1956 Jaguar XK 140 Roadster (right) 1957 Jaguar XK 140 ...personalpages.tds.net/~johgie/bcnh/BCNH newsletter 03-12.pdf · 21/1/2012  · March, 2012 1956 Jaguar XK 140 Roadster (right)

March, 2012

1956 Jaguar XK 140 Roadster (right)1957 Jaguar XK 140 Drop Head Coup

Next MeetingMarch 5th, 2012 7:00 pm at The Weathervane in Bedford

(603) 472-2749

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A Dream Realized Finally

by Donald Latham

My “dream come true”, like all greatthings, took some time to be realized.Back in 1963, having recently graduatedfrom the Naval OCS (Officer CandidateSchool) in Newport, Rhode Island, I wasassigned to the U.S.S. Beatty, an Englishclass destroyer of WW II vin-tage. At the time, I was driv-ing an old 1950 Chevy that Ihad bought for $35.00; aboutall I could afford back then.One day, while walking on theNaval Base, my heart liter-ally skipped several beatswhen I spied a hand-letteredsign announcing that a black1957 Jaguar XK 140 roadsterwas “FOR SALE - Price:$850.00”. It might as wellhave been $850,000 for all Ihad. A great battle ensuedand my heart finally won outover my better judgment(which was being effectivelysuppressed, I might add) and,securing a loan for the purchase price fromBeneficial Finance, I became a very proudowner of “The Jag.”

I was floating on cloud nine for severalmonths, enjoying the feeling of belongingto an elite club as passing drivers of othersports cars would flash their lights, waveand toot their horns in knowledgeableadmiration. When I first drove it home toshow my folks, Dad exclaimed, “If I were

ever going to have a sports car, this iswhat it would be!” He asked if he coulddrive it to our summer place with mymother while I followed in their car. Talkabout a little kid! He would toot and waveto any and all people he passed as theyreturned a “thumb’s up”. I remembertaking my girlfriend (now my wife of forty-four years) out on a date in it. Returningin the rain, we parked outside theirbrownstone apartment building inBoston’s Back Bay huddled together (os-tensibly to keep from getting wet becauseof the rain leaking down the side curtains)while her father, who was apparently “on

watch” just inside the front door, keptflashing the porch light on and off.

All was perfect, for awhile. However,as time went on my elation began to de-flate as one problem after another beganto surface. The aluminum head gasketsneeded to be replaced accompanied by abill that could choke a horse. Next to rearits ugly head was the development of anincreasingly violent vibration coming fromunderneath as I was heading back to thenaval base in Newport late one night. Ilimped into a one-bay service station thatlooked like its more profitable years hadlong since passed and threw myself onthe mercy of the grizzled old proprietorleaning back against a cigarette machineon a chair that seemed ready to give wayat any minute under his great bulk. Ipleaded with him saying that I didn’t thinkthe car would go another hundred yards

down the road. He considered this, spata great wad of tobacco juice on a filthyfloor, flopped forward landing both tat-tooed arms on an equally filthy desk witha thump and announced, “Yup! Herd yacomin’ in. Universal’s gone. Yuh canuse the lift and tools if yuh want, but Iain’t doin’ nuthin’. Ain’ t liftin’ a fingar!”Thus began my first real introduction toMechanics 101. Truth be told, I think hetook pity on me part way through the pro-cess and waddled in to inspect myprogress while offering some verbal as-sistance here and there. But he was trueto his vow; he never did “lift a fingar.”

Well one thing led to another:the top needed replacing, theengine had developed a se-rious oil leak (I had no ideathat it took 13½ quarts tochange the oil) and if theweather was rainy God for-bid you hit a puddle. Thatwas it! End of your ride.She simply would refuse tostart. (Notice how all of asudden “The Jag” has be-come “she”? No disrespectintended - truly!) My tenu-ous relationship with the carof my dreams continued foralmost a year before I hadto concede that I reallyneeded more reliable trans-

portation. I was facing a 6 ½ month de-ployment to the Mediterranean and envi-rons at about the same time my betterjudgment finally won out. I drove her intoan MG dealership and announced, “I’mleaving for 6 ½ months in the Med andI’d like a new MG when I return. Here’sthe deposit” - pointing to the Jag just out-side the window. It was a “done deal”.Papers were signed, keys given over andshe was driven away - never to be seenagain. That was in 1964. I’ve sinceowned an MGB and an Austin Healey3000 MK III (which I had to trade formy girlfriend’s ‘61 Ford Fairlane “tank”because I had developed a bad back; butthat’s another story. Needless to say, itmade her day!) But, as they say, “hind

Car of the Month

continued page 12

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AC – ALLARD – ALPINE – TVR – DAIMLER – MORRIS MOTORCYCLES – TRIUMPH – MG - JAGUAR – AUSTIN HEALEY

LAND ROVER – RELIANT SCIMITAR – LOTUS

BRITISH CARS OF NEW HAMPSHIREMEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Visit us at www.bcnh.org

Please send application and $30 annual dues (payable to BCNH) to:Linda Cagan, 25 West Country Road, Bedford, NH 03110

If possible, please submit a photo and article of your car to be included inThe Boot, Hood & Bonnet - BCNH’s monthly newsletter.

