SPOKE N WORD. Snerd s Words For The Birds

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1 SPOKE N WORD MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE IDAHO BRITISH CAR CLUB Available in color on the webpage: June 2009 Volume 18 Issue 6 Beautiful spring weather greeted the Idaho British Car Club at the Black Hole for the annual swap meet and feed. A variety of parts were available for scrutiny and several parts changed garage locations. Mark Greenwalt again took over the job of expertly grilling the hamburgers and hot dogs. A good time was had by all and my daughter's neighbors appreciate the car show we provide the neighborhood- See you all next year God willing...pete Snerd s Words For The Birds May was an excellent month weather and temperature wise to get your British Car out to one of the many events that the club offered. In addition to the monthly coffees we had the Black Hole Swap Meet, a spring drive and picnic and our monthly Wednesday night drive. Most of the events were well attended, but we could do better. We are a car club so come on and drive with us. CHEERS..PETE MEMORIAL COFFEE WITH DAVE RUSSELL June 13, 2009 Meet at Moxie Java in Vista Village (1122 S. Vista Ave.) at 9:00 AM. We will depart for Morris Hill Cemetery at 9:30 AM. Bring memories of Dave to share. If you have questions or suggestions, call Rod ( ) or Pete ( ) Hope to see you there! Upcoming Events Jun 6th Coffee Gathering Tully Federal Way & Gowen Rd Jun 13th Memorial Coffee with Dave Russell Jun 20th Coffee Gathering Moxie Five Mile & Overland Jun 21st Father s Day Car Show Downtown (details inside) Jun 24th Wednesday Night Drive Jun 26-28th Summer Tour 09 Enterprise, OR Jul 4th Coffee Gathering Tully Federal Way & Gowen Rd Jul 18th Coffee Gathering Moxie Five Mile & Overland Jul 18th ETC Memorial Dalzell s in Crouch (call to RSVP) Jul 29th Wednesday Night Drive

2 IBCC 2009 EVENTS CALENDAR Jun 6th Coffee Gathering Tully Federal Way & Gowen Rd Jun 13th Memorial Coffee for Dave Russell Jun 20th Coffee Gathering Moxie Five Mile & Overland Jun 20th Spring Into Summer Fling (see page 4) Jun 21st Father s Day Car Show Downtown Jun 24th Wednesday Night Drive Jun 26-28th Summer Tour 09 Enterprise, OR Jul 4th Coffee Gathering Tully Federal Way & Gowen Rd Jul 18th Coffee Gathering Moxie Five Mile & Overland Jul 18th ETC Memorial Dalzell s in Crouch Jul 29th Wednesday Night Drive Aug 1st Coffee Gathering Tully Federal Way & Gowen Rd Aug 15th Coffee Gathering Moxie Five Mile & Overland Aug 26th Wednesday Night Drive Sep 5th Coffee Gathering Tully Federal Way & Gowen Rd Sep 19th Coffee Gathering Moxie Five Mile & Overland Sep 19th Garage/Driveway Party (Bob Adair) Sep 30th Wednesday Night Drive Oct 3rd Coffee Gathering Tully Federal Way & Gowen Rd Oct 17th Coffee Gathering Moxie Five Mile & Overland Oct 28th Last Wednesday Night Drive Nov 7th Coffee Gathering Tully Federal Way & Gowen Rd Nov 14th Armistice Day Celebration Nov 21st Coffee Gathering Moxie Five Mile & Overland Nov 25th Thanksgiving Eve Pub Night Dec 5th Coffee Gathering Tully Federal Way & Gowen Rd Dec 12 th IBCC Christmas Dinner Dec 19th Coffee Gathering Moxie Five Mile & Overland Dec 30th Pub Night For further information (times, locations, contact info) please check the Web: NATIONAL & REGIONAL EVENTS CALENDAR Jun 20th Columbia Gorge Classic Jun 24-28th NAMGBR MG-2009 Breckinridge, CO Jul 24-25th All British Field Meet Bellevue, WA Jul 25th Glacier Rally in the Rockies Kalispell, MT Aug 6-9th Northwest Classic Rally Portland, OR Aug 7-9th All Triumph Drive In Redmond, OR Sep 5-7th All British Field Meet Portland, OR 2

