The RAGTOP 1 April 2006 The RAGTOP Volume 19, Issue 4, April 2006 www.hillcountrytriumphclub.org A Girl, a Guy, and a TR by Nel McPhail, President continued on page 3 Spring is in the air, Abita Springs that is! H ill Country Triumph Club had another successful and quite busy fix-it-day on Sunday, March 19. The main event, aside from lunch, was getting Tom Bishop’s TR8 road ready. Tom’s TR is a low mileage car in exceptional condition, however, a leaky exhaust system, gearbox and engine noises had devel- oped. Bill Waller had a few electrical gremlins courtesy of Lucas, the Prince of Darkness. Alan Palmer’s Stag was getting hard to start and the wipers wouldn’t shut off. Steve John- son and Jim Icenhower brought a broken TR4 overdrive gearbox for disassembly and inspec- tion. Ralph Herter installed a new flywheel on his Spitfire, hoping once and for all to banish that mysterious exploding clutch plate. Bob Skewis worked the Bar-B-Q grill while Bob Baker demonstrated the proper use of a dial micrometer. Also lending a hand were Jim El- lard and Dean and Elizabeth Mericas. We even had out of town VTR member Jim Philpot visit- ing from Tyee, Washington. The HCTC mega driving event for March was the 1000 mile plus trip to New Orleans All Brit- ish Car Day. I was busy with volunteer work on April 24, so Ralph and Mike took our TR250 on its first out-of-state adventure. They left at 7:15 AM with plans to meet Art Graves’ TR6 in Houston at 10:30. A clogged fuel filter on the 250 delayed the rendezvous until eleven. Thanks to heavy traffic and construction, the boys didn’t get to Covington, LA, until sundown. The Abita Brew Pub in nearby Abita Springs was the real destination for the evening! The three amigos enjoyed a fine meal and delicious selection of Abita beers. Saturday morning the two Triumphs could be seen flying across the 27-mile-long causeway towards Delgado College for the New Orleans British Motoring Club car show. By now, Mike had developed a noticeable bounce on the right rear from a failed damper, caused no doubt by the truly awful Louisiana
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The RAGTOP 1 April 2006
The RAGTOPVolume 19, Issue 4, April 2006
www.hillcountrytriumphclub.org
A Girl, a Guy, and a TRby Nel McPhail, President
continued on page 3
Spring is in the air, Abita Springs that is!
Hill Country Triumph Club had another successful and quite busy fix-it-day on Sunday, March 19. The main event,
aside from lunch, was getting Tom Bishop’s TR8 road ready. Tom’s TR is a low mileage car in exceptional condition, however, a leaky exhaust system, gearbox and engine noises had devel-oped. Bill Waller had a few electrical gremlins courtesy of Lucas, the Prince of Darkness. Alan Palmer’s Stag was getting hard to start and the wipers wouldn’t shut off. Steve John-
son and Jim Icenhower brought a broken TR4 overdrive gearbox for disassembly and inspec-tion. Ralph Herter installed a new flywheel on his Spitfire, hoping once and for all to banish that mysterious exploding clutch plate. Bob Skewis worked the Bar-B-Q grill while Bob Baker demonstrated the proper use of a dial micrometer. Also lending a hand were Jim El-lard and Dean and Elizabeth Mericas. We even had out of town VTR member Jim Philpot visit-ing from Tyee, Washington. The HCTC mega driving event for March was the 1000 mile plus trip to New Orleans All Brit-ish Car Day. I was busy with volunteer work on April 24, so Ralph and Mike took our TR250 on its first out-of-state adventure. They left at 7:15 AM with plans to meet Art Graves’ TR6 in Houston at 10:30. A clogged fuel filter on the 250 delayed the rendezvous until eleven. Thanks to heavy traffic and construction, the boys didn’t get to Covington, LA, until sundown. The Abita Brew Pub in nearby Abita Springs was the real destination for the evening! The three amigos enjoyed a fine meal and delicious selection of Abita beers. Saturday morning the two Triumphs could be seen flying across the 27-mile-long causeway towards Delgado College for the New Orleans British Motoring Club car show. By now, Mike had developed a noticeable bounce on the right rear from a failed damper, caused no doubt by the truly awful Louisiana
The RAGTOP 2 April 2006
OfficersPresident, MembershipNel [email protected]
Vice-PresidentBob [email protected]
TreasurerEarl [email protected]
SecretaryBarbara [email protected]
Ragtop EditorCarol [email protected]
WebmasterDan [email protected]
The Hill Country Triumph Club, the 50th Chapter of the Vintage Triumph Register (VTR), was founded in 1990 to bring together the owners of Triumph automobiles in the Central Texas area surrounding Austin. In 1991, the membership decided to include other British car fans as associates due to lack of other clubs in our area that represent some of the other marques. As owners and lovers of our unique types of cars, we have a special kinship, which draws us together. Membership is open to anyone who is a British car enthusiast, with or without a car.
