A labor of love...

So, how did I get here?

Well, this story begins with my father-in-law and a 1953 MG TD he bought around his first year of college in 1959. This car was and is his pride and joy. He drove the MG for years, got married and started having babies. Life happens and the car got parked in the garage. It was moved to a couple different states as the family moved around and driven occasionally until he took a job overseas. It was then that the car sat in the garage for years on end. I believe it sat untouched for about 16 years. About 6 years ago my wife and I got married. We have a wonderful blended family with 5 kids (but that's a story for another time.) Shortly after we were married, my in-laws moved to our area to be close to us and the kids. It's been great. The kids get to see their grandparents all the time and for me I have really gotten to know my in-laws very well and to love them a great deal. And when they moved, the MG moved too. So, this past year Bruce, my father-in-law, decided that the MG had sat long enough and he was going to get it running again. He knew that the brakes were shot so that's where he started and he purchased some parts. It was too hard. You see, working on a car in your garage with no lift can be grueling and painful. It hurt his back so that one afternoon turning wrenches left him with days of back pain. He got very frustrated and was ready to get rid of the car. I always thought his car was cool, but I was a Volkswagen guy and never had any interest in MGs. I had just "restored" a 1974 bug for my wife and I had a 1979 Westy camper bus that was wanting my attention but I could not let this car leave the family. My wife and her brother have many great memories of their family and this car. Dave, my wife's brother, lives overseas and has no where to put the car much less get it there. So, after a brief discussion we offered to "buy" the car. I use the quotation marks on buy because our offer was stupidly low but it was all we could do. Bruce sold/gave us the car. I could tell it was a painful time for him to finally part with his baby and the pictures of him as the car was leaving his garage tell the story of what he was feeling.

I believe that all the other cars I have ever worked on have in some way led me to this car. My sole purpose of buying this car and getting it running again is so that Bruce can drive it again. That's it. I love him like he is my father and just the thought of him driving his beloved MG again makes me well up.

I'm doing this blog for a few reasons:
1. I want to journal this experience for my kids.
2. It is a great way for me to share the experience with Dave so he can follow my progress.
3. It is a way for me to honor a man who means the world to me and how through his example has taught me so much.