Any photos submitted will be returned.

Name_______________________________ Spouse______________________

Address__________________________________________________________

City____________________ State____ Zip________ Phone_______________

E-mail address____________________________________________________

Year, Make, Model of Your Auto(s)___________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

Name of Referring Member_________________________________________

British Cars of New Hampshire (BCNH) is an organization devoted tothe preservation, restoration and enjoyment of all British automobiles.

BCNH provides to its members and their families British auto-orientedactivities and social events throughout the year. Benefits of the club par-ticipation include monthly meetings, rallies, tech sessions, club socials,car shows and other events.

The club publishes a monthly newsletter, The Boot, Hood & Bonnet.News of upcoming events, club activities, car show results, technical tipsand articles submitted by members are included in the newsletter. Mem-bers also receive a discount on a subscription to the British Marque, amonthly car club newspaper.

A club logo window decal is provided. Additional decals may be pur-chased.

Meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at the Weathervanerestaurant unless otherwise announced. All members are encouraged toattend and bring guests.

BCNH invites you to become a member of our active and growing clubby submitting the application above.

___ Paper Newsletter or ___ electronic copy of the Newsletter

BCNHMONARCHY

PRIME MINISTERSWade dos SantosRobert Mitchell

CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERJohn Giese

NEWSLETTERJohn Giese

Irene MacDougallLinda dos Santos

REGALIA(open)

SECRETARYNorma Karle

WEBMASTERKate Stanley Robinson

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATORSLinda Cagan

Louis Belanger

TECH SESSIONS COORDINATORWade dos Santos

ADVERTISING COORDINATORLinda Cagan

PUBLIC RELA TIONS(open)

INTER-CLUB COORDINA TORJeff Abbe

SOCIAL DIRECTORSGinger Christiansen

Cheryl BernsteinIrene MacDougall

CALENDAR COORDINA TORNorma Karle

SHOW OF DREAMS DIRECTORBob Stanley

HISTORIANMike Sweet

www.bcnh.org

Contact information on page 4

4

Contact informationJeff Abbe 243 Queen Street, Boscawen, NH 03303 796-2922 [email protected] Belanger 11 Forest Lane, Litchfield, NH 03052 424-7835 [email protected] Bernstein 14 Franconia Drive, Nashua, NH 03063 882-8682 [email protected] Cagan 25 West County Road, Bedford, NH 03110 472-5212 [email protected] Christiansen7 Sycamore Lane, Nashua, NH 03063 883-0288 [email protected] dos Santos PO Box 840, Manchester, NH 03105 732-2854 [email protected] dos Santos PO Box 840, Manchester, NH 03105 623-5209 [email protected] DuPont 75 Island Pond Road, Derry, NH 03038 434-4627 [email protected] Giese 153 Crooked S Road, Lyndeborough, NH 03082 654-2565 [email protected] Karle 22 Partridge Lane, Londonderry, NH 03053 437-8931 [email protected] MacDougall 147 Concord Street, Nashua, NH 03064 305-5976 [email protected] Mitchell PO Box 270, Stratham, NH 03885 772-1116 [email protected] Stanley 64 North Shore Drive, Center Barnstead, NH 03225776-6698 [email protected]

Disclaimer:As a matter of policy, British Carsof New Hampshire does notendorse any of the businesses thatadvertise in this newsletter.

Prime Minister’sMissive

Welcome ourNewest Members

Colin & Daine Sherry127 Andover StreetAndover, MA 01810

(978) [email protected]

1979 MGB

Ella M Stanley33 Chriistian Ave #161Concord, NH 03301

$3588.26-$185.07$1450.00$4853.19

Treasurer’s Report

Start BalanceNewsletterMembershipEnd Balance

January 15 to February 15Club account

$581.62$600.00

$1181.62

Show of Dreams accountStart BalanceSponsorsEnd Balance

It is March and it feels like the beginningof Spring, just as February and Januarydid. I am sure that some club memberswho locked up their British cars for thewinter are jealous of those who are stilldriving theirs between snowstorms. Whatsnowstorms?

I have taken Gerry’s MGA into the paintand body shop. It has been several de-cades since it has had A NEW SPRINGCOAT of paint. The last time it waspainted at the vocational school. So thistime we will have all the paint removed.Due to the fact that this car has spentmost of its life in California it has onlysurface rust. Her frame is straight andrust free. The dings and dents are minor.The front damage was caused when ithit an apartment elevator shaft due to thefailure of the master brake cylinder. Autility truck backing up at a gas stationcaused the dent in the passenger door.We all know how these stealthy little Brit-ish sports cars can’t be seen.