3 IBCC OFFICERS PRESIDENT: Pete Rolfe SECRETARY/MEMBERSHIP: Realy Ann Wingert VICE-PRESIDENT: Rick Mills NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Becky Nichols EVENTS CHAIR: Rod Nichols HISTORIAN: Bob Frisby TREASURER: John Suter SUMMER TOUR ITINERARY Friday, June 26th 8:15 AM Driver s Meeting and departure Meet at Albertson s Express at Eagle Rd and McMillan for a quick chat before we drive. Plan to leave at 8:30 AM. We have set up the Economy Run again, so plan on topping off your tank before we leave. There is a planned lunch stop at the Hell s Canyon Inn, in Halfway, Oregon. Andrew and the staff there are setting up a barbeque for us, (brisket, etc, not hamburgers!) so plan for a good lunch at about $10 per person! Distance and time to our lunch stop: Approx 145 miles, about three and a half hours, depending on how many stops and how long at the stops. After lunch we continue on Forest Rd 39 to the Wallowa Mtn Loop, which will take us in to Enterprise through Joseph. After you top off your tank in Enterprise, turn in your Economy Run form to Pete or Rod at the Ponderosa Motel. Winners (and otherwise) will be announced at the trophy presentation Saturday evening. 5:00 PM Welcome Reception, which will be at the Terminal Gravity Brewpub in Enterprise. Appetizers provided, and dinner can be ordered from the menu. Saturday, June 27th Breakfast where you please. We will pick up the box lunches and transport them to Wallowa Lake State Park for you. 11:30 AM Leave as a group from the Ponderosa Motel. A portion of the parking lot at the state park will be secured for us. 4:30 PM Start parking cars for the car show. Main Street will be blocked off, Dinner will be available in front of Lears Pub starting at 5:00 PM, and the street dance will take place there later in the evening. Trophies will be presented before the street dance starts. Sunday, June 28th There is no set departure time, as some may want to enjoy the Wallowa Valley on their own before going home. Link up with friends, (safety in numbers) or go it on your own. but enjoy the drive! Long time IBCC member Jack Rogers passed away May 8th. Jack and his wife Oma attended numerous IBCC events in their white Morgan+4. He will be missed. Cheers..Pete COFFEE NAMETAG DRAWINGS No winners in May. At the 1st coffee Lynn Hawkins missed his chance at the money. At the 2nd coffee, Bob Adair also missed out. Now that driving weather is here, get out those nametags and come join IBCC members for coffee. 3 From the Editor: Did you miss my column last month? Nope? I didn t think so. I was so excited about getting all the articles from members, that I forgot about mine until it was too late and there was no space left. May was a busy month and June looks to be just as busy for the club. The deadline for articles for the July newsletter is June 30th. Thanks to all who have contributed...becky P.S. Congrats to Alan & Lorna Lemen on their new titles! (Father-in-law & Motherin-law)

4 Minutes from IBCC board meeting on May 17, 2009 A board meeting was held May 17 th, at Nathan and Realy Ann Wingert s home. All members of the board were in attendance Pete Rolfe, Rick Mills, John Suter, Realy Ann Wingert, Becky Nichols, Rod Nichols, and Bob Frisby. Pete Rolfe brought up the recent deaths of several club members and what the club could do to memorialize these people. It was suggested that the IBCC set a dollar amount to be donated to any memorial fund established, as well as any monies donated independently by club members. John Suter looked into the laws regarding the length of time treasury records needed to be kept and decided to shred all records from before He reported a club balance of approximately $5700. There is some concern amongst board members about carrying such a large balance and several options were discussed. It was suggested the club choose a set charity to donate to. It was also suggested some of the funds be used to establish a library of repair manuals and tools available for all members use. The recent increase in postage rates was discussed, as well as ways to increase the number of newsletters sent via , rather than by postal mail. Incentives, such as a slight decrease in yearly dues, for newsletter by , were suggested. There was also a suggestion of an increase in yearly dues across the board to help absorb the postage costs. We discussed a change in the logo on nametags, as well as having the logo engraved rather than printed on. It was decided that June would be the cut-off for membership if dues remain unpaid for The newsletter address labels will reflect this cut-off. We also discussed the member directory and several options were looked at. Nathan Wingert suggested the directory could be maintained securely on-line, through PDF software. The expense and usefulness of