Annual dues are just $15.00 per family group or address per year. We have dinner meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of each month and at least one other event each month. We encourage you to join and support us, even if you don’t drive your car regularly. We also offer technical assistance if needed. One goal of the club is to help its members keep their cars on the road. Please call one of the club officers listed in the newsletter for more information about club benefits and spread the word about our club to others.
The Hill Country Club is a local chapter of the Vintage Triumph Register (VTR)/Triumph Sports Owners Association, which is open to all drivers of Triumph motorcars; a chapter of the Triumph Register of America, exclusively for TR2 through TR4A sports cars; and a chapter of the 6-PACK, dedicated to the enjoyment, preservation, and restoration of the Triumph TR250 and TR6 sports cars. Membership in these national organizations is encouraged. Visit their websites at www.vtr.org, www.triumphregister.com, and www.6-pack.org.
The RAGTOP is published monthly by the Hill Country Triumph Club. Material within may be freely reproduced providing Ragtop and the authors are credited. Any and all newsletter contributions are welcome. Deadline for submissions is the end of each month. Submissions may be sent to: Carol Pennington; 105 Etta Place; Austin, TX 78753 or E-mailed to [email protected]. Photos in jpeg format are always welcome. Classified ads will run for three months unless otherwise instructed.
Name:
Address:
City/State: Zip:
Home Phone:
Work Phone:
E-mail address:
Car Make: Model: Year: Color:
Car Make: Model: Year: Color:
Please circle which method you would like the newsletter delivered: E-mail Snail Mail
How did you hear about the Hill Country Triumph Club?
Please mail application and check to: Nel McPhail, 1105 N. Canyonwood Dr., Dripping Springs, TX, 78260
Membership Application
The RAGTOP 3 April 2006
continued from page 1
Sean Close1980 black TR7Austin
William Fahey 1976 topaz orange TR6Austin
Mark Edmondson1980 gold TR8Hewitt TX
Bits from Barbby Barbara Kramer
NEW MEMBERS
interstate highway. Spirits, however, were undampered and the two Hill Country Triumphs joined the other 109 fine British cars on the field. The weather was perfect and as usual everyone was exceptionally friendly. The show was over at four with plenty of time to visit Bourbon Street for some etoufee! One of the biggest Triumph events of the year, namely the VTR Regionals in Jenks, Oklahoma, starts on Thursday, April 20. Look for our red TR250 that morning at the McDonalds at 806 N. Austin Street in Georgetown. We will be pulling out of the parking lot promptly at 8 AM. Anyone wishing to tag along can take exit 261A off IH 35 North, turn right on Williams Drive, then a quick right on North Austin, aka Busi-ness 35. Mike’s cell is 512-695-8637.