All in all, it is a fairly easy project. It is alittle tedious getting all the hardware off.But, afterwards, how her NEW SPRINGCOAT will shine.

So, what is the story behind your project?Why not tell us about it and submit it tothe newsletter?

Yes Folks, Spring is really upon us. Timeto finish up our winter repairs and projects,rev up those engines, polish up those cars,put on your finest British hats, and pack apicnic lunch including a bottle of wine.Time to gather the group together forSunday drives and other activities. Areyou ready for another fun-filled British carseason?

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The February BCNH meeting was sortof called to order at 7:30. We met at LaFesta in Dover for the annual pizza andcake gathering. There were 40 membersin attendance.Bob passed around a sheetthat showed potential license plate frameswe are considering purchasing for rega-lia. They can be black, brushed aluminumor polished chrome.We ate pizza and icecream and socialized.The next SODmeeting is March 3rd at 4PM at the homeof Barry and Carol Podmore in Alton. Wecan always use help planning and runningthe car show. If you would like to attendplease contact either:

Norma at [email protected]

or Diana at [email protected]

That was the end of the meeting.

Respectfully submitted

Minutes

Save the DateMonday March 12th, 6:30p.m. – 8:30p.m.

The Restaurant, North Main St. Wolfeboro NH

Fundraising Event to support The Nicholas J. Pernokas Recreation Parks Annual Fund. Each year we work hard to raise the funds needed to cover our general operating expenses.

All proceeds from ticket sales and auction will go towards the 2012 annual fund. Purchase your ticket and help us raise money by having fun and enjoying yourself!

$20 per Ticket Please pre-buy, as space is limited. Call or Email Holly Williams to RSVP and reserve your tickets

Contact information is below my signature

Ticket Holders Will Enjoy: Plentiful appetizers donated by The Restaurant Complementary Raffle Tickets for door prizes

Holly Williams: Operations and Development ManagerThe Nicholas J. Pernokas Recreation ParkThe Nick 10 Trotting Track RoadWolfeboro, New Hampshire 03894

PH#(603)[email protected]

Auction Cash Bar

To order your BCNH name badge con-tact Linda Cagan at:

(603) 472-5212 or

6

Well, the BCNH Club has finally caughtup with its membership. It is now of“drinking age” and can legally participatein many of the activities that are held inits name.

Forty or so members (it was hard to count‘cause they were moving around so much)gathered for a Celebration at the La FestaBrick & Brew Pizza Restaurant in Do-ver on Monday, February 6th. By all re-ports the pizza (all eleven of them) wasoutstanding – and Bob Dougherty reportsthat the La Festa is one of the few localplaces that he has found that actually haveOld Speckled Hen ale:

The story of “Old Speckled Hen”

“Old Speckled Hen” was first brewed tocelebrate the 50th anniversary of the MGcar factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.Named after an old MG car which wasused as the factory run-around, theywould park the old MG Featherweight

Fabric Saloon outside the paint shopwhere it would normally get spattered inpaint and so it became known as the‘Owld Speckl’d Un’. This turned into “OldSpeckled Hen” when the beer was un-veiled.

Since then the finely balanced beer witha distinctive rich malty taste and fruityaroma has attracted many fans, includingthe fox, who is always on the hunt for hisHen.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Speckled_Hen

We learned that we had even more “rea-

Happy 21st Birthday BCNHson to celebrate” when one of her“friends” (not to be named) ratted outGinger Christiansen by telling us that herbirthday is also in the same week. So,when the candles on the cake were lit,there were plenty of them.

Ginger and club founder Mike Sweet didthe honors of blowing all the candles outand by the time the swarm of BCNH lo-custs was done with that full-sized sheet-cake there was barely enough left for theLa Festa staff to get a taste.

Not only was a great time had by all, butas icing on the cake (pun intended) wehad at least six new/recent membersthere who had either never been to ameeting before or this was one of the fewthey have attended. What a way to getan introduction to the fact that this is asocial club!!!

The pictures tell it all.

Picture by Dennis Magnan

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IF YOU’RE EVERIN MAINE

by Diana Stanley

If you’re ever in Maine, on the way toBar Harbor, as six of us were last Au-gust, there’s a little stop you need to make.You won’t be able to miss it because youwill have to drive over it on the waydowneast. It is the Penobscot NarrowsBridge Observatory and Fort Knox inBucksport, Maine.

Rod Folia, Norma Karle, Paul & DorisKarle and Bob and I had the opportunityto visit this spectacular observatory acouple of days after the British MarqueTriathlon and Hurricane Irene had blownthrough Maine.