this is being looked into. Rod Nichols gave a quick run-down of progress in Summer Tour plans and it all seems to be well in hand. There are still Wednesday night drives in need of leadership, if anyone is interested. FATHERS DAY CAR SHOW June 21, 2009 If you are participating in the Fathers Day Car Show in Downtown Boise, we need to drive in together so we can all be parked together. If you got the from Jack & Patty, this was all explained. So we will meet at 7:15 AM at Big City Coffee at 1416 Grove, and depart there by 7:30 AM. Remember, we can't save a place for you if you are late!!!!!! If you have questions, please call Pete at , or Rod at SUMMER TOUR An expeditionary group of IBCC members traveled to Salmon Idaho to reconnoiter the area for the 2010 summer tour. Lyla Scheihing, Ken and June Miller and Pete Rolfe met with a local city representative and visited spots of interest to begin finalizing the 2010 event. Several different routes to and from the event are being considered. More information will be posted as it becomes available. Think Salmon, Idaho for Take a look at DUES ARE DUE This is your last newsletter, unless you have paid your dues for another year. Spring Into Summer Fling June 20th 11 AM to 5 PM Heatherwood Retirement Community CAR SHOW / BBQ / BATTLE OF THE BANDS 5277 Kootenai St., Boise, Idaho (All Proceeds to benefit The Idaho Food Bank) 4

5 Spring Rally and Picnic: Our Day Trip to Glenns Ferry (by June Miller) Well, it's 10:30AM and we're leaving with all the cars in a row (nine in all) and our picnic baskets in the back (only if we have the room, though). There were some with the tops down and some not so brave enough, yet...maybe later, on the way back home. We had our coffee and meeting and now we are ready to head out and follow the leader. I was asked to write about our trip, so hang in there, I don't have a clue where we are going. Ken is driving and I am trying to write and look at the scenery all at the same time. I'm a lady and we are multi-taskers, right ladies? Well, with all this coffee in us I hope we make some pit stops. Our destination is Glenns Ferry and going the back way is going to be fun. We are going to see places we have never seen before. WOW!! There IS life past Kuna...beautiful flat land (oh wait...a house...and more). We stopped at Swan Falls Drive to make sure everyone was still all together. We got out to stretch and let the dogs out to walk and do, well, you know, their doggy stuff. The sight of the Owyhee Mountains with snow on them are beautiful. Are we going the right way???? Well, who am I to say...i have no clue where we are going. Anyway, I will just keep enjoying the ride and try to write. I know the leader knows where he is going, right?? Speaking of go, is there a gas station coming up? Yep, but we just passed it. Oh well ladies, sorry. We just went over the Snake River now and we are heading east. It's still a beautiful drive and we couldn't have asked for a better day. I asked Ken what town was that and he said "Murphy", but I missed it because I blinked. Oh well maybe next time I will get to see it. Hey look, an outdoor potty house, are we going to stop?? I guess not, we're still driving. We have a guy leading the way and they don't stop for anything until we hit the destination (sorry guys). One and a half hours have passed (are we there yet?). We made it to Grandview in two hours in all and headed to the only store in town to use their one bathroom...girls first, then the guys. (whew) Next trip we have to stop for more potty breaks, especially after the coffee. We found the park and parked the cars all in a row. They look really nice all lined up. We got our picnic baskets and blankets and found some picnic tables and had a great time talking, eating, and resting. We got to know more about each other. Ken and I got to meet and talk to everyone in the club...they're some really great people. Hopefully we can get more to join the next runs. It sure is fun and you get to see a part of the country that you probably will never get to see. After lunch we all headed out. Some went to Mt. home to see Lynn and some went home. Ken and I put the top down and had a fantastic drive back home. We