FOR SALE1998 Toyota Avalon, original owner, 80k miles, six cyl., like new condition great car, $8500. Reason: bought a Jag XJ8.VDP. Merl Reed 512-863-9063” 04/06
Our March gathering of the Triumph faithful took us to Logan’s Restaurant south of the city. The TR6 owners outnumbered the Spit
guys this time around thanks to Don Burkley who was able to attend from Bastrop with his ’72 green TR6 and new member William Fahey and his orange/topaz ’76 TR6. Will’s car looked very familiar to Roger as he sported it at one point in his illustrious TR collection.. Will found a good TR mechanic at Dave’s Perfection Automotive and he spent some time sprucing up his six and it sure looks nice. Bill Waller had the luck of the Irish on his side as he won the bottle of wine door prize. Everyone was pleased to hear that there has been an increase in value of Triumph’s on ebay. Not that anyone in attendance was looking to part with their TR. The calendar was full of events. A fix it day a the McPhails, a road trip to the New Orleans All British Car Day and an all Triumph race in Hallett, OK. Still to come are the VTR South Central Regionals to be held in Jenks, OK. Mike McPhail will lead the caravan north on Thursday, April 20th. If you can’t make the long trek to Oklahoma, it would be worth your while to check out the VTR National event to be held in Las Colinas (Dallas) this July 19-23rd. The Nationals brings over 100 Triumphs from around the country. It’s quite spectacular to see, not to mention lots of fun road trips, rallyes, and auto-crossing. So please join us whenever and wherever you can.
The RAGTOP 4 April 2006
continued on page 5
DAPHNE vs. DONNABy
Don Burkley
OK, I admit it. I am addicted to sports cars. There should be a twelve step program out there to help addicts like us. Like many
of the Hill Country Triumph members, I too have bestowed names to my two beloved classic cars. Both cars have their own personalities, good points and challenges. Their names are Daphne and Donna.
Throughout my years, I have owned several sports cars. Beginning with a Bug Eye Sprite, and a few MGBs, I eventually purchased my 72 Triumph TR6 and named her Daphne. This great British name was taken from the character in the sitcom “Frazier”. I purchased her back in the mid 80s from her second owner. It was love at first sight as I poked around her frame and rocker panels seeking weak areas or rusted away metal. I found her in excellent shape needing only fresh paint, tires, and some tender loving care. Throughout the following years, Daphne and I traveled thousands of miles. She eventually received a fresh engine rebuild, transmission rebuild, new Panasports with Pirelli tires, Koni shocks, and countless other trinkets; anything to keep my girl happy.
During this time, I raced a MGB in SCCA racing. With a solid locked axle, coil-overs, and sway bars, the car handled like a big go-kart. It was very predictable. Unfortunately for 15 years I struggled with race engines that were costly and unreliable. Lime Rock, Summit Point, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, Pocono and Texas World Speedway were all witness to my share of DNS or DNFs which means (Did Not Start or Did Not Finish). As hard as I tried, I could not keep those MG engines together. Although my Colin Chapman British Racing Green paint and yellow stripe got lots of compliments, I held the record for DNFs in E production. Racing was very expensive, time consuming, hard work and with few rewards. Since it was no longer fun, logic prevailed and the car was sold at a great loss. Even the wife had a tear in her eye as the transporter drove away with our racer en route to the new owner in California.
As race car withdrawal set in and while drinking a cold beer, the idea hit me; why not buy another classic car? What a great idea! So, like a young schoolboy who just got dumped by his girl, I rebounded into the seat of a 1965 Sting Ray Coupe. She became Donna appropriately named after the Dion song of the 1960s, Donna the Primadonna. (Remember that one? Probably not) Donna demanded a complete suspension rebuild, interior components, a new windshield framework, tires, wheels, engine work, wiring harnesses, battery, carb rebuild, and the list goes on and on and on and into deep space. Donna grew expensive and temperamental while Daphne remained loyal and reliable. My new Sting Ray was acting like a spoiled brat and I tried to convince my wife that it was a great investment. Trying to use a somewhat knowledgeable voice and keeping a straight face I explained: “They don’t make cars like this anymore and we’ll get our money out of it, trust me.” Ok, so I may have exaggerated just a little. What does it mean when the wife rolls her eyes at you and walks away with a disgusted look on her face? We eventually got Donna’s looks and reliability back, but she still has a long way to go.
Side by side the two classic cars have individual qualities. My friends often ask: “Which of those cars is more fun to drive?” My answer is vague but
always the same; “It depends.” I respond. The TR6 is on a great fuel diet and offers plenty of fun per gallon. The TR is easy to maintain with plenty of parts availability at reasonable prices. The car is quick, predictable, and forgiving; all those qualities desired in a sports car. The interior is no nonsense, complete with a few rattles and drafts found in most British cars of the 60s and 70s. Most of all, the TR6 looks like what it is, a British sports car of
The RAGTOP 5 April 2006
continued from page 4
that era complete with the BRG paint and driving lights, performance header and dual Monza exhaust. She is a sweetheart.