Bob and I visited the bridge several yearsago on the way to Harrington, Maine tovisit relatives, so, when we had the op-portunity to pass by again, we thought itmight be a great place for all of us to visit.The weather was perfect, with clear skiesand little wind; a crystal clear day.

The Penobscot Narrows Bridge and FortKnox are a part of the National Park sys-tem, so you do have to pay to get in, but,it is well worth the price of admission.After walking down to the base of theobservation tower, you enter the buildingto be greeted by a guide who will takeyou up on the elevator to the height of 43stories or 437 feet above the PenobscotRiver. The view from that level is spec-tacular. The entire town of Bucksportand the hills which flank it are at your

feet on one side and the length of the riveron the other. The old Bucksport Bridgeis also in view directly to the side of thenew bridge. Rumor has it that it will takeup to ten years to remove the old bridgedue to lead paint issues on the old struc-ture.

When we arrived at the top, we begantaking photos of the surrounding area andtried to take some shots of the six of ustogether. In our struggle, we asked avisitor to take the photo for us. The ladytold us that her fiancee was a photogra-pher so she handed him the camera. Ithought I knew this man, and low and be-hold, I did. The fiancee photographerwas Steve Lipofsky from New Hamp-shire. Bob and I met him several yearsago at the British Invasion. He took sev-eral photos of our TR6 and our familyduring the British Invasion weekend.Steve graciously consented to take thegroup shot but, little did we know he hadalready been taking photos of our arrivalwith Norma’s “E” Type and Paul &Doris’ Stag. (Our XJ6 was in a shop inRockland having a ball joint replaced sowe were in the back seat of the Stag.)We chatted for a while catching up onthe past few years and then decided tocontinue our trip to our final destinationof Bar Harbor and, what else? Of course!MARTINIS AND LOBSTAH! Believeme, when I say, all we ate that weekendwas lobstah (and they were soft shell too,well, except for the one Doris ordered thattook twice as long to cook and poor Dorishad to wait and watch all of us eat ours.)

Needless to say, we had a great day. Theride to the Bridge and Bar Harbor was

beautiful filled with wonderful scenery,blue skies, and great food and drink. Theride back was a little chilly with the topdown and sun slipping behind the moun-tains. Bob and I, considering that we werein the back seat of the Stag, attempted tostay warm with several layers ofsweatshirts and jackets making us lookpretty much like the uni-bomber. Aboutthree quarters of the way back to thehotel, Paul needed to stop for gas anddecided to put the top up. He didn’t wantto be responsible for thawing out the“Stanleycicles” when we got back to thecabin.

So, like I said when this story began, Ifyou’re ever in Maine, make it a point tovisit the Penobscot Narrows Observatoryand Fort Knox in Bucksport. You won’tbe disappointed.

P.S. Here are the photos we receivedfrom Steve Lipofsky. Amazing!

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BCNH SODMEETING NOTESJANUARY 21, 2012

by Diana Stanley

The meeting was held at the home of FredGoodrich and Sylvia Blakslee inBarnstead.

The meeting began with a review of theNovember meeting notes. The items re-viewed were as follows:

Doris Karle will research the cost of print-ing date tags for the beer mug trophiesfor the 2012 show.

In November Dave Corbett suggested weresearch some different types of trophies.At this meeting we expanded that ideaand came up with a nice bottle of wine inaddition to the mug for the 1st place tro-phy winner. Wayne MacLeay has vol-unteered to go to Incredibrew in Nashuato research the process & cost of mak-ing a batch of BCNH wine ready for theshow. On the same note, Doris will speakto LaBelle Winery for the same reasonand Wayne Bolen will approach our spon-sor, Zorvino vineyards.

The team leaders on the show set-up crewwill give Bob Stanley a list of items neededto make their individual jobs easier the dayof the show. Norma & Doris (Registra-tions) are all set with the items they usefrom year to year. Paul Karle, ParkingLeader, needs more people to volunteerwith the parking task.

Bob Mitchell will acquire the traffic conesnecessary to separate the pre-registeredlane from the day-of registration lane onthe field. Bob Mitchell will also locate anumber of 2 way radios for the show field.

Directions signs were discussed. Thereis still a need to have a couple of volun-teers placed at the two corners of Route28 and 109 in downtown Wolfeboro togive direction to the Nick Rec. Field. Itwas suggested that we ask a couple ofHigh Hopes volunteers to help us withthat. Also, the suggestion was made topark one of our British cars just before

both corners with signs on top to showthe way. Diana will speak with the gasstation owners to get their permission todo this.

The committee decided to designatesomeone to choose the Diamond in theRough car. Rod Folia was chosen forthat task.

Mike Sweet has volunteered to organizethe BCNH Swap Table at the show. Thistable will include car parts, accessories,books, etc.

