Little red roadster - NG TA Tourer

**jaydub** · 05-02-2015 13:45

https://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/forum/top...oadster-313978

A lot of you will have seen this in the thread above that I started asking for someone to photoshop a paint job for me... I wasn't going to bother with a thread in this section but a few folk would like to know more so to save clogging up the "On topic" section...

I bought this as a, possibly short term (who knows?), cheap bit of fun as for one reason or another I'm not getting my Austin finished and if I'm not careful that'll be another summer gone that we won't get back!
It's an NG TA Tourer built in about 1990 using an MGB as a donor. It uses a specially built box section chassis, ally bonnet and a fibreglass tub so it can live outside without too many worries about it going rotten. Practically every thing else is from the donor MGB - 1800 twin carb four pot, 4 speed 'box, front clip, back axle, 14" wires etc. so the finished car is tiny in comparison to something like a Model A. It does only weigh about 1500lbs tho' so it's lively enough and should be reasonable on fuel. It's also got enough room for my new, bigger, more comfortable tent, a gaz stove, cool box and the luxury of carrying a couple of camping chairs - unlike the bikes (it's a ******* this getting old). All the early cars are either MGB or Marina 1.8 based.
NG went on to either build or supply kits for about a 1000 or so cars, many of the later ones (the TC, TD and TF) remaining MGB based but being much lower slung and with the Rover V8 fitted - a viable Cobra rep' alternative but not what I was after for a summer on the cheap. There's also a few with F*rd running gear. The NG name comes from the initials of the original designer, Nick Green.

I picked this one up from Southampton at the weekend and despite the freezing temperatures, sleet and snow, (and the fact that I couldn't get the heater to work!) driving it back over Salisbury Plain was the most enjoyment I've had in a car in a long while... And the furthest it had been driven in years. It needs a little bit of t.l.c. here and there, service and tune, windows are cloudy, interior is a bit tired etc. and it needs a carbuncle removing!

Got it home and the sun came out!

But not for long.

Can't imagine it'll be much fun with the top up...

And here's what I described as the carbuncle on the bonnet, nasty sharp edged box to cover the forward carb'. I'm hoping I can do something to tidy it up without spending a lot of time or money, hence the scallop paint ideas...

Just to give an idea of how tiny it is... the Austin is Model A size, sort of...

**hot pop mike** · 05-02-2015 18:36

that's cool John. look forward to seeing it mate.

**uber cool** · 05-02-2015 19:40

I like it, looks like a well designed and built kit. nice proportions, will fool a few that it's a 1940's car

**unclerob** · 05-02-2015 23:41

Haven't seem one of them in a while! I built half a dozen of his kits back in the 80's when he was based in New Milton. They cost well under a grand, a running MGB was maybe another £250 and a built car sold for around £3000....mainly to Holland because a UK registered car could be used there without any testing. There was no SVA back then and all you had to do was drive it to the DVLA office for them to check the numbers!
I fitted a couple with Datsun 1800cc sohc motors, twin carbs, 5 speed box and 20 odd more bhp, the engine mounts were exactly the same ....
I remember the front filter hitting the bonnet too, you either had to use a very thin filter or make something up.....can't exactly recall where it came from....might have been a Humber Sceptre.....but it had an air box with a remote filter that fitted nicely above the rocker box and looked the part....
And just remembered the screen was made up of ali channel with little angle brackets holding it all together....I used to put a length of piano hinge at the bottom and make a couple of clamps up so it could be folded flat...

**jaydub** · 06-05-2015 15:11

Well unclerob values haven't changed a lot... and, funnily enough, this one was local to the old New Milton site having been bought by an old guy who'd wanted one having passed Nick Green's place when he was a lot younger, a long held dream for him.

Managed to spray the bonnet with a dose of "Carbuncle be gone" (amazing what you can get off the 'net!). The ace fabricators on here won't be impressed but for a total cost, so far, of nowt, I'm happy. Next job will be to tweak the louvres that were cut about, neaten the actual holes and tidy up the paint - this was done in the morning before an event so didn't have a lot of time.

Lots of damage under the original cover...

A definite improvement.

Imposter in classic car show...

It's now done more miles in my ownership than it had done since 2008, and I'm chuffed to bits with it! Parts are incredibly cheap (especially after the Jag' bits on the Austin) and so easily available, and they tend to be small, light and easy to fit. The other alteration is the back seat has now gone to provide a bit more luggage space, should be able to get extra comfy camping kit in there now - the seat was really only kiddie sized anyway and I couldn't see us using it as all our mates are old fat blokes...

**neil still building it** · 06-05-2015 15:56

just change the airfilters , a pair of k&n shallow ones should do the trick??
neil

**jaydub** · 06-05-2015 18:11

Unfortunately that wouldn't have helped as the holes/damage had been done by the previous owner and the cost of a pair of K&Ns, a new panel and a full set of louvres is not in the budget! This is car fun on the cheap...

**jaydub** · 30-05-2015 20:32

Carbuncle removal finished - the whole operation cost about £4.80... not the best but I can live with it for now. Looks fine from ten feet away! It may get done properly in the future after I get my bike shed built... "may get done"...

**jaydub** · 07-06-2017 17:08

Bit of an update... https://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/forum/top...90#post4213202

And a pic of the "new" bike in matching colours...

**jaydub** · 20-12-2017 11:12

Decided to give the little tupperware tub a bit of a freshen up... Pulled the motor out and twas all in surprisingly good fettle. New bottom end, tweaked the oil pump, de-glazed the bores, valve grind and various gaskets and seals to try and cure some of the incontinence, overhauled the starter and fitted a new ring gear to the flywheel. A nice new set of four tyres, slightly taller than what came off and a new radiator as the other had sprung a leak. And a splash of paint (sadly affected by the temperatures). Oh yeah, and a complete, brand new exhaust system bought from an eBayer for £7.50, but I gave him a tenner as I'm nice like that - hoping to do something clever with it, we'll see. Total cost so far is about £550, affordable and would barely scratch the surface on more exotic rebuilds. Hopefully should be all uptogether in a few days or so.