In the other corner wearing the maroon trunks, weighing in at a lot more than the TR’s weight is the Sting Ray. She is a great piece of American history, second generation Corvette or C2 as they call it. Her not so original engine growls to life easily and the dual exhaust rumbles in a distinctive 60ish American V8 style as she warms up. Like the TR6, the Sting Ray sports IRS which makes driving these two gems a similar experience. Being somewhat scarce around my small town of Bastrop, both cars get lots of attention. Donna is obviously faster than the Daphne, but pays its dues at the pump where she consumes fuel as fast as Homer Simpson can devour a dozen donuts. Although there are plenty of parts vendors, maintenance costs are a lot steeper than the TR. I suppose that is the price one must pay for vintage Corvette ownership. The Sting Ray will beat the Triumph in arm wrestling, but there is no contest on those cool mornings going down an empty back road in the Triumph with the top down. The Vette is a great car but cut from different cloth than the TR6. Both cars have their attributes.
I was shocked the other day, when my wife commented should sell one of the cars; she preferred the Vette be the one to leave home. Now that was a surprise since she does not enjoy the TR’s convertible qualities. I can’t imagine selling either car. That is the addiction most of us have with these time machines; we always regret selling something that took so much of effort. Like any addict, I can’t seem to get enough. In fact my brother-in-law has a beautiful 67 MGBGT with great restoration potential. I think I can get it at a low price. Now where did I put those plans for that new 3 car garage I have been dreaming about?
The RAGTOP 6 April 2006
Bob Skewis and Tom Harrison have teamed up to take us buzzards on a run. Oh! It is a Triumph driving event to Buzzard Billy’s!
Saturday, May 6, we will leave north Austin (or Round Rock) in the morning and drive up to Waco for an early lunch at Buzzard Billy’s. Then Tom will lead us on a 60-70 mile drive through the back roads to Gates-ville. He has promised us some pretty scen-ery that will please and surprise us.
Keep an eye out for more details, such as meeting time and place, coming via e-mail.
Art Graves, Mike McPhail, and Ralph Herter at the New Or-leans British Car Show.
A message from the editor:
We have a great need for articles and photos for the Ragtop. Sug-gested articles are an accounting of a trip you took in your Little British Car, tech articles, or progress re-ports on your projects. I will accept information in any format, even hand written or tape recorded. If you did some work at the fix-it day, it would be great if you would tell us more details than Nel provided earlier in the newsletter. Please SUBMIT. My e-mail address is [email protected] and my mailing address is 105 Etta Place, Austin, 78753.
Thanks,Carol
The RAGTOP 7 April 2006
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The RAGTOP 8 April 2006
Hill Country Triumph Club2006 Events
APRIL 200611 Hill Country Triumph Club Meeting, 7PM. Pok-E-Jo’s; See below for directions.20-23 VTR Regionals, Jenks, OK; See page seven or visit http://
www.members.cox.net/gctok23 22nd Annual All British & European Car Day at White Rock Lake Park; http://
www.kipmotor.com/abcd.htm
MAY 20066 Buzzard Billy’s Run; See page six for details.9 Hill Country Triumph Club Meeting, 7PM.13 Kars and Kids FamilyFun Day and Car Show, Downtown Austin; visit http://
www.karsandkids.com for registration and information.20 Blanco Classic Car Show; http://www.carshow.wifisite.net27-June 4 British Car Week; http://www.britishcarweek.org
JUNE 2006
14-18 TRA National Event, Burr Oak State Park, Ohio; http://www.triumphregister.com/TRA2006.html
JULY 200619-23 VTR National Convention, Las Colinas (Irving), TX http://www.vtr2006.com
The meeting will be held April 11th at Pok-E-Jo’s, 1603 5th Street, east of Mo-Pac. Call 320-1541 for more info.
1105 N. Canyonwood Dr.Dripping Springs, TX 78620
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