The 2012 show will honor 50 years ofthe MGB. Cheryl LaBlanc has takenphotos of a 1962 MGB owned by afriend, Carl Perry. If Carl agrees, hisMGB will be parked “center stage” atthe show. This photo will be used onthe tee shirts, posters and other showadvertising.

New Business:

At the November meeting, the commit-tee discussed the “Cocktail Cruise”. Asof September, the Wolfeboro Inn has de-cided to designate the hours of 4pm thru8pm to be the “dinner hours” on theWinnipesaukee Belle. This means thatthe “Inn” only wants to charter “dinnercruises” on the Belle.

They make more profit on the dinnercruises than they do on any other typeof cruise. Over the past 3 years, thecocktail cruise has become increasinglymore expensive to arrange and attend.With that thought in mind, the committeediscussed the fact that the food on thecruise is not great and the cost is veryhigh. Since the Inn wants only dinnercruises, we know the cost of that will beoutrageous and unaffordable. Therefore,the committee has decided to cancel theBCNH Cocktail Cruise.

In light of this change, the committee willcontact the restaurant owners inWolfeboro to see if they will give us dis-count coupons (or allow us to print dis-count coupons) for the weekend of theshow. That way, the show participantscan choose a restaurant and get a littlebreak on the price of a dinner. This willenable us to spread the dollars we will

spend in Wolfeboro all over town insteadof in just one place on the Winni Belle.

The 2012 Show of Dreams has been re-duced to a one day show. With that inmind, the committee decided to extend theshow times. The show will start at 10amand close at 4pm. This will give us moretime to give out trophies and complete theraffle.

The Breakfast on the Field for Sundaymorning has been eliminated from theschedule.

Mike Sweet has volunteered to contactthe bagpiper to usher the cars onto thefield.

George Coburn has volunteered to con-tact the Wolfeboro Offshore Ad Lib Pre-cision Lawn Chair Drill Team to performagain at the show.

Diana Stanley has prepared the Event,Raffle and Sign Permit applications.They will be sent to the office of WARA(The Nick) for signature and delivery totown hall.

Diana will also contact Brookstones,headquartered in Merrimack, NH for asponsorship.

The following companies will be contactedfor sponsorships and vendor space:

Mini of Bedford, SNG Barratt, NorthernPossessions, Land Rover, Jag of Exeter.

Bob Mitchell will contact Joe Leweck ofthe Bayberry Vintage Auto Collection todiscuss their participation in the show.

Hotel accommodations were also dis-cussed. The Inn on Main (Formerly TheLakeview Motel) is open for business af-ter renovations. They have 14 roomsavailable, a lounge & restaurant. Roomrates range from $169.00 to $179.00p/n.*

The Lake Motel has received approvalsto begin the rebuild of the new hotel. Thatprocess will start in a few weeks. Thehotel will be rebuilt in sections. The roomrates for the older section of the hotel (for2012) will remain at $129.00 to $149.00p/n.* The room rates for the new section

continued page 11

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Putting A Car Into Storage

Reprinted from Moss Motors(continued from last issue)

Belts

Slacken the tension on the fan belt andany auxiliary belts.

Tires

If the car will be sitting for the winter,jack the car up and place jack stands un-der the rear axle and the front suspen-sion. With the tires off the ground, theywill not develop the flat spots that causean unpleasant vibration when the car goesback on the road. If you choose to placethe jack stands under the frame insteadof the suspension, take a look at the bumprubbers up front. After several months ofbeing compressed with the full power ofthe front springs, the bump rubbers willbe ruined. Depending on the car, you maybe able to fit wooden spacer blocks be-tween the upper arms and the frame tokeep the bump rubbers from beingsquashed. In the rear, if the axle is lefthanging from the limit straps, the strapsmay fail, and if they don’t break, theycertainly will not last as long as theyshould. Placing the jack stands under therear axle instead of the frame will workbetter. Some air will leak out of the tiresgiven enough time, so overfilling them by10 pounds is generally a good idea. Checkthe tire pressures every couple of months.

Keep the tires out of direct sunlight.

Wheels

With the car on jack stands, you can leavethe wheels on the car. Some people pre-fer to remove chrome wire wheels andbag them with desiccant to keep themclean and dry for longer term storage. Ifyou plan to leave the wheels on, removethem long enough to thoroughly clean thesplines on the hub and in the wheel. Care-fully inspect the splines for signs of wear.Apply an anti-seize compound (likeCopaslip) or grease to the splines and re-fit the wheels. Replace and tighten theknockoffs.

