive of Bob’s new house in Yorkshire Bob and his wife with the Red Arrows at Cranwell MGB with Red Arrow Hawk