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I had reserved a 77 18V shortblock at Long's in Valley, NE last January when I bought the extra bonnet for the A. It had no head, but it turned, he said, and he wanted $60 for it. I called him and drove to Valley to take delivery.

As I tore it down I could tell that it had been assembled by someone who did not know what they were doing, but that underneath the permatex and Chevy orange engine paint was a basically sound engine. A set of 8.7:1 .060 over pistons seemed just the ticket. With a call to Randy Koch at H&B Welding to arrange the machine work things were underway.

There was one more little delay. I had picked up an overdrive transmission at Olstons a few years back, and it was time to have it re-done. Butch Mitcheltree went through it for me and all

ooked great. Until I looked at it sitting next to the old non-overdrive box sitting beside it in the garage. A few quick measurements confirmed that it was not a "B" transmission. But what was it?

A quick phone call and Fax later R. B. Hart at Moss confirmed it to be a C overdrive transmission, identical except for the bellhousing case. I am currently talking with Ben Anderson about the possibilities of swapping it for a '76 or newer B overdrive. Ben is looking for a transmission to swap me, as that box would fit nicely into his MGCGT.

I still hope to have the mechanicals finished by the Lake Tour May 22, but the smart money is not there. It will be ready to go to the Heartland Regional, although the new bonnet and smoother fenders will have to wait until after the current driving season.

I admit it. I am tired of building engines for this car. Still, if such failures are to occur, what better place to discover them than in one's own garage? Beats being half way to Oregon!

We are putting together an event which will start at the KMart in Council Bluffs and drive to Walnut, Iowa for antique shopping and lunch, with a stop at Baxter Cycle in Marne, Iowa for a tour.

I understand that Baxter Cycle sells new and used British bikes and has quite a display of bikes and accessories. The date is Sat. May 15 at 10 A.M.