Exhaust

Plug the tail-pipe(s) with a rag or rubberball and tape it in place. It will keep themice from building a nest in the exhaust,or worse, in the engine. Although unusual,I know of one Healey BN2 that simplywould not turn over after being stored forseveral years. When the cylinder headwas removed, #4 cylinder was found tobe packed with walnut shells, acorns,string and upholstery stuffing. A mouse(with a real need for security, apparently)had climbed all the way through the ex-haust, through the open exhaust valve andinto the cylinder. When the car was even-tually started, the amount of debris com-ing out of the tailpipe was impressive.

Engine Air Intake

Depending on the length of time the car

is going to be out of service, considerbagging the air cleaner and taping it toprevent moisture laden air from findingits way into the cylinders through the openintake valves. A bag of silica-gel desic-cant inside the bag will absorb whatevermoisture gets in, reducing the chance ofrust building up in the cylinders.

Heater/Fresh Air Intake

Cover or plug any vents or openings. My73 MGB GT had a mouse nest inside theheater box, which I did not discover untilI tried the fan. The fan would not comeon and when I pulled the motor I found amouse bachelor apartment.

Fuel System

There are two basic approaches: drain thesystem or fill it up completely and treatthe gas with a stabilizer and/or productsthat deal with ethanol related issues. Tostore a car for the winter, draining the tankis not generally done. If the car is goingto be off the streets for years, I’d drainthe tank and lines completely.

Gasoline is not stable, and it is commonknowledge that it deteriorates over time.Volatile elements evaporate. Depositsform over time, often described as “gum”or varnish.” Modern gasoline is frequentlyblended with ethanol, and these fuels re-main useable for 90 days in a sealed fuelsystem with a full tank. Sealed fuel sys-tems were required by law in the US in1970. (If you have a “carbon cannister”in your engine compartment, you have asealed system). If your car was built be-fore 1970, the fuel is exposed to atmo-spheric moisture and the ethanol in thegas will absorb water relatively quickly.The higher the humidity, the faster it hap-pens. There are products designed to in-crease the useful life of ethanol blends(Extend, E-Zorb), and products specifi-cally engineered to prevent the formationof gum and varnish, like Stor-n-Start.

Wiper Blades

Remove them and store them inside thecar. They have a tendency to stick to theglass and if left long enough, the bladeedge will deform from being pressed justone way.

McLean Enterprises Inc.

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Over 30 Fine British Sports Cars in stock14 Sagamore Road (Rte.1A) Rye. Nh

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11

Humidity and Ventilation

There are two ways to go. Either ensurethat the garage has a supply of fresh airand roof vents to promote air circulation,or seal the garage and control the humid-ity. A room dehumidifier will take lessenergy than actually heating the garage,which is generally totally out of the ques-tion.

Alternatives to Storage

If the preparation of the car for storageseems impractical, you have options. Oneis simply to use the vehicle once or twicea month in dry weather (assuming regis-tration and insurance are up-to-date). Sim-ply driving the car will help keep the en-gine and other systems fully functional.Barney Gaylord (mgaguru.com) haspointed out that the time and effort re-quired to prepare a car for storage, plusthe similar amount of time and effort re-quired to get It back on the road makestorage very unappealing. He is verymuch of the opinion that driving the carregularly as conditions permit is just plaineasier. However, if you do decide to drivethe car every so often, make sure you gofor at least 20 minutes to get all the sys-tems fully warmed up to minimize con-densation. As an alternative, there are alsocompanies that will, for a fee, store andlook after your vehicle. Some enterpris-ing shops will take your car and the list ofwork you’d like to have done, and theydo the work and store the car, spreadingthe expense over several months.

www.v12s.com

Aluminum Alloy Cooling Fan SystemsPolyurethane Suspension Bushings

Electric Wire Harness/Loom SetsFuel Injection Rebuild Kits

LED Upgradesfor all British and European Classic Cars

NEW HAMPSHIREMAPLE WEEKEND

MARCH 24, & 25, 2012

Over 80 sugar houses across the state willparticipate in this open house weekend. Visita sugar house near you and learn how maplesyrup is made and the modern methods usedto carry on this ancient tradition. Enjoy freesamples, horse-drawn rides, sugar on snow,

pancake breakfasts and more!

Fun for the whole family!

Visit the New Hampshire Maple Producerswebsite: www.nhmapleproducers.com to

locate a sugar house near you!

of the hotel will be $229.00p/n.*

*Please note: The room rates listed abovemay change at the discretion of the hotelowners and are not special discount ratesfor the club. Please verify the rates withthe owners at the time of scheduling.

The February SOD meeting date was notscheduled.