want to thank everyone for this drive and the fellowship with the club members. We all had a great time and hope to see more on the next run. P.S. At Simco Rd. the group split, with Terry & Beth Shannon, Lyla and Pete heading on to Mountain Home, and Lynn & Jan Gardner s mother s home. Lynn s mother is recovering from some recent surgery and Lynn and Jan are looking after her. Lynn was about to mount an engine on an engine stand and Terry and I offered unsolicited advice on how it should be done. Despite our input Lynn got the engine mounted and it had not fallen off when we departed, after some good conversation and a beverage. Lynn suggested an alternative to driving back on I-84, which we took, viewing some different scenery with interesting road names; but we were forced back on the slab at the Stage Stop.Cheers Pete P.S.S. Many thanks to Sid Bronson for the fantastic drive to Grandview on Saturday after coffee. The view and countryside were the best, even the pens of cows outside of Grandview. Did anyone, but us, see the deer jump the fence in front of us as we left Grandview? Thanks to Sid and all who helped plan this outing. Carolyn & Bob Berry WEDNESDAY NIGHT DRIVE Thanks to Rick Mills for planning and leading the Wednesday night drive in May. The weather was perfect for an evening trek to Jalapeno's Mexican Restaurant in Nampa. Approximately 13 cars and their occupants enjoyed the back roads and sights along the way. Thanks again, Rick. 5

6 MOTIVE POWER TOUR (submitted by Mike Steiner) Photo by Lynn Gardner Saturday afternoon, 2 May, 2009, IBCC members were treated to a tour of Motive Power s truck and engine annex. Lynn Gardner arranged it, and Dave Zaballa was our host and tour guide. Motive Power began in Boise as the Morrison Knudsen Rail Systems group. Over the years it grew and was spun off from MK in 1996, becoming Motive Power. In 1999, it merged with Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation (WABTEC). Motive Power specializes in the manufacture and reconditioning of switching and transit locomotives. Diesel locomotives operate differently than automobiles. The diesel engine turns a generator, which powers an electric motor geared directly to the driving wheels. There is no transmission, differential, or other mechanical connection between engine and wheels: electromotive drive. Trucks are assemblies comprised of the driving wheels, the electric motor, and the bull gear. Motive Power uses new and/or reconditioned components. Wheels that show wear or damage must be pressed off their axles and trued on an enormous lathe. Motive Power rebuilds engines of 12 cylinders or more and 1000 horsepower or more. The engines on the floor that day were two-stroke diesels that operate differently from the familiar four-stroke gasoline engine. For example, exhaust is by valves; intake is by ports in the cylinder walls. Such engines can run only if intake air is pressurized. For starting, a supercharger is used; once up to speed, a turbocharger takes over. If this seems exotic, consider that the roots-type superchargers that have boosted generations of American hot rods originally were salvaged from two-stroke Detroit Diesel truck engines. The blocks are not single castings but are fabricated from numerous steel-plate pressings welded into a rigid whole, sort of like the old 750cc. Crosley Hotshot. It is necessary and possible to repair badly broken blocks that we would write off. They can be welded back together and re-machined on really big lathes, big milling machines, big line-borers, just like in an auto machine shop, but lots bigger. There was much to see and many questions. We toured only one building of several that comprise the extensive Motive Power campus. Hopefully, we will have opportunity to do another soon. 6

