Go West Young Man

The drive west from Aldie to Upperville in a classic convertible is good for the soul.  The drive winds through rolling hills along horse farms traced by stone fences standing as they have for 200 years, then passes through towns and villages at least partly stuck in time. It was a sunny, slightly cool fall afternoon and we were heading to British and Classic Car Doctors to have the seat belt mounts welded in. On the way I happened to stop in at the store owned by the guy I bought my car from.  He was glad to see it and we chatted for a while.  I've seen him twice since buying the car and both times I've gotten the sense I could sell it back to him on the spot. Not a chance.

Braced stone fence along Route 50 near Upperville, VA.
Photo by Jennuine Captures off Flickr because I was
busy driving at the time, but it looked like this when I drove there too...

Car Doctors was amazing to see.  Probably 20 classic cars of various kinds in various stages of repair or restoration.  Classic Jaguars, Mini Coopers, a Sunbeam, Morgans, MGs, to name a few.  Mine was the only MGA there. They clearly know what they're doing, but also clearly are used to bigger jobs than I was ready to give them. I handed her off, having selected the "medium expensive" option - try to save the carpets by peeling them back before welding rather than cutting holes out.  They tell me it should be "a few days".

This was a Wednesday. By Monday with no word from the Doctors I was in full fledged withdrawal after watching September's fleeting warm sunny days slip through my fingers.  I called for an update, and got the distinct impression they hadn't looked closely at it yet, and certainly hadn't really started.  They'd be "ready tomorrow, no question." When I called the next day they had hit a snag and needed another day, but they'd be ready the next day - any time in the afternoon.  I decided I would go pick the car up then whether it was done or not. When I showed up about 5:00 they were still working on putting the car back together (the seats had to be unbolted and removed and the top removed) but they had done the main work so I calmed down and wandered around the shop showing the other cars to my daughter who was going to ride back with me. They had done a little extra work - repainting the welds on the interior (even though out of view) to match the paint color, and repairing a set of fasteners just behind the cockpit that had been necessary to remove and apparently had shown signs of rust.

The installed seat belts ready to go.

The bill ($589.45) came up to just barely more than I'd expected for the "cheap option" even with the extra work, apparently because the carpets were in better shape than he'd expected from our phone conversation and were not glued down as permanently as others he's seen.  That was a pleasant surprise and started making up for my annoyance at the delays. The work was clean and well done from what I could see.  As I got underway again safely seat-belted and enjoying the beautiful drive home with my 9 year old daughter, I forgot the annoyance and looked forward to more real trips, winding back roads and the beginning of daily use.