BCNH SODMEETING NOTESJANUARY 21, 2012

continued

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sight is fifty-fifty.” I should have put theJag up on blocks and gotten some oldclunker just to get around. However, withno garage available and no clue where Iwould end up, the deed was done - - -and I have kicked myself every day since:that is until two years ago when I turnedseventy. My wife (the same girl whodrove the Austin Healey in college) saidin a moment of weakness - (but I ratherthink it was genuine true love, understand-ing and empathy), “You’ve wanted an XK140 roadster every single day for all theseyears. I think we need to get one!” Soafter several exclamations of, “Are yousure? Absolutely sure?” the search wason - finally locating a stunning white 1956XK 140 roadster with red leather interiorin Detroit, Michigan. I contacted mybrother who lives in Searsport, Maine andhas forty years experience restoring Brit-ish sports cars for his business - EnglishAuto (Englishautousa.com). I put the

question to him flat out: “Would it be bet-ter to buy a “basket case” and have yourestore it (he did a ‘57 DHC for himself),or would it be better to pay for one alldone?” His response in his laid back ver-nacular was, “Well, depends on what youwant. If you don’t mind buying it andwaiting 2-3 years to have it all done that’sone thing. But if what you want is to buyit and drive it, that’s another.” I asked,“Which would be better financially?” Hesaid, “In the long run you’ll probably spendmore to have it restored.” So there itwas. He agreed to fly to Detroit with meto check it out - which he did with greatcare and professionalism.

The end result: he agreed it was a prettygood deal. When I signed the papers thedealer said, “This car has spent most ofits life in private collections. What it re-ally needs is to be driven.” I’m reallyglad he said that because it’s exactly whatI wanted to hear! So we arranged to haveit professionally shipped and drove it toour first car meet, the BCNH “Show ofDreams” in Wolfeboro where she gar-nered “Best of Featured Marque.” We

BCNH 2012 Calendar of Events

Car of the Monthcontinued

Leesa Knudson HudakDon Hudak, Owners

www.BritBooks.com

[email protected]

149 Morrill RoadCanterbury, Nh 03224

plan on being there again this year. Ifyou’re there, stop by. We’d love to seeyou and have you meet “Rhiannon - theCeltic goddess of the moon, enduranceand inspiration who rode a white stallionso swiftly that no horseman could catchher.” So there you have it. Almost fiftyyears later my wife, Jennifer, and I havefinally achieved “a dream realized.”

March5th Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford

April2nd Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford

May5th-6th 24 Hours at LeMONS, NH MotorSpeedway7th Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford10th - 13th 22nd Vintage racing CelebrationNHMS, Loudon, NH26th - June 3rd British Car WeekTBD Sunday Dinner DriveTBD Tech Session With MG-T Party

June3rd CT MG British By the Sea, HarknessMemorial Park, Waterford, CT4th Meeting at the Weathervane, BedfordTBD Queen’s Birthday PartyTBD Sunday Dinner Drive

July2nd Meeting at the Weathervane, BedfordTBD Sunday Dinner Drive

August4th 16th Annual Show of Dreams, TheNick, Wolfeboro, NH, Sunday rain date6th Meeting at the Weathervane, BedfordTBD Sunday Dinner Drive

September10th Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford14th - 16th British Invasion, Stowe, VTwww.britishinvasion.com

October1st Meeting at the Weathervane, BedfordTBD Sunday Dinner Drive

November5th Meeting at the Weathervane, Bedford

December3rd Meeting at the Weathervane, BedfordTBD Holiday Party

13

An Invitation to Subscribe to

British MarqueCAR CLUB NEWS

We are now a Participating Club of the British Marque Car Club News, a monthly tabloidnewspaper featuring the news of our club and numerous other British car clubs as well.

Members of Participating Clubs can subscribe to the Marque at a discounted subscriptionrate. You can use the form below to subscribe and begin receiving 11 issues/year full ofinformation about British car events, tech tips, special features, parts supplies andclassifieds.

Free Classified Privilege

Each subscriber from Participating Clubs is also entitled to one free non-commercialclassified (up to 20 words) per issue. An additional 15 cents will be charged per wordover the 20 word limit. Photos are also additional, at $7.50 each.

Subscriptions for U.S. Participating Club members are only $15.00/year.Subscriptions for Canadian club members are only $19.00 (U.S.)/year.

Subscriptions for U.K. and elsewhere overseas are only $25.00 (U.S.)/year.

Don’t delay ~ Subscribe today!

British Marque Car Club Newsc/o Enthusiast Publications, LLC5 Old Nasonville RoadHarrisville, RI 02830U.S.A.