7 MEMBER PROFILE Paul Mascuch My wife Linda and I are retired and have lived in Idaho for 4 years. We became members of IBCC just over a year ago, but my involvement with British sports cars goes back to when I was just a youngster. My father was a fan of old British sports cars when they were new British sports cars. While I was growing up my dad had a series of MGTC s, an Austin Healey, and six Jaguar XK 120 s. The last XK120 he purchased was a highly modified car he bought sight unseen from an ad he saw. The car was located in Sun Valley, Idaho so he flew from New Jersey to Boise and caught a Piper Cub from Boise to Sun Valley. When they arrived in the area the airport was closed so the pilot ended up landing in a field next to the highway and my dad hitch hiked into town and bought the car. He then proceeded to drive it back to New Jersey. He got as far as Boone, Iowa before the car quit on him and he had to have it trucked back to New Jersey. He completely rebuilt the car when I was in grade school so I had a lot of exposure to Jags. When he sold the Jag he bought a 1948 MGTC that he still drives today. At 89 years old he still loves his British cars. When I was in high school I had a friend who loved British cars and had a TR-3, a Jag XK120, and a TVR Vixen. We would constantly work on the cars, and I helped him change out the engine in the TVR to a twin cam MGA engine he picked up. I remember the engine fit wasn t too hard, but routing the belts was a bear because of interference with some of the chassis tubes. When I went off to college to study engineering at Lehigh University I wanted a car. I ended up picking up a 1954 Jag XK120M. At the time the XKE had just come out so people were practically giving away the old Jags. I paid $600 for the one I bought with money I d saved up from working summer jobs. While I was in college I used to drive up to watch the SCCA races at Watkins Glenn, New York. We would camp out in the racetrack infield and always had a great time watching the races. When I graduated I started to work for Johns Manville Corp. I was living at home and driving 55 miles each way to work. With that commute, the Jag was not really a practical car so I ended up selling it for $900 (big profit) and bought a VW square back for reliable transportation. The next 20 years were tied up with work and raising two kids. I drove practical cars, but my dad and I always talked about sports cars. Then on my 40 th birthday my dad showed up at our house with a 1952 Jag XK120 as a birthday present. The car was in decent shape and was drivable. I decided to rebuild the Jag to as new condition to be used as a driver. We were living in Tennessee at the time and I called my boss and told him I had this car I wanted to restore. I asked him if there was anything planned at work that might cause a problem with that plan. He said no, so I tore the car apart to start the restoration. As soon as I had the car torn down, I was transferred to a new job in Toledo, Ohio. I had a guy I worked with in Tennessee that collected Corvettes. He had a car trailer and wanted to pick up a Vette in Michigan, so I paid for the gas for his trip and he brought all the pieces of the Jag up to me in Ohio and took the Vette home with him. I did most of the mechanical work on the Jag and worked with Deter s Restorations in Michigan on the bodywork, paint, and upholstery. Total time from when I tore the car down to when it was back on the road was 12 years and more money than I care to think about. When I got the car back on the road, the first thing we did was drive to a friend s house for his daughter s high school graduation party. I parked the car on the road in front of his house and an old gentleman ran into it and did $2,500 worth of damage. I was afraid to drive it very often after the accident. When I moved to Idaho I had the car trucked out here by enclosed transport. It sat in the garage until I saw an article in the Statesman about the IBCC. My wife and I attended one of the morning coffee meetings and were hooked. We met a bunch of great people with similar interests who actively used their cars. The rest as they say is history. We drove the car in a lot of the IBCC events last year, and after some needed maintenance work over the winter we are looking forward to the club activities this year. I ll keep driving the Jag, but I ve also got my eye out for a Lotus Super Seven somewhere in the future. 7

