VotW – John Twist Demonstrating Cut-Away Transmission

John Twist is the MG guru behind Michigan’s University Motors who has helped countless people maintain, restore, and understand their MGs. He has run a successful shop, has an informative video series, and now is an international speaker. Twist will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame on Friday, June 2nd.   Michael CarnellEditor at Just BritishMichael Carnell is the editor and founder of the Just British Online Motoring Magazine. As a lifelong British car enthusiast, he has owned or driven British cars of all ages from Austins and MGs to Jaguars and Triumphs. He currently owns a 1966 Vanden Plas Princess 1100 and a 1977 MGB. But there is always room for more – no matter what his wife says.

Our video this week takes a different turn, literally. And we are making that turn easily without a dragging or skipping wheel. This is achieved through the use of a differential. How does that work you ask? Well, that is the subject of our Video of the Week. “Around the Corner: How Differential Steering Works” is a short film from 1937 that explains the basics of how the differential in your rear, or perhaps even front, axle functions. By understanding the basic components that go into our cars we can become not only better drivers, but we can become better custodians of our treasures. If we know the principles of what is going on with the cars, we can feel problems before the get out of control and also understand what is necessary for repairs, even if we don’t do […]

Note: This week we are very pleased to have a piece from John Twist of University Motors on the dangers of ethanol, or alcohol, in modern gasoline. Those of us who drive classic British cars, especially ones with original fuel system components, need to be aware of what modern fluids can do to our rides. We appreciate John letting us reprint this article from his most recent newsletter. “Nearly all of the gasoline sold in the United States contains 10 percent ethanol, which can safely be used in all of today’s gasoline-burning cars and trucks.” (From http://www.ucsusa.org) The operative word is “today’s.” Ethanol is a cleaner burning fuel than gasoline. It is created from biomass, especially corn. Arguments rage about the true environmental impact of growing corn to create ethanol versus drawing crude oil from wells and then refining it. But […]