PARTICIPATING CLUB SUBSCRITION FORM

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14

2 rebuilt Zenith carburetors Ser#175SCD-2, plus 2 new air filters $400,BO. Also 1 new manual choke $100, andother misc. parts for British sports cars.Call John 225-6915

Austin Marina Dealership LightedSign: Two sided Austin Marina sign,works great. $250. Contact Mike Sweetat [email protected]

MG Parts for sale: 1800 bare block - $75 cylinder head - $100 (4) rods/pistons - $25 manifold and (2) SU's Radiator with electric cooling fan - $75Dick Merrill 603 [email protected]

1977 MG Midget- Enjoy this great 1977British racing green MG Midgetconvertible. Get ready for summer, catchall the shows in the Central Florida areafor mooooore fun! New paint, newupholstery, new top. This fun car can beyours for only $6000 or BO! Call Daleat 386-212-6852 or 386-586-0560 [email protected]

1964 MGB pull-handle (rare) Roaster.This car is in very good condition and hasnot been modified in any way. It is rust-free and had a complete, frame-uprestoration about 20 years ago (I have thedocumentation for this). Although not ashow car, it is a fun car to own and driveand is Florida titled and registered. It wasin the Vero Beach "Brit Bash" show thisyear. It features an overdrive transmissionand Dayton chrome wire wheels. Call Jimat 860-682-2998 for more information(Fort Pierce, FL.) Best Reasonable Offer.

Free to good home1. Owners Workshop Manual (softback)for MGB Roadster & GT Coupe 1962to 1974 by Haynes2. SU- Hitachi Carburetors Manual(softback) by Carbooks, Inc. - Tune,Adjust, Repair, Rebuildemail me at: [email protected]

1953 Jaguar Mark 7 salon sedan -original California car -metal sun roof-needs restoration. All there. In barn for15 years now. Too many projects. Makeoffer. I will email pictures. [email protected]

1948 MGYA 4 door with large sunroof.Will sell to club member for $16,500 now.Not many of these. Active club in UKhas most parts. Uses some MGTD pieces.No time for this car. No space to store it.Car in Bedford, [email protected]

15

Wanted1953 TD Engine I would appreciateanyone’s help in finding a 1250cc Engineto rebuild. Ivan [email protected]

1975 TR6 - 54,087 original miles. Redwith black interior. This is a two ownervehicle and the first owner is family.Always garaged. Never had any bodywork except paint about twenty yearsago. Bondo-free. Michelin red-lines.Seats and carpet were to be next project.Small patch on conv top, but otherwise ingood shape with very clear windows.New stainless exhaust. $10,250. Pleaseemail with further inquiries and [email protected]

TR6 Metal rims for sale: I'm convertingover to wire wheels so I'm selling 4 newlypainted rims, spare tire rim, four chromewheel trim rings, and black hub caps.The 4 wheel rims were bead blasted andpower coated only about 5 months agoand look great! Spare rim in good shapebut has not been repainted. Chrome wheelrim rings are in great shape with no rustor nicks... Black hub caps are also in verygood shape.I'm looking for: $275 for the 4 newly painted rims $25 for the spare tire rim $50 for the 4 chrome wheel trim rings $35 for the 4 hub capsLocal pickup only. Willing to meet you foran exchange if the distance isn't too far.Please call (603) 512-2675, ask forDennisNote: pictures show the rims mountedon red line tires... this sale is for therims, trims and caps only...not the redline tires.

MGA 1500 short block - fresh groundbalanced crank and rods crank .020 and.030 Bore .020 Block only No head. Allwork performed by Auto machinist$2,400.00 call 603-652-4717 Ivan.

1980 TR-7 convertible, white (originalpaint), no visible rust or major dents, carwas never in any accident. Engine runswell and shifts well. Tires in goodcondition. Top is black and in faircondition. Car is garaged. It was registerin NH for many years and in MA the past12 years. I was a previous member ofBCNH and as such you may have seenthis car at shows. Asking $3300. Dr.Bruce Witte (508) 875-5552

Jensen Healey Factory Workshopand Owner’s Manual Both in verygood condition, $100.00 for both

TR6 and Spitfire Restoration Guides.Like new, $20.00 each

Big Healeys Collector’s Guide.Excellent condition, $30.00

MGB GT V8 Owner’s Manual.Damaged cover, $10.00

Contact Mike at:[email protected]

Free to good home60 spoke MGB wheels. In OK shapebut would be better with a good blasting.800-221-6238, [email protected]

1979 Triumph Spitfir e Red with whitestripe. Low mileage. New paint job. Hardtop, new soft top, tonneau cover, magwheels. $5000 or B.O. Call John 225-6915

MGTD parts - I am Kenneth Harvey andam located in Nashville,TN. I have someTD parts for sale and was wondering ifyou or someone you might have contactwith may be interested. I had to makethe decision to part out, due to loss ofemployment last Dec. I purchased the carsome 30 yrs. ago in CA. Parts I have leftare: Complete rolling frame

All four fenderstransmissionblock and headsspare tire rack

Kenneth [email protected]

Marquette DTNA VISIONOwned by a local garage since NEW. Ithink one cable got lost asI never got it from owner.I never used it because Ihave 2 others in mygarage. A real classic toolpriced to move $150.00or best offer [email protected]

Happy 21st Birthday BCNH

British Cars of New Hampshire25 West County RoadBedford, NH 03110