8 PROJECT CORNER (submitted by Brian Storey) When I was asked to write about a project for project corner I had a tough decision to make, What project? Everything I own is a work in progress right now, and since Rod told me not to write about any German stuff that narrowed it down a little! So I will write about my Dad s 1951 MG TD Mk II (RHD). My father and I wanted to restore a British car together and we started out with a TR3B. This car was way beyond our abilities at that point; I was 12 years old and my dad had never restored a car before. So that was sold and he found the MG TD in the Washington post. It was delivered to our home by the previous owner, mind you mainly in boxes with a few body panels set on the frame. We slowly started to take it apart and organize the scattered pieces. Dad became busier with work and I started racing motocross. This car was not touched again until the winter of I had been a student at McPherson College in McPherson, Ks. for a little over 3 months. I flew home for Christmas break and Dad and I decided to drive back to Kansas with the MG TD for my school project car. Dad, Erin and I took the MG TD 1200 miles to Kansas with my Mom s truck and horse trailer. When it arrived in McPherson it was unloaded into my storage shed across from campus and the initial work began. I completely disassembled the chassis and sandblasted it down to bare metal and painted it as well as all the individual components. I then reassembled it all in my chassis class. The engine and gearbox were secondary projects in engine and drive train class at college, I was able to take apart the MG engine and gearbox and hot tank them before the semester ran out. This car then sat again untouched until the spring of During school I became very busy with repainting my 1971 El Camino, working at a local restoration shop for experience and being C.A.R.S. Club (College Automotive Restoration Students) President. When I graduated in 2007 we once again loaded the MG into the horse trailer and brought it to Idaho. Dad and I worked frequently on it for several months while my shop was budding. We were able to replace all the body timbers and fit them appropriately, finished rebuilding the engine and gear box and finally had a driving, rolling chassis. The body panels were also media blasted and primed. Most of you know the rest. Dad moved back to Virginia for work and the shop really took off. So there she sits again, until we have time again. This car will always be a keeper, finished or not. It is a family project and it is 1 of 11 ever produced in Mk II RHD. We hope to motor about in this beautiful British Car one day. 8

9 CLASSIFIED FOR SALE 1987 XJS V-12. Exterior is excellent, interior needs a little upholstery work. Needs undercarriage work. Beautiful car. If you re a mechanic and want to work on it let me know. $2500. Sharon blondizjag@yahoo.com 1952 MG TD - Desirable Mark II model - Frame off full restoration (all receipts) completed in BRG with tan top/curtains and biscuit leather interior - $20,000. Martin or martinscheffer@clearwire.net * 1953 MG TD - Convertible Silver with red interior, in excellent condition, includes side curtains in storage bags. Also have some manuals, radiator cap tool, and oil filter conversion kit. Rag top and spare wheel cover are black and a little faded. This is the dealer site and pictures of the car when we bought it 2 years ago. We love the car, but the tax man cometh. Dave or davesliltoy@msn.com Asking $20,000. * AFTER MARKET HARD TOP FOR MGB. The rubber edging is showing some wear. Everything else is in very good condition. $450. Terry Thompson * 1967 Mini Countryman Needs to be restored. Left hand drive; needs clutch; a couple of very small rust holes on floorboards. Call Jeff Asking $6,000 OBO Photos on ***Free classified ads for club members*** LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR FOR THE ROADSTER FACTORY BOISE TRIUMPH SPARES OFFERS A 20% DISCOUNT OFF LIST PRICE TO ALL IBCC MEMBERS ON ALL ROADSTER FACTORY CATALOG ITEMS. PLEASE CONTACT PETE AT STOREY S GARAGE LLC. OFFERING HIGH QUALITY RESTORATION SERVICES AND GENERAL MAINTENANCE OF YOUR SPECIAL VEHICLE Call to schedule your spring tune up! Car won t start?? We make housecalls! 15% off labor for all IBCC members (541) storeysgarage@gmail.com 9

10 IDAHO BRITISH CAR CLUB PO BOX 9484 BOISE, ID Visit the WEBPAGE: DUES ARE DUE!